Planning board waves through the UM agreement
What the university gets, what the city gets, and where the campus parking went.
The biggest land-use question in the Gables in years just cleared its first hurdle, and it happened fast. Underneath it: a historic survey racing a final vote, and a $6 tapas plate.
The Planning and Zoning Board spent very little time on the biggest land-use question in years. On Wednesday the board took up six amendments tied to the University of Miami's proposed 30-year development agreement. Each one passed 6-1, with little discussion and few hard questions. Together the changes would expand how much UM can build, raise its enrollment limit, and open the door to a future 100-bed hospital. Thirty years is a long horizon for a campus that touches this many Gables streets. The board's vote is a recommendation, not the final word. The proposal now moves toward the City Commission.
The campus parking map just shrank
Anyone who drives near campus should know the rules changed this year. Students living in Lakeside Village, Centennial Village and Eaton Residential College may only park in the Mahoney-Pearson Garage, because of construction. The Pavia/Levante Garage, the Albenga Garage and the White zone surface lots around Mahoney-Pearson are all closed to resident student parking. That means longer walks and more competition for a smaller pool of spaces. Students who leave campus often, like anyone holding an off-campus job, feel it most. Every errand now begins with a hike. The change has already caused plenty of confusion and frustration.
The Chamber takes over the Biltmore for two days
The Gables Chamber Annual Conference returns to the Biltmore Hotel today and tomorrow. Two days of discussions cover property taxes, healthcare, tourism, finance and other regional business topics. Property taxes alone will fill a room in this city. If you have ever squinted at your bill and wondered how the number got there, that is the session to catch. The Biltmore setting does not hurt either. It is a business conference, but it is also a fairly good read on what local operators are worried about heading into the fall.
The UM trade, laid out as a ledger
The deal is easier to judge when you line the terms up side by side. The university would get hospital use of up to 100 beds in the Multi-Use Zone, with no conditional-use vote. The 17,500 enrollment figure becomes a mitigation threshold rather than a hard cap. The 6.8 million square foot cap gives way to a floor area ratio of 1.0. Certain city parking spaces, and their revenue, would shift to the university. The city gets 5.52 acres of park, conveyed only if it approves everything on terms UM accepts. It also gets $1,025,000 in year one, rising 4 percent annually for 30 years. The Gazette is polling readers on what the Commission should do.
North Ponce gets its history counted, just in time
North Ponce keeps attracting larger and larger proposals, and the city is finally taking stock of what stands there now. A draft historic property survey of the North Ponce and Flagler Section has arrived. The study looks at the district's character and how to protect its low-rise scale while still making room for new construction. The timing matters. Crystal Residences, the most argued-over project in the district, is close to a final vote. A survey that lands after the approvals is a history lesson. One that lands before them can change what actually gets built.
Six-dollar tapas, four days a week
Taberna Giralda runs its Tappy Hour Tuesday through Friday, from 4 to 7 p.m., at the bar. Tapas are $6, draft beers are $4, and house wines and sangria by the glass are $2 off. It is a small thing, but small things are what make a weekday feel like your own. The deal is bar-only, so it rewards showing up over planning ahead. Four days a week also means you do not have to pick the perfect one. Order a few plates, split them with someone, and let the afternoon run long.