Commercial
Metropolis commissioners rejected an enchantment final week to revive historic protections round First Miami Presbyterian Church as initially designated, clearing the way in which for partial demolition and a proposed 80-story rental tower regardless of robust pushback from residents.
Brickell residents packed metropolis corridor on April 10 to induce commissioners to allow them to problem town’s resolution to shrink the historic boundaries across the First Miami Presbyterian Church, a transfer that opens the location to redevelopment. However after listening to arguments from residents, metropolis workers and attorneys, commissioners unanimously denied the enchantment on grounds that the neighbors lacked authorized standing to intervene.
With roots courting again to 1896, the First Miami Presbyterian Church at 609 Brickell Ave. has lengthy been a fixture of the downtown neighborhood. Your complete property was designated as a historic web site in 2003, however the church has since sought to amend the designation, focusing solely on the sanctuary constructing constructed in 1949 whereas permitting the demolition of a later-added instructional annex and parking zone.
In July 2024, town’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board thought-about the request. Although the historic preservation workplace initially advisable denial, they recommended the church’s college annex and parking zone, deemed non-contributing, could possibly be excluded from the historic boundary. In a unanimous vote, the preservation board accepted this preliminary modification. After additional overview, the board accepted a closing model in December 2024, narrowing the historic boundary to the 1949 sanctuary constructing alone.
Church leaders say they plan to protect the unique sanctuary constructing whereas increasing the ministry by including 100,000 sq. toes of latest area. The transfer additionally permits a redevelopment plan, led by developer thirteenth Flooring, to construct a parking storage and 80-story rental tower on the newly de-designated portion of the property.
Nevertheless, the plan has drawn intense pushback. 1000’s of residents mobilized beneath the identify Brickell Stronger Collectively, becoming a member of native teams just like the Brickell Owners Affiliation to protest the change. They argue that the high-rise will worsen site visitors, congestion and air pollution in an already dense neighborhood and will result in the lack of one in all Brickell’s few remaining inexperienced areas.
On the April 10 listening to, dozens of audio system urged the fee to overturn preservation board’s resolution. Nevertheless, metropolis workers maintained that the neighboring Icon Brickell Condominium II, which led the enchantment, lacked authorized standing.
“The fee dominated that Icon II lacks standing to enchantment the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board’s (HEPB) resolution to disclaim intervenor standing to Icon II as a matter of regulation, silencing greater than a thousand residents in search of solely a good listening to,” reads an announcement from the Icon Brickell Condominium II Affiliation. “In so ruling, the fee prevented residents from presenting essential proof towards the proposed historic de-designation of serious parts of First Miami Presbyterian Church and the entire land behind it – which the HEPB designated as historic greater than 20 years in the past.”
The assertion continued to say the affiliation is contemplating all choices, together with difficult the fee’s 4-0 vote denying the enchantment, which the affiliation believes was incorrect.