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Planning board recommends Avalon South Miami 2 go to commission amid traffic and height concerns
Summary
The City of South Miami planning board voted unanimously to recommend that the city commission consider Avalon South Miami 2, a 16‑story, mixed‑use development, after staff and the applicant described compliance with Transit Supportive Development rules; residents pressed traffic, parking and notice concerns during public comment.
The City of South Miami planning board recommended on a unanimous vote that the city commission consider a special‑exception application for Avalon South Miami 2, a proposed 16‑story, mixed‑use apartment project on a triangular 1.34‑acre block near US‑1.
Mark Alvarez, a planning staff reviewer with the Corradino Group, told the board the application complies with the City of South Miami land‑development code and the Transit Supportive Development District (TSDD) standards. Alvarez said the proposal uses entitlements from historically designated buildings at the block’s north apex to concentrate new density near the Metrorail corridor, and that parking, loading and bicycle requirements are met within the building’s internal layout. The staff presentation also described a requested waiver to allow floor plates above the 20,000‑square‑foot standard because of the lot’s triangular geometry.
The applicant’s counsel, Jeffrey Bass of AvalonBay, said the project was designed to advance the city’s long‑standing transit‑oriented goals, preserve and adapt historic storefronts (including relocating the Deli Lane institution), and deliver ground‑floor retail to activate Dorn Avenue. “We submitted a traffic study,” Bass said, adding the applicant hired Kimley Horn to prepare a sealed, engineer‑signed analysis. Bass told the board the staff report and DRB recommendation provide competent, substantial evidence in favor of the application.
Several residents urged the board to reject the recommendation or press stronger conditions. June Sherman, a longtime South Miami resident, called the first Avalon project “a monstrosity” and said another 254 apartments and roughly 400 parking spaces would overload local infrastructure and worsen safety on narrow neighborhood streets. “The infrastructure that we have isn’t sufficient to maintain another 254 apartments,” Sherman said. Multiple speakers raised similar concerns about traffic, pedestrian safety crossing US‑1, limited notice by mail and the affordability of market‑rate units.
Bass responded that the applicant’s traffic study and staff review concluded impacts were within the thresholds required by law and that the project supports ridership of the Metrorail by increasing housing near transit.
Board members asked about alternatives without bonuses, whether loading and parking were internally handled, and the waiver rationale for irregular floor plates. Members also noted DRB comments on landscaping and species selection. The board emphasized that its action is a recommendation; final approval rests with the city commission.
At the close of discussion, a motion to recommend approval of PB‑2025‑016 (the Avalon South Miami 2 special‑exception/site plan and waiver request) was made, seconded and carried unanimously. The item will proceed to a scheduled city‑commission hearing for final action.
