In a move to expand the commercial tax base of the Town of Miami Lakes, a councilmember is proposing to annex a chunk of commercial property near Opa-locka Airport, but residents must approve any attempt to expand the town’s peripheries through a referendum.
Councilmember Nelson Rodriguez is requesting that town staff study the pros and cons of annexing the area west of the airport and adjacent to N.W. 57 Avenue between 154 and 138 streets.
The area is part of the Miami Opa-Locka Executive Airport owned by Miami-Dade County and includes a variety of recent commercial developments including warehouses and retail operations.
He also requested a staff study for the possible annexation of the commercial area bounded by N.W. 57 Avenue on the east, Ludlam Road (N.W. 67 Avenue) on the west, a canal on the north and the Palmetto Expressway on the South.
This area includes multiple warehouses, retail operations and the campus of Dade Christian School.
He made the request at the January 17 regular Council meeting.
“This area is strictly commercial and has no residential houses or apartments,” Rodriguez said in a memo to his colleagues.
According to Miami-Dade County Annexation and Incorporation records, no other city is seeking to annex the area, which is near the western boundary of Miami Gardens.
Rodriguez’s proposal is the latest annexation discussion for Miami Lakes, where lawmakers and residents rejected previous ideas to shield their quality of life.
0002000007AA000005EC7A4,In fact, residents approved a referendum, which was proposed by Councilmember Frank Mingo, that voters must initially give lawmakers the green light to proceed with any annexation plans.
In 2003, council members rejected annexing a huge chunk of land west of 1-75 since it contained a landfill and devoid of infrastructure.
The City of Hialeah eventually annexed the property.
Several years ago, a study was conducted to determine the impact if Miami Lakes was to annex Palm Springs North, an unincorporated community north of the town.
The proposal led to a backlash and Mingo’s referendum proposal.
In addition to annexation, lawmakers were expected to give their initial approval for an ordinance to place a six-month moratorium on establishing marijuana dispensing organizations and medical marijuana treatment centers within the town, in order to consider and weigh the changes to the town’s land development Code needed to suitably register and accommodate these centers within town boundaries.
In November, Florida residents approved a ballot for medical marijuana to expand the medicine to people suffering from cancer, HIV, Parkinson’s disease and other health issues that doctors must determine if the patient needs medical marijuana.
Another ordinance before lawmakers at the meeting concerned placing a six-month moratorium on the approval of permits to install telecommunication towers and equipment in the town’s public rights-of-way.
The abeyance gives town officials a chance to weigh the changes to the land development code needed to suitably accommodate the structures within the town’s boundaries, while complying with new state and federal laws allowing cellphone towers.
Also on the agenda was Councilmember Tony Lama’s proposal to replace the town’s on-demand bus services with ride haring service providers.
(Editor’s note: A complete summary of actions taken at the January 17 meeting will be included in the February 3 issue.)