City officials are urging the state to reconsider the Live Local Act, which overrides local zoning for affordable housing, in order to limit the scale of a planned project near Miami’s Coral Gate neighborhood that has raised resident concerns. Coral Gate residents filled city hall on Oct. 24, voicing strong support during the commission’s comment period for limiting the size of a three-building, eight-story development planned for the former Sears lot on Southwest 22nd Street. While the project is allowed under the Live Local Act, a state law aimed at increasing affordable housing, Miami commissioners unanimously passed a resolution urging Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature to amend the act to better safeguard single-family residential neighborhoods. Enacted in 2023, the Live Local Act establishes a statewide approach to expanding affordable housing options. Among other provisions, it prohibits local governments from imposing height restrictions on affordable housing developments. The act enables a mixed-use development at the former Sears site on 3655 SW 22nd St., led by Sunny Isles Beach-based RK Associates. The project consists of three eight-story buildings with 995 apartments and 55 rental townhouses. In line with the Live Local Act requirements, 420 apartments are to be designated as affordable, exempting them from local zoning restrictions. On June 20, Miami’s Urban Development Review Board considered the proposal and approved RK Associates’ plans. The development would span over 2 million square feet on the 8-acre site, including 43,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and 1,924 parking spots in two garages. Residents of Coral Gate whose homes border the site are concerned the sizeable new development will encroach on their quaint community and increase the risk of overcrowding and traffic congestion. “[The Live Local Act] is a well-intentioned law to create workforce housing units in a city that desperately needs workforce housing units. But in some ways, it goes too far. In our neighborhood’s case, that’s certainly the issue,” Coral Gate resident Ralph Rosado said before the commission on Oct. 24. “It does two things that are particularly problematic. It preempts you, our local elected officials who were voted into office to make decisions on our behalf, and it preempts us as neighbors from even having a voice in these important zoning decisions.” Established in 1948, Coral Gate is Miami’s first planned subdivision and Neighborhood Conservation District (NCD). According to the city’s zoning code, also known as Miami 21, the NCD designation aims “to eliminate uses that have the potential of bringing commercial intrusion into the neighborhood and also to eliminate the possibility of incompatible infill structures that are too tall and could deteriorate the historic quality of this low-density neighborhood.” A 2024 amendment to the Live Local Act allows local governments to limit building heights for developments bordering single-family neighborhoods on two or more sides. However, Coral Gate remains unprotected as it only borders the development on one side. Commissioner Manolo Reyes, who represents the area, sponsored the Oct. 24 resolution urging the state to amend the act to extend height restrictions to neighborhoods adjacent to developments on just one side. “While the City of Miami understands the housing affordability emergency created by the real estate market and demand, it is essential that state lawmakers not lose sight of protecting single-family neighborhoods or communities with historic value; and established single-family neighborhoods will be subject to enormous developments adjacent to their homes and community, it is critical to preserve established single-family neighborhoods and Neighborhood Conservation Districts (NCDs) to protect quality of life for residents,” the resolution reads. “While the amendment to the act provides some protection to certain single-family neighborhoods, it is not enough and does not protect many established single-family neighborhoods nor NCDs within the city from intrusion of massive developments into their neighborhoods,” it continues, ending with a request that the legislature work with the city on an amendment to the act that would protect these single-family residential communities. Related Posts:Sears site beside Gables targeted for 1,050…Coral Way office-retail building seeks zoning OKWynwood project sets aside units as affordable housingFirst vertical North Miami housing in decades ready to goCulmer Village to provide 612 affordable housing unitsThe post Faced with Sears site fallout, Miami appeals to the state appeared first on Miami Today.