Miami Herald - real news - regarding Palmetto Bay's code efforts - This city needs less parking, shorter buildings and more building incentives, experts say by Monique O. Madan.

The Palmetto Bay Village Council continues the efforts to create a better downtown. Numerous town hall meetings with and prior to the experts.  Monique Madan provides real news update.  This article clearly delineates the recommendations made in the Dover Kohl report. 

See Miami Herald online: This city needs less parking, shorter buildings and more building incentives, experts say by Monique O. Madan.

Excerpts:

Focused on a city center mostly populated by car dealerships, vacant land, and unkempt buildings, Palmetto Bay’s current zoning code aims to capitalize on public and alternative transportation, with amenities such as wider sidewalks, bike racks, bike lanes, and a hub that would tie in to the South Dade transit way.

But Dover, Kohl & Partners, a national architectural and land-planning firm that was hired by the city to review the code and provide suggestions, said in a presentation last week that if the city wants to see results, it will have to eliminate parking, lower maximum building heights by one story, and find a way to better incentivize business owners.

Marcela Camblor, one of the firm’s planners, said the suggestions are “geared towards making the [downtown urban village code] a more predictable tool to ensure that development results in a vibrant downtown that provides services and restaurants to residents and visitors all while preserving a village scale and character.”

“For that, heights need to be adjusted, the bonus programs clarified and calibrated to materialize the community’s needs and some of the elements of the vision need to be more clearly communicated,” Camblor said.

I recommend viewing my prior related post of Wednesday, July 19, 2017: Here are the recommendations made by Dover Kohl & Partners, Marcela Camblor & Associates regarding the Palmetto Bay DUV - updated to add new links to the report and powerpoint presentation 

As advertised, you can find the actual links to download/view the full report and powerpoint presentation.

Please also view a prior DUV article by Monique O. Magan, (July 14, 2017) This city wants to change things up. What will it take for its downtown to be hot?

As quoted then, 

“I’m open to all changes, anything that will improve our downtown and make it a place we can all be proud of,” said Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn. “I’m disappointed that once we opened up Palmetto Bay Park, we haven’t had any book stores, ice cream shops or restaurants show any interest in planting their business in Palmetto Bay. I want to hear from the experts on why that is.”

We are now hearing from the experts and it is time to continue to work on this DUV code. to make it the best it can be and to be responsive to resolving any unintended issues that will appear in any and every existing code, regardless of location.