They feel the new NCDs do not protect the Grove
While the City makes changes to the NCDs and Miami21, they are basically favoring developers. We are being over-developed at an alarming rate and our history is disappearing daily. There is so much construction in the Grove now that you can't drive a few blocks without hitting some sort of detour.
They say, "As you may know, the City of Miami is proposing major revisions to Coconut Grove’s zoning code. The Coconut Grove Park Neighborhood Association board has studied the proposed changes and, in response, passed a resolution expressing a variety of concerns that it believes may adversely impact our community.
See the attached and note: #11 on the proposed resolutions.
"#11. Finally, given the very compressed time frame since the publishing on this draft and the importance of this document to our residents, we request that the revised draft be re-circulated to the community to solicit a second round of comments prior to formal submission of the NCD to the Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board."
On Wednesday April 4 at 6:30 pm, the City of Miami’s Planning & Zoning Appeals Board will hold a hearing to consider community input on these proposed zoning changes. Homeowners....whatever your views, we encourage you and other neighbors to attend the meeting to make sure our neighborhood’s voice is well represented during this critically important policy decision. Please let us know if you have any questions.
I have the full resolution and their concerns here in a dropbox .
The association feels that "the current NCD has not protected the Grove from over-development and substantial loss in tree canopy."
It is a joke, there have been no noticeable changes and as we speak, swaths of trees are being destroyed for zero-lot-line homes. Village West is being overtaken by them on some streets.
The CGPHA is concerned with the inappropriate size, massing and cookie-cutter nature of housing that is permitted under the current code "and we are supportive of the re-write of the current NCD but only if it fundamentally addresses overbuilding and strengthens the original intent of the NCD. In this regard, we request that the introductory paragraphs of the NCD be revised as attached to more fully and correctly reflect the original language and intend of the existing code."
They believe that the size of the currently permitted structures still needs to be reduced or at the very least be held at the proposed .5 FLR for single family and .65 FLR for duplex zones - "and that NO BONUS be allowed above these limits for any reason whatsoever. The proposed .15 bonus for 'screening trees' is a dangerous loophole that will effectively set the FLR at .65 and .90 (for the respective zones), as most applicants will seek to get this bonus.
It's always about the money, developers control our leaders.
The association also asks for one story houses, which I doubt that will be a part of the plan, but I see where they are coming from. They do think change in height will affect that. They say, "The Grove wants less height, not more height," which is true.
There are cities where no one can build higher than the highest tree. Of course here in the Grove, the highest trees are being torn down daily.
Density is a big problem with future plans, the planners feel that more residents is a good thing - cramming in as many people as possible into the small village. Of course, this will bring property values down.
The resolution is quite long, and touches on everything that concerned neighbors are worried about these days including saving the historic nature of Village West.
You can see it all here in the dropbox.
PERSONAL ATTACKS IN THE COMMENTS WILL BE DELETED.
posted by Tom Falco at 4:00 AM
YOU MAY NOT LIFT THE PHOTOS & TEXT. IT'S COPYRIGHTED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. YOU CAN HOWEVER SHARE A STORY ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY USING THE LINKS HERE.
For linking to this one story, just click on the time it was posted & just this story will open for sharing - only through social media. Not copying and pasting.
3 Comments:
The Coconut Grove Park Homeowners Association represents interests of their members, a small, self-selected group of North Grove homeowners. I don't see where they get off telling me what me and my family in the Village West, who have lived here for generations, should be able to do with our property. If you want to overly-restrictive minimum home sizes in your neighborhood, that is fine by me. For us, our homes are our largest assets and main means of building a better future for our children. Your proposed limitations will take that future away from us. Please consider that when telling us what you think we should be able to do with our property. This reminds me of the City's recent debacle in trying to designate West Grove homes as historic without talking with the community first: http://www.miamitimesonline.com/news/city-s-move-to-save-black-homes-in-coconut-grove/article_d355df78-3294-11e8-9741-9bb430096b66.html. It's not right for you to sit on a high perch thinking you know what is best for us. No thanks. You have no right.
Over sized structures in small lots, high density, inappropriate designs, variances that don’t make sense, poor design, lack of light, no vegetation, no breeze, no parking, and no respect for historical homes are but a few of the issues we are facing in Coconut Grove. Poor planning will reduce everyone’s property prices because the community will no longer be a desirable place to live. Ex. The “Taco Bell” house in my neighborhood built in 1989 with a variance given by a politician and built as a spec house by a developer. The two story structure has no yard, and sits crammed in between two larger homes. The view from every window is a wall. The scale and placement of this house is all wrong. Now, the owner wants to sell but is having a difficult time attracting a buyer. The price of the property has been reduced three times. The economic reality of bad architecture affects every house in the neighborhood. It is time to take a breather. Change is good. But so is preserving the uniqueness of Coconut Grove. I plan to attend the zoning meeting on Wednesday 4/4 @City Hall.
Agree agree agree! Our property rights are being taken away. We bought our home more than three decades ago and it is our single largest asset. If these changes go into affect, everyone’s home value will DECREASE. It’s insane what’s going on in the Grove today. And tomorrow the historic preservation people are going to make a move to make ALL of Coconut Grove a historic district. And it will become an even bigger pain to make any change to your home.
Post a Comment
<< Home