Golden Pines Neighborhood Association

Zoning Issues

County stalls vote on rail project

Posted on Sun, Dec. 03, 2006

COCONUT GROVE

A county committee in charge of adopting zoning standards for the proposed mixed-use project at the Coconut Grove Metrorail Station met Wednesday -- but delayed a vote.
BY DAVID SMILEY
dsmiley@MiamiHerald.com

Questions about how tall or dense the proposed development at the Coconut Grove Metrorail Station could be will linger, as a Miami-Dade County committee Wednesday delayed a vote on the site.

The Rapid Transit Development Impact Committee heard two hours of contrasting ideas from developer Carlos Rua and neighboring residents as to what should be allowed at the site. But neither the city nor the county's zoning departments had prepared recommendations.

Lourdes Slazyk, director of zoning for the city of Miami, said the city needs time to brief the district's newly elected commissioner, Marc Sarnoff, on the project.

Dianne O'Quinn Williams, her counterpart for Miami-Dade, said Rua's numerous changes in his recommendations made it difficult to prepare for the meeting.

The committee expected a large amount of public discussion, so the meeting was held despite knowing there would be no vote, Williams said.

''We knew there was going to be a lot of public testimony that would probably take up a whole meeting anyway,'' Williams said.

Over the years, Rua has submitted several versions of plans for the site, starting with two towers -- the tallest 14 stories -- and a supermarket and growing at one point to three towers up to 35 stories tall. (He has since suggested shorter buildings.)

Typically the department's report would recommend why the developer's proposal should or shouldn't be approved, Williams said. But her staff is drafting its own set of recommendations because of major differences in opinion.

''In this case, when the developer first came in, we were very far off,'' O'Quinn said.

Nick Nitti, coordinator for the Development Impact Committee, said that initially Rua was suggesting standards that were too dense and tall for his site. Even now, after lowering his recommendations, Rua is still on the edge of what the county believes he is permitted by the site's guidelines, Nitti said.

One sticking point with the county: Rua has included the Metrorail right of way as part of his square footage, which Nitti said isn't in the developer's lease.

Since winning the county's bid with a concept of one 10-story tower, one 14-story tower and a supermarket, Rua's concept for the project has changed several times. Rua's project had grown to two, 19-story towers by the time he and his former partner signed their lease in 2000, and by this summer Rua was proposing two 35-story buildings and one 25-story building.

The original request was meant to set a minimum standard for the site. The lease also says that the county manager can amend the lease.

''We're not doing anything that's not in the lease,'' Charlie Rua, the developer's son who is in charge of the project, said.

Many in the community have questioned how a project could grow without any public input.

Felice Dubin, a member of the Cocoanut Grove Village Council and chairwoman of the 27th Avenue Metrorail Committee, told the committee that the county should make more of an effort to encourage public involvement, Dubin said.

''My whole point was there's a problem with the process,'' Dubin said in an interview.

Dubin said that waiting another two months for a vote could be either good or bad for her cause.

''I think that by listening to what the public wants and having heard the developer's presentation, their vote could become a lot more fair,'' Dubin said. Members of Dubin's group asked the transit committee to ensure Rua's project stays at the size he proposed in 1999 and many asked that he include workforce housing -- something Rua said he intends to do.

Dubin organized a rally against overdevelopment at the station Tuesday night. Some held signs for rush-hour traffic on 27th Avenue to read and many gathered around to hear Dubin and Sarnoff speak.

Members of Rua's family attended the rally to present information to anyone who would listen. Their makeshift booth quickly became a target for residents accusing the developers of profiting from the community.

Many believe the project will be out of character with the mostly residential neighborhood. Some are afraid they will be pushed out of their homes because the city of Miami said it will rezone the surrounding area after the development is completed.

Rua has said the neighborhood is changing, and his project will fit in with future development, pointing to nearby planned projects, including Tower 27 and Terrazas.

The committee will take up the issue Jan. 24, and will ultimately issue a recommendation to the Miami City Commission.
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