As the Second Reading for Miami 21 approaches this Thursday, a couple of resources have been released in recent days that relate to the economic benefits of the code. First there is the article from the New York based real estate blog the Real Deal highlighting the economic benefits of Miami 21 to the City and residents.
Walkability, it seems, pays. A study of 15 cities around the country concluded that homes located in neighborhoods that consist of a mix of common daily shopping and social destinations within a short distance command price premiums of $4,000 to $34,000 more than similar homes in areas less friendly to folks on foot. The study, titled “Walking the Walk,” was conducted by CEOs for Cities, a national bipartisan alliance of mayors, corporate executives, university presidents and nonprofit executives dedicated to guiding urban development in sustainable directions.
Then there are the long awaited ‘white papers’, prepared by the City Planning department in response to demands made by various citizen groups in relation to specific points in the code, the most important of which seeks to limit height to 4 stories along all major corridors. (A very very bad idea.) Here is the planning department’s great response:
Limiting our commercial corridors to the T4 transect zone, would effectively limit the opportunity to achieve the goals of Miami 21 which are to promote walkability, transit and economic development. Commercial corridors are essential to the everyday activity of a neighborhood by providing jobs, business opportunities, places to shop and in many cases places to live. It is this critical mass, the multitude of services and opportunities that our corridors provide, that give them the vibrancy to be successful. The T4 Transect zone serves as an appropriate transition into a single family neighborhood at the scale of townhomes, but does not satisfy the needs of our commercial environments. The T4 Zone, if provided across all the City’s corridors, would limit the creation of this critical mass that makes the corridors successful by limiting the opportunity for mixed‐use development, precluding the possibility of structured parking, and restricting density to a level that would not support the future possibility of transit. Miami 21 hopes to provide every resident the opportunity to obtain their daily needs within walking distance of their home, and the best way to achieve all of these goals is to provide active commercial corridors that can sustain the needs of everyday users, provide future opportunities for transit, and continue to provide economic development to our neighborhoods.
Excellent. I look forward to hearing what the commissioners have to say on Thursday given the overwhelming support for the code from City residents and businesses. Also, check out the latest code (indicating the changes made). If you have not already done so, email or call your commissioner and let them know how you feel about the code or join our Miami 21 Facebook group. Or better yet, come out on Thursday to the City Hall and let your voice be heard!
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