At its April 18 regular meeting, the Miami Lakes Town Council unanimously approved The Graham Companies’ request to amend the Town’s Land Use Map to make way for a large senior residential community on the west side of town.
The area, located west of Commerce Way and at the intersection of N.W. 146 Street, was preliminarily rezoned from industrial use to residential multi-family medium density for the 220-unit Senior Village on 19.5 acres of property.
In addition, an assisted living facility, a nursing facility and a dedicated senior community center are included in the second phase of the plan.
The project is a partnership with Miami Jewish Health Systems.
Some residents, including retired U.S. Senator Bob Graham and Miami Lakes’ first mayor Wayne Slaton, supported the Senior Village residential community, indicating the project meets the growing population of senior citizens in Miami Lakes. Others opposed the plan calling the project an overdevelopment which may bring in more traffic.
Luis Martinez, senior vice president of The Graham Companies, has been working tirelessly for years to bring a senior citizen residential community to Miami Lakes.
“We believe in this project because it would bring so much value to the community,” he told council members.
For traffic concerns, the Senior Village project will benefit from several proposed transportation improvement in residential areas with the reconfiguration of the intersection between the Palmetto Expressway and Miami Lakes Drive that includes widening of Miami Lakes Drive from N.W. 79 Avenue to the Palmetto Expressway; direct ramp to access I-75; east-west underpass across the Palmetto Expressway at N.W. 146 Street and also at N.W. 160 Street.
The Senior Village is welcomed by most residents who quipped they are aging and may benefit from the development.
Leslie Leinbein gave an emotional speech in support of the Senior Village.
She said her husband of more than 40 years and her law partner, started developing signs of Alzheimer’s Disease, and some residents found him wondering around town and returned him home.
“That’s when I knew I had to place in him an ALF,” Leinbein said as she fought back tears. “But the ALF is far away because we couldn’t find one nearby. If an ALF was in Miami Lakes, I could visit him everyday and take care of him.”
Abel Fernandez, a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Battalion Chief, said he doesn’t mind the Senior Village but the town should delay the development project until the town’s traffic problem is resolved.
“I’m not opposed to the development, but not at this time,” he said.
In other Town actions:
• Despite an opposition from residents who alluded an expansion project would jeopardize their quality of life, Council members approved a site plan change for Elevate Church to erect a 16,813 square foot building for a new 813 seat sanctuary and expand its parking lot.
The church is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Miami Lakes Drive and Miami Lakeway South.
The site, which is about 4.21 acres, would see a new building adjacent to the existing facility with construction of an additional 185 space parking lot, relocation of the basketball court, the addition of a new entrance and egress driveway, removal of 15 trees and the preservation of 41 existing trees and the installation of 78 trees and installation of 1,710 shrubs.
The new site plan also includes increasing the width of the sidewalk near the facility, and modify the proposal to use structural soil and sod instead of asphalt at the rear driveway overflow parking area, and add removable traffic blocking devices to discourage use of the driveway at non-peak times.
The applicant has agreed to contribute $37,136 to the town’s mobility fee program, which is used to improve traffic mobility for the developments of new projects.
Once developed, the new building will only be used on the weekends, easing up on the town-wide traffic problems.
Some residents, who have lived in Miami Lakes for years, raised opposition to the expansion of the church, indicating more people will park vehicles on their lawns and backyard spaces, and the new entrance and exit of the building would generate more traffic Miami Lakes Drive.
Some residents support the church’s expansion project, indicating the new facility is needed to invite people and their families for worship service, youth groups and support groups to help people cope with illnesses and deaths.
• Lawmakers gave their final approval for an ordinance which would allow certain homeowners with outstanding liens to settle their code enforcement cases for less than the original fines.
The ordinance would provide for a process to reduce certain outstanding liens for properties that would have been otherwise eligible to apply for the Lien Amnesty program.
• On first reading, council members approved two separate but related ordinances to create a selection process to pick the next town manager and town attorney.
The selection process for the two executive positions is the first under the town’s new charter in which a citizens committees and council members will pick the next town manager and town attorney. Previously, the mayor selected a candidate and his colleagues had to approve his confirmation.
• Council members authorized the issuance of a work order issued under the town’s Continuing Engineering Services contract for the design of Complete Streets Implementation in Business Park East and Main Street in the amount of $235,000, which includes a 10 percent contingency, for the design of bicycle and pedestrian improvements partially funded by FDOT alternatives program (TAP); and authorize the corresponding budget revision in the amount of $50,000.
• Lawmakers approved a resolution to authorize the town manager to award a contract in the amount of $65,000 to Z Roofing and Waterproofing Inc. for roof replacement work for town facilities, including the Mary Collins Community Center.