years. If I stay with the insurance, >> yeah, >> they cover me for any type of cancer that I get as on the on the on the in the line of duty cancer. So,
that was a state that was a state law. We have a couple minutes uh delayed. Um we're just waiting for somebody to show up on on the Zoom >> screen. Our town attorney is in Tallahassee, so he we're waiting for him to uh dial in on
Zoom. We can't start without without him. All right. Want to use this for the first time. Call the meeting to order. Is um 22 minutes to 7. A little bit of a
delay. So, let's all stand up for uh the pleasure. >> Uh Mr. Senator, if I may call roll first before we begin. >> Okay, let's sit down then. >> Calling roll for the planning and zoning board meeting. Board member Deasier, >> present.
>> Board member Julia, >> present. >> Board member Cruz, >> present. >> Board member Lonzio, >> present. >> Vice Chair Rodriguez, >> here. >> And chair Senra, >> present. >> Chair, you have quorum. >> Thank you. All right, let's stand up for
our pledge of allegiance. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
>> Right. We have the u the approval of the uh last uh meetings. >> I'll make I'll make a motion to approve the last meeting. >> I'll go ahead and second that. >> All right. We have a motion and we have a second. >> Okay. Calling roll to approve the
minutes. Motion by board member Deassier and seconded by board member Cruz. Is that correct? >> Yes. Yes, sir. >> Okay. Calling roll. Board member Julia. >> Yes. >> Board member Cruz. >> Yes. >> Board member Deacier. Yes. >> Board member Leonio.
>> Yes. >> Vice Chair Rodriguez. >> Yes. >> And Chair Senra. >> Yes. >> The minutes have been approved. >> Thank you. >> Mr. public comments. >> Lorenzo, are you there?
>> He's muted. >> Yes, I am. Sorry, just having a couple of technical difficulties. Can you all hear me? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Okay. So, um I've discussed the some of the issues uh before you tonight. You have two main two let's call them sets
of issues. One of them is quasi judicial in nature uh which is the pool variance that you will be hearing uh from the applicant. The second uh is two ordinances that will be coming before
the town council. Uh one of them is a flume amendment uh which requires uh a public hearing before this this board and the other one is a zoning rehearing. I mean, both matters are ones that are
not very common to come before this board, especially the Flume amendment. Uh we've heard from the public that uh several uh did not receive uh proper notice. And because that one statutoily does require a public notice uh not
public, not only a public notice, but requires that the public be not publicly be noticed that there's going to be a public hearing on the item. Sorry, I'm a little tongue tied. On the flume item, um we want to are on the side of caution uh and defer both items uh because one
has to do with the other. Uh obviously you cannot resone something uh that hasn't been changed in the comp plan um to a date certain which would be um whatever the planner thinks is is the date certain. Uh but that would be the motion that I would ask this board to
make. Now, uh I've spoken with uh the applicants uh council and the applicants council has asked even though this board will take that uh decision or that that decision is being asked of this board uh and even if this board decides to make
that decision or not uh that the applicant would still uh like to be able to make his um presentation or at least part of his presentation before this board. Now um again you can defer the item uh and and have a full hearing and
that's would be my suggestion that the full hearing take place uh in the future at a date certain uh in order to ensure that again the the public's wishes uh and we've heard from several members of the public are are uh granted especially when it comes again to that flume item
uh which I think is uh so important that we give uh proper uh proper notice and not saying that we didn't give proper notice But we just want to make sure that, you know, we we really uh go above and beyond for that item. >> All right. Thank you, council. Um at
this point, what I'd like to do is I'd like to uh make a motion to defer uh item um there's uh three here. Um over here 32 say we have like three or four
>> it's it's two items chair Mr. >> would be 5B and 5C. >> All right. So from the Graham Companies um hearing number 2026-007 and um on the back
>> Yeah. 26 20ou 2 2026 00007 and um >> and that's it. >> Just make a motion to uh defer um those two. >> I second the motion
>> and I would say Mr. Chair, I apologize for interrupting that it should be to a date certain. >> Yes. Uh March 10th is the date certain. >> Okay. deferred to March 10th and I second the motion to March 10th. All right. So, we have a motion and we have
a second. Okay. Calling roll on the motion to defer by chair Senra, seconded by board member de laier to defer items 5B and 5C to the March 10th hearing. Board member Deacier, >> yes.
>> Board member Julia, >> yes. Board member Cruz, >> yes. >> Board member Leonio, >> yes. >> Chair Rodriguez, Vice Chair Rodriguez, excuse me, >> yes. >> And Chair Senra, >> yes.
>> The motion is approved. >> Council, um, Mr. Chair, I think at this point, uh, you you've already made your motion and you've made your motion before public comments. So, at this point in time, um you can allow for public comments and you can also allow uh for
the applicant uh and since he's here today, uh to give his presentation. >> All right. Um from the uh applicants uh who is going to be doing the uh Mr. Martinez. All right.
