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Miami planning board backs Wynwood NRD‑1 code changes including limited bonus height and ground‑floor art rules
Summary
The Miami Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board unanimously recommended approval of zoning amendments to bring Wynwood NRD‑1 into alignment with Miami 21, allow limited bonus height for T5L parcels, clarify parking processes, require ground‑floor art and glazing standards, and strengthen setback rules for taller buildings.
The Miami Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board on Thursday recommended the City Commission approve a package of code amendments to Wynwood NRD‑1 designed to align the neighborhood’s rules with the citywide Miami 21 zoning code and to preserve Wynwood’s street‑level character.
Interim Urban Design chief Andrea Sandoval, who presented the item, said the package “brings in some of the already approved and adopted amendments to Miami 21 … to create consistency” and recommended approval. The board voted unanimously to forward the recommendation to the City Commission.
The amendments make several changes affecting roughly 20 parcels zoned T5L inside the NRD‑1 area, Sandoval said. Key provisions include: allowing T5L parcels within the Wynwood NRD‑1 to seek a three‑story bonus height (an option previously available only to T5O); requiring a minimum of 25% of any principal facade to include art treatments and that 20% of the first 12 feet of the ground floor contain art; a minimum of 70% ground‑floor glazing is also permitted as an alternative to art; clarification of the parking review “order of operations” without changing parking calculations; WDRC (Wynwood Design Review Committee) review for new fences over five feet visible from a public right of way; and strengthened setback rules for buildings taller than 13 stories so larger towers retain pedestrian‑scaled podiums.
Sandoval told board members the art requirements were drafted after walking tours and consultation with the Wynwood BID and the Wynwood Design Review Committee: “Art is what makes Wynwood Wynwood,” she said during the presentation, stressing the intent to preserve visible ground‑level murals and pedestrian experience.
Supporters from the community and development community spoke during public comment. Land use attorney Steve Warnick said the amendments provide “clarity and consistency” for applicants and reviewers and described them as “necessary cleanup amendments.” Florentino Diaz, interim executive director of the Wynwood BID, said the BID’s board voted unanimously in support of the item.
Board members raised transportation and parking concerns during the discussion. Member Paul Mann said he wanted to see a traffic analysis because taller buildings could mean more vehicles entering the city, while Sandoval and other staff said the amendment does not change the underlying parking requirements in Miami 21 and that access to bonus height still requires a public‑benefit contribution (for example affordable/workforce housing, parks/open space, civic space, or a payment to the Wynwood Public Benefits Trust Fund). Sandoval described the cross‑block open‑to‑sky passage provision for Wynwood — frontage threshold 250 feet — and said such public‑benefit exchanges are part of the bonus calculation.
The board approved the motion to recommend the ordinance by voice and roll call; the motion passed unanimously.
Votes at a glance: The board recorded an unanimous recommendation to the City Commission to adopt the amendments affecting Appendix J of Miami 21 and NRD‑1 standards.
The recommended ordinance will now proceed to the Miami City Commission for final action. If approved by the commission, the amendments will be incorporated into Appendix J of Miami 21 and govern new development and facade/art requirements within Wynwood NRD‑1.
