HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Comment and Submittals at 02-02-22 PZAB MtgPublic Comments Report for 2/2/22 PZAB meeting
February 2, 2022 Public Comment for PZAB w/Agenda Items
February 2, 2022 5:17 PM MST
Public Comment
motero@miamigov.com
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PZA
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Outs N
ide 1132
of g : Please, please don't change the zoning. This is outdated and you're turning your No
backs on the free market. Let a thousand solutions bloom instead of mandates!!!
Mia Zoni
mi ng
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TO D
Park
ing
As a former resident of the City of Miami and UM graduate, I want the Magic City to
stay magic. The proposed zoning text change will, in the end, needlessly raise costs
for both residents and businesses by requiring parking where it doesn't need to be.
This is through inflation, market distortion, and incompatibility. We all know about
economic inflation but a growing number of professionals have realized that parking
minimums are their own form of inflation. If a business or condo is required to build
PZA parking that the market doesn't call for, it arbitrarily raises the cost of building.
B Builders then pass along the costs to customers and residents. Parking minimums
RES even inflate the size of a city by separating places with unwafkabfe and shockingly
1840 OLU duff parking fields. The great quest to build ample parking has, in fact, been an
Morr TIO unconscious megaproject which results in higher costs, environmental damage, and
ift N vast urban dead zones. In this regard, requiring more parking in TOD zones is a
St. 1132 double whammy. TOD zones are exactly positioned to economize by building Less
Apt. 8 : parking as Less is needed. Fewer parking spots that can be waived would merely No
208 Zoni become a government -induced market distortion. Further, requiring shops Less than
Sara ng 10,000 square feet to build parking would have made it impossible to build places
sota, Text people Love to go Like Coconut Grove and the Design District. The small shops and
FL cafes would be half demolished to make way for "ample" parking which, at the same
TOD time, would have broken up the urban fabric and made these places duff and
Park unwaLkabLe. White many businesses and visitors complain about the Lack of parking,
ing this is only an indication of the success of an area and that higher parking fees
should be considered to create more turnover. The former President of the Institute of
Transportation Engineers (ITE) noted that the way forward is, in fact, Lowering or
eliminating parking minimums (https://community.ite.org/bfogs/mr-bruce-beLmore-
peng-ptoe-ays/2019/02112Jrethinking-parking-minimums). This zoning text change
should be rejected Like yesterday's guava pastry. Let's keep the Magic City magic by
creating more places to be and to make a Life and not just spots to park. Thank you.
Are
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PZA
B Hi TOD rep, I recently read online that the city is considering changing the laws
regarding waivers for developer parking requirements in areas with mass transit and I
RES
785 OLU think this is a huge mistake. While I am an outsider now, I plan on moving to the
j1d34 Was TIO Miami area after graduation and I fell in love with the area, not because of the sun
9@s hbur N and the beach but the county's effort to reduce traffic and encourage public transit
with the flat rate bus fees and trolleys. By putting more parking in the areas that
Jenn Dulit carte n 1132 have quality transit accessibility you are starting to undo all the hard work to mitigate
tmait stree 8: No
ifer z rut t Zoni traffic in the area. I don't fully know the financials of this besides that the waiver
g comes with a sort of fee, building parking is rather expensive, and the city wilt make
ers.e Tean ng
du eck Text very tittle off the additional parking, but there has to be a better alternative out there.
NJ Rather than requiring more parking why not raise the waiver fee or require more
TOD green space/shade on each site? More parking does not help everyone and in many
cases does a tot of unintended harm to the community already there for the sake of
Park
those who drive in. If people want to come to these areas, they wilt.
ing
PZA
B
91 RES
East OLU
Rac Selb TIO
hael y N Please keep the existing parking reduction required in the new transit corridor. It is
Doro Blvd 1132 more sustainable for people without cars and the environment. It wilt allow for easier
Rac Doro
hael thy thy wort 8 : access to amenities throughout the region and allow visitors a way to travel without No
@g hingt Zoni needing a car. Miami is a great place to visit and wilt be more so without being car
maiL. on ng dominated. People want to visit and spend money and do so without using cars.
com Ohio Text
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6 TOD
Park
ing
End of Report
Chair and Members
Planning, Zoning & Appeals Board
City of Miami
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33131
RE: PZAB Resolution Number 1 — Additional Public Hearing Requirements
PZAB Resolution Number 2 — Removing Parking Incentives
Dear Chairperson & Members of the Board,
THE SOUTH FLORIDA AGC
I am writing on behalf of The Associated General Contractors of America South Florida Chapter (The
South Florida AGC), to share our concerns on two pieces of proposed legislation being considered by the
Planning, Zoning, and Appeals Board today, Wednesday, February 2, 2022:
- PZAB Resolution Number 1, would require a public hearing for affordable housing projects that
are currently approved by warrant. This would add an additional 6-12 months to the
application approval process.
- PZAB Resolution Number 2, removes parking incentives for projects in and around Transit
Oriented Development areas adding additional delays to the project approval process and
making the cost of new housing more expensive.
