Commission approves rezoning and plan change for 3‑acre site near Moe’s Bagels amid traffic concerns and a commissioner recusal

The Aventura City Commission on May 6 approved a comprehensive‑plan change and a rezoning that will allow a mixed‑use town‑center project at the southwest corner of Northeast 18th Street and Northeast 28th Court, a roughly 3.01‑acre parcel adjacent to Moe’s Bagels.

Commissioner Javier Cruz publicly recused himself from both items and filed a voting‑conflict disclosure after saying he had an appearance‑of‑conflict related to his business interests. “I’m announcing that I have a voting conflict regarding these 2 items,” Cruz said before leaving the dais.

City staff described the proposal as a change from a business‑and‑office designation to town center, which would permit residential density up to 70 dwelling units per acre when the developer provides housing designated for the city’s HERO housing program. Community development director Kevin Klop told the commission the designation is appropriate near Biscayne Boulevard and within walking distance of the Aventura Brightline station and the planned Northeast Corridor station.

A nearby resident and building president, Joshua Bash, told the commission he worried the neighborhood’s street network could not absorb the new development’s traffic, saying 180th Street already experiences heavy congestion. In response, applicant attorney Jeff Berghau said the proposed mixed‑use plan would generate far fewer trips than the property’s as‑of‑right alternative. Berghau told the commission the project would produce roughly “92 fewer PM peak hour trips than the maximum potential build out of this project” if the site were developed under the current business zoning as a multi‑story office building.

Commission members noted that the property’s existing county zoning gives the owner significant development rights and that staff had judged the mixed‑use alternative to be more compatible with nearby residential buildings and transit goals. Several commissioners also asked the applicant to consider deeding the parcel to the city for park use; the applicant’s attorney said he would raise the request with his client but did not commit to it.

The commission voted to approve the comprehensive plan amendment and the zone change after the items were heard by the Local Planning Agency and after the recusal. The approvals will allow the applicant to seek conditional‑use and variance approvals at a future meeting; the applicant has indicated it will proffer a contribution for city schools as part of later approvals.