Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board - Regular Meeting

Wednesday, May 20, 2026Official site

The Planning, Zoning, and Appeals Board approved the Cottage Housing Initiative, which aims to provide more diverse housing options on small lots, with a recommendation to reduce parking requirements. The Board also approved land use and rezoning changes to allow for the expansion of Fire Station #10, despite some concerns about the lack of a detailed plan for the facility.

About this meeting

Government Body
Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board
Meeting Type
Planning, Zoning And Appeals Board
Location
Miami, FL
Meeting Date
May 20, 2026

Published excerpts

Only published remarks appear here. The full transcript is not published.

51 sections (from 53 segments)

8:50•Adam Gersten

Okay, let's rise for a moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance, please.

9:20•Adam Gersten

Before we do the roll call or attendance, is there any, did anyone submit an absence waiver request?

10:22 – 10:34•Adam Gersten

Okay, is there a motion? Make a motion. That was Collins and Metoyer. Collins, second. Or Mann, or whatever.

11:10 – 11:36•Adam Gersten

Great. Are there any online public comments so far? We'll leave those open just for a few more minutes. We'll close them after the first item. Madam Mayor, I see you're here. Did you have something you wanted to? I do. Come on down. Hey, everybody.

14:52•Adam Gersten

Thanks so much. Okay, well, with that, should we do start with number one?

32:51•Adam Gersten

Thanks so much. Would anyone from the public like to speak on this item?

41:20 – 41:41•Adam Gersten

Thank you. Anyone else? Just to follow up, can you clarify, the presentation started out talking about T3O. but on one of the slides it mentioned T3 in general, and all T3s were mentioned. So can you clarify, this does or does not apply to additional T3?

41:45•Adam Gersten

Right, but it could be a non-conforming T3R. That's correct. Right, so it's not limited to T3O.

42:06•Adam Gersten

Okay, that's important. Okay, let's bring it to the board, please.

42:14 – 42:30•Paul Mann

This will be for staff. If you replatted a 5,000 square foot T3R, wouldn't that be a diminishing? Wouldn't that be doubling the density in essence?

42:57•Paul Mann

That's what I thought, but it was confusing because I thought you just said all T3s. No, no, no.

43:33•Paul Mann

So you're talking about lots that are already undersized.

43:38 – 44:02•Paul Mann

Because the only thing I would worry about here is it would be, we just went through last year a thing about diminishing, particularly in the growth. So I just wanted to make that clear that whether it's T3O or not, if it's a T3O could be replanted and it's not going to be an increase in density because you either have two combined units or two separate units. Right, so you can, that's correct. But in a T3R...

46:17•Adam Gersten

Right? Typical garage, you're It's what, like 20 feet, 18 feet or something, depth-wise?

49:27•Adam Gersten

I mean, we do it for so many other things.

49:58 – 50:29•Andres Lopez

But nonetheless, my question is a setback requirements between the two buildings. And then when it comes to from five feet to three feet, that's pretty narrow. Additionally, just thinking usage when you have two neighbors and good fences make good neighbors, just making sure that when the neighbors do want to create a fencing between them, just separate the two lots or two subdivisions, just to take a look at it, because three feet is a little narrow. I don't know, I don't have an answer to this. It's just thinking ahead through that.

51:23 – 51:43•Andres Lopez

Yeah, and I get that through the code, and I understand that. I'm just looking at it through a more, I guess, practical sense where, again, I mentioned good fences make good neighbors, just keeping in mind that what will happen when these neighbors want to build their own fences? Do they have to... perhaps build one fence, is it two fences, is it just slam in the middle?

1:02:17 – 1:02:36•Mario J. Bailey

First, thank you for your presentation and thinking outside of the box. You answered most of my questions. I have a couple for staff. The first question is, the item that we passed regarding the ADUs in December, will they be allowed to now stack with this? Yes. Okay.

1:02:50 – 1:03:09•Mario J. Bailey

And then my next question was regarding encroachment, which we spoke about earlier. Is there concern because, like, some areas have, like, deeper setbacks to their portion, and that's, like, the flavor of the community. Do we feel there might be possible issues in some communities?

1:03:48 – 1:04:07•Mario J. Bailey

Okay. And then my final question is, so for non-conforming T3D lots, usually it's by waiver or warrant. And so I'm worried about now the community engagement, because you take that notice away. So have staff considered doing warrant levels so it's solely administrative, or is that too burdensome?

1:05:31 – 1:05:43•Mario J. Bailey

My only concern is that we talk a lot about how it would impact the neighbors and they no longer have that trigger notice and so how do we now remedy that?

1:06:14 – 1:06:25•Mario J. Bailey

Okay, thank you. And I asked this question not because I was against the item, but just wanted to have a conversation so people understand how we're really looking at, like really engaging with the neighborhood community engagement, so thank you.

1:07:01 – 1:08:40•Adam Gersten

Great. Same amazing presentation. I really believe that great examples and shame combined will force people to reconsider their poor design choices. When you start putting one or two of these out, people will say, I want to build that, not that. I think the porch question, I think I'm always the one who's like, okay, this is great. What's next? And how can we do this everywhere? Obviously, there are some elements of this that applied to standard T3 lots would affect design choices in a positive way. I think some of these ideas encourage neighborliness in all neighborhoods, right? The disappear

1:09:21•Adam Gersten

I thought that was alluded to at the first, second slide or whatever, but I just wanted to.

1:09:54•Adam Gersten

Great, okay. So does anyone, oh, sorry, you had one more. I apologize.

1:13:23 – 1:13:35•Mario J. Bailey

Member Bailey. Oh, yeah, I'm sorry. Sure, the board had a question about parking. It looks like we were kind of on board. There was two options. I really wanted to have more of that discussion, kind of see what most people were thinking.