These changes would delay existing projects, increase the cost of current and future projects, and
extend an already lengthy approval process for the construction of new projects. Although this is a
burden for our member firms it is even more of a burden for our workforce which has seen skyrocketing
rents, and home prices within the city of Miami. Commercial Construction is a labor-intensive process
and policies which impact our ability to find local workers has a negative impact on all sectors of society
as roads, powerlines, sewer pipes, and building construction is dependent on constriction workers to
build and service them.
We respectfully ask that the board consider deferring these items until there is a better understanding
of their impact on the supply of housing over the near and long term and their impact on affordable
housing.
Thank you for allowing us to speak on behalf of South Florida's Commercial Construction Community
and the thousands of construction workers who call the City of Miami, home.
Carlos Carrillo
Executive Director
The South Florida AGC
The South Florida Chapter of The Associated General Contractors of America
8200 NW 41st Street, Suite 200 Doral, FL 33166
asf
Builders Association
of South Florida
BUILDING GREAT CITIES
SINCE 1944
Chair and Members
Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board
City of Miami
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33131
www.basfonline.org
111 NW 183rd Street, Suite 111
Miami Gardens, FL 33169
February 1, 2022
Re: PZAB Resolution No. 1 (File No. 11327) - Additional Public Hearing Requirements throughout Miami 21;
and
PZAB Resolution No. 2 (File No. 11328) - Removing Parking Incentives
Dear Mr. Chairman and Board Members:
I write today on behalf of the Builders Association of South Florida ("BASF"), to express our concerns regarding two pieces
of proposed legislation scheduled to be considered by the Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board tomorrow, Wednesday,
February 2, 2022. In their current foul, BASF would be opposed to both items for the reasons set forth below.
One of the City's top priorities is to keep housing affordably priced for all Miami residents. Both pieces of proposed
legislation would have a negative impact on housing affordably by extending an already lengthy permitting process, and
making housing significantly more expensive to construct.
• PZAB Resolution No. 1 would require a public hearing for affordable housing projects that are now
routinely approved via Warrant, adding anywhere from 6-12 months more time for application approval.
• PZAB Resolution No. 2 seeks to remove highly effective parking incentives for applicants with projects in
and around Transit Oriented Development ("TOD") areas. Adding significant additional delays to applicants'
already lengthy approval times and eliminating TOD parking reductions would be counter -productive to the goal
of producing more affordably priced places to live.
The City's Warrant process is a fundamental feature of the zoning process for most developments, and in particular
affordable housing developments with strict federal tax credit deadlines, as the bonus height, density and FLR available for
affordable housing developments under Miami 21's Section 3.15 Attainable Mixed -Income Housing provisions now require
a Warrant.
While the protection of neighbors is paramount, a comprehensive analysis of the impacts of the proposed
legislative items must be properly vetted prior to a rush to eliminate a process that has been in place since the
adoption of Miami 21. An Exception process will not only unduly burden the applicants, staff, and boards, but
the general public as well, with added notifications that create uncertainty and angst for uses that are otherwise
permitted. This will also cause delay to a process that is already backlogged.
Also, the City's reduced TOD parking requirements has been a major driver in encouraging the construction of more
housing in and around transit hubs. This smart zoning feature is used by many builders to construct more desperately needed
apartments and condominiums in areas where growth is most compatible. Requiring a public hearing application for ALL
applications would create significant uncertainty, threatening Miami's progress in addressing critical issues around housing
affordability and mobility, and putting more development pressure on residential neighborhoods, potentially adding more
cars and gridlock to the road.
Now, with the completion of Brightline and Miami Central Station, and other transit stops along the eastern
corridor, transit -oriented developments are becoming a reality — and a great relief to many residents. This will
reduce the need for more parking, promote mass transit use and ultimately, will offer more City residents places
to live near transit stops.
Continued on page 2
PZAB Board
Page Two
February 1, 2022
Before any single proposal to amend Miami 21, BASF respectfully suggests that this Board ask about the status
of the Miami 21 Task Force Report and consider any broad -sweeping changes in a wholistic manner.
In 2021, at the City Commission's direction, a Miami 21 Task Force was formed and met at City Hall to consider
a wide range of updates and improvements to Miami 21. The Task Force's recommendations offer a wholistic
approach that could help the Board, and the City Commission, adopt a package of much -needed improvements
to Miami 21. When separate proposals are considered, there is greater risk of not fully understanding that specific
item's implications, and unintended consequences, on other Code sections, the City's economic well-being and
ultimately, our City residents. To our Members' knowledge, no public workshops or meetings have been held on the
Task Force Report, to date.
Thus, BASF respectfully suggests that this Board inquire as to the status of the Miami 21 Task Force Report,
review those recommendations for a wholistic approach for process improvements and other improvements that
benefit the City of Miami and its neighborhoods, and that public meetings or workshops be held on the Task
Force Report, before considering individual amendments to Miami 21.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide our Members' point of view on this important community issue.
Sincerely,
414.
Truly Burton
Executive V ce resident
cc: Mayor Suarez, City Manager Noriega, Planning Director Garcia -Pons