HomeMy WebLinkAboutPre-Publication Submittal - Letter of Intent dated 05-07-2021BERCow
RADELL
FERNANDEZ
LARKIN
\� TAPANES
ZONING, LAND USE AND
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
200 S. Biscayne Boulevard
Suite 300, Miami, FL 33131
www.brzoninglaw.com
305.377.6227 office
305.377.6222 fax
mtapanes@brzoninglaw.com
May 7, 2021
VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL
Mr. Cesar Garcia -Pons, Director
Department of Planning
City of Miami Riverside Center
444 SW 2 Avenue, 3rd Floor
Miami, FL 33130
Re: Sabal Palm Village (formerly Eastside Ridge) Special Area Plan
(PZAB File IDs: 3306 and 3307) Properties Located at 5175 NE
2 Avenue, 5035 NE 2 Avenue and 5125 NE 2 Court
Dear Mr. Garcia -Pons:
This law firm represents SPV Realty, LC (the "Applicant") in
connection with the Sabal Palm Village (formerly Eastside Ridge)
Special Area Plan and the properties located at 5175 NE 2 Avenue,
5035 NE 2 Avenue and 5125 NE 2 Court (the "Property"). The
Property is the subject of Planning Zoning Appeals Board File ID
Nos. 3306 and 3307. This letter shall serve as the letter of intent in
support of the accompanying, updated Special Area Plan land use
and zoning applications for the Property.
Property. The Property is located between NE 2 Avenue and
the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railroad Corridor, just south of NE 54
Street. See Figure 1, Location Map. The site is just east of the
Miami Jewish Health Systems SAP and south of the Magic City SAP.
The property is currently improved with two-story garden -style
apartment complex currently known as the "Design Place". The
complex was originally constructed in 1948 as "Sabal Palm Village"
and includes 516 rental units. The Property is approximately
twenty-three (23) acres in size and has remained apart from the
surrounding communities for several decades.
Mr. Cesar Garcia -Pons, Director
Department of Planning
Page 2
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Figure 1. Location Map
Sabal Palm Village Narrative Description. The Sabal Palm Village at Flagler Trail Special
Area Plan (the "SAP") is a proposed mixed -use project in the City of Miami envisioned as the
architectural and cultural connection between the Little Haiti, Buena Vista, and Design District
neighborhoods. The SAP, consisting of a Concept Plan, Regulating Plan and Development
Agreement, embraces the culturally diverse character of these three distinct areas to embrace an
entirely unique identity for this ideally situated, quintessential Miami site.
The redevelopment's objective is to seamlessly reintegrate the approximately twenty-
three (23) acres of prime real estate into the public sphere through a series of visual cues and
physical connections prioritizing view corridors, dedicated park spaces, and functional bicycle,
pedestrian, and vehicular access to create a sustainable multi -modal hub that elevates creative
collaboration and culturally -inspired economic development to benefit the surrounding area.
The visionary architecture, hardscape, and landscape design draws inspiration from the site's
majestic specimen trees and fuses elements from the iconic Little Haiti, Buena Vista and Design
District neighborhoods. The architecture and urban design respectfully draw the most active
areas towards the center of the site transitioning into the much -needed green spaces for respite
and recreation at exterior portions of the site.
Sabal Palm Village encourages cultural exploration and exchange through recreation and
innovation. The dedication and construction of a new two -acre City public park at the site's
western connection point to NE 2 Avenue at NE 51 Street invites residents, visitors and patrons
into the site through a nostalgic Jardin Botanique, a series of cohesive public open spaces with
lush native sub -tropical flora inspired by the tropical botanical gardens of Haiti. Visual cues in
the form of curated butterfly gardens, fish ponds, spice and fruit trees, and sculptures by local
and Caribbean artists will provide visual corridors to pedestrian paseos.
Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin & Tapanes 1 305.377.6227 direct 1 305.377.6222 fax 1 mtapanes@brzoninglaw.com
Mr. Cesar Garcia -Pons, Director
Department of Planning
Page 3
These paseos will be activated through a mix of uses including mixed -income residential,
hotel, office and retail uses that welcome pedestrians to the Village's heart, the Katye Green. The
Katye Green is envisioned as a central park surrounded by a sustainable commercial district
primed to support local entrepreneurship through a start-up technology incubator as well as
robust community programming in coordination with community organizations and strategic
partnerships. Specifically, the SAP proposes to sponsor a collaborative co -working space for
existing area businesses and provide resources for new local businesses and start-ups through
coordination with community organizations and strategic partnerships. The SAP also proposes
to curate the Katye Green as a destination for cultural innovation and exchange through
community programming elevating local and Caribbean art, dance, music and food. Regular
event programming will embrace the organic vibrancy of Miami and provide an inviting platform
for display of locally sourced products and services. Through pedestrian paseos lined with retail
and restaurants, the Katye Green will connect to the Flagler Trail, the long -planned north -south
leg of the Miami -Dade Transportation Planning Organization's "rails -to -trails" project known as
"The Miami LOOP".
