At the June 6 Town Council meeting, council members gave their unanimous final approval to amend the town’s future land use map, plat and site plans, and rezoning plans to make way for a 220-unit age-restricted Senior Housing Village adult community along with an Assisted Living Facility and Skilled Nursing Facility in partnership with Miami Jewish Health Systems.
Lawmakers gave The Graham Companies the green light to build the comprehensive village project on a 19.5 acre site on the west side of Commerce Way and N.W. 146 Street bordering Graham Dairy Lake.
As part of the agreement, the developers offered 1.3 acre for park space and construction of a 6,000 square foot building for a senior community center complete with exterior finishes, in partial fulfillment of the “small park concurrency” requirement.
The town would operate the senior community center which will include a gym and pool.
In lieu of a “large park concurrency” impact fee, the developers may donate minimum of 1.51 acres of land to contribute to a large park.
Occupancy of the residential development may not occur prior to January 1, 2020. Miami Jewish Health Systems hopes to open its facilities within the next 24 months.
In other town actions:
• Council members approved a variance and site plan to allow Lucida to build a residential development including eight three-story residential buildings with 108 total units at 15800 N.W. 77 Court, where the site is located between the Bob Graham Education Center and the Courtyard Miami Lakes Hotel. The Palmetto Expressway is located east of the property.
The proposed development is a watered down version from the six six-story buildings with 120 units that council members rejected earlier this year because of height issues and residents’ concerns about traffic congestion and the impact to Bob Graham Education Center.
The applicant filed a lawsuit against Miami Lakes but withdrew the litigation after the two sides agreed on a compromise proposal which makes the new plan more compatible with the surrounding neighborhoods.
To minimize the impact to the school, the applicant has agreed to build a concrete wall around a portion of the property, plant 30-foot trees and install tinted windows for the residential units to prevent visibility from students as well as people walking near the development.
The applicant also agreed to pay the town a mobility fee of $123,261 for a projected 712 daily trips on the road. Earliest occupancy for any of the units is restricted to January 1, 2020.
Mayor Manny Cid was the sole dissenting vote for the project.
• Council members approved a resolution to assert legislative findings that necessitate the town to be exempt from the Miami-Dade County’s Workforce Housing requirement, and authorizing the town manager to prepare a town ordinance addressing conditions unique to the town, to be adopted by December 31, 2017.
• Council members approved a resolution to encourage the town to utilize Active Design principals to directly impact the overall health and well-being of the town.
Active Design, which is a priority in the town’s strategic plan, seeks to develop and improve the built environment in a manner that encourages healthy life styles.
• Council members approved a resolution to authorize the town manager to execute a contract with AshBritt Inc., to provide Disaster Debris Management on an as needed basis for three years.
• Council members approved a resolution to authorize the town manager to award a contract in an amount not to exceed $2 million to Acosta Tractors for three phases of roadway and drainage improvements in Lake Sarah.
• Council members approved a resolution to authorize the town manager to issue a work order in an amount not to exceed $135,000 to A.D.A. Engineering for design of canal bank stabilization.
Miami Lakes identified the project for the Golden Glades (N.W. 170 Street) and Peters Pike (N.W. 77 Court) canals, as a critical endeavor to maintain a safe and effective canal system, reduce the amount of debris and vegetation entering the canals, and improve the flow of storm water through the SFWMD C-8 primary canal system and town’s interconnecting lakes.
• Council members approved a resolution to support Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization’s SMART plan to reduce traffic congestion by providing transportation services and taking as many vehicles off the roads throughout the county.
Though the SMART plans doesn’t include traffic improvements in the Miami Lakes area, the county will create a plan for the Northwest Miami-Dade area to include in the SMART plan in the future.
• Council members approved the town manager’s request to apply for $50,000 Urban Community Development Block Grant for fiscal years 2018-2020.
By submitting a letter of intent to Miami-Dade County, Miami Lakes joins other county areas competing for the grant.