HomeMy WebLinkAboutLTC 164-2026 - Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association (FPNA) Resolution Relating to Commission Items RS C and RS D (Urban Core Residential Incentives Plan 1600 Washington Avenue) on the April 22, 2026 Commission AgendaMIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
LTC#
LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Mayor Steven Meiner and Members of the City Commission
Eric Carpenter,City Manager
Ricardo J.Dopico,City Attorney
Joseph M.Centorino, Inspector Gen~al
Rafael E.Granado,City Cler~
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April 21,2026
Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association (FPNA)Resolution Relating to
Commission Items RS C and RS D (Urban Core Residential Incentives
Plan/1600 Washington Avenue)on the April 22,2026 Commission Agenda.
Please see attached an email from the Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association (FPNA),dated
April 20,2026,relating to items:
R5 C O/C- 9:25 a.m.1"Rdg,Urban Core Residential Incentives Plan-Comp Plan Amend.
(PrivAp) PL
R5 D O/C- 9:26 a.m.1Rdg,Urban Core Residential Incentives Plan-LDR Amend.(PrivAp)PL
6/7
164-2026
FPNA resolution for 1600 Washington Ave (Approved by FPNA on Feb.9)
The proposed development at 1600 Washington Avenue aggregates building
rights,or FAR,for the building site and the adjacent garage and alley (see image).
Current zoning.This block is already designated for higher intensity FAR and
height than adjacent blocks to the south (because of CD-3 high-intensity zoning)
and is uniquely entitled to City Center zoning heights.City Center 100'height
zoning is conditioned on setbacks that make massing compatible with low-scale
historic buildings (limiting height to 50'for the first 50'of lot depth).
Proposed changes.By aggregating lots to over 45,000 sf,the developer increases
as-of-right FAR from 2.25 to 2.75 under CD-3 zoning,provided that the proposal
conforms with City Center height and setback requirements.The developer seeks
(a)further increase in height from 100'to 160',(b)waivers to City Center's unique
setback requirements,and (c)a .5 FAR increase to 3.25 in exchange for limiting
the use to residential 1-bedroom units with no short-term rentals.
Resident concerns.Without amending the zoning code,the proposal concentrates 2.75 FAR on under 30%of the
aggregated lot for an effective FAR of 9.3 on the 19,700 sf building site.With .5 more FAR that FAR is nearly 11.
To limit incompatibilities with the historic neighborhoods,FPNA conditionally supports limited exceptions.
1.Use benefits:overstated.FPNA supports residential uses but the project's benefits are limited.For one,
without concrete developer proffers we are not convinced that a project in this location will actually be useful
and affordable as market-rate housing for year-round local workers (rather than seasonal residents).By
contrast,excessive scale development at the edge of Flamingo Park would adversely impact the human-scale
historic neighborhood and their low-scale buildings which do,in practice,provide affordable units for residents
who work locally and often do so without owning cars.
2.Height,setback,and design:massing must be compatible.To support residential use,even if workforce use is
dubious in this location,FPNA would conditionally support a total residential building envelope that matches but
does not exceed the final height (including elevation)of the building directly across Washington Avenue,so long
as it is compatible:i.e.,(a)the two historic street-front art deco facades must be maintained,and distinguished
by articulation of the tower as much as feasible;and (b)the facade must be sufficiently articulated to emulate
historic building separations.Also,because the design allows for no green space,water runoff from any part of
the building must remain on-site and not impact the street and sidewalks.
3.FAR:additional square footage from an FAR increase,if any,should be 100%for truly affordable housing.
Although the City Center block allows for CD-3 high intensity zoning,we have concerns about aggregating FAR
to just the edge portion of a unified site,and we believe additional FAR will compound potential
incompatibilities with surrounding properties.Within the massing envelope stated above,we support
increased FAR only if a public benefit is proffered by the developer beyond the market-rate rental rationale
offered to justify a height increase.As an example,we could support a mixed-income project where
additional FAR is made available (again,limiting height to the building directly across Washington Ave.)to
those who work in Miami Beach and earn below median income,with equal square footage in upper floors
used for larger residential units with higher rental market values.However any FAR increase is not "as of
right"but permitted only to the extent the HP Board finds the development compatible with surrounding
historic buildings.
4.Parking:100%on site.The massing of this unified site is largely based on transfer of FAR within the unified
site,mostly shifted from the garage to the new residential building.Accordingly,we strongly agree with the
Planning Board recommendation that all parking needs (100%)must be addressed permanently and formally
by the existing site,by a covenant running with the land.External impacts must be avoided by excluding
building residents from the already insufficient resident parking in Flamingo Park Zone 2.
Granado,Rafael
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Attachments:
Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association <flamingomb@gmail.com>
Monday,April 20,2026 10:14 PM
Meiner,Steven;Fernandez,Alex;Dominguez,Laura;Bhatt,Tanya;Suarez,David;
Magazine,Joe;Matteo-Salinas,Monica
Granado,Rafael;Firtel,Lauren
Commission Items RSC &R5D -Urban Core Residential Incentives Plan
FPNA resolution for 1600 Washington Ave.pdf
[THIS MESSAGE COMES FROM AN EXTERNAL EMAIL-USE CAUTION WHEN REPLYING AND
OPENING LINKS OR ATTACHMENTS]
Mayor and Commissioners,
See the attached resolution regarding the item referenced above and please consider it during your
discussion on the matter.
Scott Needelman
for the FPNA
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