Design Review Board approves 3‑foot height waiver for new Toledo Island residence despite neighbor objections

The Miami Beach Design Review Board approved a 3‑foot height waiver and a companion fence waiver for a proposed two‑story residence at 50 West Toledo Drive in the Venetian Islands, overruling objections from immediate neighbors who said the extra height would be out of scale and could create an undesirable precedent.

The applicant presented a contemporary, two‑story residence on what was described at the hearing as a large corner lot; plans show travertine and board‑form concrete walls, deep eaves, wide glazed openings and layered landscaping. Architect Cody Thangamani told the board the design concentrated the building mass toward the north side of the lot — adjacent to a public street end — and enlarged the south‑side setback in order to reduce impacts on the nearest neighbor. The applicant also agreed to additional, denser planting along the south property line to screen views between houses.

Neighbors who live closest to the site described the home as larger and taller than allowed by the code’s 24‑foot height limit for flat roofs in the RS‑3 district. Michael Krieger, a next‑door homeowner, said the proposed house will “tower above” his existing house and urged the board to deny the waiver. Another nearby homeowner, Michael Carpenter, noted he had previously accepted conditions to reduce roof‑deck bulk on his own house and said the board should be consistent in applying the height limit across the neighborhood.

The applicant’s team said several design features — including centralizing the bulk of the two‑story mass along the street side, moving mechanical equipment away from the southern neighbor, and adding dense, mature plantings — would minimize visual and acoustic impacts. The applicant also voluntarily proposed a solid wall treatment along the shared lot line in lieu of the code’s typical 4‑foot solid wall with 3‑foot pickets above; that material/height option requires board approval when proposed as a continuous solid wall from future adjusted grade.

Board members discussed precedent and different zoning treatments for large lots. Several members noted this lot’s size is more like RS‑2 lots and that the proposed finished floor elevations (the applicant is using a freeboard consistent with flood‑resiliency guidance) made the 3‑foot increase less visually pronounced from the street. A number of members also said the applicant’s additional planting and the specific massing choices were convincing mitigations.

After discussion the board approved the height waiver and the solid‑wall treatment; votes were recorded in favor and the chair instructed staff to draft the final order reflecting the landscaping and screening conditions proffered in the hearing.

Ending: The applicant may proceed with permit filings that reflect the board’s approved plan and the landscaping and screening conditions in the board order.