The next Regular Meeting of the Village Council is scheduled for Monday, June 6th. During the meeting, the Community and Economic Development Department will be presenting Miami-Dade County's draft Rapid Transit Zone (RTZ) Ordinance to the Village Council. Residents will be able to join the meeting in person or virtually to see the presentation.
The Village Council will most likely take a position that evening to support or oppose the county ordinance as it is currently written.
The key elements of the Ordinance as it applies to the Village are:
- The Village will be allowed to protect single-family homes within the Rapid Transit Zone boundaries.
- The Village will still maintain jurisdiction over all development within the Village, including review procedures.
- Many aspects of the ordinance only apply to lands within unincorporated Miami-Dade County.
- The Village will be able to regulate height and density (residential units). The ordinance states the maximum height and density allowed. The Village is already under these maximum thresholds and will not have to adjust their height and density.
- The Village will be required by July 31, 2024 to study the area impacted by the ordinance and present a plan to County staff for discussion. The plan must include how the Village will meet the required Floor Area Ratio (FAR). While the required FAR is 1.5 at the core of the designated urban centers of the SMART corridor, the Village can decrease as the distance moves away from the core. The Village is not located within the core and will not be required a minimum FAR of 1.5. The Village will need to determine what the current FAR is within the Downtown and how that satisfies the minimum FAR of 0.5 at certain locations.
- In summary, the County is not prescribing future Village Code, but is expecting the Village to engage with county staff on FAR in the study area.
To read the latest draft of the county Ordinance in its entirety, click here.
To learn how you can be part of the upcoming Council meeting, please read the meeting notice.
Recently, Mayor Karyn Cunningham participated in a coalition composed of city Mayors in South Miami-Dade County which also included Pinecrest, Cutler Bay, Homestead, and Florida City. The coalition developed a report favoring responsible development in South Dade that supports transit while still maintaining the fabric of each community. The report was routed to the Board of County Commissioners this past March.
We will continue to keep you posted on any new developments concerning the RTZ district proposed by Miami-Dade County.
If you have any questions, please contact us at 305-259-1234.