1:13:36•Adam Gersten

Yeah, I mean, I think that is going to go one way or the other. Do we want to just kind of see where that falls in terms of a motion?

1:13:46 – 1:14:03•Mario J. Bailey

Sure, I thought there was two options. I think... Oh. So I wanted to, so there was a tandem and I think another. Kind of. If possible, we can hit the pros and cons from staff before we vote. Oh, you're saying, I see what you're saying. Right, right, right.

1:14:03•Adam Gersten

Okay, right. The two, the sort of the two ways of approaching the same question.

1:14:33•Mario J. Bailey

So a motion to approve with that parking?

1:14:35•Adam Gersten

With that. Okay. I'll second that. Okay, there's a motion and a second. So with that amendment. I'm sorry, is there any other?

1:15:56•Adam Gersten

Thank you. Thanks, good work everybody, that was really great. Thank you. Thank you.

1:31:13 – 1:31:33•Adam Gersten

Thank you very much. Is there anyone from the public who would like to speak on this? Seeing and hearing none. Oh, public comments. Do we close them? We'll close them. Consider them closed. Does anyone on the board have any questions or comments starting on my right?

1:31:34 – 1:31:50•Paul Mann

Yeah. Nowhere was it really spelled out what you're going to do with that property. I guess this is a fire station upgrade. It is. And right now, all the fire trucks are exiting to the south of those.

1:32:25 – 1:32:41•Paul Mann

T3 residents around there, what would be the best outcome would be if they would not exit to the east or to the north, but if they could exit to the south? Ultimately, are you rebuilding that entire fire station?

1:33:32•Paul Mann

So we're not talking about any concrete plan. You just want to give them more room.

1:33:52 – 1:36:10•Paul Mann

I mean, that's a pretty small, even adding that fourth line on top there is still really awkward for any real fire, for fire trucks or anything sizable to get in or out of there. It just seems like it's a really bad spot for a fire station to start with. And now you're taking away, you're basically invading T3. to add to a bad situation. And so if you had a plan, it'd be easier to say, oh, okay, absolutely. Add more space. But that's a horrible place for a fire station. And now you're just gonna make it bigger and maybe one day put a bigger fire station in a horrible place. It just doesn't qui

1:39:32•Mario J. Bailey

I just want to hear about the public engagement that you've done with the neighbors or anything.

1:41:14 – 1:41:32•Mario J. Bailey

Follow-up. I'm not recommending that we add this at this moment, but is it possible to add conditions like, the presentation we have now is about fire safety, the four minutes, so is it possible that we add a condition like, if we adopt civic use, it must be used for fire station?

1:41:44 – 1:42:29•Paul Mann

Through the chair? Sure. In the full agenda, there is a, I guess it's a satellite view of this property, and it really blows up beautifully. I don't see where the fire trucks are coming out of this building. I don't. There's a tree on the second lot up. There's another tree on the street by the third lot up. I don't see any fire trucks, I see some cars parked there, and I understand that the lot in question now doesn't even have a house on it anymore, so this is a pretty old picture, but does anybody know where the fire trucks are actually exiting this building now? Are there any fire trucks t

1:42:39 – 1:43:19•Adam Gersten

Sorry, I was just going to say, I mean, if this is one that's slated for a big redo, then obviously wouldn't they be looking at making it better and more efficient and maximizing all the things that are kind of changing all the things that are wrong with it? Like what's the point of doing all this if there's not a plan to, you know, if they're going to go through all that trouble? It seems like some of the questions are answered by the fact that it's getting redone, you know? So to me, I think, sorry, I mean, that's what I see, is that if they're asking for it, they have a good idea of how to

1:43:23•Paul Mann

Okay. During the exception process, we could, in a way, force them to use Northwest 7th, because Northwest 7th is the only street that makes sense. Mm-hmm.

1:43:36 – 1:43:54•Adam Gersten

I mean, and also we don't know that they wouldn't come in anyway with that as the obvious change. You know what I'm saying? Whatever's there now, we don't know what's, you know, they're going to come in with whatever makes the most sense, whatever makes it a better fire station.

1:43:54 – 1:44:19•Paul Mann

This is going to be a leap of faith here that the fire department in this location there has a plan, whether they've divulged it or not, And the plan isn't to be using 41st Street for ingress and egress, which doesn't make sense at all. But anyway, I hope they have a plan.

1:44:21 – 1:44:51•Mario J. Bailey

Mr. Chair, one quick comment. This is an issue giving me heartburn. The reason why, so like we just got a presentation about a fire station, but we're about to vote and change to the civic use additional properties, but we don't know if it will actually be, we can assume, I don't like to assume, especially when it impacts so many people around us, and so I don't feel comfortable voting yes at this time for the item, but I'm sure it will probably pass, but I don't like to assume when it impacts the residents of Miami-Dade. Sure, understood.

1:44:52•Adam Gersten

So did we have a motion at all? No. Okay. So is there anyone who wants to make a motion on this item?

1:45:05•Adam Gersten

Okay. Is there a second to approve this item? Second. Okay. There's a motion and a second. Could we please have a roll call?

1:45:55•Adam Gersten

Great, thank you very much. We have one more?

1:46:09•Adam Gersten

So is there a motion on the rezone? Motion to approve. Is there a second? Second. Second. Roll call, please.

1:46:31•Paul Mann

Board Member Paul Main? Not without a plan, no.

1:47:09•Adam Gersten

Thanks. Thank you, everybody. Thanks for a quick meeting.

These excerpts are remarks by officials whose identity a person confirmed, from a transcript generated automatically from the official public meeting video and presented unedited. Accuracy may vary; view the original recording for reference.