Commissioners approve CDMP amendment for 20-acre Lennar Holmes site; require sidewalk covenant by Oct. 23

Miami-Dade County commissioners voted unanimously to approve a comprehensive development master plan (CDMP) amendment and the companion zoning application for a roughly 20-acre parcel proposed by Lennar Holmes LLC, agreeing to a proffer that limits density to about 10 units per acre and requiring the applicant to file a standalone covenant that includes a sidewalk commitment by Oct. 23.

The approval covers the CDMP application described on the record as “CDMP 20 24 14” and the associated zoning application. The project site was described by the applicant as located between Southwest 157th and 159th avenues and between Southwest 276th and 280th streets along U.S. 1. The applicant said the proposal would yield about 198 townhome units, include a dog park and a tot lot, and that the streets would be constructed as part of the development.

Hugo Arza, representing the applicant and identifying his address as 701 Brickell Avenue, said the original request included a design intensity increase that could have produced higher densities near the busway but that the applicant voluntarily proffered a covenant capping density near 10 units per acre. “This parcel is entirely within the half mile radius from the busway from U.S. 1,” Arza said during his presentation, and he added that the applicant had reduced the project’s scale relative to what transit-oriented rules would permit.

Arza also told commissioners the applicant had undertaken neighborhood outreach, including in-person and virtual meetings, door knocking and circulating FAQ documents. As part of those negotiations the applicant agreed to construct a sidewalk in the public right-of-way to benefit an adjacent community that lacks a direct pedestrian connection to its centralized mailbox kiosk. Arza said the sidewalk agreement is currently a commitment and that the applicant would execute either a revised zoning covenant or a standalone covenant to memorialize the sidewalk condition.

Planning staff recommended approval. Commissioners referenced the applicant’s community outreach, a recommendation from the community council and a recommendation from the planning advisory board in support of adoption with staff conditions.

The motion approved by the commission specified acceptance of the proffered CDMP covenant and the additional condition that the applicant submit a standalone zoning covenant containing the sidewalk condition, with all required joiners, by Oct. 23. The roll call recorded unanimous approval by the commissioners present.

The project proponents said amenities (a dog park and tot lot) would be open to the wider community, and that the development would not be gated. The applicant indicated that, because the site sits within a partially built street network, the project would include road improvements.

Votes on the companion zoning item were held separately and also passed unanimously on the record. The county clerk recorded the motion as approval consistent with staff recommendations and the filing deadline for the standalone covenant.

The commission did not specify additional conditions beyond those recorded in the approved CDMP covenant and the separately required covenant for the sidewalk; the applicant agreed to return to file the signed covenant within the stated deadline.

Commission action does not by itself permit construction; any future permits or approvals required by county departments and permitting authorities must be obtained by the applicant as the next step.