By: Matis Cohen
Over the last 30 years while Miami Beach has experienced a remarkable resurgence, in Tourism, development and economic growth; North Beach has lagged and continues its decline. In 1992 this City’s leadership began to study and plan changes for North Beach to participate in the shared success of this city starting with creating a “Special Taxing District” which the property owners have been consistently paying for without any results; all while we are still stuck in the planning stage 26 years later.
The residents, stakeholders of our community demand action be taken by this commission to live up to their obligation in adopting the #1 consensus item which was to create a vibrant Town Center that will become the economic engine for the community and become a desirable live work play destination for this neglected section of Miami Beach.
Facts: North Beach includes 689 acres of developable land which is approximately 20% of the developable land in Miami Beach. Our population has been plummeting along with our options for housing. 256 acres or 38% of the developable land is zoned for single-family residences not including the 126-acre golf course. 281 acres or 41% of the developable land is zoned for multifamily, which in the last two years have been restricted to Historic Preservation or Conservation Districts.
The Town center includes a total of 20 acres or 2.9% of our community and is burdened with the responsibility of generating enough economic vitality, to impact the entirety of North Beach.
North Beach has over 40% of its population living below the poverty line, over 3 times the Citywide average. The average spendable Income in Miami Beach is $26,522 and in North Beach it’s $5,550. North Beach has twice the commercial vacancy of the city, and while North Beach represents 20% of the land & 26% of the population it contributes only 7% to the City’s revenue.
Inequality – 10% of North Beach’s population occupies 38% of the land in private homes. Another 15% of North Beach’s population lives in the 24 buildings ranging in Height between 135 and 559 feet mostly on ocean front property occupying approximately 7% of the land. Neither of these groups could be categorized as suffering from living below the poverty line. The populous living below the poverty line lives in the Historic Preservation & Conservation districts. We now rely on the Town Center to provide attractive attainable housing, a commercial district and a tax base that can create financial dependability to support the massive infrastructure needed to maintain these historically underserved districts.
The model of incentivized development in a finite area that positively impacts the surrounding areas along with insuring their character has been proven to be successful in the South of 5th neighborhood and the City Center zone. Nothing stands in the way of this successful model except our Commission’s willingness to embrace sound planning and economics instead of deliberate obstacles by those who have navigated us to this sorry state.
The entire City of Miami Beach spoke loud in a plain and explicit voice via referendum, resolute in their direction to the commission demanding that the “Tale of Two Cities” end and that we encourage, incentivize, and promote the Revitalization of North Beach through an unfettered vibrant Town Center. The minority naysayers continue to undermine this goal, lobbying for oppressive restrictions.
Stop finding ways to stall derail and undermine Town Center with restrictions limitations, fees fines, penalties and techniques geared to killing this important mission with a thousand cuts of regulation. All of these disguised attempts to halt progress will negatively affect the very people we want to live, work and play in our city. We need to entice & welcome every demographic to be capable of living in North Beach and break the trend of all development targeting the ultra rich.
Hundreds of public meetings in every possible forum, Committee, multiple Boards, Blue Ribbon Panel and Commission hearings including the Voting Booth has made Town Center the longest most transparent process ever in the history of our City. Enough is enough! It’s time to get it right! Down Zoning and Down Sizing has resulted in creating unattainable housing options that are unparalleled by any other city in the country. 30 years of failed attempts to revitalize through these restrictions should be enough proof that without incentives and liberalizing the zoning, we will accomplish nothing and will have once again wasted another decade!
It is time for our legislators to take the necessary steps to enact the zoning ordinance that our Planning Dept & Professional Resident Planning Board endorsed to the City Commission for the September Hearing.
1) Approve Max height approved by planning Board of 220 feet & incentivize aggregation.
The restriction of the length of any proposed development maximizing 165 feet in width creates the largest Air Light and separation of buildings in this city and dictates the need for height. This regulation promotes & protects the largest open space ratio in the city. Only the largest Lot aggregations can achieve 220 feet, most properties will be at 125 feet to 165 feet leaving 2-3 buildings at the highest level which are shorter than most of the adjacent buildings today.
2) Remove the “Public Benefit” Criteria.
The Planning Dept & Planning Board have all deemed the ordinance and its 25 pages of restrictions as necessary to create the proper product that will attract residents that are leaving Miami Beach or not even considering our City as an attainable living option. Our new City code already incorporates the highest standards for resiliency which adds tremendous costs that benefit the public with each new development. Additional costs risk the very essence of attainability and affordability. Impact Fees Planning Fees & permitting fees together with the long public process that will be required for every project are of the highest in the country and must be alleviated not increased.
3) Allow the free market & Industry standards to dictate amenity space ratios for Co Living.
Regulating special purpose living criteria for new development is a recipe for failure. Developers need to react to market demands, standards and proven operators will have their own design criteria that will have to be met. The professionals have already testified that industry standards are between 5% and 10%. A 10% restriction would be the highest standard. Why would we want to dis-incentivize this housing option and preclude Mellinials and the Elderly from living in Town Center?
Poor people elect politicians. It’s their right.
Their politicians want their constituency to remain poor and continue voting for them.
So they frighten them with gentrification. It’s their right.
Solution? – either someone explain poor people why their politicians are bad for them because they have vested interest in keeping them poor forever; or find a charismatic politician who would promise more benefits to the poor people (education? job opportunities? way to move up the ladder?) other than “keep the rich people away”
You bet ; They want to keep north Beach as a shithole. When it can and will be the best.
We have to be strong and make it happen at all costs . Fuck and fire the politicians.