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Miami Springs council moves to draft zoning amendments for 'Activate Southeast Springs,' signals support for charter exception to allow taller multifamily in a
Summary
City planners outlined a four-zone framework for the Northwest 36th Street corridor and council members signaled agreement to pursue zoning amendments and a charter exemption to allow higher residential height and bonus density in a new Zone 3; staff will draft detailed code changes and a ballot question for a potential April 2026 special election.
Miami Springs Mayor Fejette and council members spent the evening advancing the city’s Activate Southeast Springs workshop, directing staff to draft zoning amendments and implementation steps after a broad presentation by city planner Sylvia Vargas of CGA.
Vargas summarized a four-zone framework intended to shape future development along the Northwest 36th Street District and adjacent areas, describing Zone 1 as a Main Street character area, Zone 2 as a hospitality district, Zone 3 as an “urban village” intended for mixed-use and multifamily, and Zone 4 as a business/innovation park. “Zone 3 is where we’re going for the urban village character, and multifamily residential is a big part of that,” Vargas said, laying out options for expansion areas and a tiered bonus system to trade additional density for community contributions.
Why it matters: Council indicated it wants the city to be able to attract more residential development in select blocks without changing the city’s existing commercial height limits — a change that would require a charter amendment. Vargas advised that the base density would remain (about 20 units per acre) while special bonuses could be permitted through a negotiated public-benefits or development-agreement process.
Council discussion focused on trade-offs: infrastructure capacity, parking, proximity to single-family homes, and whether to pursue overlays or new zoning districts. Council members repeatedly raised concerns about traffic impacts and the need for developer-funded mitigation; Vargas recommended traffic and right-of-way studies and emphasized developers would need to demonstrate and fund required improvements.
On timing and next steps, staff and the clerk discussed election logistics for a charter amendment. Vargas and staff asked for direction to draft code amendments, an ordinance establishing a public-benefits framework, and sample ballot language; the council discussed a special-election target in April 2026 and a deadline for ballot language late in the year. “If we want this to work, we need a schedule,” the mayor said; staff estimated a draft package would be ready in the coming months so the council could consider ordinance language and outreach before a ballot deadline.
Council members voiced differing degrees of enthusiasm and caution. Several members supported including certain parcels (notably two apartment properties and a Chase office parcel) as candidate expansion areas for Zone 3, while at least one member urged a phased approach that tests one smaller change first. The planner said outreach and marketing to specific developer types would be part of the program, and she described mechanisms — tiered bonuses, community contribution fees and development agreements — to capture public benefits if denser projects are approved.
What’s next: Staff will draft the proposed zoning code amendments, an ordinance establishing a public-benefits program, and sample ballot language for a charter amendment to exempt the chosen Zone 3 area from the city’s residential height cap. Council discussed returning with detailed draft language well before the December ballot-deadline window staff said would be needed to coordinate a possible April 2026 special election.
