Miami 21’s first reading before the Commission yesterday turned out to be rather disappointing. After nearly nine hours of discussion, Commissioners chose to defer an official vote on the proposed new zoning code for another 90 days. This is largely due to the “confusion” still permeating citizens and Commissioners alike.
Now I understand a lot of people are spewing hate at Elizabeth and DPZ, but I say give her a break. I’m guessing the reason she made the quote to “pass as is” was not meant as an arrogant gesture, but as a sign of frustration. And you know what? I’d be frustrated, too, if I were her.
Yes, the Miami 21 project is both large and complex, but there have been more than 100 public meetings over the course of nearly two years to clear things up. When it comes to public input, this number definitely verges on the high end, yet somehow people are still confused. There has even been ample information and supporting documentation available at Miami21.org for which to help clear things up.
Look, I know for a fact that if I had any real concerns about a project like this I would do whatever it takes to get answers (before it goes to the commission!). Yet people (and Commissioners) still don’t even understand basic tenets, such as whether or not existing buildings would be grandfathered-in under the new code. We’re adults, people - at some point we need to take the initiative to figure things out instead of waiting to be force-fed information.
Thus, I think we could interpret her “pass as is” quote another way. It goes something like this:
“If after 100+ public meetings and forums, plus an easily accessible website with ample supporting documentation, people still are clueless about the proposed code, then how much of an affect will additional meetings really have? Once you reach a certain threshold of meetings, offering any additional meeting should have little appreciable benefit - if any at all. Thus, after 100+ meetings, you begin to wonder one of two things: (1) Are the people who claim they still ‘don’t get it’ really confused, or are they just opponents of the new code (and subsequently opponents of change) acting to create doubt in the minds of commissioners and about the work of DPZ? or (2) Is this symptomatic of Miami’s anemic citizen involvement in public affairs?”
As for the Commissioners, there is no excuse. This is arguably the most significant vote of these Commissioners lives, and they’ve known it was coming for two years now. Given their tremendous access to the city’s planners, DPZ, and pretty much any information they need to help them understand Miami 21, it is inexcusable and irresponsible that they still don’t understand the proposed code.
While I have mentioned that Miami 21 is not a perfect code, it is so much better than the current one. It begs the question, would you rather continue under the anachronistic, byzantine code we currently have, that allows hodge-podge development and is completely and utterly hostile to pedestrians and cyclists?
It is critical that people understand this, because to continue under the old code would have devastating consequences for Miami’s future. So, if you are one of those people who has gone to meetings and taken the initiative to understand Miami 21 but is still genuinely confused, I implore you to do whatever it takes to educate yourself during the next 90 days - Miami’s future hinges on this code.
True enough. However, the Miami 21 website is a fucking disaster.
They’re not confused. They’re just trying to put it off as long as they possibly can. On one side you have hostile NIMBYs who are resistant to change, and then you have commissioners who are afraid to cast an unpopular vote on such a politically contentious subject for fear of angering the piranhas.
My understanding is that most or all of the Miami 21 meetings were held in and directed towards the folks in the northeast quadrant. Then late in the process the planners began saying that whatever was decided for that quadrant would be the firm template for the rest of the city. People in other areas of the city are saying “Hey, don’t we get a say?”
Groups like Miami Neighborhoods United are pushing for the city to complete the writing of the new zoning for the other sectors of the city before implementing in the northeast. Maybe improvements to Miami21 will be brought forward as the other parts of the city see it. Also, does the city really want to have two completely different sets of zoning rules for different areas of the city? (That is, until Miami21 is approved throughout the rest of the city.) That might prove problematic for both builders and the city Planning Department.
Everyone I’ve talked to is in favor of Miami21 in principle, but just wants to see it done right.
Miami Neighborhoods United choose ignorance, and are completely against positive changes in the city. They are great at coming out to public meetings but never have anything positive to offer.
Zoning needs updating and the different areas of the city are very different. Little Havana is nothing like the upper east side, allapattah is nothing like the grove, flagami is nothing like little haiti. I like the quadrant concept because it recognizes that different areas have different needs.
I also like Miami 21 because of the cycling provisions. We need more alt. transit, and more pedestrian friendly streets. Miami Neigh. United stands in the way of that, that is why I don’t like them.
The commissioners were angry because every time they’ve tried getting answers from DPZ and the planning department about Miami 21, they’ve been brushed off, given vague non-answers, or simply ignored. And anyone who’s been to a Miami 21 public meeting knows that the DPZ employees there weren’t interested in public input. As far as DPZ was concerned, the meetings’ purpose wasn’t to gauge public preference, it was to tell us what they were imposing on us whether we liked it or not. DPZ’s arrogance throughout the process against basically everyone — from lowest peon resident to highest elected official — has been observed repeatedly for the past two years.
To be honest, at this point I’m giving Miami 21 a 60% chance of ever being passed in anything resembling its current form. The City Commissioners are furious about DPZ’s behavior, and probably went home last night seriously contemplating the idea of firing them. In fact, I guarantee that if the Sunshine Law didn’t forbid it, and it were legal for the commissioners to head over to one of their houses for some beers after the meeting, they would have angrily complained about DPZ all night, and one of them would have authored a resolution to fire DPZ before going to bed. Actually, it wouldn’t surprise me if at least one of them did type up the first draft of a resolution to fire them last night before going to bed.
Anyone who followed the process closely knew Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, DPZ and Ana Gelabert did not want to make any changes to DPZ’s goal to social engineer Miami.
