Planning Advisory Board votes to transmit Kelly Tractor CDMP amendment despite wetlands and UDB concerns

The Miami‑Dade County Planning Advisory Board voted to transmit to state and regional reviewing agencies an application from Kelly Tractor Company to amend the county Comprehensive Development Master Plan (CDMP) to allow a heavy‑equipment dealership and service campus on a roughly 246.07‑acre site largely outside the county's urban development boundary.

Staff presented the application and recommended transmittal for state review while noting multiple unresolved issues, including impacts to wetlands of regional significance, potential endangered‑species habitat, and traffic mitigation on Northwest 137th Avenue. Alex Dambach, planning development manager in the county’s planning division, told the board the site “has 246.07 acres” and that staff’s recommendation at this stage was “to transmit the application.”

The recommendation matters because transmittal triggers statutorily required review by state and regional agencies under Chapter 163, Florida Statutes, and does not itself approve the land‑use change. Board Chair Frank Lago called for questions after the staff presentation; after public comment and applicant presentations, the board took a roll‑call vote and the motion to transmit carried 6–1.

Why it matters: the site would extend industrial infrastructure and utilities outside the urban development boundary (UDB) and includes wetlands and areas that staff and community members said require detailed mitigation before any final approval. Community Council 5 recommended denial and “do not transmit.” Laura Reynolds of the Hold the Line Coalition told the board the application is “incompatible with multiple CDMP policies and procedures” and urged denial. Scott Polowitz of Friends of Biscayne Bay said the project “would cause irreversible destruction of over 160 acres of wetlands,” increase flooding and worsen water quality flowing to Biscayne Bay.

Applicant and technical presentations: Representatives for Kelly Tractor said the site is a long‑held family property acquired in 1983 and described the company's countywide role. Jose Gonzalez, speaking for Kelly Tractor, said the family bought the land decades ago and that the company needs large, contiguous acreage to store and maintain heavy machinery. Ed Swakon of EAS Engineering, who prepared environmental analyses for the applicant, said the site is “not pristine,” described prior wetland permits tied to historical tree‑farming ridges and furrows, and said the application proposes to expand two on‑site preservation areas (one from 10.8 to 18.6 acres and the other from 12.3 to 15.3 acres).

Applicant proffers and claimed benefits: The applicant offered a declaration of restrictions and representatives said the project would support jobs and county services. The applicant's team estimated the relocation could create “up to a thousand jobs” and generate “well over $2,600,000 in taxes annually,” and said the site’s proximity to State Road 836 also positions it inside a transit tax district that would contribute to transit funding. Staff and the applicant also noted unresolved traffic mitigation; Dambach said one nearby roadway “would be impacted significantly, meaning that there would be more than a 5% impact on the traffic flow” and that mitigation measures had not yet been supplied.

Board action and next steps: The board voted to transmit the application for state and regional review (the transmittal vote does not adopt the amendment). The motion was recorded as carrying 6–1 (Lynette Cardoce opposed; Carlos Diaz Padron, Max Lozner, J. Will Morris, Ernie Thomas, Vice Chair McRae and Chair Frank Lago voted in favor). The staff noted transmission would allow state agencies and county departments to comment; outstanding environmental and traffic mitigation commitments would need to be addressed during transmittal review and prior to any final Board of County Commissioners action.

Community and agency review: Community Council 5 voted 3–2 to recommend denial, citing wetlands and drinking‑water concerns. Staff recommended transmission so that state and regional agencies can review the environmental and infrastructure issues identified by county reviewers and by public commenters.

The board also noted an administrative application from Atlantic Civil Inc. advertised for this meeting was deferred to the September agenda to allow the applicant and staff to resolve outstanding issues.

Ending: Transmission begins the formal review period; any final land‑use adoption would require additional mitigation commitments and final action by the Board of County Commissioners after state and agency review.