HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-Edward Martos-City of Miami Minutes of Special Meeting August 6, 2009t
City of Miami
City Hall
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33133
www.miamigov.com
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Meetinq Minutes
Thursday, August 6, 2009
2:00 PM
SPECIAL MEETING
City Hall Commission Chambers
City Commission
Manuel A. Diaz, Mayor
Joe Sanchez, Chair
Michelle Spence -Jones, Vice -Chair
Angel Gonzalez, Commissioner District One
Marc David Sarnoff, Commissioner District Two
Tomas Regalado, Commissioner District Four
Pedro G. Hernandez, City Manager
Julie O Bru, City Attorney
Priscilla A. Thompson, City Clerk
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record for item(s) PZ. 1�
on 06/27/2019 , City Clerk
City Commission Meeting Minutes August 6, 2009
Chair Sanchez: Mr. Mayor, you're recognized for the record.
Mayor Manuel A. Diaz: Good afternoon, Mr. Chair, Madam Vice Chair, and members of the
Commission, all residents of Miami who are here, and all who are watching this very important
day. We started with an idea, all of us, together, a few years ago started with an idea, borne of a
desire and the need to plan for our future, to realize our collective visions for a better city, a city
where we preserve the valuable elements of our past, where we respect the unique character and
enhance the elements of our neighborhoods, where we support future environmental and
economic sustainability. What brings us here today does not result from the most recent
development boom but from the growth that spans the breadth of our City's 113 -year history.
What we are attempting to accomplish today is not an easy task. Some will, no doubt, be
disappointed should Miami 21 be approved. But I assure you that a vote to support Miami 21
will be a radical departure from our City's past, a past that has been exemplified by a philosophy
of build now and plan later. It is the philosophy of those who place personal and economic
concerns over the public good, of those with a vested interest in keeping a Zoning Code that very
few understand and that we all know is broken. Now is the time to rid our city of a code that
places the special interest over the people's interest. Miami 21 is everyone's plan. Miami 21
does not belong to the Mayor, to the Commissioners, to staff, or to our consultants. Miami 21
belongs to the people of Miami. It is not a code written by lawyers and special interests that only
lawyers and special interests can understand. It is a plan written by all of the people who have
participated in the over 500 meetings and our website with a quarter of a million unique visitors,
over 4, 000 subscribers, and 7 million hits over the course of the last four years. It is the most
democratic planning document in our city's history and, perhaps, in the history of arty other city.
The people of Miami have spoken, and their voice is reflected in front ofyou today, and focuses
on three important goals in Miami 21. One is the protection of our neighborhoods; number two,
the enhancement and the livability of our neighborhoods; and finally, achieving environmental
and economic sustainability. Miami 21 will protect our neighborhoods through its use of
successional zoning that promotes controlled and planned growth. Miami 21 will no longer
focus on a specific piece of land,• rather, future zoning decisions must be made in the context of
the surrounding neighborhood. Zoning changes will only be considered twice a year, preventing
the struggles that we witnessed monthly in these very chambers where, most often than not, those
who can afford to hire those that know the Code win, while our neighborhoods and our people
and our city often lose. Miami 21 takes into account the entire neighborhood with emphasis on
the preservation of historic community assets, preservation of neighborhood scale, integration of
needed density transitions for protection of low-density residential neighborhoods, and the
reduction offloor plates for multifamily residential and commercial high-rise buildings. Miami
21 design requirements ensure compatibility with our neighborhoods, preventing many of the
offensive buildings, McMansions, and big -box stores that can now go up as -of -right without any
review. Miami 21 also eliminates the current practice where you can use land way outside the
lot that you own and count it towards building higher. These and marry other protections will
bring us neighborhood zoning decisions that we all want and make sense. Miami 21 will
enhance the qualities of neighborhoods that -- to make them come alive, to give them a sense of
community, a sense of place, like most planned cities, paying attention to streetscapes and stoops
and driveways, tandem parking, the width of a garage, setbacks, and bringing back the front
porch, creating places that produce a significantly higher quality of life by showing us what we
can do rather than what we cannot do. Miami 21 encourages growth that is desired rather than
coerced through zoning variances. It shows us what we want our streets, our neighborhoods,
and our City to look like, creating an atmosphere that encourages walking, cycling, and personal
interaction. It will get rid of the current practices that blight our Streets and make them
uninviting to our people. Parking uses will be lined with residential or commercial spaces that
help enhance and support the development of our commercial corridors. Buildings will be
placed at the Street edge rather than setting them behind a sea of surface parking, enhancing our
City's sense of place. It requires active ground floor uses that animate our streets, create a sense
of safety, minimize conflict, and finally, yes, finally, making the public realm pedestrian friendly.
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