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

=====
Subscribe to the Grapevine and receive it daily in your email. Use this link.
====