Coral Gables presses county on University Station RTZ as county sponsor offers changes and a deferral

Coral Gables commissioners spent a large portion of their Aug. 26 meeting confronting plans by Miami‑Dade County to add the property at 1250 South Dixie Highway — the Mark site — to a Rapid Transit Zone (RTZ) subzone called Coral Gables University Station.

The county item would change the development pathway for that and nearby parcels, removing some local controls and permitting taller, denser projects under county rules. County Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who introduced the RTZ measure at the county, told the Coral Gables commission she has been negotiating terms intended to give municipalities more input and protections and said she would amend the county proposal ahead of its next county reading. Regalado said she deferred county action on the Mark property until Sept. 3 to allow those changes and more local discussion.

Why it matters

The dispute centers on the difference between the city’s zoning and the RTZ/Live Local regime. Under Coral Gables’ existing zoning for that corridor, the Mark site would allow roughly six stories and a defined setback regime; under the RTZ the county process can permit buildings up to 150 feet with fewer municipal controls, changing allowable use, signage and setbacks. City officials and residents argued at length that the RTZ route would lead to projects larger than neighbors expect and would remove the city’s…