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04-21-2003 Agenda I. Call to Order II. Approval of Minutes - March 27, 2003 III. Chairperson's Report IV. Review of Hospital District V. Other Business - Next Meeting Date VI. Adjournment This meeting is open to the public. Notice pursuant to Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes, if applicable, is hereby incorporated by reference. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, all persons who are disabled and who need special accommodations to participate in this meeting because of that disability should contact the Office of the City Clerk, (305) 466- 8901, not later than two days prior to such proceeding. Please be advised that one or more members of the A ventura City Commission may attend this meeting. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MARCH 27, 2003 3:30 P.M. Aventura Government Center 19200 West Country Club Drive Aventura, Florida 33180 I. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m. by Chairman Ray Leightman. City Clerk Teresa M. Soroka called the roll. Members present: Elaine Adler Arthur Barr Paula Berliner Joni Braunstein Gary Cohen Davide Carbone Harry Gampel William Koppel Ray Leightman Russell Rice Dr. Barry Silverman Members absent: Sam Blasi Stuart Werner Others present: City Manager Eric M. Soroka City Clerk Teresa M. Soroka Planning Director Joanne Carr II. Approval of Minutes: A motion to approve the minutes of the February 27, 2003 meeting was offered by Ms. Adler, seconded by Mr. Koppel and unanimously passed. III. Chairperson's Report: None. IV. Review of Hospital District: Representatives of Wallace, Roberts & Todd, the City's planning consultant, reviewed the Hospital District and addressed questions/concerns of Board members. V. Other Business - Next Meetina Date: The next meeting was scheduled for April 21, 2003 at 3:30 p.m. VI. Adiournment: There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned. Teresa M. Soroka, CMC, City Clerk Approved by the Board on 2 Conceptual Urban Development Framework A ventura Medical Office District Submitted to: Economic Development Advisory Board City of Aventura Submitted by: Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC April 21, 2003 CONCEPTUAL URBAN DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK AVENTURA MEDICAL OFFICE DISTRICT At the March 27, 2003 meeting of the Aventura Economic Development Advisory Board representatives of the City's consultant, Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC, reviewed a number of issues pertaining to the redevelopment of presently underutilized properties adjacent to Aventura Hospital, comprising what has been identified as the Medical Office District. At the conclusion of this meeting WRT was asked to consider various development scenarios and offer recommendations pertaining to land use mix, minimum lot sizes and other factors related to the character of development. Of specific concern was the present minimum lot size in the Medical Office zoning district of 1.5 acres, which was considered by some members to be overly restrictive on small office development, while not inducing optimally efficient larger medical office buildings. The recommendations contained herein are considered conceptual and preliminary to more detailed investigations and are not based on analyses of market conditions, development feasibility, traffic engineering or parking demand. Accompanying the recommendations are the following graphic depictions: Figure 1 - Conceptual Urban Development Framework depicts the proposed overall structure of the district, including land use sub-districts, gateways, and corridors. Figure 2 - Street Network depicts existing streets to remain, those which may be created in the future, and those existing streets which may be abandoned to accommodate property assemblies. Figure 3 - Illustrative Plan depicts conceptually the scale of development consistent with recommended land use and zoning designations, future street alignments and landscape and streetscape enhancements. Land Use and Zoning Designations Overview The area to the north and south of Aventura Hospital has recently accommodated several medical office developments of varying sizes and intensities. A key issue is what is a reasonable mix of land uses based on the likely marketability of office and other uses, and the overall functionality of the district. If redevelopment for office use were to take place throughout the MO district at the maximum permitted intensity at ten stories, nearly 2 million square feet of office space could be accommodated. Although the study effort did not include market analyses, anecdotal evidence would 1 suggest that this is well beyond what the office market could reasonably absorb even far into the future. Consequently, other compatible uses must be encouraged if the area is to redevelop in an appropriate and compatible fashion. Factors that influenced the following recommended land use and zoning designations included existing property sizes, proximity to the hospital, access and visibility, Biscayne Boulevard frontage and compatibility with adjacent uses outside the Medical Office District. Medical Office - Large Site The area bounded by Biscayne Boulevard, NE 213 Street, NE 28 Avenue and the northern property line of Aventura Hospital is believed to be ideally suited to large scale, predominantly medical office use due to its direct adjacency to the hospital, large property sizes and direct access and visibility along Biscayne Boulevard. In this area, totaling approximately 8 acres, consideration should be given to increasing minimum lot size to 3.0 acres. This would permit two substantial office developments totaling approximately 400,000 square feet, plus multistory parking garages. Medical office should be the predominant use, with multifamily residential and a limited array of ancillary commercial