>> Yes, Mr. Sandra through the the clerk. Uh we're going to go ahead and read the public comment instructions just for everyone involved. >> Go ahead. And to state for the record, we have received the exparte communication disclosure forms from the board members. Uh the majority have had
no communication apart from board member Julia who provided me an export of his conversation with uh Lewis Martinez. And for for those of you here, good evening. Welcome to the planning and zone zoning board meeting. And if you would like to participate in public comments, please approach the podium, state your name and
address for the record. Anyone wishing to participate in remote public comments online or via Zoom, please raise your hand by clicking on the reactions icon and select raise hand. Those of you joining the meeting via phone, please raise your hand by pressing the star or
the asterric symbol and then the number nine. It will then allow you to speak. Each member of the public is afforded three minutes. So again, welcome to the planning and zoning board meeting and remember to state your name and your address for the record. Thank you.
Go ahead, Mr. Martinez. >> Yes, go ahead and press the button on the bottom of the mic so we can hear you and it if you can start the PowerPoint presentation on the screens. Thank you. >> Good evening. Uh, thank you all for your service to the town and thank you for
being here tonight. Um, and thank you for for the time you'll spend with us. My name is Lewis Martinez at 6843 Main Street. I have a brief PowerPoint presentation I'd like to show you. There's the first slide. I'm here tonight on behalf of the grant companies looking for your support on our
applications for Lakeside, a proposed residential community on the east bank of Graham Derry Lake. We have three applications that are running concurrently. First, a flume amendment on three parcels changing from industrial office to medium density
residential. Second, the resoning of the same three parcels from IU to RM30 and resoning a fourth parcel from RM36 to RM30. And lastly, site plan application
for the entire 22.2 acres for 541 apartments producing an actual density of 24.4 units per acre. Next slide, please. Uh this is the 22 acre property uh was
originally in the Miami Lakes land use plan as industrial office with IU zoning. But back in 2010 along 15 years ago, we started working on a plan to bring a senior village to Miami Lakes that included age restricted apartments,
a facility for assisted living and skilled nursing and a community center. And this became the site for that plan. After seven years of planning and a lot of hard work, we approached the council in 2017 to change the future land use
plan or I'm sorry, the future land use map and reszone a 9.45 acre portion of the property to residential to accommodate seniors apartments. The the approved site plan is depicted here. It's the ones the units in the
middle. The resoning was approved on June 6th, 2017 as part of a senior village including Miami Jewish and a proposed community center. As we all are painfully aware, Miami Jewish backed out and left us in limbo
in December of 2019. We did not quit on the idea of a senior village, but instead we went back to work. We have been th countless iterations since then to no avail. The most recent with Doss Healthcare, who pulled out in 2024 after
having spent a million dollars in plans that were submitted to the town for their review. Unfortunately, after 15 years of unrelenting effort and Graham Company spending more than $4 million on the senior's project, we have been unsuccessful in bringing the senior
village to life. The large parcel that you see on the north there is vacant. That was to be the Bob Graham office building. And after spending $2 million there, we abandoned the endeavor after starting construction as the co as the
office market became untenable after uh COVID hit. Given the money spent on these 22 acres, we began to consider alternatives for the site as this site is going to be developed. Given the money spent here, uh, I'm sorry, with an
OP, uh, we now have an opportunity under the Florida's live local act that became law in early 2023. This law allows for multifamily development on commercially zoned property if at least 40% of the residential units are built for
affordable housing. Affordable is strictly defined and includes units set aside for households making up to 120% of the area median income for Miami date county. The act provides de uh provides
developers with significant tax benefits anywhere from a 75 to 100% uh reduction in annual property taxes for affordable units to encourage the construction of such units. Another significant inducement was the ability to develop
the land at the maximum density allowed in the municipality which in our town is 50 units to the acre. Further accommodation was offered by the county as it allowed the waving of impact fees for the development of affordable housing. All these benefits require a
30-year commitment 30-year commitment from the developer that the units will remain affordable. This presented a viable alternative for the property we are discussing today. As responsible developers, we are not huge fans of live local for various reasons, but it is a
very viable option given the poor economics of the senior village and the office market. Next slide, please. We began to evaluate live local plans such as this. You'll note this includes
220 units that were approved in 2017. We're not touching that part. 330 units in the area where the Bob Graham office building was planned and 272 units on the southern 5.5 acres for a total of 822 units. As we began having
discussions with town staff to potentially start working on this type of bringing this type of development to life, it became apparent to all that reszoning the property to residential, its highest and best use given its location was that bringing it that
reszoning it was a possibility with benefits to us and to the town. Next slide. It's hard to read, but this is a letter that I received from uh from the town manager on November 21st, 2025
indicating the possibility of reszoning to the newly created RM30 designation, of course, subject to town council approval. What are the benefits to the town of the applications before you? Next slide, please.
