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Design Review Board continues review of proposed four‑story building at 7928 Byron Avenue to July 9
Summary
The board continued DRB26-1165 (7928 Byron Avenue), asking the applicant to refine balcony depth, facade rhythm, materials and lighting. The team will provide revised renderings and an evening lighting study two weeks before the July 9 meeting.
The Miami Beach Design Review Board continued consideration of a proposed four‑story, four‑unit multifamily project at 7928 Byron Avenue to the July 9, 2026 meeting to allow the applicant to address several design and zoning issues raised during review.
Staff described the application as a four‑story building within the RM‑1 zoning district and the North Beach National Register Overlay District. The proposal includes four residential units with mezzanines, eight parking spaces, a front façade defined by wide projecting stucco balconies with planters, and a ground‑floor metal grid proposed for the garage elevation. Staff flagged two primary issues for board consideration: the large apparent depth and visual weight of the projecting balconies and the ground‑floor grille pattern; staff suggested either recessing the upper balcony or using glass railings to soften the facade and recommended a denser ground‑floor grid to limit light and views into parking.
Architect Jose Carlo (presenting) said the design intent was to animate the street with intersecting horizontal bands and to set the taller mass back 35 feet from the street. He noted the team had increased floor‑to‑floor heights and provided a 14'5" floor‑to‑floor section to clarify clearance concerns. During board review, several members said the balconies appeared excessively deep, risked overpowering the neighborhood scale and lacked a clear rhythm on side facades; they urged more planting and suggested nighttime lighting studies and additional context images of nearby approved projects.
Members of the public and an online commentator raised a structural/zoning question about a vertical column at the balcony edge that could cause the projecting element to count as floor area (FAR) rather than as open balcony; staff noted that if the balcony is supported by a column it may be treated as floor area and flagged the permitting detail for further review.
The applicant accepted the board’s direction to refine balcony depth/visibility, adjust the facade rhythm, provide evening renderings showing exterior lighting, and improve landscape buffering. The board voted to continue DRB26‑1165 to July 9, 2026 and requested revised materials two weeks prior to that meeting so staff can prepare an updated report.