uses related directly to the district permitted as conditional uses. To provide for necessary vehicular access and connectivity within the district, several new streets may be appropriate to accompany this redevelopment. These include an extension of NE 212 and 213 Streets to provide east-west access and district entrances from Biscayne Boulevard, and an extension of NE 29 Avenue to provide north-south access and connectivity to the hospital. Medical Office - Small Site That portion of the medical office district located immediately to the south of Aventura Hospital, south of NE 209 Street, is comprised primarily of small single family parcels and unrelated commercial uses. The present 1.5 acre minimum lot size poses a challenge for the assembly of suitable sites, and also precludes smaller medical/dental office development appropriate to accommodate individual group practices occupying their own buildings. As such, this minimum lot size could be inhibiting appropriate and compatible small-scale redevelopment. Consequently, it is recommended that the present MO district in this area be modified to reduce minimum lot size to either 0.5 acre, or 20,000 square feet. This will permit a "village-like" array of smaller office structures. The combined capacity for small office development, based on a floor area ratio for one-story buildings of 0.40, would total approximately 140,000 square feet. However, due to the present requirement to retain 33% of site area as landscaped open space, this capacity can only be achieved with parking placed in multi-level garages, which may not be economically feasible. If all development were to occur as single story structures with surface parking lots, less than 100,000 square feet could be accommodated. This amount, plus the quantity of larger scale medical office development which could occur to the north, would indicate a 2 total additional capacity for medical office development in these two districts of roughly 450,000 - 500,000 square feet. Residential Multi-Family - High Density The area between NE 214 Terrace and NE 213 Street comprises a pattern of fragmented small lot single family development similar to that existing to the south of Aventura Hospital. However, the total land area is significantly greater, fewer homes remain and the street pattern remains largely incomplete. While medical office is considered an appropriate use, it is highly unlikely that this large area could be consolidated for medical office use in the foreseeable future. This area may be more likely to redevelop for multi-family housing, which can help the City meet its need for a more affordable housing stock, strengthen the tax base and provide an opportunity for many of the employees within the medical district to reside within walking distance of work. Either RMF 3B (35 dwellings per acre) or RMF 3A (45 dwellings per acre) could be considered appropriate zoning designations, which may better reflect present-day marketability than the present medical office designation. Such RMF designations could accommodate between 488 and 628 dwelling units depending on which RMF designation were applied. Although it is recommended that this area build out as a predominantly high-density residential enclave, medical office and limited commercial use should be considered as conditional uses. Residential Multi-Family - Moderate Density That portion of the Medical Office District lying north of NE 214 Street consists of a narrow band of formerly single family development of only one lot deep. Because of the shallow lot depths and the immediate proximity of a single family neighborhood beyond the City limit, high density or large scale residential or office uses are not appropriate. Consequently, this area is recommended for townhouse or similar moderate density multi-family residential use. While the RMF3 zoning district, which provides for 25 dwellings per acre and up to 4 stories, may be an appropriate designation, to maintain compatibility with the neighborhood to the north, a reduction in density and maximum height should be considered. Total residential development capacity is estimated to range from 26 dwellings, if developed as townhomes, to up to 73 dwellings if developed as mid-rise apartments Commercial Out Parcels At two locations, at the northern and southern edges of the Medical Office District, there exist several triangular-shaped parcels with frontage and access along Biscayne Boulevard. While such parcels could conceivably be assembled with adjacent properties for office or residential development, it is more likely that these properties would be developed as freestanding commercial outparcels. Such commercial uses should be limited to those that would not detract from the character and image of the Medical Office District, as permitted in the B2 zoning district. 3 Development Intensity Standards The intensity, compactness and efficiency of development which can be achieved in the MO District is a function of the development standards that govern floor area ratio (ratio of building area to site area), maximum lot coverage (percent of site covered by buildings), minimum landscaped open space (percent of site in green space), minimum setbacks (distance of buildings from property lines) and parking ratios (ratio of parking spaces to office space). In several cases noted below, present development standards may not be conducive to an efficient, compact and II urban II character suited to a medical office district. As a reference, present development standards for the MO District are compared with those in place for the region's largest medical complex surrounding Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami Medical Center. Floor Area Ratio (FAR) Present FARs are variable with a base of 0.40 and an additional 0.11 for each additional floor. Thus, a 10 story building would be permitted a total area of