Doral Council approves Doral Concourse rezoning, development agreement and site plan

The City of Doral council on Jan. 15 approved a package of land‑use changes and a site plan that will convert the ground floor of an existing office building at 8400 Northwest 36th Street into roughly 19,565 square feet of restaurant space and add pedestrian and civic‑space improvements.

Michelle, the city’s planning and zoning director, told council the application — presented as four concurrent requests — includes a small‑scale future‑land‑use amendment to Downtown Mixed Use, a rezoning to Downtown Mixed Use, a master development agreement and the site plan. “This project accomplishes the goals of your comprehensive plan,” she said, describing pedestrian walkways, landscaping, public art and upgraded lake access as community benefits and noting the developer will provide certain roadway and transit improvements and signal coordination with Miami‑Dade County prior to occupancy.

Miguel Diaz de la Portillo, attorney for the applicant at the firm Gunster, urged council support and characterized the project as a retrofit that would "activate the Ground Floor with 19,565 square feet of restaurant spaces," adding the application met level‑of‑service requirements and included staff’s recommended conditions.

Council members recorded no ex parte communications and took no public testimony on the items. On successive motions the council approved: the small‑scale land‑use amendment on second reading (Ordinance 20‑25‑22), the rezoning to Downtown Mixed Use on second reading (Ordinance 20‑25‑23), the development agreement with MG3 Doral Office LLC (Ordinance 20‑25‑24), and the site plan resolution approving project construction. Roll‑call votes were affirmative for the members present.

Votes at a glance - Item 60 (rental services for tents, tables, chairs): Council approved awards to Glen’s Tents and Table Rental Service Inc. and SBS Investments of Dade County Inc; Mayor Fraga successfully moved to shorten the initial contract period to one year with up to two one‑year renewals; motion passed unanimously. - Ordinance 20‑26‑01 (noise code amendments, first reading): approved to align rules for Doral Central Park and the amphitheater. - Ordinance 20‑26‑02 (process for vacation of streets, first reading): approved; the ordinance establishes a process but does not vacate any right‑of‑way. - Ordinance 20‑25‑22 (land‑use amendment, second reading): approved. - Ordinance 20‑25‑23 (rezoning to DMU, second reading): approved. - Ordinance 20‑25‑24 (development agreement, second reading): approved. - Site plan resolution for Doral Concourse: approved. - Ordinance 20‑25‑47 (industrial future‑land‑use text amendment, second reading): approved. - Ordinance 20‑25‑48 (special‑exception uses for indoor/outdoor recreation in industrial districts, second reading): approved.

Why it matters: The approvals permit a targeted retrofit — not a full redevelopment — intended to add restaurants, activate the street frontage and open the property’s lakefront as civic space. Staff emphasized the applications met concurrency and level‑of‑service standards and included developer‑funded roadway and signal improvements that require coordination with county agencies.

What’s next: With council approval, the applicant may proceed under the conditions of the development agreement and site plan; any future redevelopment beyond the approved scope would require additional council review and approvals.