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Thursday, February 15, 2018

Affordable housing hijacked by developers?

City Commissoner’s plan for affordable housing HIJACKED by development interests? 
Stealth up-zoning in the name of urban redevelopment is being planned by our city Planning and Zoning department and being sponsored by our Commissioner. Hopefully the community will not be fooled, cajoled or coerced into another ploy for up-zoning. The Draft of proposed new Code to replace NCD-2 & NCD-3 has been placed on the NCD website http://www.miamigov.com/planning/ncd.html  The Proposal would combine the two separate NCDs located in separate areas and which have very different characteristics and hence different INTENTS into one NCD obscuring and weakening the strength of both NCD-2 and NCD-3 codes. 

It would effectively up-zone, INCREASE DENSITY in all of the dark brown T5 and light brown T4 areas to a density of 150 units per acre, the light purple areas are already at 150. For reference this is the same density allowed along the southern portion of Brickell between 15th Rd. and 25th Rd.




While some developers, and those in the construction industry like this idea the community does not want to be fooled into up-zoning, i.e., higher density. The basis justifying this “Brickellization” of Coconut Grove  is “Affordable Housing”. We all know if you increase supply and other factors remain unchanged the equilibrium price goes down; Good for renters, not good for resident owners.  The City’s acceptance, during the November City Commission meeting, of the study labeling the West Grove as a “SLUM” and a “BLIGHTED” area provides the basis for this increased density, but the city’s draft plan applies increased density primarily to areas outside of the West Grove. 

They claim the residents want “one grove” thus attempting to justify the combination and homogenization of NCD-2 and NCD-3 zoning. Many recognize and applaud the effort to create affordable housing in NCD-2, however, extending the remedy to NCD-3 is not going to help.   The last “affordable housing” project at the South East corner of Douglas and U.S. 1 did nothing to alleviate the housing problems confronted by the Bahamian descendants living in  the West Grove. On the surface,  it looks like this newest plan/scheme, with many bonuses & various incentives offered, would allow extra density on steroids, and would possibly accelerate gentrification. Most capital will flow to areas in the Center and North grove,  areas along Bird and 27th avenues, as well as the half of Grand Avenue East of  MacDonald and areas along South Bayshore, areas which have not been labeled a blighted slum. Conventional financing , insurance, and primarily marketing will favor development in those locations. 

This offers a solution which few residents desire. West Grove residents will likely see little or no low income (33K-79K) housing and even less to no very low income (15.5K) housing, as capital is invested in the Center and North Grove, while residents in the Center and North grove will see comparable property decrease in value because of the increase in supply as well as more congestion, noise, and parking. The West Grove has about 85% of residents as renters while the Center and North have a majority of owner residents.

John Snyder
Coconut Grove


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7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The map you shared clearly demonstrates that there will be increased density along Grand Ave., the main throughfare in the West Grove. Further, the presentation on the proposed NCD amendments clearly reflected that there will be lucrative incentives to developers that include affordable housing in their developments.
You claim that increased density will lower housing costs ("Good for renters, not food for resident owners."). Then, somehow, you make the logical leap that West Grovites will not benefit from increased density. What gives? Are you saying that the developers are not receiving sufficient incentives to include affordable housing in their projects? From my understanding, developers will be permitted to develop two additional units for each affordable housing unit they designate in their projects.

Perhaps your true concern is that West Grovites will move to other parts of the Grove which will also experience increased density (". . . but the city's draft plan applies increased density primarily to areas outside of the West Grove."). Seems like a very NIMBY-ish view. If you think that increased housing and the concomitant lowered housing price options are a good thing, why limit it to the West Grove? Is it the real issue that you just don't want people in search of more affordable housing leaving the confines of the West Grove?

February 15, 2018 3:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Surprised? Lloyd Boggio and Matthew Greer of Carlisle Development Group are Coconut Grove residents who pleaded guilty to participating in a $36 million affordable housing fraud scheme. The worm is of the fruit.

February 16, 2018 7:22 AM  
Blogger Elvis Cruz said...

In November of 2016 the City of Miami Planning Dept released a study of the City's Maximum Density Potential.

It showed that the City of Miami was already zoned to allow 8 times more housing units than were counted in the 2010 census.

Which means our population could grow to 8 times more.

That's before any additional up-zoning. That doesn't count what's now proposed in the Grove, or any Special Area Plan that's proposed (and there are several).

Those numbers are so staggering they are hard to imagine.

We already know the problems we currently face with traffic congestion, potable water supply, sewage treatment capacity, park space capacity, hurricane evacuation time, etc.

Imagine what those problems will be like when our population is doubled. Or four times more. Or six times more. Or eight times more.

John Snyder is right. Allowing more density is a very bad idea.

Elvis Cruz
631 NE 57 Street
Miami, Florida 33137
305 754 1420
ElvisCruz@mac.com

(Why do so many CGG readers post anonymously?)

February 16, 2018 8:00 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Reply to first comment. I think the West Grove would benefit much more from affordable housing, if the incentive housing units were limited to the approximately 25% of Grove area in the West Grove which is zoned T4 and T5. By including the T4 and T5 areas in the Center Grove and North Grove, in the incentive program, it will greatly dilute the effect of Low income housing. The availability of financing, and insurance, as well as desirability of areas of Grove not labeled by the City of Miami as a "Slum and Blighted area" will cause developers to take advantage of incentives in those areas first. They will choose the most profitable alternatives for capital investment. I am all for affordable housing it should be focused where it is needed.

February 16, 2018 11:06 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Why do so many CGG readers post anonymously?"
It is tradition goinh back to the our former dear commissioner who reacted sensitively to free commentary.

February 16, 2018 2:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I really have no problem with turning a slum into an area that people actually enjoy living in. It's like you all have never driven through that area or want to look like you have some sort of contrived moral superiority by wanting to defend the poor even though very few if any people are now living on grand after some of those disgusting projects were vacated.

February 16, 2018 9:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@Anon 2/16 9:42 - totally agree. There's a pervasive paternalistic, colonialist attitude amongst many of our fellow Grovites that feel like they know what is best for the West Grovites and, ironically, it ALWAYS entails keeping the West Grovites in the West Grove (and not in other parts of the Grove) even if those individuals feel otherwise.

February 17, 2018 6:53 AM  

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