As you'll note here, by reszoning to RM30, the property is being significantly downzoned, limiting potential development of the property from a maximum of 978 units to a maximum
of 666 units, a a 32% reduction in density. Please note again that the actual site plan that we are proposing is 541 units or 55% of what currently zoning allows. 55%
of what current zoning allows. I'll cover some other financial impacts in a few moments. Now, some of you are developers and no developers probably thinking why in the world would the Graham companies downsize their land and when they when they could develop many
more units under live local and take advantage of the incentives uh provided by the state and the county. a few things. First, it allows for unifying the all the parcels under one zoning category to create a much better site plan. Second, managing affordable
housing and its reporting requirements for the next 30 years would be a new venture for us as it is outside our normal course of business. But most importantly, as we evaluated the possibilities, we came back to the grant company's overriding concern when
evaluating a development or a redevelopment opportunity. Is this a good thing for Miami Lakes? I think this plan undoubtedly is. Next slide, please. As mentioned, live local provides many incentives to developers to generate
affordable housing, which is needed in many communities, but it can hurt a municipality's ability to generate the taxes to keep the same community thriving. As you can see here, impact fees from the proposed project would generate
substantial payments to the town and the county. These impact fees would be significantly reduced if not waved under the county's affordable housing guidelines. Annual property taxes to the town from the proposed development would
also be substantial. Under live local, the town's portion of ad valorum taxes would be drastically less as all affordable units would be eligible for a 75% to 100% exemption depending on the level of affordability.
Overall, the proposed development is more beneficial to town residents than the alternative provided by Live Local. And contrary to popular belief, my wife and I, as well as my three kids and their families, are residents of the town of Miami Lakes. Proud residents of
the town of Miami Lakes. Now, we get to the proposed site plan. Next slide, please. In consultation and cooperation with the town's planning staff, we have produced what we think is a special development. 222 one-bedroom apartments, 244
two-bedroom apartments, and 75 three-bedroom apartments to meet the needs of Miami Lakes families. We've utilized the site well, but not overburdened it as the proposed RM30 zoning allows for 66
units or 125 more than what we propose. As you'll note in the drawings, the buildings fronting on Commerce Way have been brought close to the road to enhance curb appeal to those walking, biking, or driving by. Parking has been
placed such that it is not visible from outside the complex. And although zoning allows for five-story buildings, all the buildings along Commerce Way have been designed to three floors to minimize the external impacts.
To make the site more interesting, uh we we did add two buildings at the max allowed five stories and then the rest of them are fourstory buildings. Amenities will include a resto resort styled pool, clubhouse with work from home offices, a fitness center, dog
park, shaded green spaces, and more. The community will have one main entrance on Commerce Way and two additional exits, one on the north end and one on the south to improve connectivity. Next slide, please. The buildings were designed by Roger
Fry, the architect who did 6600 Crescent House and has been working with us since 1995 and knows Miami Lakes well. The buildings are highly compatible with the surrounding area and keep with the proven concepts that make Miami Lakes special, including tile roofs and lush
landscaping. As an example, code requires 562 trees on the site and yet silly us, we're providing 817 trees, 45% more than required. You can terminate the slide,
one last comment. Finally, while we were unsuccessful at creating the senior's village that we had imagined, we understand that the town has been eagerly awaiting the senior center, a key piece of the intended village. With that in mind, we have pledged to
contribute $1,280,000 towards the town's efforts to fund a senior center as part of the site plan application. As a company, we're proud of the contributions that we make to our town and continue to support improvements to our community. We
sincerely wish we had been able to create the senior village. Unfortunately, we just could not make it happen. And now we must move forward in a different path. The two paths available to us today are live local or
the applications before you today. In closing, staff is supportive of these applications and we hope you are as well. I thank you for your time tonight and already willing and able to answer any questions that you may have. Thank you.
>> I do have a question, Mr. Martinez. Originally, the u the senior living facilities that uh that you were going to build, how many apartments was was the was that? Well, the the actual
the the apartment side, the age restricted apartments were 220. >> 220. >> Yes, sir. And then >> plus the uh the ALF >> plus the ALF and the skilled nursing facility that Miami. >> But now we're looking at how many? 55 541 or >> and 541 and and and and yes, remember
that that site, the 22 acre site also had the Bob Graham office building. So it was Bob Graham office building 220 units >> which that area was not part of the original. It was not part of the senior's village, but it was part of the 22 acre. >> So, you have more more land now
available. Yes. I see. Okay. Any questions from >> Okay. through the chair. First, I just want to say Lewis and to the Graham Company. I'm deeply disappointed in Miami Jewish. I was part of the council
in 2017 and 2018 when I know that Luis Goaso had really produced an amazing amount of work to get this senior village going. Um I was looking forward to it. My
mother-in-law was looking forward to it. Um because she she lived here in Miami Lakes. Um so I I I know what you guys have been through. um I've seen the deterioration of the contract and then as you went into other uh contracts with other companies trying to get this done.
