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(Rendering courtesy of Wynwood Community Enhancement Association)
In a unanimous vote, City of Miami Commissioners gave final approval to the Wynwood Norte Neighborhood Revitalization District during their Mar. 25 commission meeting, putting in place a new zoning framework to spur reinvestment based on a community-led vision plan.
The plan, shaped by over two years of diverse community input, is intended to protect the neighborhood’s unique character while improving the area’s housing stock, and creating economic opportunities for small business and local residents.
The Wynwood Community Enhancement Association (Wynwood CEA), comprised of residents, business owners, property owners and established community-based organizations such as the Bakehouse Art Complex and Mission San Juan Bautista, formed the plan and won support from local officials and the overall community over the past two and a half years.
Yoni Bornstein, president of the Wynwood CEA, sees the Neighborhood Revitalization District as key to improving the quality of life in the neighborhood, something community members identified early on as a shared value.
“It’s about reinvesting in the schools, parks, safer streets, small businesses, and bringing back a healthy mix of housing affordable to working families,” Bornstein said. “The NRD-2 is a much-needed intervention, respectful of the past with solutions for the future.”
Restrictive zoning coupled with rising land values have resulted in little new housing construction and the exodus of local businesses and longtime residents. Since 1985, the population has dropped by nearly 50 percent. As a result, the neighborhood schools, within walking distance of each other, are severely under-enrolled. The neighborhood’s main street, NW Second Avenue, today dotted with vacant lots and chain link fences, has seen no new buildings constructed since the adoption of Miami 21, more than 10 years ago.
The neighborhood is now at risk of losing its culture and character, because of demolition and development pressures from surrounding neighborhoods. This plan gives the neighborhood tools in place to change course and improve the quality of life for residents, including families looking to return to the quality of life for residents, including families looking to return to the neighborhood.
“Wynwood Norte is a great comeback story,” said Steve Wernick of Wernick & Co, who represents the Wynwood CEA and worked with city planners on crafting the NRD-2 Zoning.
“Two years ago, the future of this neighborhood was in question. The Wynwood Norte Neighborhood Revitalization District reflects the resilience and perseverance of this community, to shape an action plan that encourages growth and infill development inclusive of the existing community.”
In response to ongoing changes and broad community support, the Miami City Commission directed administrators in November 2019 to study the implementation of the Wynwood Norte Community Vision Plan for the 140-acre area west of Midtown and north of the Wynwood Arts District.
The City of Miami Planning Department released legislation in 2020 for creation of the Wynwood Norte Neighborhood Revitalization District (NRD-2). The legislation incorporated changes to the city’s land use and zoning map that primed future development for a mix of housing that is responsive to changes in demographics and market conditions, while keeping the existing scale of the neighborhood.
Recently approved by the city’s Planning and Zoning Board, the NRD-2 focuses primarily on infill development and new housing supported by available capacity in neighborhood schools, community services, transit, and underutilized green space.
The NRD-2 is uniquely tailored to address the opportunities and threats facing this working urban neighborhood, one of the few traditional neighborhoods remaining in the urban core.
According to Wernick, “The NRD-2 strikes an important balance between redevelopment and restoration. While the new zoning encourages a healthy mix of uses and redevelopment along the neighborhood’s commercial corridors, the NRD-2 restricts the neighborhood’s interior to low scale multi-family housing synonymous with the original mix of residential buildings constructed in Wynwood and includes protective measures to prevent displacement of current residents and stop the proliferation of vacant lots.”
Based on recommendations from the community vision plan, the new zoning and Neighborhood Revitalization District includes strategies for retaining legacy structures, and facilitating compatible mixed-use buildings along the commercial corridors. These mixed-use buildings will provide neighborhood-oriented retail and other important services that residents depend on, and opportunities for local entrepreneurs to access micro-retail with lower rents.
“Today’s approval allows us to pursue our collective vision to preserve and revitalize one of Miami’s most beloved urban neighborhoods,” said Cathy Leff, board member of Wynwood CEA and executive director of Bakehouse Art Complex, which is beginning its 35th anniversary in Wynwood Norte. “The NRD-2 enables us to gift back to the community affordable housing opportunities for artists on our 2.3 acre campus and be a more robust resource for community-building.”
