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City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov
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| | | | | | | | | | Item 5
COMMITTEE MEMORANDUM | | | |
| | | | | | | | TO: Land Use and Sustainability Committee
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| FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
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| DATE: July 21, 2020
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| | | | | | | | | TITLE: | AMENDMENT TO THE LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS OF THE CITY CODE PERTAINING TO A BUILDING HEIGHT INCREASE IN STRATEGIC COMMERCIAL AREAS TO INCENTIVIZE OFFICE USES.
ACTION REQUESTED:
Discuss the item and recommend that the City Commission refer the attached ordinance to the Planning Board.
ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDATION:
Conclude the item and recommend that the City Commission refer the attached ordinance to the Planning Board. |
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| | | | | | | | HISTORY:
| | On June 24, 2020, at the request of Mayor Dan Gelber, the subject item was referred to the Land Use and Sustainability Committee (C4C). At the time of referral, Commissioner David Richardson became a co-sponsor. |
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| | | | | | | | ANALYSIS:
| The attached draft text, which has been updated since the referral on June 24, 2020, was prepared by the representative of property owners on Terminal Island and in the Sunset Harbor area, who are seeking to develop mixed-use projects with an office component. The proposal includes height increases in strategic commercial areas to incentivize office uses.
The initial draft ordinance proposed an increase in allowable building height for mixed-use commercial buildings containing a minimum of 10,000 square feet of office area. The ordinance has been updated to set a minimum threshold of .30 FAR in order to qualify for increased height. Additionally, a maximum height of 75 feet has been proposed in all of the applicable districts. The following is a summary of the specific commercial areas of the City proposed for the increase in height:
1. Sunset Harbor Area CD-2 District: Increase from 50 feet to 75 feet.
2. Alton Road CD-2 District: Increase from 50 feet and 60 feet to 75 feet
3. Sunset Harbor and Terminal Island I-1 District: Increase from 40 feet to 75 feet.
4. Fifth Street Area CPS-2 District: Increase from 50 feet to 75 feet east of Lenox Avenue and west of Washington Avenue.
The proposed increase in height would allow for the expanded interior floor to ceiling space being sought by office users and office developers. From a practical standpoint, when parking and mixed-use pedestals are included, the current height limitations in the aforementioned areas limit the interior ceiling heights for all uses. Additionally, the aforementioned areas of the City are along dedicated transit corridors and have access to public parking facilities.
The proposal would apply to limited, strategic areas and would help diversify the City’s economy. The proposal is also consistent with the concept of transit-oriented development (TOD), which is ideal for the identified areas. This is an important point because the City’s long-term mobility plan places considerably more emphasis on transit. In turn, this will likely result in less of a need for onsite vehicular storage in the future, which would equate to a reduction in overall building height.
The proposer has also provided information on Class A office in Miami-Dade County, which is included in the attached Colliers analysis. The rent comparisons are clear, and the analysis provides a good snapshot. Also, the following is a comparison of rents provided by the proposer, based on new Class A office listings, all with 14-foot ceiling heights, recently built or under construction in the City of Miami:
• Related Tigertail Office Building: $52PSF
• Optimum Office in the Grove: ~$50PSF
• Brickell City Centre Offices: $65 PSF
• 830 Brickell: $73 PSF
In Miami Beach, it is difficult to compare apples to apples. Most of the available office is small boutique style and the available data is limited. However, the proposer was able to put together the following:
• Starwood’s office, which is the newest, at 2340 Collins Ave, only has 13 ft ceilings. Rental information was not available.
• 1691 N Michigan Ave: $52-$54 PSF
• 1680 Michigan Ave: $48-50 PSF
• 1111 Lincoln: $55-56 PSF
Finally, the proposer has indicated that they are working on massing studies showing the visual impact of the proposed height increases; these illustrations are expected to be presented at the meeting. While supportive of the proposed increase in height, the administration would recommend that the proposed minimum threshold of .30 FAR for office uses be further studied. In this regard, if the objective of the legislation is to incentivize office space, a higher FAR threshold may be warranted.
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| | | | | | | | CONCLUSION:
| | The Administration recommends that the Land Use and Sustainability Committee endorse the proposal and recommend that the City Commission refer the ordinance to the Planning Board, with an additional recommendation that the proposed minimum threshold of .30 FAR for office uses be further studied. |
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| | | | | | | | Applicable Area
| | South Beach |
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| | | | | | | | | Is this a "Residents Right to Know" item, pursuant to City Code Section 2-14? | | Does this item utilize G.O. Bond Funds? | | | Yes | | No | |
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