WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014
TODAY’S NEWS
MIAMI TODAY
7
Small-site developers want parking requirement to expire BY SUSAN D ANSEYAR
Real estate investment in some Miami neighborhoods, particularly investment by small property owners, may be blocked by an often-overlooked zoning requirement – minimum parking. However, a number of small business owners now have some hope that they’ll one day see an amendment to the code, allowing them to revitalize their neighborhoods. Minimum parking, which is relatively easy to fit in large properties and buildings, places a disproportionate burden on additions and new construction on small lots. Miami zoning requires a minimum of 1.5 parking spaces for each residential unit, so a modest eight units would require 12 parking spaces and a two-way drive aisle, which occupy more space than a typical lot. Required parking for residential units – as well as office, retail, restaurants and other uses – renders many lots basically undevelopable. What a number of small business owners, real estate and community development groups as well as other stakeholders have proposed is a small building parking exemption. That change in Miami zoning would allow a small developer to choose how much parking to provide if the total building area (existing plus new) is 10,000 square feet or less and it sits within one-half mile of a train station or one-quarter mile of a high-frequency bus route. The proposed change wouldn’t apply if the building was within 500 feet of zoning for single-family homes or duplexes. A small building parking exemption was first proposed more than two years ago by neighborhood investors Joe Furst and Bill Fuller and urban activist Andrew Frey. During the Oct. 23 Miami City Commission meeting, the idea will be part of a non-voting discussion item sponsored by Commissioner Francis L. Suarez that’s to have a “time certain” of 11:30 a.m. so the public can express opinions. “This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for, to express our support and hear where the commissioners stand,” said Mr. Frey. “It would be, for the first time in decades, a zoning change to benefit the ‘little guy.’ It would unlock the property value of thousands of small owners.” A parking exemption for small urban buildings could reduce housing construction costs, said Shekeria Brown, executive director of the South Florida Community Development Coalition. “Often to address the parking requirements, developers must increase the unit size and rents on the project, reducing the affordability of the units,” she said. “The exemption will encourage more opportunities for affordable housing, including housing for households with extremely low incomes, where the greatest shortage exists.” Ms. Brown said parking re-
Photo by Maxine Usdan
Minus parking mandate, Carlos Fausto Miranda sees a walkable city.
quirements can hamper the ability of small property owners to develop new affordable units or additions, which ultimately slows neighborhood revitalization. This would be an important amendment as it addresses an issue that many in Southeast
Florida face, said Carol Bowen, vice president of government affairs for Associated Builders and Contractors for Florida’s East Coast Chapter. “Finding where you can work and live in Southeast Florida is difficult, and this will help with
infill and give small business owners more options for where they can do their work,” she said. “We know that small businesses need to exist – they’re the lifeblood of the community, and we need to give them more opportunity to be so.” There’s also an historical aspect to consider, showing us how cities were built for people to enjoy their lives, said Carlos Fausto Miranda, broker and president of Fausto Commercial Realty. “Cities can be viewed as organic things, with their own individual lifelines,” he said. “Miami stands out as a city that, due to its unique mix of economic and lifestyle amenities, has the potential to become the next great global metropolis.” Whether that happens, Mr. Miranda says, depends on this generation to make the right decisions that will either stimulate and guide Miami’s growth to become that “Great Global Metropolis” or stagnate it.
“This amendment is essential because it will unlock that which is most dynamic and powerful in our city – the creative and entrepreneurial forces of its residents,” he said. “This amendment means democratizing the development process. It means that smaller property owners will be economically empowered to contribute and form this city into the vision they believe in and no longer relying on only largescale developers to impose their vision from above.” It is the organic way we have built cities for generations, and the way all the great cities and neighborhoods of the world such as Paris, New York, Venice, Cartagena – among others – have been built, Mr. Miranda said. “This amendment is the formula to stimulate the formation of more walkable, dense, culturally and socially vibrant urban neighborhoods, and encourage positive investment and renewal in our urban neighborhoods.”
Commercial Real Estate Special Section October 23
In this special section, MIAMI TODAY focuses on commercial real estate: the land, buildings, brokers and buyers, financing and opportunities. If your interests include commercial real estate or you offer a service to commercial properties, you’ll want to place your ad message in this important advertising friendly environment, reaching the business and financial leaders in South Florida. Our 75,000 readers rank Miami Today as having the best Real Estate news 23% (approx. 17,710) of readers are involved or authorized to select or purchase real estate locations 9% (approx. 6,930) of readers already own business real estate for Miami-Dade County 6% (approx. 4,620) of readers plan to purchase commercial real estate in the next year All figures from a survey released in 2012 by Behavioral Science Research
For advertising information call 305.358.2663 Artwork deadline for this issue is October 21 at Noon.
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