Coral Gables commission approves zoning changes, public art funding and traffic-calming buys; debates city manager package

The Coral Gables City Commission on Tuesday approved a slate of zoning, planning and budget actions — including changes to Mediterranean design standards, a new step for conceptual zoning review, comprehensive plan updates, funding for two public-art projects and purchase of additional temporary speed cushions — and adopted a salary-and-benefits package for the city manager after residents and several commissioners debated its timing and process.

Those votes were taken amid a public-safety briefing from the police chief about two separate law-enforcement stops that led to dozens of people being detained and an update from the city’s government-affairs manager on active state-level immigration enforcement legislation now in special session.

The agenda’s land-use items included an amendment to the city’s Mediterranean design standards to replace subjective criteria with clearer, regulatory guidance and to require a conceptual design review in certain cases (zoning code Article 5/Section 5-200 and related sections). Planning Director Jennifer Garcia told the commission the changes are intended to produce “better buildings in the future, better quality, higher quality, and something that reflects what the residents want” by reducing subjectivity in design review. The commission approved the ordinance on the vote recorded at the meeting.

Commissioners also voted to transmit comprehensive-plan text and map amendments required by the state Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR). Planning staff said the amendments update the city’s short- and long-term planning horizons to match state law, revise sewer-feasibility language to reflect Miami-Dade County utilities, add recent historic-resource and park acquisitions to maps, and clean up outdated statutory references.

Another zoning change on the agenda created a mandatory conceptual review step by the Planning & Zoning Board for applications that seek land-use or zoning changes, to be held before any Board of Architects conceptual review. Supporters said the new step is intended to give…