So just to give a little bit of history so that people understand including in that in that deal was a community center where the town where you would build a community center just plain walls if I'm not mistaken and
the town would have to >> fund the inside. >> Correct. >> Okay. So, I'm that that was still part of the deal in those days. Excellent. Okay. >> You're now committing $1.28 million to still have that community center. >> Correct.
>> Okay. Um I I would like I I don't know if that covers the shell only or if that covers the interior. >> Our our contribution as we are making today, Nelson, is not tied to any one thing. It's a million280,000. >> Can I I want to interrupt just for a
minute. Um there there's two components to to this matter and and I just want to make sure that we we just put ourselves in the proper posture. First of all, Mr. Martinez is doing this presentation as public comments. Uh you can ask any questions, but this really doesn't go to the heart of the matter. In March, you
will be reviewing the zoning matter, and the zoning matter really doesn't have anything tied with anything dealing with the the senior center or the site plan or any of that. Uh and the reason for this is is very important for you to know. One is a very legislative act which is allowing for this reasonzoning
and allowing for this flu map. And the other one is a very quasi judicial which the council will treat as a quasi judicial matter uh in which also uh this uh profer that that is being made very graciously and and is being reviewed by by the by the town and will be reviewed by the council uh with regards to the
senior center will be considered uh by by the council. And so I just want to put us in in the proper posture. I mean, you can ask any questions that you want, but I just want to make sure that you you as the local planning agency uh understand what what is what is the role, what is going to come before you next month is really just the reasoning
and this flu map. And by the way, M Mr. Martinez is is is true. uh if this uh as far as the law is is uh at this time in the state of Florida uh if this area does remain industrial, they do have the right to go up to uh a under live local
uh to the maximum uh density and uh allowability uh within one mile radius which would be RM I think 50 uh at this point. I I don't know if Susie uh that that's what it is center is is RM50 which is 50 units to the acre. So, I just I I'm sorry for interrupting you,
Mr. Martinez, but I just wanted to put everybody in the in the right posture. >> No problem. >> Thank you, council. Um, so like I said, that that that was a huge um importance to the town at that time to get that that senior center in
reference to senior activities um because we we bump them all the time either from the Mary Collins to Royal um to the Roberto Alonso building and there's effects there. So that that was always something for me. Um I'm I'm I
hope to enjoy it one day as a senior. Um but uh I I'm I'm I'm glad to see that numbers like that are being produced to continue the commitment to the town. Um that was long long long negotiated uh back then.
in reference to the live local and here's one of my concerns with the live local is the amount of tax revenue that the town of Miami Lakes and the county loses from the live local when we're
talking about 75 to 100% tax reduction that is is is eliminated from the town budget from the town receiving these tax dollars and these impact fees uh because of live local all which means that at 50
units per acre we're still talking about five uh 978 units. >> Yeah. >> Right. Yeah. Well, I don't to get lost too much in the weeds, Nelson, but the the the the number that I put up there for maximum
is based on what how it's how it's zoned today. >> Right. The part of the part of the parcels are RM50, right? and I'm sorry, RM36 and then part of the parcels are IU. The IU parcels could go to 50. The RM36 when I did that calculation is just
staying there. >> Obviously, obviously we're talking about significant amount of numbers >> and and and yes, as I put those numbers up, the you know impact fees are substantial and the taxes are substantial and yes, the the tax incentives to do affordable housing
>> would preclude the payment of those taxes to the town and to the town. Correct. And and and what concerns me about those type of numbers of of allowable units under live local and a tax reduction is the impact to infrastructure in Date County. We don't
run our own fire service. Okay. Date County runs our fire service. Right now, Date County is behind over 30 units and they're trying to catch up. And if any and and and and the public listening and the public hear,
the county, you know, is is a mess in reference to their budget and $400 million in revenue loss and looking for that money and budget cuts and all kinds of stuff going on in the county. Now, we're going to reduce the the tax money,
increase service by double because if you go to 970 uh78, it's almost twice, but it 1.83 83 or whatever it comes out to of 541 units and and you still get the units and you don't get the tax
revenue. Um, which which are are my major concerns. Um, you know, I I I have no problem with live locally. I have problems with the live locally impact on the tax burden that it puts on the rest of the taxpayers in Miami Lakes because
we're now burdening those tax dollars that that the developer and the property is not producing um because of the live local laws. So that's my concern with the live local housing issue. you know, if if if it was
just, you know, uh it's just a terrible law in the sense of it's it's not designed for um I'm sorry, it's designed for the local residents to pick up the impact and that's what I'm against, right? Because it would raise our taxes
