Planning Board approves South of Fifth restaurant CUP, owner change; forwards multiple zoning amendments and continues Sixth Street overlay

The Miami Beach Planning Board on May 23 approved several land-use actions affecting the South of Fifth neighborhood and forwarded multiple zoning text amendments to the City Commission, while continuing a contentious Sixth Street overlay to the June 27 meeting.

The most closely watched action was the board’s approval of a conditional-use permit (CUP) for Le Jardine Boucherie, a French restaurant proposed for 81 Washington Avenue, where the board and neighborhood negotiators imposed conditions intended to limit late‑night noise and traffic. The board approved the CUP subject to a bundle of conditions including limits on outdoor hours and music, required noise controls and a valet plan tied to a specific off‑site lot; the board also required a 90‑day progress report after issuance of the certificate of occupancy.

The Le Jardine proposal, presented by attorney Nicholas Rodriguez on behalf of owner 81 Washington LLC, would put dining on the ground and second floors of an existing three‑story building in the South of Fifth neighborhood. Staff and the applicant noted that the project builds on a 2017 Historic Preservation Board approval for partial demolition and outdoor dining. The applicant’s sound study recommended an automatic noise‑level limiter; after neighborhood meetings with the Cosmopolitan condominium and the South of Fifth Neighborhood Association (SOFNA) the applicant agreed to set the limiter so music ends one hour before close and to other operational limits the board adopted.

Neighbors and the Cosmopolitan condominium’s representative, Gerald Posner, said the building owner had addressed most concerns but pressed for enforceable sound limits and a ban on DJs or amplified events. Posner said the Cosmopolitan supported the agreement “as long as the 65 decibels is the figure.” The applicant proffered a valet solution at 119 Washington Avenue and agreed to a condition that any change to that valet location would require returning to a planning board review or progress report. The board also added a requirement that restaurant staff or a security employee manage on‑site valet queuing so cars do not block Washington Avenue.

Key details: the applicant originally proposed about 283 ground‑floor seats (25 interior, 58 exterior) and a second floor showing roughly 67 interior seats; the application materials listed a total occupancy load in the submitted plans that staff reviewed. Staff recommended that outdoor dining end by 11 p.m., and that recorded music cease one hour before closing; the applicant and neighbors agreed on music cutoff times that the board adopted. The board recorded an affirmative roll call on the CUP (see "Votes at a glance").

The board…