A long and complicated item on the Coral Gables Commission agenda for Tuesday has some residents worried that the city is trying to sneak some zoning changes in only two weeks after a controversial move to increase heights on Miracle Mile was temporarily stalled.
But Vice Mayor Vince Lago and Commissioner Pat Keon both assured Political Cortadito that the other proposed zoning changes recommended by noted architect designers Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk to clean up and update the code are the only ones that will be considered.
Keon called it “housekeeping” and said the commission approved the clean up in 2017 to resolve conflicting items and “some of the recurring zoning issues we were having.” One example: The city should have specific zoning guidelines for mixed use developments which have both commercial — usually on the ground floor — and residential space, she said.
“It shouldn’t have to go through all these land use changes because we’re going to have a lot more of these in the future,” Keon said.
Read related: Coral Gables mayoral race in April shapes up as Pat Keon vs Vince Lago
Lago separated the sections in the code about using floor area ratio and remote parking to possibly allow height/density increases along the City Beautiful’s main street, so a second reading — it passed 4-1 last month, with Lago against — will not come back to the commission until December. And, first, the city must meet with opponents and address their concerns about a proposed 6-story hotel on Miracle Mile. That government in the sunshine meeting, which will be online as well, is scheduled for Nov. 30.
“People had so many questions about the Mile and there were some misunderstandings,” Keon told Ladra, adding that a second change to a residential island in a sea of commercially zoned properties will also get a second reading in December after more discussion.
People might have more questions on Tuesday. Especially if they got a text from perennial candidate and downtown property owner Jackson “Rip” Holmes, who warned about the commission “approving 16-story buildings for Miracle Mile.”
Keon is in favor of the changes, which would allow Terranova to build a six or seven-story hotel on the Mile because it has accumulated a bunch of properties and can use that frontage together. She says it would activate the street. She also says remote parking already exists in the city code and that, with the COVID pandemic causing some people to switch to work from home permanently, more existing office parking will become available.
What will be discussed Tuesday is a resolution to urge the Miami-Dade Commission to approve a ban on certain types of landscaping fertilizer that runs toxic chemicals off into the bay and is blamed for the recent fish kills.
The meeting starts at 9:15 a.m. and will be broadcast online. Watch this space for an update.
Coral Gables considers zoning changes Tuesday — minus Miracle Mile heights added by Ladra on
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Some of us who knew about a thirteen story limit in the city, are still extant. City business is a place for Conservatism. Really, they’re dealing with brick & mortar issues.
When things return to normal, I’ll continue to experience the perennial parking problems in downtown Gables. It’s ridiculous to consider a hotel with remote parking!
We don’t need more hotels in Coral Gables. We need more affordable housing, parking and wider side walks. The side walks built with the last hotels like the Aloft on LeJeune across from Publix is way too small and dangerous for pedestrians. The corrupted public officials are selling our city out to developers who pay outrageous price for the land hence they need to use every inch of land at the expense of public safety.
Dear Ms DeValle;
I submit to all that remote parking is, essentially, a sham.
Who wants to remote park?
A major city official informed me there is NO present remote parking facility.
The Remote Parking Workshop of 12/9/19, reveals that, if all people, Mr. Lago is contracting his many statements he does not want to see a height increase on Miracle Mile, instead saying repeatedly in the Workshop he wants to help developers go up to 6-8 floors on Miracle Mile. Most importantly, Mr Lago SUPPORTS remote parking!, yet helping developers is the only intelligible reason he gives!
If voters want a choice in April, we need to convince JEANETT SLESNICK to run for Mayor.
The Remote Parking Workshop supports at 25% of parking to be not only remote, but NONEXISTENT, because developers could make a fixed contribution to a City parking trust to avoid 25% of their parking responsibilities altogether.
Sincerely,
Jackson Rip Holmes