Greetings:
At long last Miami 21 is coming before the City Commission for first reading. As an observer of the process you can understand that there are a variety of naysayers, from those who are fearful of such a complex and thorough change, to those who feel the effort has fallen short of acceptable goals, to those whose individual interest is at odds with city-wide benefit.
I am writing to ask you to participate in the City Commission hearing August 6th at 2:00PM in support of the proposed zoning code.
This is a code to prepare the city for a transit-oriented, walkable, energy-conserving future. This effort has had extensive public participation and has been thoroughly responsive to individual concerns as they have been raised. Is it 100% perfect? Probably all would agree that it is not.
However, Miami 21 is a great advance over the existing code. Some of these advances are:
an entirely new Chapter 23 for Historic Preservation that includes:
transfer of development rights;
a response to neighborhood preservationists with a smaller single-family building envelope responding to the outcry over McMansions;
more appropriate transitions from commercial corridors to residential neighborhoods;
a new medium-density urban townhouse and low rise apartment type;
higher density building types providing wider sidewalks and pedestrian passages in overly long blocks;
building liners to conceal garages;
a new use type allowing live-work – including in industrial areas.
Miami 21 also includes a Public Benefit Program designed to assist the City with its growing needs in terms of affordable housing, parks and open spaces, green buildings, civic infrastructure and brownfield redevelopments.
The overall Miami 21 project includes as well the Parks and Public Spaces Master Plan (by Goody Clancy), the Climate Action Plan, the Bicycle Action Plan, designation of new historic districts – all very much coordinated with the proposed zoning code.
Miami 21 cannot satisfy all its critics. However, it represents tremendous improvement over current regulations. I hope you can join us at the City Commission meeting and/or write a letter to City Commissioners. We need voices to give our City Commissioners the confidence to support the code. Please join us this Thursday at City Hall.
-Manny
MiamiMayor@miamigov.com
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