The City of Hialeah Planning & Zoning Board recommended approval on Oct. 29 of a land-use amendment (Residential Office to Medium-Density Residential), rezoning from RO to R-3-3, and a special-use permit to expand the neighborhood business district (MBD) for a proposed three-story, six-unit multifamily project at 258 East 40th Street.

Bill Riley, counsel for the applicant, told the board the parcel is about 6,878 square feet and currently contains a 1,124-square-foot building that operated as a dental office. Riley said the proposal provides covered parking on the ground floor, pervious area and landscape improvements compared with current conditions and is designed for rental units targeted to singles or small families. The project team acknowledged an existing mutual reciprocal access agreement recorded June 4, 2003, that must be released prior to redevelopment.

"We're not asking for any type of relief on types of parking," Bill Riley said during questions about site plan parking and building layout.

Staff recommended approval, finding the proposed medium-density residential land use is consistent with the comprehensive plan and the corridor's redevelopment trend. The staff report and applicant materials call for a recorded declaration of restriction and other standard site-plan and concurrency requirements. The board moved and approved the land-use amendment, and the companion rezoning and SUP were subsequently approved with staff conditions.

The approval is a board recommendation; final action will be at City Council. Release of the recorded reciprocal access agreement, finalized site plans, and compliance with concurrency and impact-fee requirements were listed as preconditions to building permits.

(Approved action: land-use amendment, rezoning to R-3-3 and SUP to expand MBD for a six-unit, three-story multifamily building; release of reciprocal access agreement and completion of site-plan/concurrency process required.)