Miami to vote on proposal that would double density in Edgewater

Miami commissioners are set to vote on a proposal that would allow developers to double their density in specific neighborhoods, starting in Edgewater.

If approved, the city’s Resilience Trust Fund would be used to help pay for flood control and climate projects, Coconut Grove Spotlight reported. The city’s Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board approved the proposal in October, and the commission will vote on it on Thursday on first reading. The measure requires a second reading vote.

The proposal would target high demand areas, but only two have been identified, and both are in Edgewater, stretching from the Julia Tuttle Causeway south to Northeast Eighth Street, according to Spotlight. It would also include Watson Island, where a pair of new projects are planned.

Commissioner Damian Pardo is sponsoring the legislation.

The fund would pay for projects like raising streets, replacing seawalls and installing pump stations. The money collected by the city would generally have to stay in the same area, and any development that costs more than $100,000 would require commission approval.

Increasing density could put further strain on infrastructure and accelerate gentrification even more, critics said.

Edgewater’s streets will flood during a rainstorm, damaging cars and homes. The neighborhood is also experiencing a huge increase in new developments. Last month, the Miami Urban Development Review Board approved the design for a 47-story mixed-use high-rise with nearly 500 apartments for the site at 3350 Biscayne Boulevard, which is for sale. Black Salmon, the Boschetti Group and Constellation Group also recently announced they are partnering with hospitality mogul Sam Nazarian to launch a branded condo tower at 422 Northeast 29th Street.

Aaron DeMayo, who chairs the city’s Climate Resilience Committee, supports the proposal, but said he found it “somewhat ironic that we’re incentivizing additional development capacity in an area that obviously is already flooding significantly.”

— Katherine Kallergis

Development

South Florida

These projects will bring more density to Miami’s Little Haiti and Little River