The Village is changing its Zoning Code to establish regulations in the new Community Residential District (CR District) that allows single family houses, townhouses and multi-family residential dwelling units.  Lennar plans to purchase 25 acres of vacant land currently owned by Barry University so Lennar can build 277 townhouses in the CR District.

Preserving the Village’s character is on the line in the new CR District.

Do YOU want to decide how the 25 acres of vacant land in the new CR District will be developed or do you want LENNAR, the DEVELOPER, to decide?

On September 12th, the Village hosted a public workshop to discuss the proposed regulations and hear Village resident feedback. Over 80 public workshop attendees (watch workshop here) offered many ways to preserve the Village’s unique character in the CR District including: requiring plenty of green space, larger parcels and unit sizes, public streets in an existing street grid rather than private cul de sacs, ample parking and ensuring buffering and compatibility with the existing neighborhood in the scale, aesthetic and cost of dwelling units as well as applying the Village Code and Ordinances to the CR District residents.

View the Village consultants’, the Corradino Group’s, Public Input Summary Report here. 

You can read the Corradino Group’s August 16, 2024 proposed CR District zoning regulations here.

If you haven’t done so already, to get up to speed quickly, take 5 minutes to view the video presentation* that compares and contrasts Lennar’s concept with one possible alternative .

*Neither the linked video presentation nor the ideas in it were produced by the team that manages this website or the Our Village Our Voice initiative.

OUR VILLAGE NEEDS OUR VOICE!

Your presence at the November 18th meeting will speak volumes.

Please attend, wear black and participate.

E-comments can be submitted here.

MIAMI SHORES VILLAGE IS CHANGING IT'S ZONING CODE

• What do you love about Miami Shores?

• How do you see our Village 10 years from now?

• Who decides what kind of community we become?

For 2 years we've advocated to preserve our Village's charm. NOW IS THE CRITICAL TIME for residents to complete our efforts to ensure that the new CR District Zoning Regulations enhance, protect and preserve the character of our Village for current and future residents. 

The September 12th Public Workshop will seek resident input on zoning regulations for the newly created Community Residential District (CR district) - consisting of 25 acres of vacant land owned by Barry University that Lennar plans to buy and develop into 277 townhomes.

The “Community Residential” designation is a blank slate. It was created for the Barry/Lennar land deal, and NOW is the Village’s only opportunity to help shape how that that land will be developed.

Your attendance and support is needed to give input to ensure the new zoning regulations enhance our Village.

The Comprehensive Plan amendments that passed last September provide a broad vision for the new CR District which currently includes detached single family homes, attached homes, townhomes and multi-family buildings. Earlier this year, Barry and Lennar submitted a proposal to staff that was not widely shared with the public and was not well received by those residents who reviewed it.  As a result, a group of concerned residents, including Brandon Spirk (prior to sitting on the P&Z Board), proposed a potential alternate concept for the CR District that incorporates the hallmark attributes that distinguish the character of Miami Shores Village and identifies some of the shortcomings of the Barry/Lennar proposal. 

Please view the 5-minute video presentation* that compares and contrasts the two concepts here.

And please make your VOICE heard at these meetings and especially at the September 12th public workshop!

*Neither the linked video presentation nor the ideas in it were produced by the team that manages this website or the Our Village Our Voice initiative.

On Monday, September 11, the Council voted 3-2 to pass the Comprehensive Plan ordinance. The version passed reinstated the commerical designations (restricted and general) on the 2nd Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard corridors and removed the controversial mixed-use concept. Additionally, the plan reinstates the Multifamily designation at 10500 Biscayne Boulevard.  Under the plan, the vacant parcel owned by Barry in the northwest corner of the Village is designated "Community Neighborhood" and has a density of 13 units per acre to accomodate a townhome development as proposed by Barry and Lennar. The plan also reduces the density of future multifamily development to 20 units per acre. 

Yes votes: Mayor Burch, Vice Mayor Valinsky, Councilperson Charles

No votes: Harris, Marinberg

On July 27th, the revised Comprehensive Plan amendment will make a stop before the Planning and Zoning Board before heading to the Council for the final vote likely in September. 

The revised amendment removes many of the controversial components from the previous version of the amendment, including the mixed uses (and associated drastic density increases) along 2nd Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard. Additionally, in response to a revised proposal from Barry University and Lennar, the revised amendment provides for a residential density of 13 units per acre at Barry owned property, to provide for development of several hundred townhomes, as proposed by Lennar. 

"The three new councilmembers were endorsed by local volunteer organization Miami Shores United (MSU), formed by residents who led a petition against the controversial comprehensive plan, which would increase density in certain areas of the village. Burch, Valinsky and Charles have all vehemently opposed the plan." -- Samantha Morell, Biscayne Times.