Retail project gets deferred

Posted on Sunday, July 02, 2006

MIAMI BEACH

Retail project gets deferred

A key decision on two brothers' quest to build a large retailer in Miami Beach's Sunset Harbour neighborhood was deferred so planners can analyze traffic in the area.

By Susan Anasagasti
sanasagasti@MiamiHerald.com

Developers Zalman and Solomon Fellig's quest to bring a new home-improvement store to Miami Beach's Sunset Harbour neighborhood is still alive.

After discussing the controversial retail project at length, the city's Planning Board voted Tuesday to defer the item until its next meeting on July 25.

Planning Director Jorge Gomez asked the board to defer making a decision until city planners can analyze traffic in the area.

The brothers, who own two lots in Sunset Harbour, want to build a home improvement store -- possibly a Home Depot -- on the lot between Bay Road and West Avenue. But they first need a ''conditional use'' approval by the city's Planning Board. For several months, residents in Sunset Harbour and surrounding communities have raised concerns saying the proposed project will have a negative effect on the city's already congested streets.

But the Fellig brothers said Tuesday they are willing to address those concerns to assure that nearby roads continue to meet adequate levels of service -- according to city standards -- once the retail opens.

The proposed site for the project is zoned for industrial uses. The brothers contend they have the right to build a large retailer on their land.

But thanks to a new set of ordinances approved by the City Commission last month, applicants now need a conditional-use approval by the city's Planning Board to build on land 50,000 square-feet or greater in the neighborhood.

Among the new criteria: The planning board must now consider whether the scale of the proposed project is compatible with the character of the surrounding area and how the adverse impacts are proposed to be addressed.

Before the ordinances were approved, projects were only reviewed by the design review board or the historic preservation board.

The Fellig brothers say the stricter zoning rules were created in response to concerns first raised by residents in January, when rumors started circulating about their plans to negotiate a deal with Home Depot.

Residents said a big-box retailer would ruin the area's quality of life. The Sunset Harbour neighborhood, located just east of Biscayne Bay and north of 17th Street, is home to luxury high-rises, popular restaurants and a Publix. But it is also home to tow company lots and a maintenance facility for the city's Parking Department.

Rob Curtis, an urban planner hired by the applicant, made a presentation to the board. He said the area is in desperate need of a makeover and most of the buildings, built in the 1940s, need to be redeveloped.

''This is an industrial area. We aren't asking for any variances. These uses are all allowed within that [district],'' Curtis said. ``This is a high-end type of facility.''

He said the store's hours of operation would be from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.

He also said the deliveries would be made at night, during off-peak hours.

Solomon Fellig spoke for several minutes. He made his pitch -- for the first time -- to the dozens of residents who packed City Hall. He said representatives from a home improvement store approached him more than a year ago.

''We told them we weren't interested. I was worried they were going to put a regular big box [at the site],'' he said. ``But we convinced them to make a state-of-the-art new building.''

Still, residents, including Fred Pollack of Sunset Harbour, remain concerned, despite the building's innovative designs.

''This is really a destination store, not a neighborhood store,'' he said.

``We live in Miami Beach. You don't need a traffic study to know . . . this is just going to make it worse.''

Copyright 2006 Knight Ridder

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