to continue to do that live local locally here in Miami Lakes if you did this project under live local. So, those are those are my two big big uh issues is the amount of tax reduction that we would have. We'd still have the burden
on the units if you go with live local. We'd have double the amount of of uh housing on the property, which you're going to build anyway because you have the right to build and no and that's not going to stop. And and and those of you that don't know and those of you that
are listening from home, you do your research. Developers have the right to develop their land. We as town residents would like that 571 to be a lower number. That's up to you and and your company
and everything else and you deals with the town. I would like to see that number lower. I know that there has to be a specific number when it comes to business and that I'm not going to get into those weeds with you, but that's I think that's what the town of Miami Lakes residents are looking for, a lower
number than 571. You've brought it down significantly from what you can build and I'm I'm with you. Um but the two impacts the senior center gets built on the property which is huge for the town for the seniors and
then the 75 to 100% 100% reduction on some budget and impact fees. Um those are really concerning numbers because that impact continues to rest on the rest of the Miami Lakes residents if you go live locally. >> Agreed. >> So those are my two biggest concerns
that I have. Um, you know, I I understand the proposed 571. I'd rather have that number a little bit less, but >> it's 541. It's 541. We just cut 30 units. There you go. >> I'm sorry. I'm sorry. 541. And and and and and thank you for letting me try to bring a little brief history because I
was part of that original negotiating deal to get that senior center and the ALF. Uh, >> we share the pain. >> Yeah. >> I'd like to make a point to this. There's something you didn't bring up that by reducing the amount of units, you're going to reduce the amount of
traffic and and trips per day per unit. So, you're going to by doing what you're proposing to do, you're going to reduce it by close to 1,500 trips >> out of that area per day. >> Yeah. >> And you should bring that up in your proposal. extreme.
>> Yeah, we we you know, traffic always gets a little bit it's wonky the way it's calculated and stuff, but we we do have and it is public record. We submitted a a uh a trip generation study for to the town that says, "All right,
what what would trips generate based on current zoning and what would trips generate based on on what we're proposing?" And the numbers are staggeringly different. Yes. >> Yeah. I'm just saying you should go back that up in your proposal and I just want to reiterate one thing.
>> What's good for Miami Lakes is generally good for the Graham Companies and what's good for the Graham Companies is generally good for Miami Legs. We are very conscientious about what we do and this is not a whim. We've thought it
through very carefully as to what to do here and I think this some of uh Mr. Rodriguez's concerns and some of the concerns from the town staff as we began to talk through the live local implications. And frankly, I'm a
resident. I live on the west side. I live right on the other side of that lake. I've lived there for 36 years. So, I know exactly what's happening on that side of the lake. And so, I think this is a good development. >> I live on this side 45 years >> and I go to that side. >> Yeah. So, anyways,
>> you have breakfast every day. >> Every day I have breakfast over there. Any other questions from the staff, from the board? >> I just want to say one thing through the chair. Um I don't know and I'll I'll let the town planner look into that and and
leave it up to the council, but at one time the town did have a um a traffic plan that I I and uh and former vice mayor uh Lama came up with. Um, and I
think even Mayor Sid at the time had thrown into getting under um tunnels, literally under the palmetto >> to cross over like they did in Haley on 60th Street >> that broke up some of the traffic. I don't know uh and you don't have to
answer this question, but I don't know if the town um tried to negotiate that or try to put something in there and what the traffic relief is. But I I hope in future in future reference, I know you're doing a huge traffic um plan for the future. But I I hope
that something like that is still included in some of the plans. Those I believe there was 21 or 24 traffic points that we tried to >> implement. That was a beautiful project as as a matter of fact. And we did put a lot of money into trying to get drawings for it. And uh but that was tied to the
racing of the Palmetto, which was a huge project that FDAT was doing at the time in 2017. And then one day they found a U gas line that was in the way that was going to cost a billion dollars to move and they couldn't move the gas line. And they abandoned the entire raising of the
Palmetto project. And so we have put those tunnels on ice. They're not gone. But they're very not likely to happen anytime soon until FDA and the gas uh company figure out who is going to do
what. Um on the meantime, we are working on other initiatives to improve traffic all around. Uh I know we've talked about the transportation master plan around here. We've talked about our vision zero efforts. Uh, and obviously all of this takes into account that we're not
finished developing and there's a lot of things that are still happening and we're we're a community that is in transition all the time and and we take all those things into consideration when we look at our traffic patterns and our and our master plans. You shall see that in April. So,
>> thank you, Chair. All right. At this time, we'll continue with the public comments. Um, so anybody that wants to make a public comment, just come up to the podium, say your name and address, and I will ask you to limit your comments to three minutes.
