Brickell’s ‘Chicken Lot’ Could Get Rapid Transit Zoning, Allowing High Intensity Development

Brickell’s “chicken lot” is among those proposed to be added to Miami-Dade’s Rapid Transit Metromover Subzone, hinting that a high intensity development is in the works for the property.

Brazilian developer Galwan won approval in 2016 for a 44-story hotel on the site, designed by Arquitectonica. In 2017, the company announced it would be managed by Wyndham, but no construction work has taken place yet.

Other properties proposed to be added to the RTZ, all in Brickell, include:

  • Citadel’s property where a 12-unit apartment building was just demolished
  • The Starlite Motel property, where demolition was just completed
  • A full block including a shopping center with a CVS at the entrance to Brickell
  • 221 Southwest 11 Street and adjacent lots

Miami Dade’s commission voted to adapt the proposal on a first reading April 18. It is tentatively scheduled for a public hearing before the Transportation, Mobility, and Planning Committee on June 14, 2023.

 

The 44-story Wyndham proposed for the chicken lot in 2016:

The properties approved by county commissioners this week to be added to the RTZ, on a first reading:

The chicken lot as seen in February:

(photo: Phillip Pessar)

 

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Urbanist
1 month ago

Time for the City of Miami to update their zoning code to allow more density, height, and intensity around MetroRail stations in our city’s core.

Our core isn’t just Downtown anymore.

Anonymous
1 month ago

What does that mean? Brickell was always a part of the core.

Urbanist
1 month ago

The density developers can build in this part of Brickell is half of what can be built in downtown. Cross the MetroRail to the west and it is 1/9th of what can be built in downtown.

I think many could consider all of this one large central core district, as the County does.

Anonymous
1 month ago

It’s meant to be a transition zone and 24 floors is by no means low-density.

A central core can be dense without being super-tall. Look at Greenwich Village, or DC or Paris, or the building announced for Edgewater today. Is there another way to add density and improve infrastructure/public space here and nearby and elevate the quality of life for residents?

Investing in public improvements would help developers turn some of those single family homes into masterplanned areas.

Reducing public space, air and light could make it too affordable, like unlivable, undesirable and result in vacancies, and that is the opposite of what we want. The appeal of not being directly on the water is having more airspace, parks, and other amenities. The county should think it through and strike the right creative balance here.

Anonymous
1 month ago

Love that the County sees one central core and is promoting development in this part of Brickell. It’s SMART 👏 👏 👏

Ignacius Reilly
1 month ago

I see what you did there….

Ignacius Reilly
1 month ago

Brickell is a part of Downtown.

Anonymous
1 month ago

False. Brickell didn’t start becoming an extension of what was historically the “Downtown Miami” core until the 1960s. Prior to that, east of Miami Avenue was like Coconut Grove and west to the FEC tracks when they still existed and then I-95 looked like Riverside.

Ignacius Reilly
1 month ago

Really?
You post in the comment section as if you know your history.

So….when I am standing at the statue of Mary Brickell…are you saying that I’m not in “downtown”?

From what I’ve been told, the Brickell neighborhood was named after Mary Brickell (whose statue is on the median of Brickell Avenue, just south of the Brickell Bridge).
Maybe I have bad information, but it seems like Brickell has been influential to the development of Miami for a very long time.

Anonymous
1 month ago

Agree with the CVS/McDonalds being a supertall high intensity masterplanned development, the area could be reimagined.

Anonymous
1 month ago

I agree, instead of that “meticulously designed” box.

Anonymous
1 month ago

The city already did with this little thing called “Miami21.” Too bad every developer asks for waiver after waiver, and the result looks worse and more anti-urbanism than many old code buildings.

Anon
1 month ago

If developers build outside of transit zones they should have to invest in metro expansion fund. This will inspire competition around transit, or build the transit….

Ignacius Reilly
1 month ago

Are you 100% sure?
I’d bet that if you added more regulations and requirements, developers will NOT be “inspired” at all.

Anon
1 month ago

How come the sidewalks in new buildings in wynwood are triple the size, there are mid block pass throughs decorated with lights and beautiful landscaping….

What is being done in brickell like this? All these waivers are sacrificing neighborhood beautification.

Anonymous
1 month ago

Sometimes you need some requirements to spawn creativity. Look at Wynwood, the sidewalks and new buildings are reshaping the public landscape. Not many of the proposal for Brickell are doing this…

Miami First
1 month ago

Why give waivers, we are working with the best in the world. This is one of the safest and best investments in the US.

Be Real. Be Bold. Believe in Miami.
1 month ago

Its necessary domain to redevelop the commercial plaza block on 7/8th. It may need a central thoroughfare and redesigned turn lanes to direct traffic in and out of freeway .

