Maintain DRB review of Understory HomesReasons to VOTE NO to R5 AG to MAINTAIN DRB and HPB review of Understory Homes:
• The DRB and HPB provide an important public good by giving residents the opportunity
to voice their concerns about homes that will have a direct effect on their quality of life.
• The DRB and HPB Review Process Works
o Staff does not have time to visit each site to properly evaluate the impact new
construction will have on established neighborhoods.
o Members of the DRB and HPB, who are design and architecture experts, visit the
sites to ensure compatibility.
o Just some of what we have accomplished recently at our public hearings:
preventing a new 40-foot long living room window from looking into their
neighbor’s bathroom, 3 story homes from towering over their single story
neighbors, old growth trees contributing to the City’s tree canopy from being
torn down, re-opening a completed section of the Baywalk that a property owner
had closed off to the public
o Architects, developers, and property owners repeatedly thank us for the
improvements the DRB makes to their designs, including major developers like
Robert Rivani of Black Lion who is renovating a Class A+ office building on 17th
and Michigan.
• Understory homes are a new type of Single-Family Home. Architects need guidance.
o They continually ask to tap into our expertise to better understand how to
incorporate these structures into their designs.
o When done incorrectly, an understory home with a roof deck looks like a 4-story
apartment building plopped into a single-family home neighborhood. No
resident wants that.
o Staff does not have time to work collaboratively with architects to finesse design
flaws. They only check off boxes to ensure minimum zoning requirements are
met.
• Miami Beach residents care about Good Design
o We have designer lifeguard stands, Art Deco inspired manhole covers, “Miami
Beach Pink” sidewalks
o Our high design standards make us unique
o In Miami Beach good design is good for business
• Staff review does not include design details or public input
o Staff reviews proposals to make sure that maximum size and percentages are not
exceeded, like less than 5% of the understory is air-conditioned or that all cars
are parked in the understory.
o They do not have the time to listen to neighbor concerns, inspect neighborhoods
or work with the applicant to address unresolved design flaws that might
adversely impact adjacent homes.
• Incentivize Good Design, of which resiliency is one aspect
o Resiliency for the sake of resiliency produces houses on stilts. This feature does not meet
the high design standards expected of an affluent community like Miami Beach.
There are ways to promote resiliency and make the permitting process more efficient that
do not eliminate an important public review opportunity. Let’s maintain processes that
serve the public good, not undermine them.