RESOLUTION 93-20770 •
RESOLUTION NO. 93-20770
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, CALLING A
PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER ADOPTING AN
ORDINANCE AMENDING COMPREHENSIVE ZONING
ORDINANCE NO. 89-2665, AMENDING SECTION 6,
ENTITLED "DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS", AMENDING
SUBSECTION 6-2, ENTITLED "RM-1, RESIDENTIAL
MULTI FAMILY, LOW INTENSITY" BY ADDING A 50
FOOT HEIGHT RESTRICTION FOR BUILDINGS NOT IN
THE ARCHITECTURAL DISTRICT; PROVIDING FOR
INCLUSION IN THE ZONING ORDINANCE; PROVIDING
FOR REPEALER, SEVERABILITY AND AN EFFECTIVE
DATE.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI
BEACH, FLORIDA:
WHEREAS, the City' s Planning, Design and Historic Preservation
Division has recommended that Subsection 6-2 , entitled "RM-1,
Residential Multi Family, Low Intensity" , of Section 6, entitled
"Development Regulations" of the City' s Comprehensive Zoning
Ordinance No. 89-2665 be amended by adding a fifty (5 0) foot height
restriction for buildings not in the Architectural District; and
WHEREAS, on March 30, 1993 the City' s Planning Board held a
public hearing and considered the aforesaid proposed amendment and
voted 5-1 in favor of said amendment; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 14 of Zoning Ordinance No. 89-
2665, the proposed amendment must now be considered by the City
Commission at public hearings.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF
THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, that a public hearing to consider
an ordinance amending Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance No. 89-2665,
amending Section 6, entitled "Development Regulations" , amending
Subsection 6-2 , entitled "RM-1, Residential Multi Family, Low
Intensity" by adding a fifty (50) foot height restriction for
buildings not in the Architectural District; providing for
repealer, severability and effective date, is hereby called to be
held before the City Commission in its chambers on the Third Floor
of City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida on
June 2 , 1993 , beginning at 5: 00 p.m. , and the City Clerk is hereby
authorized and directed to publish appropriate Public Notice of the
said Public Hearings in a newspaper of general circulation in the
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City of Miami Beach, at which time and place all interested parties
will be heard.
PASSED and ADOPTED this 8th d=i of Apr , 1993.
•
ATTEST:
MAYOR
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raht a • r.,
CITY CLERK:
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FORM APPROVED
LEGAL DEPT.
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Date 1/- /-5?
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CITY OF MIAMI B
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CITY HALL 1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE MIAMI BEACH FLORIDA 33139
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER TELEPHONE: (305)673-7010
FAX: (305) 673-7782
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM NO. -93 V/ 5 ED
TO: Mayor Seymour Gelber and DATE: April 8, 1993
Members of the City Commission
FROM: Roger M.
City Manage
SUBJECT: SETTING PUBLIC HEARING-AMENDMENT TO ZONING ORDINANCE 89-
2665 RELATIVE TO IMPOSING A MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT IN THE
RM-1, RESIDENTIAL MULTI-FAMILY LOW INTENSITY DISTRICT
ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDATION
The Administration recommends that the City Commission proceed to set a date and time
certain for a public hearing to consider this amendment to Zoning Ordinance 89-2665, which
would impose a height limit of 50'on all RM-1 parcels in the City,outside of the Architectural
District. In order to meet minimum public notice and advertising requirements, it is
recommended that the first reading be set for 5:00 p.m. on June 2, 1993.
BACKGROUND
The Request
The City Administration is presently requesting consideration of an amendment to the Zoning
Ordinance which would place a height restriction of 50' on all properties located in the RM-1
District, outside the Architectural District. There is already a height limit of 40' within the
Architectural District for RM-1 properties.
History
On April 21, 1992 the Planning Board recommended approval of an amendment to the Zoning
Ordinance restricting the height of developments in the RM-1 District that are adjacent to a
waterway and within 200 feet of a single family district. The purpose of that proposed
amendment was to ensure that those multi-family sites on canals, across from single family
homes, would be limited to a maximum height.
