Miami Beach’s iconic Art Deco District is at risk of being torn down as developers look to replace historic buildings with high rise condos.
Lawmakers have proposed an update to an Act which could pave the way for developers to bulldoze Miami Beach’s art deco gems to make room for affordable housing projects.
Some developers are looking at building apartment towers with more than 50 floors in the historic area, Realtor.com reported.
Community leaders have hit back at the plans, arguing that removing the colorful buildings would fundamentally alter the community’s identity.
Miami Beach’s Art Deco District runs between 5th Street and 23rd Street, and is distinguished by its pastel-colored buildings with stylized geometric lines.
Among the most iconic landmarks are the Colony Hotel, the Tides Hotel, and the Clevelander South Beach.
Under current plans only eight buildings in the entire area would be spared from demolition since they are on the National Register of Historic Places, according to Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez.
‘That is unacceptable, because it would turn us into Manhattan, or even Sunny Isles to some extent,’ Gonzalez said at a press conference last month.
Miami Beach’s iconic Art Deco District is at risk of being torn down
The proposals come under an update to the state’s 2023 Live Local Act, which was first signed into law two years ago.
The Act was designed to allow developers to erect taller buildings than local zoning laws would otherwise permit, provided that they set aside 40 percent of apartments as affordable housing.
To be defined as affordable, units have to be accessible for people making between 80 percent and 120 percent of local median income.
Critics have pointed out, however, that in Miami-Dade County, that range means that people making as much as $96,000 a year could be eligible for affordable housing, Realtor.com reported.
At a gathering of lawmakers opposing the proposed change last week Gonzalez argued that the demolition could have serious economic repercussions.
The Art Deco District is Florida’s second-largest tourist attraction after Disney World, making it a major source of revenue for the city.
‘Our art deco architecture, it’s our Leaning Tower of Pisa, our Eiffel Tower, our pyramids,’ she told the meeting last week.
Other local leaders are also against the proposed changes which would include losing control of zoning regulations and historic preservation of buildings, as well as the prospect of a huge influx of new residents.
Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez is opposed to the planned changes
The Art Deco District is Florida’s second-largest tourist attraction after Disney World
The area is distinguished by its pastel colored buildings with stylized geometric lines
Critics argue that the proposed new apartment complexes would lead to a skyrocketing local population that would put pressure on vital local services such as storm evacuation measures.
‘Our evacuation routes today are at a failing level of service and that is based on FDOT [Florida Department of Transportation] maps from the state of Florida,’ Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernande said.
‘So if we up-zone our city with 50-story towers all over South Beach, God forbid there is an evacuation, it would be the most devastating thing that could happen because today those evacuation routes are at an F level of service,’ he said.
However, state representative Vicki Lopez – a Florida Republican who proposed the law change – said Florida was in the grip of a housing crisis and more must be done to make Miami Beach an affordable place to live for local workers.
Florida saw an influx of residents during the pandemic as families, freed by remote work, were attracted by its sunny climate and low taxes.
However, the steep population rise only compounded the state’s affordable housing crisis.
Residents are facing rising HOA fees and insurance costs as a result of increased extreme weather.
South Florida’s real estate market is now flooded with listings as desperate homeowners rush to sell amid soaring costs and vanishing buyers.
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