Anon
1 month ago

Let’s add more condos. Not just apartments so people can invest in the community.

Anon
1 month ago

The entire purple blocks west of the Underline look huge, two entire blocks, could be a world class master plan redevelopment like MWC or BCC with Whole Foods, public square, retail, iconic super talls, etc. Could be great expansion for Swire or JDS.

Ignacius Reilly
1 month ago

Why?
The MDC Code supersedes it anyway.

Anonymous
1 month ago

This will be iconic, game-changing intensity.

Anyonymous
1 month ago

Wonder if this will affect the mid-rise proposed for the CVS block on 8th St-2nd/3rd Aves, announced yesterday. This could open door for entire block to be redeveloped to an iconic masterplan, Brickell city centre style, with public square at Brickell gateway area.

Anonymous
1 month ago

Good, that proposal was one of the worst I’ve seen since the aforementioned Galwan pizza slice/bowling shirt pattern-cladded box.

True
1 month ago

Agree. It was a stunning urban paradise, and still is, but we have seen it. This modern public square in Brickell calls for something new and even more spectacular.

Name*
1 month ago

yay for the CVS mcdonalds megablock redevelopment.

Anon
1 month ago

I’m craving chicken nuggies. Good thing they deliver. Hint: if you’re getting fast food a non-Brickell chain may have better prices and gets to you just as fast.

Anonymous
1 month ago

Another beaut by Arquitectonica!
(sorry—they said they’d kill my whole family back in Fukistan if I don’t post this as often as possible)

Anon
1 month ago

Build it without parking

Chyneesha
1 month ago

They ruined the Douglas Road station buildings becuase there is tons of parking. I bet 3 people living at the new buildings will use Metrorail.

Miami Dade First
1 month ago

For the RTZ zone, we should allow a building with l limited parking to go super tall ONLY if a developer includes a large master block public square that is maintained and secured daily, like the Brickell City Centre ✅

Anonymous
1 month ago

Instead of forcing people to use transit by eliminating parking, encourage them to do so by providing better and more frequent service… people who live in those buildings might work or shop on Miracle Mile or in the Grove where they’d still need a car.

Voltaire
1 month ago

Borrowers with good credit will subsidize people with low credit ….

Kitty f w
1 month ago

Young People subsidize old people on social security. Pray, do tell, what’s your point?

Voltaire
1 month ago

😊 great…… if you think that way…now pay more on your mortgage and do not apply for Medicare when you are old … since you think both policies go the same way … Milleniun 🤓😂!!

Anonymous
1 month ago

One is a mandated FDR-era scam and the other incentives reckless spending, like what caused the 2008 economic crisis. Apples to oranges…

Anonymous
1 month ago

In other news, cash buyers will beat out the credit needy.

Anonymous
1 month ago

I like all the locations – except 11/2nd. Huge gorgeous banyan tree there and historical building on the lot, perfect spot for a big park. There is a low affordable building next to it… they’d have to tear that down I think bc it would be overshadowed. I do want to see something new and nicer here. I am torn – trust the experts, but this spot seems unique for study.

Anonymous
1 month ago

For redevelopment of that assemblage, i’d love to see the old two-story house moved closer east, and restored and preserved into a restaurant with outdoor seating around the banyan. If not, be required it is moved and adaptively reused as such, or sold as house.

Anon
1 month ago

The smaller one below the Banyon on the north side is my favorite. It looks like it could be a fun restaurant, like the Delores/Lolita one, if they landscaped and had tables under the Banyon….

Let’s go
1 month ago

80 stories

Anonymous
1 month ago

Making chicken salad out of chicken lot.

Anonymous
1 month ago

This includes RTZ-Brickell. Will this stop the area from growing and getting nicer? Hoping to see some high-end retailers added to 2nd Ave.

Miami Realist
1 month ago

Before this happens, Brazilian developer Galwan needs to give a 60 day notice to the chickens. As per new Dade County Tenant right Act.

Anonymous Me
1 month ago

So why exactly is it known as the “Chicken Lot”? I’m not familiar enough with that part of town. Are there wild chickens roaming and roosting or something?

Joe CARollo
1 month ago

Si

anon
1 month ago

“The Rapid Transit Zone bypasses city zoning rules to allow higher intensity development near mass transit.” – https://www.thenextmiami.com/countys-rapid-transit-zoning-includes-citadel-brickell-property-expanded-countywide/

Anonymous
1 month ago

Good description of RTZ here:

The RTZ is meant to implement the County’s policies of attracting transit ridership, establishing a more-compact and efficient urban profile within the Urban Development Boundary and developing residential density, along with commercial and employment intensity, necessary to support mass-transit systems.