>> I have a I want to defer a question to the town attorney based on that. Um the item for the grants got deferred and effectively they were public comments
and they have allowed to speak for 13 minutes in their presentation and receive Q&A. So I asked as the resident of Miami Lakes to receive the same courtesy. >> Well, we it's part of our norm that public comments are limited to three minutes.
>> He was allowed to do more. >> He's not a part part of the public comments. Okay. Can you clarify that given that their item was removed from the agenda tonight? >> He was given the opportunity. The board wanted to hear from him. He's spoken. Uh
he gave his presentation. Uh it it's part of what would happen this evening. He will come again next month and he will do his presentation again. Uh he is the applicant. Public comments, it's up to the discretion of the board. Uh the rules do state that they are three
minutes uh uh that are allowed. >> Okay. But correct me. I guess we can go back to the tape because you did say when you were asking about to ask the Q&A, you did go on record stating that because this had been moved. >> Tonight is not a is not a public hearing. There's no public hearing. It's
just public comments. If you would like to give your public comment, I think the chair has spoken. It's three minutes. >> So three minutes >> and please state your name and address for the record. Thank you. My name is Susanna, 14970 Dumbertton Place. First of all, I want to say that I
appreciate the town of Miami Lakes setting aside this so that people can come and educate themselves and address everybody accordingly. I'm going to do a quick summary here. I'm going to ask for your patience, but I'm going to remind
everybody what brought this senior center and and what changed the original zoning. That was a very emotional process that changed the zoning of the existing item. Now, this happened on April 18, 2017.
And I'm going to remind everybody during this council meeting, the honorable senator Bob Graham added clarity to this historical perspective, reminding everyone that Miami Lakes was first known as New Town. He further explained that the name was derived from an urban
phrase often used in urban planning when a town was built from scratch in a way in which all of the residents needs are integrated and considered to ensure quality of life for the community its resident. take the time to listen and
remind yourself how you voted about this and I'm going to publish this a lot more but going on the local live local first of all it's an option of the developer to to do it or not to do it so if the grants want to lose 70% of their revenue
they're welcome to do it furthermore local live local does not equate to low income live local equates to people that live and work in the town. That's what it's geared for. So, they're
not one and the same. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you. On that note, through the chair, uh, just for the record, we did receive online public comments or via email that was provided to the board members as well from Maria Brero, Aerrera
Rodriguez, Eduardo Benort, Susanna as well, Hope Reynolds, Enid Lomx, Mario Pinera, Maria Figerora Rodriguez, and Okasio Aguiar, all opposed. to the items. Thank you.
>> Bonnie Cron, 14770 Lewis Road. Um, you're going to hear from a lay person now. You're I am not able to get into all those technical things about this issue. I'm just here
to tell you that if you subtract your population of the committee, the realators and the developers from the total population of Miami Lakes, you're still left with close to 30,000 people.
And it's the people that have to deal with the fallout from this kind of development. And they deal with it every day. And it's it's so annoying. I have talked to several of my neighbors about
this issue of the four apartment buildings that might be going up and everybody's furious. They're very angry because they already are overwhelmed with the traffic in this town. I I think most of you live in Miami
Lakes. >> I I wonder, have you taken leave of your senses? We do. I mean this um do you understand why the town's people no longer believe so much what the Grahams say or the committee members or even our
council sometimes because the property in question was originally promised uh with glowing presentations about the center for the aged and it was going to include nursing care facilities. And we were also told at the time that
approving the change of zoning from industrial to residential was necessary to go forward with that project. So that passed. But we were also told that if the project did not go through that the zoning was going to revert and go back
to industrial. And that's what we thought was the truth. Maybe it was a bold-faced lie. It seems to be. I don't know. But this town does not need four apartment buildings that could house probably close to a thousand more
residents along with who knows how many cars. The traffic studies and school studies that were done have to be dishonest if they say that no problems would occur. We heard the same thing about this sevenstory building that's going up on 154th. You know, it's
already a bottleneck before that building even gets occupied. Um, the industrial park on the eastern side of Miami Lakes has not caused too much of a traffic concern for the residents over there and it's wellmaintained, a nice area with huge
canopy trees. The Grahams maybe could use their other properties like what they have on the west side of I9 uh I75 to do their four apartment buildings over there. No one claims that that's not a beautiful development. It is, but
it we don't need it. Oh, I get four because I have the hearing aids. Remember? >> Um, >> what do you mean you get four? >> So, okay. the the greed the greed of the developers coupled with the cooperation of our
politicians who hope to curry favor and and maybe get support for their careers by general by granting permission for these monstrous projects is killing whatever is left of our town. Please consider also that the news for
South Florida now we're under a severe drought and they have said that the groundwater has been receding. Things are getting bad there. So the last thing that we need is more apartment buildings and more people just to be siphoning
more of our natural resources. So I'm begging you to return the zoning to industrial. There'll still be profit for developers and still maybe better more taxes coming into the c the
commissioners. I mean the county I mean the council, excuse me. >> Thank you very much. >> Well, I don't think we have anybody. >> Are there any further public comments in chambers chair? There are no online public comments at the moment.
