Plusurbia
hopes to complete a final draft of the master plan by July
BY FRANCISCO
ALVARADO – THE REAL DEAL
As new
development creeps into Little Havana, a master plan is in the works aimed at
preserving the historic character and the pre-World War II architecture in
Miami’s most famous neighborhood.
On Saturday
morning, more than 100 residents and merchants participated in a community
workshop at Miami Senior High School to formulate big picture ideas for the
master plan, which is being developed by urban planning firm Plusurbia Design
in conjunction with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Dade Heritage
Trust and Live Healthy Little Havana.
A majority
of the participants reached consensus on restoring and reusing historic
buildings, ensuring new construction is contextual and compatible with Little
Havana, creating more affordable housing, community and cultural centers and
making the neighborhood more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly.
“At the end
of the morning, we asked each table to give us their big ideas,” Megan
McLaughlin, the project planning leader for Plusurbia, said. “We are going to
use those to guide our reports and our suggestions to the city.”
Plusurbia
hopes to complete a final draft of the master plan by July, McLaughlin said.
“We would present it to the city for them to consider,” she said. “The goal is
to come up with heights, density, setbacks and floor lot ratios that matches
what is there and is respectful of what is there.”
During the
workshop, PlusUrbia founder and director Juan Mullerat told attendees Little
Havana hasn’t experienced the level of real estate development seen in
Brickell, Edgewater and Wynwood because of the city’s zoning code, Miami 21.
“Unfortunately,
it has not led to much improvement in Little Havana,” Mullerat said. “We
haven’t seen much investment in Little Havana, yet it is the second most dense
neighborhood in Miami-Dade County.”
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