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Commission approves Avalon South Miami 2 development agreement with streetscape commitments
Summary
The City Commission approved AvalonBay’s Avalon South Miami 2, a 1.34-acre mixed‑use project that preserves three historic buildings via transfer-of-development-rights, adds up to 251 units and includes $4.25 million in pay-in-lieu and a streetscape program funded in part by the developer.
The City Commission voted 5–0 to approve a development agreement and special-exception site plan for Avalon South Miami 2, a mixed‑use project at roughly 7230 SW 59th Avenue that uses transfer‑of‑development‑rights (TDRs) and on-site open‑space bonuses to preserve three historic buildings.
Mark Albers, planning staff, said the applicant pared the proposal from 254 to 251 residential units and that the project’s density and height fall within the recently adopted transit‑oriented TSDD zoning with bonuses. Staff recommended approval after design‑review and planning‑board review; the planning board voted unanimously in favor. The staff calculation shows a pay‑in‑lieu total for remaining bonus floor area of $4,248,318 and notes the applicant will seek LEED Gold for portions of the building.
Developer counsel Jeffrey Bass and AvalonBay senior staff presented massing, public‑realm and parking plans. The project will preserve the three historic structures on the block and relocate a long‑standing tenant (Deli Lane) into renovated historic space before demolition and construction of the new tower. Architect and AvalonBay representatives described an internalized loading scheme, a podium that steps back above the sixth floor, resident amenity decks and retail facing Dorn Avenue.
The approved development agreement includes a package of conditions and public‑realm commitments: upgrading Dorn Avenue and parts of 73rd Street to a higher pedestrian standard, a developer contribution toward broader streetscape improvements (the commission set an upper contribution amount of $2.5 million), mitigation for on‑street parking lost by the project (five spaces equating to roughly $301,000), and a temporary construction‑parking rental rate of $15 per space per day for the first 30 months of construction. The agreement also requires completed streetscape improvements on specified blocks within 12 months of securing needed right‑of‑way approvals, transparent storefront glass on retail frontages, maintenance obligations for the new planting beds abutting the project, and a requirement that subcontractor parking be enforced (liquidated damages language) to prevent off‑site worker parking.
Mayor Javier Fernandez summarized the commission’s view: the project supports the city’s long‑term downtown plan around the MetroRail station by adding residents and retail foot traffic while protecting identified historic resources. “This is a chance to make Dorn Avenue whole again,” one commissioner said during debate, urging careful attention to construction staging and tenant relocation plans. The commission also asked staff to return with final calculations and to reflect the revised conditions in the final development agreement before execution.
