Small town thinking still plagues Miami

[Brickell]

This isn't a real big deal. But it's something we have to move past if we want to be a true city. Coral Way is an old commercial strip linking Brickell and Coral Gables. There's a lot on-street parking and mom and pop stores. It's as close to old style urbanism as we get in Miami. There are a ton of mid-rises going up on the road, so I'd think that you'd be getting a good local base anyway. As far as I know they've lifted these parking restrictions for the CBD which is one of the things that spurred so much development there.

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/040527/story7.shtml

Coral Way condo fights parking variance for supper club

By Susan Stabley

An attorney representing a Coral Way condo is fighting a variance that would allow a supper club to be built without the usual amount of parking.

Tucker Gibbs represents Coral View LLC, also known as The Aston condominiums at 3000 Coral Way, whose occupants fear that visitors to the supper club will park on its property, forcing condo management to have the cars towed. Mr. Gibbs has filed an appeal to a ruling that waives 50 of 58 parking spaces normally required under Miami city code

"Coral View is going to look like the bad guys," Mr. Gibbs said Tuesday. "It's just too much on a piece of property on Coral Way. My client played by the rules."

At issue is a variance for the proposed supper club at about 3138 SW 22nd St. that the city's zoning board approved March 22 by a 6-2 vote. According to plans submitted to the city, the proposed La Bodeguita del Medio would be two stories high.

The club was approved with eight parking spaces when 58 are normally required by city code. The zoning board also approved the building with a 10% bigger with a footprint of 4,217 square feet when 3,334 square feet is usually the maximum allowed for the 0.13-acre parcel, according to city documents.

The original request called for a 5,533-square-foot building that would have required that 79 parking spaces be waived, according to city documents.

The city's Planning and Zoning Department recommended denying the application because by "developing the lot in the manner reflected, the property owner will derive undue benefit under the zoning ordinance," according to a city document.

Virgilio Perez, who represents club developer Joseph Maya, was contacted for comment but said he did not have time.

According to an April 12 zoning board resolution, the variance was granted under condition that the owner have an agreement to lease the parking space from another commercial area tied to the restaurant's certificate of use.

But Mr. Gibbs, in opposing the project, said variances should only be allowed in cases of hardship. That's doesn't apply to the property where the club will be located because as it is now zoned a different kind of commercial use, such as a drugstore, wouldn't require the parking to be waived.

Instead, Mr. Gibbs said, the current owner "just wants a higher use that will net a bigger profit."

[G W North]

In most urban cities, the vast, vast majority of shops and restaurants don't have any parking. Do you have any pictures of this street? If every other club has it's own parking I can't picture it as very urban.

[bobliocatt]

Is there, on street parking available? If so, I don't see what the problem is. The Condo association should just put up some "no parking" signs or a small iron fence on their property, if they don't want Supper club visitors parking there. If they work together, maybe the supper club owners would be willing to pay for no parking signs for them.

[Brickell]

Yes, some onstreet parking is available. It'll be a shame if they can't work something out. This would be a perfect road for some light rail, connecting Brickell to Downtown Coral Gables.

I can't find any pictures. It's not a "urban" neighborhood in the sense of NY or PHilly, but it's urban for mainland miami and getting much much better. There are surface lots but they are few and far between.

[Brickell]

It looks similar to the Jacksonville: 5 points pictures that Lakelander has posted on the photo's section.

[G W North]

It's a strange problem. In nearly every condo complex around here, you have to swipe a card that only residents/workers at the condo complex would have just to get into the condo's parking.

I can't find any pictures. It's not a "urban" neighborhood in the sense of NY or PHilly, but it's urban for mainland miami and getting much much better.

Is most of the city of Miami not densely urban? I had pictured most of it as more urban than you give the impression of based simply on the fact that it has over 10,000/square mile. Usually cities with that kind of density are very urban with miles-long retail streetwalls and little parking. I've really not seen much of the city of Miami except for driving through it, some mall (can't remember what it was called), and some go-kart/video arcade complex. I've spent a few hours in Miami Beach, but even that was only at a hotel restaurant.

Besides that I've just driven through on the highway down to the keys.

[bobliocatt]

From my experience, Miami is a pretty dense and urban city. However, unlike the older urban cities, its more oriented towards automobiles, than pedestrians, for the most part. I also think, on average more people live in a typical residential unit, than that of other american cities.

[Brickell]

Yes, what Lakelander said. We don't have rowhouses and walkups with street retail that so many pictures as "Urban". There are tons of small 2 and 3 story apartments, du/tri/four-plexes. In a lot of areas it's single family homes that have been illegally divided 3 or 4 or 5 times and rented out.

It's urban, just not traditionally urban in the sense of northern cities. Think more inner LA than DC. LA also has the density numbers.

I'd love to get some pictures of Coral Way and Little Havana to show off what I love about the areas, but my scanner is broken. In the not so distant future, i'll show off the city some so you guys have a better idea.

[G W North]

So most of the retail within the city of Miami is suburban-style?

[Brickell]

The City of Miami is mostly mom and pops. This is probably as much to do with the poor neighborhoods and large immigrant populations as anything else though. Most retail in miami is 1940's-1950's suburban in nature. Let's put it that way. There's not a lot of mixed use buildings. I don't know how else to explain it.

You'll just have to come experience for yourself.