I
n Miami's Wynwood neighborhood, a developer plans to replace the one-story Austin Burke menswear store with an apartment tower of up to 20 stories on Northwest Sixth Avenue and Northwest 26th Street. This project is part of five proposed Live Local Act developments that aim to bring hundreds of high-rise units to Wynwood. The state law incentivizes developers to include affordable housing by granting tax breaks and allowing taller buildings than usual zoning permits.
Developers must designate at least 40% of the units for households earning no more than 120% of the area median income, which is $79,400 in Miami-Dade County. However, this has raised concerns that the neighborhood's character may be threatened by the influx of high-rise buildings. Wynwood's Neighborhood Revitalization District (NRD-1) outlines development principles and design guidelines for the area, capping heights at eight stories in most areas.
Joe Furst, a developer who worked on NRD-1, believes that while the intent behind the Live Local Act is good, it can lead to the erasure of neighborhood character and scale. James Curnin, founder of Clara Homes, disagrees, saying that building more units is the only way to alleviate the affordable housing crisis.
The proposed projects must go through the Wynwood Design Review Committee and the Miami Urban Development Review Board for approval. Most of these projects are still in the proposal stage. One of the tallest proposals is a 48-story tower with 544 apartments, which was met with opposition from the design review committee due to its height and design.
Another project proposes a 39-story tower with 336 units, which was approved by the Urban Development Review Board but met with a tied vote at the design review committee. The developers argue that their project is in line with the Live Local Act's goals of creating attainable housing in areas where people want to live.
The controversy surrounding these projects highlights the tension between providing affordable housing and preserving neighborhood character. While some developers believe that creative designs can mitigate the impact of high-rise buildings, others are skeptical about their ability to make a difference.