For properties in unincorporated Miami-Dade that fall within the buffer, the ordinance maintains minimum floor-area ratios — the proportion of a building’s entire usable floor area to the total area of the site on which it is situated — and requires 12.5% of the units to be dedicated for workforce housing for residential developments of four units or more. It also creates a streamlined rezoning process.

https://amp.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article265039554.html

Anonymous
1 month ago

That’s be far too sensible

Anon
1 month ago

What does this mean? Sorry – I don’t work in real estate

Anonymous
1 month ago

It means they want to turn brickell into a ghetto.

Anonymous
1 month ago

That may not be a fair assessment. Would be good to learn more.

Anonymous
1 month ago

Don’t worry folks! High intensity developments offer state-of-the-art amenities and bring young professionals who value convenience and accessibility.

Anonymous
1 month ago

Nice! Great work Miami-Dade.

Anonymous
1 month ago

* “[T]he Underline which has recently been funded, thank god, and they will now be able to create a population mass along the system. Hopefully, that will cause additional retail facilities and restaurants to grow up around that area, all going back to the original envision concept of value recapture. For those who are familiar with the Atlanta system, the Atlanta system has been the most successful urban development that has occurred in many, many years. And the walking paths along their old abandoned railroad tracks have grown into industrial restaurants and commercial areas. I believe that is what the Underline is going to spur here in Dade County.” (Jan 2020, pre-pandemic) It’s working successfully as envisioned.

https://www.natlawreview.com/article/rapid-transit-zones-miami-dade-county?amp

Anonymous
1 month ago

Too bad after all that success, Atlanta has become the LA of the South.

Anyonymous
1 month ago

Does this mean FAR requirements for size of units and MORE affordable housing? Is this improving the area or bringing down quality of life and deterring high-end investment?

Yet Another Anonymous
1 month ago

two views of a river

Anonymous
1 month ago

How does banning micro units help build more units? Won’t it just reduce quality. I’d rather live in super nice studio with resort amenities than a basic gov one-bedroom.

Ignacius Reilly
1 month ago

More supply, ceteris paribus, means lower housing prices.

Anonymous
1 month ago

What’s the difference between the different colors and shading?

Anonymous
1 month ago

For the NIMBYS/trolls, what does that map say for the lot between 2nd/3rd “RTZ-Brickell” – For record, don’t see west. People are using that as a slur. They can stop saying that now. Thnx.

Miami Anonymous
1 month ago

Not a NIMBY or troll, but west Brickell is the area west of the metrorail and not as nice visually as Brickell. If you want a discount on rent live in west brickell, it’s just a short walk away from brickell. Source: I live in west Brickell.

Anonymous
1 month ago

Sounds like a case to make to the landlord. It’s just as nice, maybe nicer in parts. Depends on the block like anywhere in Brickell. It’s an old building v. new development distinction, not geographic one. Brickell, like the map.

Ignacius Reilly
1 month ago

Not a NIMBY or troll, but since at least 1992 when I first came to Brickell, the Metrorail and Metromover both existed, and everything west of them up until I-95 was called “West Brickell”.

In the early 2000’s, when I was looking for affordable development sites, the low-rise apts and single family residences of West Brickell were trading at a tremendous discount to Brickell Ave, Miami Ave, or anything east of the MetroMover/Rail (and still do).

Finally, a generation later, West Miami is catching up.
Still a significant discount, but at least Realtors are convincing some people that West Brickell is the same as Brickell and these people are taking the bait.

West Brickell is perfectly fine.
It is great place to invest, and a great place to live, I’m sure.
You will not likely have an announcement of a Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Saks Fifth Ave or a new Citadel Office Headquarters WEST of the Metromover in my lifetime, but West Brickell is perfectly fine.

Anonymous
1 month ago

This is just some insider phony narrative someone told you, but it’s never been recognized by the public. This is just marketing from someone heavily invested in downtown and by the bay, they don’t want to see Brickell fill to its true potential, bc it’s competition. But brickell needs this area to be completed nicely if it wants to be a fully realized neighborhood into next several decades, and not decline from being stagnant. You can go back and see it referred all to Brickell for many decades now.

Anonymous
1 month ago

Developers and buyers: DDA may be putting out this false narrative so people take the bait to move downtown and in far east Brickell, where there are mostly old code buildings.

They want you to pay the DDA TIFF tax for their sponsored development sites in downtown and Overtown. If the other half of Brickell gets built up, they would not get a financial cut from it… pure greed. don’t fall for it!

You’ll be more profitable building up the highly coveted area in Brickell as it is a 5-10 min* walk to all the main attraction in Brickell and easily accessible central to all Miami .

Anonymous
1 month ago

RTZ-Metromover Expansion is what some of the parcels in W. Brickell are labeled as in the image above. Is the county considering expanding the metromover there?

Anonymous
1 month ago

No, it means within minutes, you can be a train platform if you just put one foot in front of the other.