FAR 1.39, or 139% of the gross lot area. This compares with a FAR of 1.72 permitted surrounding Jackson Hospital. Maximum Lot Coverage Present maximum lot coverage ranges from 40% to 45% of gross lot area, depending on the proportion of parking provided in parking garages. This coincides with the maximum 40% coverage applicable to the medical district at Jackson Hospital. Minimum Landscaped Open Space The total percentage of site area required to be maintained as landscaped open space ranges from 33% to 39% depending on proportion of parking provided in parking garages. This requirement may be considered excessive for an intensely developed urban district, and may act as an impediment to efficient, compact development. As noted above, the open space requirement may preclude development up to the maximum floor area ratio without resorting to parking structures, which may be infeasible or uneconomic for smaller office developments. The comparative open space requirement applicable to the medical district at Jackson Hospital is 15% of gross lot area, less than half of that required by Aventura's MO District. Consideration should be given to reducing this requirement. Setbacks Present front, side and rear yard setbacks applicable in the MO District are 50 feet, 20 feet and 25 feet, respectively. As with the minimum open space requirements, these may be considered 4 excessive for the development of a compact urban district. They compare with setbacks of 10 feet for front, side and rear yards in the medical district at Jackson Hospital. Consideration should be given to reducing these requirements. Parking Ratios The present parking ratio applicable to medical and dental offices is one space per 300 square feet of office - a well-established standard and the same that applies in the medical district at Jackson Hospital. However, "large office buildings", or those 150,000 square feet and over, are required to provide additional parking according to a formula. As applied to a 150,000 square foot office building, this would have the effect of increasing required parking from 500 spaces (based on 1 space per 300 square feet) to 644 spaces, an approximate 29% increase. Considering the possibility that the development of affordable housing within walking distance could reduce parking demand for those district employees residing nearby, present parking requirements may exceed what may actually be needed, thus unnecessarily increasing development costs. Therefore, it is suggested that the present parking requirement be reviewed. Local Street and Streetscape Pattern Figure 2 depicts potential adjustments to the local street pattern, as described below. Potential Street Closures In order to support the consolidation of sites for larger scale development, the City should be prepared to assist in property assembly by abandoning certain existing streets or rights-of-way. These include NE 214 Street and NE 208 Terrace. Neither street provides essential internal connectivity, or access to Biscayne Boulevard. Potential New Streets Potential new streets, depicted in dashed lines on Figure 2, include the following: NE 30 Avenue / NE 213 Street extension across Biscayne Boulevard. This linkage could become a major entrance to the district and to the neighborhood to the north. NE 213 Street extended east from where it presently ends at NE 28 Avenue, to define an edge between the predominant office use to the south and the predominant residential use to the north. 5 NE 212 Street, extending from NE 28 Street to Biscayne Boulevard and defining the edge of the Aventura Hospital compound. NE 29 Avenue to connect the north edge of Aventura Hospital to the office and residential development to the north. District Character Enhancements The Aventura Medical Office District has the potential to redevelop over time as a lively mixed use district comprising a concentration of small and large scale medical offices, close-in walkable and affordable housing and supporting commercial uses. The modifications to zoning codes and adjustments to the local street pattern, described above, are necessary but not sufficient to guide redevelopment to produce a character and unique identity consistent with the high standards of community aesthetics maintained elsewhere in the City of Aventura. In order to improve upon the quality and character of development it is recommended that the City consider two additional initiatives, as follows. Streetscape Enhancements As shown conceptually in the Illustrative Plan, a network of streetscape enhancements could greatly improve the aesthetics and the pedestrian environment and connectivity within the district. Components should include street trees and sidewalk along all local streets, enhancement of NE 28 Avenue as a well- landscaped pedestrian-vehicular spine and the creation of a continuously landscaped edge along Biscayne Boulevard. In addition, the district may benefit from the creation of a "themed" wayfinding signage system and identity features such as entrance gateways and roundabouts. Design Guidelines Whether the Medical Office District is developed so as to II read II as a defined district, rather than a fragmented collection of individual office, residential and commercial structures, depends on the degree of harmony and consistency in the design of individual elements. In order to achieve a consistency in scale, building orientation, colors, materials and architectural features, a set of basic design guidelines is recommended to be developed and applied through an overlay district, or similar means. 6 Aventura Medical Office District City of Aventura, Florida Flllllre 1 . CDnl:!~tual Urban ~YllIDPIll~~t FramewD~ . ,~: Aventura Medical Office District City of Avel\tura. Florida Figure 2 .~tl'tletNetwork COnsideration --. Aventura Medical Office District City of Aventura. 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