Planned residences across from Douglas Park get thumbs down

A developer has proposed bringing 130 dwellings to a Miami neighborhood adjacent to one of the city’s most popular parks, and a city board turned thumbs down.

The applicant is 2814/16 SW 37 LLC, owner-developer of a site at 3700 SW 28th St., across the street from Douglas Park.

The project, Mosaic at Douglas, is designed as an eight-story multi-family building with 257,923 square feet of floor area and a parking podium for 210 vehicles.

The Urban Development Review Board unanimously recommended disapproval, citing concerns about the scale and massing of the plan, suggesting design changes to help break up the long flat façade.

As part of the vote recommending disapproval to the planning director, board members stated three items they want the development team to consider: Increase movement to the building’s massing, increase the articulation at the building corners, and move one of two courtyards to the Douglas Road side of the site.

Alejandro Uribe, an attorney representing the developer, said the property consists of 40,583 square feet.

In a letter to the city he wrote: “The property is within the designated TOD (Transit Oriented Development) area surrounding the Douglas Road Metrorail station. The property is just over one-quarter mile walking distance from the station, or about an 8-minute walk, according to Google Maps.

A bicycle ride from the station takes approximately 3 minutes.”

To construct the building, the owner-developer is requesting an exception, allowed by zoning, for the following:

■To utilize bonus height.

■To increase the maximum lot coverage from 80% to 82%.

■To recognize setbacks of 6 feet on the south and 6 feet on the west.

■To allow an increase of 1.5% in the maximum allowable lot size from 40,000 square feet to 40,583 square feet.

In his letter Mr. Uribe noted the Miami 21 zoning code allows bonus height for projects within a TOD; an additional three stories of height for a maximum of eight stories by process of exception with city commission approval.

He wrote: “The owner is proposing to achieve the additional height using public benefits for meeting silver level certification from the Florida Green Building Council … as well as by providing park improvements.”

Mr. Uribe said the bonus height proposed meets the criteria of Miami 21.

“The property’s location (is) within the TOD area slated for more intense development,” he wrote. “The height also makes sense given the prominence of Douglas Road, which is a section line thoroughfare of countywide importance. The additional height provides more opportunity to achieve the additional density that the Planning Department and City Commission envisioned.

“It will assist in fostering the use of public and alternate transportation that are available within TOD areas.

“The additional height will not affect the operation of the property as a multi-family residential use, which remains consistent with the long-envisioned planning for the Douglas Road corridor,” wrote Mr. Uribe.

He said the bonus height contains 91,830 square feet of floor area within the top three floors.

“The scale of the building is appropriate for Douglas Road, which is lined by even taller buildings in the immediate vicinity. The added height reinforces the existing streetscape, and the transect principle of taller and more intense development along the commercial corridor which then steps down as one moves away from the corridor,” he wrote.

Mr. Uribe said the development serves the neighborhood by providing public benefits that will directly improve Douglas Park, a 10-acre park that serves the Golden Pines and Silver Bluff neighborhood.

It has sporting facilities that include a baseball/softball diamond, basketball and tennis courts, and soccer/football fields. Non-organized sport areas include playgrounds, picnic tables, walking paths and outdoor gym equipment.

He wrote: “The developer is pledging contributions as part of its development to improve the park and help it remain among the best and most useful parks in the city.

“The developer’s incorporation of the bicycle concierge also serves the neighborhood by assisting with the reduction of vehicle traffic. The safe and convenient access to bicycles encourages alternate transport to destinations in the area, and particularly to mass transit at the nearby Douglas Road Metrorail station,” Mr. Uribe wrote.

Tony Recio, another attorney representing the developer, told the review board that Mosaic at Douglas would provide 132 bicycle spaces.
“This is a transit-oriented development,” he said.

The new building would offer about 11,000 square feet of indoor amenities and 4,300 square feet of outdoor amenities.

“The parking (podium) is only 35 feet high. We were able to compress that,” said Mr. Recio.

The project is designed by MSA Architects. A representative of the firm offered some details to the review board.

She said the project has two main entrances on Douglas Road, and all the loading and trash collection will be handled internally.

The front is to be highlighted by a large colorful frame, with a mosaic pattern designed by an artist.

“There will be play in the scoring pattern and color scheme,” she said.

Review board members were critical of the massing of the building, and recommended design changes to break up the long façade.

Board member Francisco Perez-Azua said, “I’m mostly concerned about the façade. I wish there was a little more articulation. It seems like a lot of massing in some of these areas, especially the corner.”

“The first six floors or so, it looks very massive … maybe consider bringing down some of those windows.

“I like the artwork. I think it’s great,” he said.

Board member Gia Zapattini said she agreed regarding the massing.

She said, “When I looked at the floor plan, everything is in the same plane. There’s no depth in the façade. It would be beneficial if you (took) the walks you’re doing and perhaps shifting them a little bit.”

Ms. Zapattini suggested design changes in the façade offering some relief to the length of elevations.

She added, “I think it’s a great project to be in front of the park. Definitely, it’s a great addition to the neighborhood. With the small tweaks, I think it could be a great project.”

Board member Robert Behar said, “There is a lost opportunity to bring the elements in the corner further down. There’s no step-back. This is eight stories all in one plane for 310 feet … eight stories and very little movement, articulation.

“Those two courtyards you have probably should have been put on the other side, on Douglas Road.

“Is it good for the neighborhood? Yes, it’s good for the neighborhood, but I think that, at the pedestrian level, when I’m walking there you’ve got a four-story wall with nothing … (it needs) a canopy or something, to relate more to the pedestrian scale,” said Mr. Behar.

Acting Board Chairman Dean Lewis said, “It’s a great program, appropriate for the site and location,” but he agreed regarding the massing.

He said, “The articulation of that program is a wrestling match between four stories of parking massing versus five stories of residential units above.

“At the same time, there are many examples and more Miami celebrative architecture that can bring you a lot closer to what we’re anticipating from your talented firm. And I don’t see that exploited here enough at all … there’s just not enough there.

“Two vehicle entrances on the garage is typically not recommended. We’d love to have seen that all operating through one entrance,” said Mr. Lewis.

The architects’ representative responded, “We could definitely look into playing with the massing, the corners …create that covered area throughout the pedestrian height.”

She said they could also consider relocating the courtyards.

After the vote to recommend disapproval, Mr. Recio said, “We got it. We’ll work on it.”

Mr. Lewis responded, “I want to see it happen.”