City Approves Height Increases for MiMo

The Miami City Commission has voted unanimously to approve increased height limits in the MiMo Biscayne Boulevard Historic District under certain conditions.

The final language adopted last month through the approved ordinance allows 20 feet of additional height for a project on a one-acre lot or larger, if that project includes a public benefit by a public agency “including but not limited to public parking, sustainability measures, streetscape improvements and alternative transportation services” with a value of at least $6 million.

The city commission’s approval of the ordinance will greenlight the beginning of a potential public-private partnership between the Miami Parking Authority and Vagabond Group developer Avra Jain to build a 49-foot building at the northern end of the commercial district. The two entities have proposed a five-story office space and parking garage with roughly 250 parking spaces at 7500 Biscayne Blvd. to address the district’s long standing parking woes.

The ordinance passed March 14 without any discussion from commissioners, including Commission Chair Christine King, who hosted three community meetings in February to address Upper East Side concerns first reported by this publication two months ago.

Those in opposition to amending the existing 35-foot height limit along the commercial district were disappointed to find that the ordinance passed swiftly without any further deliberation, despite lingering concerns from both residents of the surrounding single-family neighborhoods and the city’s own historic advisory board.

Meeting Distractions

“This item was very controversial … (and) certainly warranted review and discussion by the commission on the valid concerns being raised by opponents,” wrote Belle Meade resident Debby Stander in an email to commissioners following the meeting. “Instead, the city commission bundled this item together with several others and rushed a vote through without any discussion at all. All, seemingly, so that the commission could spend more time attacking and censuring each other and the city attorney to determine who was the most corrupt person in the room.”

Indeed, much of the seven-hour meeting was clouded by competing issues. The revocation of a license agreement allowing Centner Academy owners David and Leila Centner to build an indoor sports dome at Biscayne Park garnered significant attention from both the public and the media. That license agreement was at the center of a state corruption case against former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla.

Commissioners also spent a significant portion of the meeting taking shots at each other. Commissioner Joe Carollo attempted with no support to pass an item requiring candidates to release bank statements proving the existence of self-donated campaign funds, noting suspicions against Commissioner Damian Pardo for having loaned himself more than $165,000 while running for office. Pardo later clapped back by trying to censure Carollo but withdrew his motion before a vote was called.

Unaddressed Concerns

Despite being overshadowed by the dozens of public speakers worried about the Centner deal, a group of MiMo activists did attend the meeting to once again express opposition to density increases in the historic district. The same residents were present at all three February town hall meetings and two city advisory board meetings addressing the issue before the commission’s vote.

The planning, zoning and appeals board voted March 6 to recommend approval of the proposed ordinance, despite Vice Chair Anthony Parrish noting that the ordinance seemed “rushed,” “overbroad” and “not completely thought out.” He and board member Paul Mann voted against the recommended approval.

A day before, the historic and environmental preservation board voted to recommend denial of the proposed ordinance March 5 following nearly three hours of discussion. The board cited several reasons for its recommended denial, which included that the ordinance failed to consider the impact of increased density or added traffic on Biscayne Boulevard; failed to consider the potential diminishment of benefits that already exist in the district; and failed to determine how the required $6 million appraisal would be valued.

“I’m really disappointed that the city has chosen to – rather than show developers and other individual customers a creative way of complying with the 35-foot height limit – have chosen instead to come up with a way to circumvent it,” said William Hopper, chair of the historic and environmental preservation board. “I’m really disappointed in that approach.”

Though its concerns were unaddressed by city commissioners, the historic and environmental preservation board will be the body responsible for approving or denying any additional height bonuses requested under the approved ordinance.