Miami Shores residents divided over new housing plan in single-family home community
Situated throughout the quiet enclave of Miami Shores are swaths of single-family homes, some with residents who have lived there since the 1950s. Stroll in the village’s downtown corridor and lining the street are a few quaint shops and newer eateries.
In the northwest corner of the village sit 23 acres of land owned by Barry University, the largest employer in the community.
That scene could change after the Miami Shores Village Council passed a new comprehensive plan for development during a first reading last week, provoking the ire of some residents who are concerned the bedroom community’s single-family home character will change with the addition of multifamily homes and commercial buildings.
The council voted 4-1 to approve the plan, which brings zoning changes to parts of the village. That could mean sweeping changes to the downtown corridor and part of the village’s northwest area.
Councilwoman Alice Burch was the dissenting vote. “I have no doubt that these areas will have further development in the future and that we should plan for that. It’s just that it’s a process to go through for a comprehensive plan that normally requires an evaluation and appraisal report,” she told the Miami Herald. “I have no doubt there will be this development. Why not plan it in as well-informed a way as you can?”
The divide over the plan has partly boiled down to whether the proposal would result in affordable housing. If it passes on a second reading, Barry University will move forward with plans to sell its property to Lennar Homes with the expectation that they will develop townhouses and garden-style apartments at market rates for Barry faculty, staff and students.
“There has been much conjecture about Barry’s motivation for developing this land. The land is part of the overall net assets owned by the University and the proceeds from the sale will create other investment opportunities that will allow Barry to thrive for decades to come,” Barry University President Mike Allen wrote in a three-page letter to village residents.
“At the same time, our goal is to create a diversity of nearby housing options for our faculty, staff and graduate students, along with other local working professionals such as teachers, police, first responders, Village employees, and current residents of Miami Shores who are looking for a downsizing option without moving out of town,” he wrote.
Is it affordable?
But longtime residents who want the community to remain single-family homes, question whether Barry University faculty, staff and students can even afford housing at market rate in a village where the average home value is more than a half-million dollars and houses can sell for $1 million or more.
“We don’t oppose affordable housing. It’s the density,” Raul Guerra told the Miami Herald after a Dec. 10 community meeting held by Barry University. “It’s just the sheer volume of people into a small space,” he said.
Guerra, who moved to Miami Shores in part because of the village’s charm, said he was worried the new housing would “ruin the character of the Shores.”
His wife, Nicole Hedmark, was gathering signatures for a petition against the proposed changes.
“This community’s property values have increased dramatically recently. And even many of us who already live here couldn’t afford to move here if we wanted to at this point,” she said. “We do need diverse housing, and this particular lot does need to be developed. But I don’t think that we have the appropriate data to show the level of development and the level of density that our community can actually support.”
After the initial approval vote, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity must next review and sign off on the plan before it can go back to the council for a second reading. The Florida DEO has 60 days from receipt of the plan to respond to the council with any objections, recommendations or comments. That timing could result in the council’s second vote on the proposal coming close to the village’s April elections for three council-member seats. In the interim, the village must also appoint a council member to a newly vacated seat.
Residents critical of the comprehensive plan said it does not account for increased traffic and public safety needs that would result from the new housing. The village population of more than 11,000 would grow by about 2,700 from the proposed development, according to a concurrency analysis submitted in September.
Residents also raised concerns about how a Barry University employee, let alone a student, could afford to live in a newly built townhome or apartment priced at market rate.
The average salary of a Barry University assistant professor is $83,485, according to data on Glassdoor, a website where employees can anonymously post rankings about their employer and salaries. Nineteen salaries were submitted with that title. The median monthly rent in Miami Shores is $4,200, according to real estate company Zillow.
Traffic impact concerns
Some residents were concerned that the plan had passed without an in-depth study of what impact additional residents would have on a city already dealing with traffic and sewer concerns.
“I think that the comprehensive plan amendment, as it stands now, is unsupported by necessary data and analysis. We don’t know what the impacts will be from this level of development within Miami Shores,” said Sarah McSherry, a resident and an environment and land use attorney who led a grassroots effort to inform residents about changes to the plan. “And I think it’s reckless to approve this level of development without first understanding those impacts.”
Burch said that most of Miami Shores is still supported by septic tanks. “We have some environmental challenges in our small municipality,” she said. “And whenever I talk to other municipalities, in other cities in Florida or other states, and I say we’re entirely on septic tank, except all of the corridor of Second Avenue, they look at me incredulously and say ‘how can you build anything until you’ve achieved a septic to sewer conversion?’”
Burch said that Shores Estate, a 100-home community in the northeastern part of the city, is in the process of being converted from septic tank use.
Revisions to the plan began in January, after attempts to add a gas station near a canal. The village then identified inconsistencies in its comprehensive plan. As a result of errors and inconsistencies, the village council put a moratorium on new developments until they resolved the issues within the plan, which has been revised several times in the past six months.
Change or Status Quo?
In the months leading up to the vote, some residents raised concerns about what they say was the council’s lack of transparency with the plan. Barry has held at least three community meetings.
The Barry University property sits on three parcels of land along the northwest border of Miami Shores. The private, catholic college plans to sell the property to homebuilder Lennar Homes with the intention that they will construct multifamily homes and townhouses on the property.
“Lennar’s concepts were by far the most positively aligned with the needs of Barry and the Village,” Allen wrote in his letter. “Specifically, Lennar’s proposal had significantly less housing density, thoughtful traffic considerations, and a sensitivity to the interests and needs of our surrounding neighbors.”
Several Barry University officials, including Allen, at the meeting last week said their staff needed affordable housing and emphasized that living near where they work would save them time and money. One Barry University representative said at least 500 alumni live in the village.
Some residents would welcome the change. Mickey Puig has lived in the village for a little over three years and said new development could also allow for affordable housing options while sprucing up the downtown area.
“You know the basics are there on Second Avenue,” he said. “It just needs a little oomph, it needs a little help, you know?”
This story was originally published December 21, 2022 at 3:23 PM.