The FEC Railroad Corridor, once a physical and visual barrier between people and
neighborhoods, is the subject of enthusiastic anticipation with the advent of a passenger rail
station to the south of the property. Sabal Palm Village proposes to implement its namesake,
the Flagler Trail, a dedicated bicycling and walking path parallel to the FEC Railroad Corridor and
the north -south connector of the Miami LOOP. The Flagler Trail has the potential to foster
pedestrian and bicyclist connectivity from the employment center of the Flagler District in
Downtown Miami through the neighborhoods of Overtown, Wynwood, Midtown, Design District,
and Buena Vista to create a sense of arrival at Little Haiti's NE 54 Street gateway, a designated
Priority Corridor in the adopted City of Miami Bicycle Master Plan. This SAP aims to serve the
community as a sustainable multi -modal hub facilitating north -south physical connections to
and from Little Haiti through a proposed realignment of NE 3 Avenue for vehicles and
implementation of the Flagler Trail for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The Flagler Trail's connection of the Brightline's Downtown Miami Grand Central Station
through the SAP to Brightline's Aventura Station will improve the health, equity and inclusion for
the surrounding area. Sabal Palm Village's emphasis culturally -inspired public open spaces,
local -centric economic development and curated community programming will create a
destination that celebrates the diverse character of Miami for locals and tourists alike.
Sabal Palm Village Proposal. In response to significant community input, the SAP has
been reimagined and reinvented from the ground up. As noted in the SAP Narrative section of
this letter, the proposed design has been modified to embrace and serve as a gateway between
Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin & Tapanes 1305.377.6227 direct 1305.377.6222 fax I mtapanes@brzoninglaw.com
Mr. Cesar Garcia -Pons, Director
Department of Planning
Page 4
the culturally diverse characters of the abutting Little Haiti, Buena Vista, and Design District
neighborhoods. Specific changes to the proposed SAP include:
• Increased pedestrian and cyclist mobility throughout the site and surrounding area in
support of the City's Bicycle Master Plan.
• Implementation of the first segment of the Flagler Trail linear pedestrian and bicycle
pathway.
• Realignment of NE 3 Avenue through the SAP.
• Creation of public green spaces that welcome the surrounding community and
celebrate the cultural heritage of the area.
• Requests of a land use plan map amendment to Recreation and rezoning to CS- Civic
Space, to accommodate the dedication and construction of a new two -acre City public
park at the site's western connection point to NE 2 Avenue at NE 51 Street (Jardin
Botanique).
• Curation of the SAP's central plaza (Katye Green) as a destination for cultural
innovation and exchange through community programming elevating local and
Caribbean art, dance, music and food.
• Elimination of request for additional height around the perimeter of the Property,
• Modification of the Development Agreement to provide: promotion of local
businesses, community outreach and employment, Workforce Housing, traffic
improvements, community space
Development Program. Additionally, the proposed redevelopment plan includes
significant reductions in intensity and density. See Table 1. Development Program Comparison.
The proposed redevelopment represents a decrease of 80 net new A.M. peak hour trips and a
decrease of 199 net new P.M. peak hour trips compared to the previously reviewed
redevelopment program. See enclosed Trip Generation Statement.
Table 1. Development Program Comparison
Previous Development
Program
Current Development
Program
Change
High-rise residential units
3,300 units
2,929 units
-371 units
General Office
300,000 SF
168,011 SF
-131,989 SF
Shopping Center
500,000 SF
296,297 SF
-203,703 SF
Hotel
240 rooms
400 rooms
+160 rooms
Vocational/Community
College
0
43,760 SF
+43,760 SF
Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin & Tapanes 1305.377.6227 direct 1305.377.6222 fax I mtapanes@brzoninglaw.com
Mr. Cesar Garcia -Pons, Director
Department of Planning
Page 5
The SAP previously earned a positive staff recommendation; the proposed revisions to
the plans preserve the elements of the project that the City's professional staff found favorable,
while modifying elements to implement items discussed with area stakeholders.
Requests. At this time, in order to realize this thoughtfully redesigned SAP, the Applicant
respectfully requests approval of:
1) Pursuant to Policy LU-1 6.4 of the Miami Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan: a Land
Use Plan Map Amendment for a Large Scale Amendment to classify the Property as
Recreation and Restricted Commercial, instead of the existing Medium Density
Multifamily Residential.
2) Pursuant to Article 3, Section 3.9, and Article 7, Section 7.1.2.8 of Miami 21: A rezoning
from T5-O and T5-R to Sabal Palm Village SAP CS, T5-O, T6-8, and T6-12 transects.
This request includes requests to approve the accompanying Regulating Plan and
Design Guidelines.
3) Pursuant to Chapter 163, Florida Statutes: a Development Agreement to memorialize
the rights and obligations of the Applicant as it relates to development of the SAP.
Approval of these requests will facilitate responsible, culturally sensitive development, served by
existing infrastructure and transit, inclusive of significant public benefits, on site that will serve
as a gateway between the diverse characters of the abutting Little Haiti, Buena Vista, and Design
District neighborhoods.
Should you have any questions, comments, or require additional information, please do
not hesitate to phone my direct line at (305) 377-6227.
Very truly yours,
Melissa Tapanes Llahues
CC: Ben Fernandez
Carli Koshal
Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin & Tapanes 1 305.377.6227 direct 1 305.377.6222 fax 1 mtapanes@brzoninglaw.com