LTC 082-2004 Concurrency
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
m
Letter to Commission No.
082-2004
To:
Mayor David Dermer and Members of the City Commission
Date: April 9, 2004
From: Jorge M. Gonzalez
City Manager
SubJee" Concurrency J ~
The City is currently undertaking a review of its Comprehensive Plan through the
Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) process. The process is intended to identify major
issues of importance to the City. Issues related to transportation congestion, and to
development and density will be among the most important concerns facing the City. As
we begin this process, special focus will be placed on examining the City's Concurrency
policies, in order to address the impacts of future development on the traffic circulation and
infrastructure needs of Miami Beach.
The City Commission and the Administration started to examine the concurrency issue in
depth beginning over a year ago. The Ad Hoc Concurrency Committee was appointed to
look into the City's concurrency system and to make recommendations to the City
Commission. The City's Planning Board has also begun to make a preliminary view ofthe
concurrency system. Since then, several steps have been taken by the Commission and
the Administration to address the most immediate concerns identified.
. An exemption for small businesses which generate less than 100 vehicle trips per
day was enacted by the City Commission.
. The City no longer charges applicants an administrative fee when it is determined
that there is no net impact from the proposed project upon the City's roadway
network.
. The Concurrency Management review function has been moved out of the Public
Works Department and into the Planning Department, in order to streamline the
review function and make the application process more convenient.
The Ad-Hoc Concurrency Committee, with the assistance of City staff, has studied the
concurrency system in depth and has come to a conclusion regarding possible steps the
City should take. The Committee has voted to recommend the following four proposals to
the City Commission:
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Date: April 9, 2004
LTC - Concurrency
1. Support a Reqional Traffic Study involving the examination of traffic flows
throughout the barrier island region, including adjacent municipalities such as
Surfside, Bal Harbor, Sunny Isles Beach, and perhaps even Hallandale and
Hollywood in Broward County. This study would establish the traffic flows of
commuters using Miami Beach as a cut-through to downtown Miami from further
north. The study could make recommendations that may help divert traffic to 1-95
through other corridors, as well as focus on development trends in other
municipalities which may have negative effects on the regional roadway network.
2. Support a City-wide Transportation Master Plan which would examine traffic flows
within Miami Beach, paying special attention to the serious "choke-points" which are
causing the most trouble for traffic circulation. Such a master plan would go beyond
the Municipal Mobility Plan (MMP) to focus more on improving traffic movement or
traffic flow, where possible, and specifically addressing possible improvements to
the identified "choke-points".
3. Explore the concept of a Maior Development Proiect Review Process as an
alternative to the current system of traffic concurrency. Such a system is used by
other municipalities, for example in Miami, and would seek to ensure that
developments over a certain threshold are assessed an appropriate fee that would
defray the impacts such projects have on the City's infrastructure. Integrate the
Transportation Master Plan and the Major Development Review concept into the
City's Comprehensive Plan during the upcoming Evaluation and Appraisal Report
(EAR) process.
4. Evaluate the current practice of granting credits for the proximity of transit facilities
to proposed developments when calculating concurrency impact fees. While state
law specifies that credits are to be granted for bus routes and circulator transit
routes, the state mandated credits granted appear to be out of proportion to the
actual number of transit riders associated with large development projects. Explore
how a major development project review process (#3 above) could assess impact
fees on projects exceeding certain thresholds, without applying credit for transit
facilities in such a blanket manner.
The Planning Board has also held discussions regarding the concurrency system and has
recommended that the City Commission urgently address the issues as soon as possible.
The next two months, during the City's EAR process, will be a particularly good time to
discuss these issues in a variety of forums. The City has scheduled several citizen
meetings, and meetings will be held with the Planning Board and City Commission, as well
as scoping meetings with the staff of several State and local agencies such as the South
Florida Regional Planning Council, the Florida Department of Community Affairs, Miami-
Dade County and adjacent local municipalities.
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Date: April 9, 2004
LTC - Concurrency
We expect to be able to make progress on addressing the major issues of concern to the
City, and to especially focus on solutions that will address the long-term planning concerns
regarding transportation congestion and future development.
If you have any questions relative to this matter, or require additional information, please
contact me.
JMG:CttC:J~GL
c: Christina Cuervo, Assistant City Manager
Bob Parcher, City Clerk
Murry Dubbin, City Attorney
Gary Held, Assistant City Attorney
Jorge G. Gomez, Planning Director
Richard Lorber, Planning and Zoning Manager
Mercedes Lamazares, Principal Planner
Stephen Foren, Senior Planner
Henry Johnson, Planning Department
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