A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUSTAINABILITY RESILIENCY COMMITTEE TO  DEVELOP A SOLICITATION SEEKING PROPOSALS FROM FIRMS INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH THE CITY TO CREATE CONTAINER HYDROPONIC FARMING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WEST LOTS.

The Sustainability and Resiliency Committee ("SRC") recommends developing a solicitation for hydroponic farming in north beach utilizing one of the following locations:

• the proposed eco-park on Lot 2 (between 80^th and 81^st Streets)
• the proposed tropical garden on Lot 6 (between 84^th and 85^th Streets). 
• the north half of Lot 4 (between 82^nd and 83^rd Streets) adjacent to the temporary skate park.

BACKGROUND

At the May 16, 2018 City Commission meeting this item was referred to the Sustainability and SRC to further explore hydroponic farms as a potential pilot project in North Beach, and will be discussed at the July 11, 2018 meeting of the Committee. 

Indoor farming is a method of growing crops or plants, usually on a large scale, entirely indoors. This method of farming often implements growing methods such as hydroponics and utilizes a mechanical system to provide plants with nutrients and light levels required for growth. A wide variety of plants can be grown indoors. However, fruits, vegetables, and herbs are often the most popular because they grow well indoors and can generate revenue.

One of the advantages of indoor farming is the control of necessary conditions to achieve optimal survival, growth, and maturation of any given crop, thereby ensuring maximum yield per square foot of growing space. The control of necessary conditions can demand a higher carbon footprint compared to outdoor farming, because of the amount of energy needed to operate the artificial system for indoor farming (lighting,heating/cooling, ventilation, air conditioning, nutrition, irrigation, software, and sensors for that particular growing environment). Nevertheless, indoor farming uses land and water more efficiently than conventional farming and could become a strategy for sustainable feeding the world’s growing population, as long as its high energy demand can be met through efficiency measures and/or the use of cost-effective renewables. In addition, as more sophisticated control devices become available, the cost of maintaining the controlled environment may decrease. A full presentation outlining the concept of indoor farming is attached herein as Exhibit A.

Vacant buildings and unused spaces are being transformed into indoor farms using hydroponic, aquaponic, apiary and aeroponic systems, as well as space-saving strategies of “vertical farming” to grow fresh food, which is often in short supply in urban areas. Additionally, hydroponic and vertical farms can be produced in temporary, moveable equipment such as shipping containers. 

The attached presentation provides a high level overview on indoor farming and provides examples of its economic and social impact within cities.

The North Beach neighborhood provides an opportunity to test this new model of farming. The City could adapt the shipping container model on one or more of these vacant lots. 

Any project related to indoor farming would require a zoning review.  The City of Miami Beach land development regulations do not contain regulations for farming or agriculture uses.  Further analysis would be necessary to determine if a hydroponic farm is an allowable use under currently zoning laws, or if code amendments would be necessary. However, for government-owned (GU zoned) properties, the City Commission has the ability to approve waivers of the Land Development Regulations under certain circumstances, which may be an alternative if the use is not one that is typically allowed.  Any such projects would also require a building permit, as well as compliance with Florida Building Code requirements related to indoor system controls, such as lighting, heating, cooling, ventilation, and irrigation, among other requirements.

Staff examined different areas in the community that could house a hydroponic farm but did not identify any vacant City buildings that would suitably accommodate an indoor farm or greenhouse. Therefore, the City is considering a model using shipping containers to house plants. The eight, vacant City-owned lots known as the North Beach “West Lots,” spanning from 79^th to 87^th Streets across the North Shore Oceanside Park, could provide an opportunity to test this new farming method. Given the size and structure of the containers, Staff recommends adapting a portion of a vacant West Lot as a test site for the container model.

At the June 27, 2018 Commission meeting, Dover Kohl presented an initial conceptual design entitled The Plan for the West Lots (the “West Lots Plan”).  In light of the presentation, the City Commission included funding for redevelopment of the West Lots as a G.O. Bond item in the November 6, 2018 election.  Dover Kohl’s planning study, directly informed by community input, highlighted five key recommendations, including showcasing resilience and sustainability; civic/social uses which compliment the passive park; and a preference for lower height and less impactful uses in the inner core of the West Lots. Dover Kohl specifically proposed a hydroponic farm as an eco-friendly design principle that would support these key recommendations.

In other cities, the hydroponic farm is typically treated as an industrial use and located away from residential areas. The farms typically operate in agriculture or industrial districts rather than the center of walkable, mixed-use environments. Farm operations within shipping containers often resemble windowless box structures inside a parking lot with large waste-removal and recycling areas, and enormous bays that can accommodate delivery trucks. This traditional method for hydroponic farms would not be compatible with the community vision found in the North Beach Master Plan.

However, a farm may be compatible with the Master Plan vision if the operation was successfully integrated into future programming for the West Lots. The proposed map for each block in the West Lots Plan is attached as Exhibit B. Dover Kohl suggested Lot 3 as a possible site, however that site is under lease with North Beach Yard.  Dover Kohl also suggested possible locations as the proposed eco-park on Lot 2 (between 80^th and 81^st Streets) or the proposed tropical garden on Lot 6 (between 84^th and 85^th Streets).  Staff also identified as a potential location the north half of Lot 4 (between 82^nd and 83^rd Streets) adjacent to the temporary skate park.

SRC Discussion

During the September 26, 2018 SRC meeting, potential mechanisms for solicitation and structure of a project included a ground lease of the City-owned land or financial subsidy of a private operation, depending upon the level of market interest.  The committee the North Beach Yard potential plans for inclusion of hydroponic farming as part of their operation. 

As the City’s land development regulations do not contemplate agriculture uses, GU waivers by the City Commission would likely be necessary to allow the use on the West Lots.  Actual plans for a farming project would require zoning review and a building permit. Should the Committee wish to proceed with a hydroponic farm, a feasibility study that identifies viable locations would be beneficial since the concept is untested by the City.

The SRC concluded that it would recommend the Administration develop a solicitation to identify potential hydroponic farming firms.

Given the recommendation for a solicitation using one of the following locations, staff recently contacted and spoke with the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Tropical Research and Education Center and Urban Horticulturist/Entomologist about hydroponic container farming and explored how, if at all, the City of Miami Beach can potentially incorporate hydroponic farming into Miami Beach communities:

• the proposed eco-park on Lot 2 (between 80^th and 81^st Streets) 
• the proposed tropical garden on Lot 6 (between 84^th and 85^th Streets). 
• the north half of Lot 4 (between 82^nd and 83^rd Streets) adjacent to the temporary skate park.

Staff has also met with and is researching regional companies with varying experience and strategizes to launch hydroponics in Miami Beach and recommends formerly canvassing and soliciting the field of potential Hydroponic farming specialists to partner with the City of Miami Beach and investigate the financial and community implications and opportunities.