Commission approves rezoning for four Anastasia Avenue lots after neighbor concerns

The Coral Gables City Commission on Tuesday approved zoning and future‑land‑use changes that will allow redevelopment of four platted lots along Anastasia Avenue, across from a Baptist church, converting the properties from religious/institutional use back to multifamily (MF‑3).

The items — a comprehensive plan map amendment (E‑3) and a companion rezoning (E‑4) — drew multiple neighborhood speakers who said the block’s existing single‑family scale and front setbacks contribute to the “Golden Triangle” character and should be preserved. After hearing from the applicant and planning staff, commissioners voted 5‑0 to approve the changes.

Joe Jimenez of JMC Group, the project applicant, told the commission the four lots are currently improved with aging 1949 multifamily buildings and had been converted to special‑use zoning when the church once owned them. Jimenez said the city’s west side of the block and adjacent blocks are already MF‑3 and that the request would “revert” the lots to the zoning consistent with the surrounding pattern. He said the proposed redevelopment would replace eight aging units with eight new units and that final massing and landscaping will be resolved through administrative site plan review, board review and DRC as required.

Neighbors voiced two main concerns: the visual effect of moving buildings forward toward the sidewalk and loss of front‑yard green space, and the treatment of a small but mature tree near the northwest corner of the site. Resident Michael Chenoweth, whose family owns nearby property, and Pamela Pierce, who said her family has lived on nearby Camilo Avenue for decades, asked the commission to ensure design review preserves street trees and the neighborhood’s setbacks.

Jennifer Garcia, director of Planning and Zoning, said staff had run the required public notices and that the requested land‑use and zoning changes match the block’s existing pattern. She confirmed the MF‑3 district carries a maximum height of 45 feet (typically three stories) and reminded the commission that site plans must return for design and technical review; in particular, building orientation, stormwater, parking and tree protections will be checked at those stages.

Jimenez and staff said an arborist report identified the lone specimen tree near the drive as a candidate for relocation to another part of the swale where a less‑healthy tree now stands, and that relocation — not removal — was part of the applicant’s plan. Commissioners stressed that relocation plans and final landscaping will be conditions of the administrative site plan and board reviews.

The commission approved both the comprehensive‑plan amendment and the rezoning by unanimous vote. The approvals do not authorize construction until the project completes the required design, arborist, and site reviews.

Votes at a glance: Commissioners Castro, Fernandez, Lara, Vice Mayor Anderson and Mayor Vince Lago voted “Yes.” Motion and second were recorded during the hearing but not attributed to a specific named mover in the public transcript.

Why it matters: The decision clears the way for redevelopment of underperforming multifamily lots but preserves the city’s review checkpoints for design, tree protection and neighborhood buffering — measures commissioners repeatedly said were important to protect the block’s character.