P-Z said “additional meetings would be unproductive” Please, she just heard dozens of experts call her opus a pile of crap. Wouldn’t you want help getting it fixed?
I predict Miami 21 is dead and buried. Kaput.
The Miami 21 attorney who supposedly wrote the code could not even answer basic simple questions. What a waste of $2 Mil to $3 Mil. Someone should get fired. Who?
There’s no way Miami 21 is dead. It will definitely pass - it’s whether or not it will accomplish its original goals that is the real question.
The whole bit about the commissioners not being able to get information from DPZ and the planning department is ridiculous, too. The planning department is required to report to commissioners, for starters, about Miami 21 on a fairly regular basis. Secondly, all the documentation is right there - all the commissioners had to do was look it over and prepare any questions to be answered. I mean, really, do you honestly think that a commissioner with an important question or concern would be incapable of getting a straight answer - given the magnitude of this vote and ALL THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THEM?
Never say never when it comes to Miami politics and governance, but if that were the case, then there are much bigger problems we need to address.
And it’s even more ridiculous to think DPZ would be fired.
> do you honestly think that a commissioner with an important
> question or concern would be incapable of getting a straight
> answer - given the magnitude of this vote and ALL THE RESOURCES
> AVAILABLE TO THEM?
Yes, in fact, I do. Because it’s true. DPZ and the planning department have been passive-aggressive throughout the entire process, acting like they’re the City Commission’s bosses instead of the other way around.
The Commissioners would ask the planning department for info, the planning department would report back that DPZ said they would get back to them… then never did, or gave an answer with absolutely zero substance.
I guarantee that within a month or two, the Commissioners are going to hand DPZ a list of demands (almost all related to parking), and if they don’t bend over backwards and fully accommodate the Commission’s demands, the Commission will fire DPZ, order the Planning Department to take over and make the changes they demand, and start firing them if they show even the slightest hint of resistance.
DPZ and the City Miami 21 team have/had a terrible attitude towards public input. Even when experts pointed out to DPZ that either its concepts or its language were/was illegal or unworkable DPZ would refuse to fix.
Goody Clancy, who did the Parks Master Plan, were completely different. They met and listened to everyone. They made changes. They were gracious…
I think Miami 21 is dead. It is surprisingly easy to fix the existing code. What do you like about Miami 21? OK. We will add it to the existing code.
You hate gross lot? OK. No problem, we will take it out of the existing code and adjust FAR… really quite easy.
Don’t forget DPZ’s lame/misleading slides, like the one that showed a bayfront open plaza where the big building immediately south of the Charter Club that looks kind of like a cruise ship is located, and has absolutely [i]zero[/i] chance of going away and making Elizabeth’s fantasies come true (I suspect she has a personal axe to grind with the architect who designed that particular building or something).
Or, remember the illustration slide for T3-O that shows a duplex with rear side-facing garage that would actually be illegal to build under Miami 21 on a typical 50 foot lot (even if you assume the front and rear walls of the garage have zero depth, you have two 5′ setbacks, 18′ minimum interior depth, and a 23′ minimum driveway serving right-angle parking… 5+18+23+5 = 51. Bzzzt. “Oops.” Of course, the design sucks for potential buyers anyway (compared to what can, and normally is, built now under the 11,000 code), because it completely destroys the back yard and creates two units the width of single-wide trailers… but that’s another rant…
To Anonymous 12:40 am,
Have you looked into how easy it would be to fix the 11,000 Code?
And why can’t the City just take the best 2-3 features from Miami 21 and just incorporate them into the 11,000 existing code?
Did you see in Miami 21 that residential high rises of 48+ stories can apply to have NO parking spaces if they are within 600′ of Metrorail? Seriously, almost every new residential in downtown could be built with NO parking. You could have a 60 story tower with no parking. Groceries? Moving? Supplies? Parties? Overnight guests?
Well, IMHO, Miami 21 does mostly get one thing right, by making it possible to build viable 3 & 4 story rowhomes in many areas that are currently zoned R-2. The biggest problem with the 11,000 code is that it makes it practically impossible to build anything bigger than a duplex and smaller than a skyscraper.
Take R-3. R-3 allows decent height, but has almost no FAR, and the 10′ setback requirements make it impossible to build rowhomes with garages (or anything, for that matter, besides a 4 story building on stilts perched above an open parking lot). Here are the changes R-3 really needs to produce non-ugly buildings suitable for 2-4 middle-class residences:
1) 5′ setback for lower 25 feet as right.
2) 0′ side setback with approval of neighbor adjacent to proposed 0′ setback (facilitates rowhomes).
3) Columns and beams less than 18 feet high and more than 15 feet apart can encroach 100% into side setback.
4) First-floor wall less than 18 feet high can encroach 3′ or 50% into setback.
3 and 4 make it possible to build enclosed garages with right-angle parking on a 50′ lot. The 18′ height is to enable pit-type 3-car stackers in each bay (which allow independent movement of all 3 cars).
With those changes, Miami Avenue north of 41st street (to name one particular area) should be rezoned to R-3. Except it would still be nice if the mixed use provisions could also be retained. The proposed DPZ transects themselves are fine insofar as uses go… it’s just the draconian parking restrictions that make it almost impossible to build anything viable on a 50′ lot without an alley that have to go.
It would be far easier to just fix the existing code. (Called 11,000.) A smart leader would just take the few good ideas from the $2 Mil to $3 Mil wasted on the Miami 21 consultants and just insert the few good ideas into the existing code.
Miami 21 is a disaster. Anyone who studies it carefully finds it unusable and actually very harmful.