Hey Miami, remember Miami 21?
I hope you do, because it seems some of the city’s politicians and leading officials are willing to forgot all about the tax payer money, effort, and time that went in to producing a zoning code, one that would create the DNA for a more walkable, transit-oriented, bicycle-friendly, and sustainable 21st century city.
In case you didn’t know, the award winning Code — yes it won Diaz a national award for its visionary approach to future development — has been completed for months, and was approved by the Planning Advisory Board. The only steps remaining are for the City Commission to undergo its readings, and then to ultimately vote on whether or not they want Miami to progress forward or be stuck with its outdated, patchwork code that produces poor urban form, auto-dependency, and which ultimately threatens the city’s long term viability.
Right now it seems politics will get in the way and the city will choose the latter. Indeed, if the Code is not brought before the City Commission from the City Manager this month, then an August recess and an early fall mayoral election season will probably make a reading nearly impossible before the Diaz Administration leaves office.
A convenient truth for the Code’s political opponents.
The situation is especially dire if Tomas Regalado is to assume office in November. Regalado, has never supported the Code and without fail seems to take a stand against any issues proposed by the Mayor Diaz–whether they have merit or not. Such reactionary antics prove that Regalado is not interested in leading Miami into the future, only further separating himself from the current administration. This may be a good short term political move, but it has disastrous outcomes for the city in the long term.
If you support the Code please consider writing an editorial or calling your Commissioner (click the My Commissioner tab above) to state that you support Miami 21 and want the Code read at the City Commission. If it fails, it fails…but the city’s politicians owe it to the tax payers to either pass or defeat it, rather than continuing to let it languish. If you have further questions about the Code (there is a lot of misinformation out there about the details), then consider asking the City Planning Department, or stating such questions in the comments section. I would be happy to answer as many as I can.
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It’d be nice to see both the City and Miami-Dade County come together to put forward a holistic land-use policy for the future. The status quo of patchwork development has obviously not worked, and has left thousands of vacant luxury homes while almost the same number of residents do not have access to affordable housing options. Of course, housing is one of the many issues that have arisen from our outdated planning policies.
[...] Petty political squabbling never helps much. I have yet to hear a valid reason against Miami21 that is not driven by [...]
How can I help?
If you live in City proper, you may help by writing your commissioner. You could also write a short op-ed to the Miami Herald, New Times, Miami Today etc. asking for the Code to at least be heard by the Commission. It’s such a waste to at least not get the hearing!
BTW, Miami21 link is wrong.
Miami 21 is an “one size fits all” plan that will cause massive hardship to taxpayers and massive fees to selected insiders.
Jose, back up your statement. In what way would Miami21 cause hardship to voters and ‘massive fees’ to selected insiders? This is a new one, lol.
[...] will Mr. Regalado stand firm in promoting more pedestrian-oriented spaces. In the vote on Miami 21, a strong decision about making the city a more walkable, livable place, he placed himself in the [...]