>> All right. Okay. At this point then we'll move to our >> Mr. Chair. One one one correction. The clerk missed. >> Uh sorry. One more public comment. >> You have one more. >> Okay. I wasn't seeing the raised hand. We go ahead and allow Mr. Pelgro.
>> I just want to mention that. One second, Mr. Pelgro. that um when the clerk read the uh the letters uh that we were sent emails, he missed u Miss Maria Santises. She also sent an email. Okay. >> Want to make sure that it's on the record.
>> Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Mr. Pelgro, go ahead. You have three minutes. >> Thank you very much. This is Frank Pelgro, 14851 Lewis Road, Mim Lakes, Florida. Um I just want to echo the sentiments of the two previous speakers. um especially the the first um this item
was deferred until March 10th at the beginning of the meeting and yet the present presenter was allowed to give his full pitch and also receive helpful commentary and feedback from certain members of the council um as to his next
uh presentation on the 10th. That's absolutely unacceptable um especially in the face of a public meeting. Um secondly, I' I'd like to appreciate um the affordable housing aspect of the grand companies. It's it's a it's an
admirable effort. Um but at the same time, I think there needs to be a deeper dive into what exactly their uh profiling, let's call it, and um checking out of tenants equates to when it comes to actually encouraging diverse
housing. Um there's a significant divide between the industrial norm for apartment tenants uh and their vetting and screening uh from most uh companies uh as compared to the Grams. So I don't want to take up any more of your time,
but this needs a lot more thought and I appreciate it. Thank you. >> Thank you very much, >> Mr. Chair. Okay. Can I state one thing just for the for the record and for the benefit of the public?
>> Yes. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, so I I want to just reiterate the role that this board has. Uh, you are the local planning agency for the town. Under Florida law, these items need to come before you for
you to give your opinion. However, you have uh no authority to approve these items. You simply give your advice and it gets transmitted to the council. That's not to downplay your role. You do
have a role. Uh the item of the flume, as I stated before, is required in the Florida law to be heard by you as a public hearing. Uh at that point in time, when it is heard next month, uh then you will transmit your opinion, your advice to the council. The council
will then hear the items and we'll pass whether to approve the flume and the resoning uh in first and then in second hearing. Uh that that will have two hearings. At that time the public does have the opportunity to speak. So uh the
opportunity has not been disafforded uh any uh right uh by uh this evening and and and of course the rules are stated forward uh in in in providing the public comments. you do have uh deference, Mr. Chair, and in affording a little bit
more to the applicant uh which is customary uh for this board to do but but again uh your role next month when you this item comes before you is that of an advisory board and I just want to put that on the record and also uh to put us again in the proper posture.
>> Thank you councel. I'm glad you clarified that uh the point. Um aside from that, we are a complete volunteer board. uh none of us get paid uh from anywhere. Uh this is our own time that we dedicate to the town just to make
sure that things, you know, run as smoothly as possible. So, I appreciate that, too. Um at this time, I'd like to move to our second item. >> Yes. the the second item that you're going to hear and I'm going to ask uh Susanna to help me out a little bit uh
since I'm not there. And by the way, I'm I'm in Tallahassee uh representing the the town with the other elected officials. Today's date day, so we're doing work here uh on behalf of the town with state legislatores legislators. Uh that's why I'm not uh in Miami Lakes today. Um so the the next item that
you're going to hear is a quasi judicial item. Uh there is uh certain information that needs to be read into the record. most primarily that the information that you're going to hear uh is under oath. The standard that you're going to be providing is that of subst substantial
competent evidence uh in weighing the evidence uh that you're you're going to hear. Uh additionally, if anybody that is in the public uh has any evidence that they would like to share uh with the council, you need to provide 10 copies and provide it to the town clerk
uh so that she can share it with with all of you. Uh if any of you have had any exarty communication with any of the applicants uh in the matter that's going to come before you which uh be either the clerk or Susanna is going to read
into the record um you should state for uh now on the record in public what that exart party communication is and also uh soon after you do that uh Mr. Clerk uh you should swear in any of the witnesses.
Thank you councel. Um at this time uh >> yes once again the exparte communication was disclosed uh in reference to this variance. There have been no exparte communications. And if any of you here in chambers would like to provide public comments, please rise so we can swear
you in. Okay. Thank you. Do you swear to tell the truth? The whole truth will help you God. Thank you. May be seated. U Mr. Mr. Clerk, can you read the item into the record?
