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City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov
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| | | | | | | | | | Item 15.
COMMITTEE MEMORANDUM | | | |
| | | | | | | | TO: Land Use and Sustainability Committee
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| FROM: Alina T. Hudak, City Manager
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| DATE: September 14, 2021
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| | | | | | | | | TITLE: | DISCUSS THE CREATION OF A 6TH STREET OVERLAY, BETWEEN WASHINGTON AVENUE AND ALTON ROAD |
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| | | | | | | | HISTORY:
| | On July 28, 2021, at the request of Commissioner Steven Meiner, the City Commission referred a discussion item pertaining to the creation of a 6th Street Overlay between Washington Avenue and Alton Road to the Land Use and Sustainability Committee (C4T). |
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| | | | | | | | ANALYSIS:
| BACKGROUND
The area between 5th and 6th Street, from Washington Avenue to Alton Road, is currently zoned C-PS2 (Commercial Performance General Mixed-Use). The C-PS2 district permits a range of business, commercial, office and hotel uses, as well as medium density residential development.
As shown on the attached map, the north side of 6th Street between Washington Avenue and Alton Road is comprised of the following zoning districts: RM-2, residential multifamily medium intensity (between Washington Avenue and Pennsylvania Court); GU, government use (between Meridian Avenue and Jefferson Avenue); CD-2, commercial medium intensity (between Lenox Court and Alton Road), with the remainder RM-1, residential multifamily low intensity.
The south side of 6th Street between Washington Avenue and Alton Road is comprised of C-PS2, general mixed-use commercial (between Washington Avenue and Alton Road) The center line of 6th Street between Washington Avenue and Lenox Court serves as the boundary for the Flamingo Park Historic District to the north and the Ocean Beach Historic District to the south.
Recently, the Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association (FPNA) raised concerns regarding the lack of a buffer between the 6th Street corridor and the lower scale RM-1 Flamingo Park neighborhood. In order to create a transitional zone between these two areas, FPNA is proposing the creation of an overlay between the north side 5th Street and the south side of 6th Street, from Washington Avenue to Lenox Avenue.
Specifically, FPNA is requesting an overlay district that would include modifications to the Land Development Regulations (LDR’s) for all C-PS2 properties within 200 feet of the south side of 6th Street. Attached is a Resolution recently approved by FPNA, outlining their recommendations for a zoning overlay district. The following is a general summary of the proposals in the Resolution that are specific to properties within 200 feet of the south side of 6th Street:
• Reductions in maximum permitted height.
• Modifications to setback requirements.
• Introduction of lot aggregation and building separation requirements.
• Introduction of additional regulations for properties that contain a Contributing building.
• Limitation on the number and location of curb cuts.
• Modifications to permitted uses including restrictions on restaurant, alcoholic beverage establishments and retail uses.
• Prohibitions on uses related to motorized vehicles including gas stations, car washes, parking garages, and sale, lease or repair of motorized vehicles.
• Prohibitions on transient rentals including hotels, suite hotels, apartment hotels, or short-term rentals.
ANALYSIS
The low scale residential neighborhood within Flamingo Park is currently buffered from the higher intensity zoning CD-2 district on the west (Washington Avenue) by the RO (Residential Office) zoning district on Pennsylvania and Drexel Avenues. Additionally, in 2014, the Alton Road Historic District Buffer Overlay was created along the east side of Alton Road, in order to create a transition zone between that CD-2 commercial district. Over time, these transition areas have helped to mitigate the impacts of higher intensity commercial uses adjacent to lower intensity residential uses on the east and west sides of the Flamingo Park neighborhood.
Recently there have been several large, high intensity projects approved within the C-PS2 area between 5th and 6th streets, from Alton Road to Meridian Avenue. Most recently, a new hotel with a rooftop amenity deck and accessory outdoor café was approved for the property located at the southeast corner of 6th Street and Lenox Avenue. Given that there are a number of non-contributing properties, including several surface parking lots, in this area, as well as the designation of 5th Street as a major transit corridor, it is likely the City will see an increase in new development proposals in the C-PS2 area.
In order to ensure that future development proposals within the C-PS2 area north of Fifth Street are compatible with and sensitive to the established, low scale area of Flamingo Park north of 6th Street, additional development regulations are warranted. The Administration is supportive of appropriate amendments to the Land Development Regulations (LDR’s) for properties and uses that front or are near 6th Street. The intention of such regulations, as part of an overlay, would be to foster a more compatible relationship in terms of scale, massing and land uses between the 6th Street corridor and the Flamingo Park residential neighborhood.
The proposal contained in the FPNA resolution is based on current regulations within the Alton Road Historic District Buffer Overlay and the RM-1 district within Flamingo Park. While some of the Alton Road overlay regulations may be applicable to properties along 6th Street, a number of the proposals in the FPNA Reso will need to be studied further. In this regard, the following is noted:
• The draft regulations pertaining to height, setbacks, building separation and lot aggregation will need further study and fine-tuning.
• Consideration of the resiliency and sea level rise criteria will need to be taken into account.
• A number of the uses identified as prohibited in the draft overlay are already prohibited in the area.
• Prohibitions on hotel uses need further study. Additionally, the City is currently pre-empted under Florida law from enacting any restrictions on the short-term rental of apartment units in the C-PS2 districts.
While supportive of an overlay that would create a meaningful buffer along the 6th Street corridor, the Administration does not recommend that the proposal set forth in the attached FPNA Reso move forward as currently drafted. To this end, the make-up of existing properties between 5th and 6th Streets is unique and includes variations in overall lot sizes and unified development sites. Also, this area contains a number of less than desirable uses, including surface parking lots, gas stations and other automobile related uses. A future overlay for this area must take into account the ability for multiple lots to be developed in a tangible manner.
Before providing specific modifications for overlay regulations, the Administration recommends that additional outreach take place in order to obtain input from residents, property owners and business owners within the proposed overlay area. This will better inform the overall discussion and likely result in legislation that has more universal support.
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| | | | | | | | CONCLUSION:
| | In view of the foregoing, the Administration recommends that the LUSC discuss and continue the discussion to the October 19, 2021 LUSC meeting. |
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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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