Miami Beach’s Planning Board yesterday deferred a vote yesterday on a new Whole Foods Market due to traffic and design concerns.
Developer Crescent Heights wants to replace a Wells Fargo bank branch at 1901 Alton Road with a new 4-story building that would include the Whole Foods supermarket, a newly rebuilt Wells Fargo branch, and three levels of parking.
The existing Whole Foods on Alton Road will remain open, even if a new store is eventually approved.
The proposal called for 4,557 square feet of bank space, 39,623 square feet of supermarket, a 148 seat cafe, and 300 parking spaces. Board members expressed concern over the size and design of the structure and the traffic that it would generate.
The board will consider a revised plan for a smaller store at a meeting next month.