>> Yes. The item is variance 2026 0032 folio 32204 005360. Zoning district RU1 variance from section 131512.
applicant Antonio Valeri. >> And as provided in our rules, we will hear from the town first. >> Yes. Um good evening board. Um this is Justin Teleria, the town's transportation coordinator, and I'm just
going to read into the record the um the applicant's two variances. The hearing number is BR2026 2026-000032 Antonio Valeri Folio 32 2024005
0360 6330 Lake Champlain Terrace and the the applicant is requesting two variances. One is to allow a swimming pool with an infinity edge and catch basin to encroach 6' feet 6 in waterward of the top of the slope. And then the
second variance is to allow a swimming pool with an infinity edge and catch b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b basin to be placed waterward of the top of the slope period. Um and the applicant is proposing to build a pool encroaching 6'6 in waterward of the tie
line to accommodate a 12t x 22 ft pool. and the proposed location and configuration of the pool um from what we could tell were limited by two specimen shade trees on the property which prevent orienting the pool parallel to the main structure and the
two trees are located at the center of the rear of the property straddling the tie line. And the staff is recommending approval with conditions um to uh substantially to leave the plan substantially consistent with the the
one submitted um of the approval. And also the decking waterward shall be limited to 225 square ft. And lastly of the of the uh conditions would be to um additional landscaping as approved by the planning and zoning staff shall be
provided along the side of the pool facing the lake to screen the pool and deck from the retaining wall. And that's it. >> At this time we'll open up for questions to to the staff. >> I just um Looking at this, is this do I see this correct? They're going to leave
the that generator on the back side of the pool. I don't see where where it shows moving it. >> Yeah, the picture shows it. Right. Right. Right. Yeah, that's what I'm I don't know what the code is for the
generator, but that generator is within 5t of the property line. Is that >> 5 ft from the property line is correct? >> It's correct. It's the That's the accepted That's the accepted, >> but leaving it that close to the swimming pool would be up to the building department. >> Yeah. Okay.
>> Any other questions? Okay. At this time, I welcome Mr. Valeri, I suppose. State your name, address. >> Good evening. My name is Antonio Valeri. I'm the homeowner of 630 Lake Champlain.
I like I like myself uh to thank uh the staff for reviewing the project and for recommending approval. The reason for the variance is the location of two large oak trees at the rear of the property. Because of where they are located, the act they act as a natural
setback and limit where the pool can be placed. They are very mature oak trees and preserving them was a priority when designing the pool. The pool itself is a modest size pool, 12x 22 residential pool. And even with the variance, there
is still a significant amount of open space between the pool and the lake. I agree with and will comply with all the staff recommend recommended conditions. Thank you for your time and I respectfully ask for your approval. Um
the question regarding the generator, the generator will be moved to the side five feet from the sideline. Okay. Any questions from uh to Mr. Valeri? >> I have the question the generator. So
they're going to allow you to leave it that close to the swimming pool. >> Um I'm not sure about the codes regarding the distance the generator from the pool. I would have to look into that with uh with the staff and and if it's necessary to remove the the the
generator, I will um I'm keeping as much distance as possible from the sideline and then from the generator to the pole. >> That's a matter for the building department, >> right? No, it is a matter for the building department. Just the question was asked before. I know it's a matter for the building department. >> And it's really a safe life safety
issue, >> right? >> Exactly. That's that's why >> No, it's a life safety issue. >> Yeah, it's a definitely life safety. There's a lot of people that have been shocked at swimming pools. >> Okay. Okay. >> Got to be properly grounded. >> Okay. Okay. Yes. >> Any other questions uh from the work
>> at this time? I'd like to make a uh I don't want to make all the motions tonight, but I want to I'm going to make it make a motion to approve. >> I'll second it. Um >> we have to close we have to close the hearings. Close the hearings. Okay. So, your excuse. Thank you very much, Mr. Eric. Thank you.
>> Sometimes I have to be corrected on the protocol >> and ask ask if there's anybody else there. >> We're all old. >> No one else. >> Okay. So, at this time, >> there are no public comments online either. >> Okay. I reiterate my u motion to approve
with the conditions set by the bu by the zoning department. >> I second the motion. Either one. Oops. It's okay. We second the motion. >> Second. >> We'll go with the vice chair. Okay.
Calling roll for item 5A. Motion by Chair Senra and seconded by Vice Chair Rodriguez to approve the item with staff's recommendations. Board member Julia. >> Yes. >> Board member Cruz. >> Yes.
>> Board member Leonio. >> Yes. Board member Deasier, >> yes. >> Vice Chair Rodriguez, >> yes. >> And Chair Senro, >> yes. >> The motion passes. >> Congratulations. >> Congratulations, Merry. >> Um,
we do have one more item here. That's it. >> All right. Well, at this time, I'd like to thank everyone for being with us this evening and, uh, thank you very much for your comment. And meeting ajourned. I
like this thing. Just don't hit us in the head.