The Planning Board, at that time and at subsequent workshop meetings, expressed a desire to
possibly expand this restriction to all sites in the RM Districts(RM-1,RM-2 and RM-3)that are
adjacent to a single family district, regardless of location on a waterway. Conceptually,it was
argued, the same rationale should apply to all such situations since it is the juxtaposition of
height between multi-family and single family districts which is the real issue.
The Planning Board, at its special meeting of October 20, 1992, held a hearing on a proposed
amendment to limit the height of structures in the RM-1, RM-2 and RM-3 Districts which arc
within 300 feet of single family owned properties. The Board voted to defer any action on the
amendment, pending further study by Staff.
On November 24, 1992, the Administration withdrew its application on this amendment to the
Zoning Ordinance. The Administration felt that due to the on-going analysis of the City's
Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance, the matter required further study and that there
may be suitable alternatives to achieve proper development patterns in these areas.
The City Commission, at its meeting of December 9, 1992, requested that the Planning Board
and staff study and make a recommendation on limiting the height of buildings in the RM-1
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DATE
District, citywide. This was done simultaneously with a request to examine the possibility of
creating a new low-rise multi-family garden apartment district as an alternative approach.
The Planning Board, at its meeting of March 30, 1993, voted 5-1 in favor of recommending
approval of the proposed amendment to impose a height limit in the RM-1 District. With regard
to the proposed Garden Apartment District (RG), the Board at the same meeting voted to defer
its recommendation on this matter until July, after the City Commission has made a decision
to either approve or turn down the RM-1 amendment.
ANALYSIS
There are several areas of the City which are zoned RM-1. The largest of these areas, in the
Architectural District from 6th to 16th Street between Lenox and Pennsylvania Avenues, has
an existing height restriction of 40 feet. All other areas in the City which are zoned RM-1 have
an unlimited heighi restriction.
The RM-1 District is the City's lowest intensity multi-family district. Although it has a
relatively low Floor Area Ratio with a Maximum of 2.0, this lack of a height restriction means
that a developer could choose to construct a very slender tall tower on an RM-1 site. Ironically,
the present District Purpose in the Zoning Ordinance (Section 6-2A.1) states that "This district
is designed for low intensity, low-rise, single and multiple family residences".
By imposing a height limitation in the RM-1 District Citywide, the following would be
accomplished:
a) New development would be in keeping with the as-built character of areas now
zoned RM-1 outside of the Architectural District. Of the 435 buildings in the
RM-1 District outside the Architectural District, only 20 buildings (4.6%) are 5
stories in height or higher.
b) The RM-1 District, as a low-intensity zone, generally abuts single family zoned
areas. If the RM-1 District is to function properly as a buffer or transition zone
between single family areas and high intensity residential and commercial areas,
the imposition of a height limitation is appropriate.
Of the twenty (20) existing buildings that are five (5) stories or higher in the RM-1 District,
fifteen (15) are already non-conforming in terms of Floor Area Ration (FAR). tiii twenty (20)
buildings are also non-conforming with regard to at least one of the provisions of the
Ordinance. Therefore, the creation of a height limit will not cause any conforming building
to become non-conforming.
CONCLUSION
The Planning Board, as previously stated, has voted 5-1 to recommend approval of this
proposed amendment to Zoning Ordinance 89-2665. By imposing a height limitation in the RM-
1 District, the Administration has concluded that the City of Miami Beach would finally have
a low-rise multi-family zoning classification that is in keeping with the district's purpose.
Accordingly, we concur with the recommendation of the Planning Board.
Based on the foregoing, the Administration believes that the City Commission should proceed
to set a date for the first public hearing on this matter.
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attachment
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RESOLUTION NO. 93-20770
Calling a public hearing to consider
adopting an ordinance amending Comprehen-
sive Zoning Ordinance No. 89-2665,
amending §6, entitled "Development
Regulations", . . .
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