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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-Mike March-LetterSubmitted into the public record for item(s) PZ.1� on 02-25-2021, City Clerk Dear Neighbors and Elected Officials, My name is Mike March, and I live in the West Grove, on the corner of Charles Avenue and Plaza Street. I would like to discuss the proposed up -zoning for a "hotel", which would be located on the north side of Charles Avenue, just west of the long shuttered Coconut Grove Playhouse. This was already approved by the City of Miami's Planning, Zoning, and Appeals Board (PZAB), back on Feb. 5, 2020, and it is my desire to spread awareness regarding this item before it is heard before the Miami City Commission, which could be any day now. This will potentially transform 6 adjacent lots (4 on Charles Avenue and 2 on Plaza Street) from a land use of residential to commercial, and from a zoning class of T3-R (which only allows two- story, single family homes), to T4-L (which allows four stories). Charles and William Avenues are currently mainly quiet streets, and to make matters worse, Charles Avenue has also been designated a historic corridor by the City of Miami. When nearby property owners hear of this potential up -zoning, it is only natural that they might anticipate it could lead to increased property values for them, picturing the potential further advancement of commercial zoning into the neighborhood. It is however important to remind those owners on Charles Avenue, as well as the Commissioners voting in this item, that because our street has been designated a historic corridor, we face special restrictions which could limit our ability to redevelop our lots in a similar manner. The specific restrictions for Charles Avenue may be found by referring to a section in the City of Miami Zoning Code (known as Miami 21), specifically Appendix A, Section 2.4.1, under the legislation for the NCD-2 (or Neighborhood Conservation District 2, which covers all the West Grove). 2,4.1 Charles Avenue a. All new construction, major alterations and additions on Charles Avenue shall be required to be reviewed by the process of Waiver. To ensure the compatibility of new construction on Charles Avenue, the design for any new construction shall also be reviewed by the Urban Development Review Board for its compatibility of scale, materials, roof slope, general form, massing and ornamental details. b. Any requests for the demolition of structures that are over fifty (50) years of age along Charles Avenue shall be referred to the Historic Preservation Officer for review of historical significance. c. The architectural guidelines contained in the Village West Island District are intended to produce visual compatibility among the buildings on Charles Avenue and throughout the District representing building traditions of early South Florida, the Caribbean, and the early African -American settlers. The NCD-2 covers the West Grove only, whereas the NCD-3 covers all of Coconut Grove, including the NCD-2. Therefore, the historically black West Grove has been given more zoning restrictions, which will inevitably raise housing costs, now and into the future. The first NCD within Miami, the NCD-1, was formed in the neighborhood of Coral Gate, in order to prevent commercial intrusion from Coral Way into the residential neighborhood. It is sadly ironic to me that although the West Grove is also "protected" by not one, but two NCDs, we seem to be 30 0 ► S c16mi 1II— M M&'cJ- - Lzefz�J& Submitted into the public record for item(s) P2.1, on 02-25-2021, City Clerk welcoming commercial intrusion, in the form of this proposed hotel, or whatever ends up being built. If you use the City of Miami's online zoning application, found at https:I/qis. miamigov. comlmiamizoning/ you are able to see color coded maps, offering highlighted layers which show historically designated features, under the Environmental and Historic Preservation option. Using this feature, you will see the historic corridor of Charles Avenue is highlighted, along with nine historically designated properties, on Charles and William Avenues alone. Since some of these properties were designated historic three years ago, at least one of these properties has tried to get their designation removed (or rescinded) after the fact, and many others appealed their designations back then, before they were deemed final by the City. The first series of appeals were heard before the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board (HEPB) in a hearing which stretched past midnight. The second appeal hearing was before the City Commission, during which four out of the five commissioners granted the appeals, in what I consider to be respect for the property rights of the appellants. But even though many homeowners were able to successfully appeal their designations, those of us on Charles Avenue are still effectively designated, due to the street's designation as a historic corridor. In one case on Charles Avenue, an elderly property owner who lived out of state was unable to appeal her historic designation in a timely manner three years ago, because her husband had passed away during that time. When her son, who also lived out of state, was having difficulty selling the property at a decent price due to its designation, the HEPB would not allow them to have their designation rescinded. Had a family member been present at the midnight hearing three years ago, this property sadly could have been easily exempted from historic designation, due to dramatic alterations on the property, including a large two -storey addition in back of the original home. In the zoning tool there is also a Future Land Use Map (FLUM) option, which shows that much of the West Grove is already slated to be up -zoned, from T3 to T5, under various MUSPs (Master Use Special Permits), on residential blocks to the north and south of Grand Avenue, as well as to the east and west of Douglas Road (37th Avenue). I urge anyone considering selling property to please consult the FLUM, because otherwise you could fall prey to