Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Downtown Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves Trinity Cathedral site redevelopment with $2 million proffer for resident housing assistance and public safety improvements
Summary
The Board approved a mixed‑use redevelopment at Trinity Cathedral that preserves the historic church while allowing a 42‑story residential tower; the Episcopal Diocese proffered $2 million in residential rental assistance over 10 years and additional pedestrian and transit safety investments.
The Miami‑Dade County Commission approved a redevelopment plan for the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida's Trinity Cathedral property that will allow a residential tower and associated parish uses, together with proffered public benefits including housing assistance and pedestrian safety upgrades.
Neeson Kasdan and project counsel presented the application as a transit‑adjacent mixed‑use redevelopment on underutilized property near a Metromover station. The proposed plan would construct a 42‑story building with 462 residential units (the applicant noted the permitted maximum would allow many more units and greater height but the proposal is intentionally reduced), preserve the historic cathedral and its functions on site, and maintain nearly half of the site as open space. The project includes a dedicated parish hall and offices for the diocese.
The Episcopal Diocese committed to a package of public benefits: at least $2,000,000 in rental assistance for on‑site residents over a 10‑year period (the diocese proposed refinements to that program that include prioritizing households within a 1.5‑mile radius and administering benefits to households qualifying for workforce housing), construction of enhanced pedestrian crosswalks at nearby intersections, a $250,000 contribution to maintenance of the adjacent Adrian Arsch Metromover station, and a commitment to seek local historic designation for Trinity Cathedral in addition to its National Register listing. The applicant agreed to annual reporting on the housing assistance program and to permit the county to propose off‑site housing projects in the commission district that could be funded by the $2,000,000 if mutually agreed.
Commissioners discussed the scale of the proposal and the public benefits. One commissioner noted the diocese's role in long‑term stewardship of the historic cathedral and its interest in delivering workforce housing. After debate, the board approved the item with the department's recommended conditions plus the applicant's amended terms clarifying administration, geographic priority for the housing assistance and an annual reporting requirement.
The approval was unanimous on roll call. County staff will coordinate with the diocese and the internal housing agency to finalize program parameters and to monitor annual reporting. The diocese said proceeds from the redevelopment will fund cathedral repairs and support additional affordable housing work in the county.
