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Council OKs 12% parking reduction for hotel-to-55+ apartment conversion at 1212 Northwest 80th Street
Summary
The City of Doral approved a variance to reduce required off‑street parking from 151.2 to 133 spaces as an applicant converts a former hotel into deed‑restricted housing for residents 55 and older.
Council members approved a parking-variance request May 14 that will allow IMF Doral LLC to convert an existing hotel at 1212 Northwest 80th Street into deed‑restricted multifamily housing for residents aged 55 and older while keeping 133 parking spaces instead of the 151.2 spaces the code calculates as required.
The variance matters because the applicant will change the property's use from transient hotel rooms to multifamily apartments and will restrict residency to people 55 and older, which reduces the code's parking requirement. Planning staff recommended approval and noted the variance will be nullified if the site is redeveloped.
Michelle Lopez, presenting for the planning and zoning department, told the council the site is about 3.35 acres and was developed in 1988. The existing development includes both two‑story and three‑story buildings; Lopez said the existing unit mix comprises 52 one‑bedroom, one‑bath apartments and 60 studio apartments (112 units total). She said the city's parking calculation — 1.35 spaces per unit under the land development code — produced a required figure of 151.2 spaces, while the property currently has 133 spaces, a reduction of roughly 12 percent.
Lopez said the applicant initially sought a straight multifamily conversion but volunteered a deed restriction limiting occupancy to residents 55 and older to reduce the parking shortfall and bring the proposal into closer compliance with the code. Lopez also said the site plan is under administrative site‑plan review and that the underlying site layout will not change through this conversion.
Councilman Rafael Pinedo moved to approve the variance; Councilwoman Cabral seconded. A roll call produced unanimous approval: Pinedo, Cabral, Councilwoman Nicole Reynoso, Vice Mayor Maureen Porras and Mayor Christie Fraga voted yes. The city clerk recorded the motion as passed.
The staff recommendation included a condition that the variance be null and void upon any future site redevelopment, meaning any redevelopment would need to meet current code requirements at that time.
No applicant representative spoke during the public hearing and no members of the public addressed this item during the item-specific comment period.
The council's vote clears the way for IMF Doral LLC to proceed with the administrative site‑plan review for converting the existing hotel into a 55+ multifamily project under the conditions described by planning staff.
