Culmer Village to provide 612 affordable housing units

A large affordable housing development is planned for Overtown in the City of Miami.

Richman Group of Florida Inc. is developing Culmer Village, two buildings hugging a parking garage proposed for a site at 690 NW 13th St.

The city’s Urban Development Review Board recommended approval, with a few recommendations.

The project is described as affordable multifamily residential. The overall floor space is 845,247 square feet.

Culmer Village is to be built in two phases and include 612 residences, 9,460 square feet of commercial-retail uses, and parking for 376 vehicles.

The Miami 21 zoning code requires 12,205 square feet of open space on this site, and the developer plans 29,128 square feet. The 2.828-acre site is on the southeast corner of Northwest Seventh Avenue and Northwest 13th Street, less than 250 feet from the Culmer Metrorail Station.

The property fronts Northwest 13th Street to the north, Booker T. Washington Junior High School to the east, private school board-owned right of way to the south, and Northwest Seventh Avenue to the west.

Attorney Marissa A. Neufeld, representing the owner-developer at the board meeting, said the project is designed to help the “dire need for affordable housing that we have right now. Housing in Miami is getting increasingly expensive and rentals hit the hardest … This will be a transformative project.”

Ms. Neufeld said the project consists of two multi-family residential towers, containing residential units and related amenities, with a structured eight-story parking garage with ground floor retail in-between.

A minimum of 40% of the residential units are to be affordable housing, serving residents at or below 60% Area Median Income, and the remainder will be workforce housing units, she said.

The project will include amenities like a computer lab, fitness center, lounge space, and more. Retail will be included along Northwest Seventh helping to create a link to the Culmer rail station, she said.

She said the developer is under extreme time pressure to build as it is getting some state funds for the development.

The project is designed by Behar Font Partners P.A. Javier Font, of the firm, presented details to the board.

The Phase 1 tower, on the southern portion of the site, will be 193 feet tall and include 300 residences. Phase 2’s tower will rise 237 feet on the northern part of the site and be home to 312 residential units.

Mr. Font said the entire ground floor of the first building will contain the amenities.

A pattern of mesh and fins will vent and screen the parking garage levels.

Board member Fidel Perez said this is a needed project. “We definitely need more affordable housing,” he said. “I know the developer is budget controlled … but it’s a massive project with a lot of units. You probably need a little more common space for tenants.”

Board member Ligia Ines Labrada said the ground floor retail will help activate that street.

She suggested, if it’s not too costly, that the developer consider a different color on the mesh of the garage to help break up that long elevation.
“It’s a nice project,” she said.

Board member Anthony Tzamtzis said, “It’s very nice to see an affordable rental project in Miami. It’s very much needed.”

He added, “The building is a little too plain. It needs something … eyebrows over the windows, maybe color changes … break that monotonous sight.”
Board member Willy Bermello talked about the subdued color scheme. “This is all in gray tones. Buildings to the west seem to have a more tropical color scheme (in the neighborhood). This is more subdued,” he said.

“The overabundance of gray makes it look heavier, more threatening than it should be,” said Mr. Bermello. He suggested more colorful façades on the towers and a lighter color palette for the screening on the garage.

“When you have so much gray at that density it feels extremely heavy for that neighborhood,” he said.

Mr. Bermello also suggested the developer revisit the turning radius within the garage to make certain it will be adequate.

Chair Ignacio Permuy said, “Contextually, where you placed the towers is very well done … and the pedestrian experience you addressed very well.”

He suggested considering a redesign of the corners of the residential buildings and the placement of the stairs to allow more light into those areas.

The developer is requesting several waivers of requirements in the zoning code to allow:

■Up to a 10% reduction in the 3-acre minimum for phased projects, from 3 acres to 2.7 acres.

■Vehicular entry on a primary frontage where a lot only has primary frontages.

■Up to a 10% reduction in the required rooftop screening from 60% to 54%.

■A modification to the setbacks above the eighth floor.

■Two commercial loading berths instead of one industrial sized loading berth.

■Parking to extend into the second layer above the first story along all frontages.

■Up to a 10% reduction in the required drive aisle width from 23 to 22 feet.

■An additional 15% parking reduction for affordable housing developments within a Transit Oriented Development.