unscrupulous land speculators (some of them local elected and appointed officials), who will offer T3 prices for land which is zoned T5. Indeed, much of our quiet T3 neighborhood seems to be not long for this world, and many in the community fear that the reason the historically black NCD-2 was given a separate NCD, is because it will be converted into an expanded commercial zone. At one point, Charles Avenue was the only place where black people could legally own land. It's my hope that our Commissioners will agree that the preservation of single family streets is important, both in historically white and in historically black neighborhoods. Yes, we need affordable housing in the West Grove, and with this will come some increased density. But some streets are worth preserving, as testaments to the neighborhood's proud past. Please feel free to contact me if you wish, and thank you for your consideration, michaelgmarch(a7hotmail.com (305) 785-2174 Submitted into the public record for item(s) P2.1, on 02-25-2021, City Clerk Dear City Officials and neighbors, My name is Mike March, and I have lived on Charles Avenue in Coconut Grove since 2004. I would like to address some of my concerns with the pending revisions to our neighborhood conservation districts' (NCDs') legislation. As a resident of the West Grove, I am affected by the NCD-3 (which covers all of Coconut Grove), the NCD-2 (which covers only the historically black West Grove), and also by special regulations for my street of Charles Avenue (since it has been designated a historic corridor). Among other things, this legislation stands to potentially limit the amount of buildable space we will have on single family lots (known within the city of Miami as zoning transect T3-R) to a maximum of a 50% FLR (floor to lot ratio). I believe that like myself, many property owners are not aware of new legislation affecting their own properties unless they receive a direct mailing from the city. I encourage everyone affected to get the facts for themselves. The legislation I speak of below, known as Ordinance 3001, or the NCO Amendments, may be found by going to the city of Miami's web page at miamigov.com. Bear in mind that the city website has been "under construction" for quite some time, and the "archived" version (at archive.miamigov.com) is still best. From there, the legislation can be found as links within a commission agenda. The last draft of the NCD Amendments can be found in the agenda for 4/23/20, under item 5 of the Planning and Zoning section (XI). In April, this item was "indefinitely" deferred for six months, possibly to be considered again for its first of two readings (votes by the city commission) on 10/22/20. For this meeting, the legislation will likely be posted in the new commission agenda, which is typically posted online about a week in advance. Many people would consider the extensive amendments being made to be a "rewrite", yet the word "rewrite" is not being used, because this would require a voter referendum, which some authors of this legislation would not like to see. To repeat myself, the West Grove is currently governed by the NCD-2 AND the NCD-3, but other parts of Coconut Grove are governed by the NCD-3 only. The first amendment I mention below tries to clarify this overlay arrangement. At the core of my following objections is this: "Should a historically black neighborhood be subject to special zoning regulations, which will not be applied to the historically white neighborhoods only blocks away?" (NCD-2 Amendments: 2.2 APPLICABILITY) 1. The NCD-2 should not become an overlay (of extra restrictions) to the NCD-3. Since the NCD-2 was created first, it should have either been expanded to include all of Coconut Grove, or else it should have been nullified when the NCD-3 was created. 2. UDRB (Urban Development Review Board) approval should not be required on all new construction in the entire NCD-2. It is already required on the historically -designated L.) corridor of Charles Avenue, and it should not be expanded to include all of the West tii Nicu Grove. This burden (to comply with "Caribbean" neighborhood guidelines) is being a a. a aj placed upon homeowners of the NCD-2, but not upon all homeowners in the NCD-3. 3. Uses for historically -designated properties (or those properties adjacent to them) should not be expanded to allow for bed and breakfasts, and general commercial use. This change should not be implemented in the NCD-2 only, when it is not being implemented throughout the entire NCD-3. (NCD-3 Amendments: 3.14 PUBLIC BENEFITS PROGRAM) 4. Developers who make contributions of civic space or cross -block connectivity get FLR (floor -to -lot ratio) bonuses, but not throughout all of the NCD-3. This bonus is excluded on Bird Ave. east of Bridgeport Ave. (near the Home Depot) and on 27th Ave. south of Coconut Ave. (near Berries) to Tigertail Ave., which effectively prevents this bonus from being applied in much of the North and Center Grove. Under the NCD Amendments, FLR and density rights are being taken away from the owners of single family homes, yet developers are being given bonuses with the public benefits program. Any bonuses offered via the NCDs should apply to ALL of Coconut Grove, rather than just to certain neighborhoods. Since most new legislation requires two readings or votes by the City Commission, the authors of the legislation are eager for the first reading to pass. It has been suggested that further alteration of the legislation can be made between the first and second readings, but during this time people can also become distracted and forget about the issue. It is better that the wishes of the property owners are heard (and ideally acted upon) before this measure passes its first reading. "The way our society figures out how to help people who are marginalized... is by deciding what's best for them, rather than letting them decide for themselves." -Hempel, Jessi. "For Nextdoor, Eliminating Racism Is No Quick Fix", Wired, 16 Feb. 2017. Thank you, Mike March 3543 Plaza St, Miami, FL 33133 (305) 785-2174 michaelgmarch@hotmail.com L7 ri rV 0 LA N