BACKGROUND
After several months of discussion and review, on January 17, 2017, the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Flooding and Sea Level Rise discussed the attached ordinance amendment and recommended that the City Commission refer it to the Land Use and Development Committee and Planning Board. Commissioners John Elizabeth Alemán and Joy Malakoff are the sponsors of the item.
On February 8, 2017, the City Commission referred the proposed Ordinance amendment to the Land Use and Development Committee and the Planning Board. On February 15, 2017, the Land Use and Development Committee discussed the proposed ordinance and continued the discussion to the March 8, 2017 meeting.
On March 8, 2017, the Land Use and Development Committee discussed the proposed ordinance and continued the discussion to the April 19, 2017 meeting. On April 19, 2017, the Land Use and Development Committee recommended that the Planning Board transmit the ordinance to the City Commission with a favorable recommendation.
PLANNING ANALYSIS
The proposed ordinance amendments were vetted by the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Flooding and Sea Level Rise. The recommended code amendments are the result of numerous meetings in which the panel focused on changes needed to ensure the resiliency of new construction and properties located in the RM-1 and RM-2 districts. The proposed code amendments address resiliency and sustainability efforts, as well as complement our ongoing public investments in sea level rise risk reduction.
The following is a summary of the existing regulations along with the modifications as revised and recommended by the Land Use and Development Committee:
1. Parking requirements
Currently the City code requires between 1.5 to 2.0 parking spaces per residential unit as outlined below. As proposed, no parking would be required on lots that are less than 65 feet in width, and the range of parking spaces required for larger properties is outlined below. On small lots it can be difficult to provide parking, and may overly restrict the redevelopment of small single lots. Development on small lots allows strategic infill rather than more extensive demolition and larger new construction. Such smaller scale construction is often more pedestrian oriented for the neighborhood.
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Current Regulations
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Proposed Regulations
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6. Parking
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Zero for lots <= 65 feet in width
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1.5 /unit (550-999 SF)
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1 / unit (550-1600 SF)
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1.75/unit (1000-1200 SF)
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2/unit (>1200 SF)
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2/unit (>1600 SF)
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Recently the City of Miami adopted code modifications to the Little Havana area to eliminate the parking requirements for buildings that are under 10,000 SF and located near public transit. The market will dictate need.
2. Mechanical parking
Lastly, for small residential buildings of less than 20 units, the proposed ordinance would allow the DRB or HPB to review and approve mechanical parking. Currently, any mechanical parking, regardless of the size of development, requires the review and the approval of the Planning Board.
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Current Regulations
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Proposed Regulations
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7. Mechanical Parking
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Conditional Use approval required from Planning Board regardless of project size
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May be approved by the Design Review Board or Historic Preservation Board for buildings with <20 units
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As proposed, the ordinance would also allow the Design Review Board or Historic Preservation Board to review and approve mechanical parking for up to three (3) mechanical lifts in single family homes.
PLANNING BOARD REVIEW
On May 23, 2017, the Planning Board transmitted the proposed Ordinance Amendments to the City Commission, with a favorable recommendation. The Planning Board also recommended the following modification:
1. Reduce parking requirement to one (1) space per unit regardless of unit size.
SUMMARY/UPDATE
On June 7, 2017 the City Commission approved the subject Ordinance at First Reading, as originally drafted and without the parking space reduction suggested by the Planning Board.