New zoning guidelines developed by City Planning & Zoning Department and Wynwood BID
Miami, FL (November 1, 2018) – Miami City Commission voted to approve amendments to Wynwood’s Neighborhood Revitalization District (NRD-1) zoning regulations that will encourage small-scale development and further adaptive reuse in Wynwood. The new regulations were developed collaboratively by the City of Miami’s Planning Department and the Wynwood BID and are the latest example of longstanding efforts to implement responsible urban planning and development standards in the bustling arts district.
“The Wynwood BID makes a conscious effort to put the neighborhood on the forefront of smart urban planning and embrace new ways of addressing traditional planning and zoning challenges,” said Wynwood BID Executive Director Manny Gonzalez. “We are grateful to Miami Planning Director Francisco Garcia and his staff for helping us develop these sensible changes to Wynwood’s zoning guidelines, and to the members of the City Commission for voting to approve them.”
The new small-scale development regulations amend portions of Wynwood’s NRD-1, a set of planning & zoning rules that was created in 2015 by the Wynwood BID and City of Miami to help responsibly transition the neighborhood from an industrial district to an active, mixed-use neighborhood, complete with commercial, residential and office elements while maintaining the arts-drive character of the neighborhood. The new amendments make small-scale development projects more viable by allowing both new buildings on vacant lots and adaptive reuses of existing buildings to build with reduced or even no parking, in exchange for payments into the Wynwood Parking Trust Fund.
“Our goal in developing this legislation was to ensure that Wynwood continues to have an appropriate balance of large and small buildings, as the latter contribute to the character of the neighborhood on a more human scale while being friendlier to small businesses,” said Wynwood BID board member David Polinsky Ph.D., who is also the BID’s Planning & Zoning Committee Chairman. “These changes will also help ensure that existing small buildings are not just being demolished and left as blighted land or used as surface parking lots.”
The Wynwood BID and City of Miami Planning & Zoning Department have been collaborating over the past year on the newly-approved zoning amendments to the NRD-1. Since its creation in 2013, the Wynwood BID has been a steadfast proponent of responsible adaptive reuse and small-scale development that enables new, more varied residential and commercial development synonymous with the neighborhood’s industrial character and its diverse assortment of restaurants, galleries, retail, microbreweries, tech-startups and shared workspaces.
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About the Wynwood Business Improvement District (BID)
The Wynwood BID is a municipal board of the City of Miami representing more than 400 property owners that comprise the 50-city-block Wynwood Arts District. Run by a Board of Directors who themselves are property owners from the community, the BID works to enhance security and sanitation services in the neighborhood, advocate for the betterment of the area, raise awareness of advancements being made, and plan for the future of Wynwood.