Review boards reject plans for tallest Wynwood residential tower

A plan to build the tallest residential tower in the Wynwood Arts District has been rejected by two City of Miami review groups.

The site is at the northwest corner of North Miami Avenue and Northwest 21st Street. Wynwood Interest LLC owns 2110 N Miami Ave., 2118 N Miami Ave., 2134 N Miami Ave., 2135 NW Miami Court, 2129 NW Miami Court, and 2101 NW Miami Court.

Bazbaz Development plans a 48-story mixed-use residential tower at that location. The 755,700-square-foot project near the southern end of Wynwood would feature 544 dwellings, 621 parking spaces, and about 19,000 square feet of retail.

The Wynwood Design Review Committee in June recommended denial of the project.

Following, the city’s Urban Development Review Board also recommended denial of the project to the planning director, asking the development team to study a redesign of the tower to reduce its mass and scale, saying the current design is out of context with surrounding uses.

The comments noted by the design review committee included:

■Insufficient modulation and architectural interest and/or art on ground floor retail and lobby façades.

■Podium, the massing garage needs to be broken down and additional art schemes, concepts, color, modulation and interest needs to be considered on the parking screening in line with Wynwood ethos and pedestrian experience.

■Locate ventilation louvers and organize in coordination with art.

■Insufficient modulation and interest on the tower façade.

■The crown needs to be rethought in a more inoculative way.

■Insufficient screening for mechanical and elevator structures at rooftop.

■Insufficient interest in art and activity along the paseo.

■Backflows, gas and electric meters and adjacent utilities need to be screened.

Carli Koshal, an attorney representing the developer, said the property is 65,842 square feet or 1.512 acres, and has been under common ownership since 2009.

Ms. Koshal told the city’s review board, “We have the pleasure of being one of the first Live Local Act projects within the Wynwood area.”

The project utilizes the development bonuses described in a new state law, the Live Local Act, in order to incorporate additional height and density beyond what the underlying zoning district permits.

Ms. Koshal wrote, “Under the Live Local Act, a qualifying project is one which is located in a mixed-use, commercial, or industrial zoning district and which commits to restricting a minimum of 40% of its units to serve residents earning up to 120% Area Median Income (AMI) for a period of 30 years.”

She wrote, “The project brings much-needed residential units to an area that is well-served by transit and transportation options, with an architectural design that is compatible with the Wynwood (Neighborhood Revitalization District-1) NRD-1’s aesthetic.”

The developer is requesting waivers to the zoning code that if approved would allow:

■A 30% parking reduction for residential uses and commercial uses within a Transit Corridor.

■Up to 10% lot coverage increase.

■Up to 10% increase in floorplate length.

■One commercial loading berth substituted by two residential berths.

■Parking within the second layer above the first story along the principal frontage (Northwest 21st Street, North Miami Avenue), and secondary frontage, with an art or glass treatment.

In her letter to the city, Ms. Koshal wrote, “The scale and mass of the building will enhance the Wynwood streetscape by bringing the property into compliance with the Wynwood Streetscape Master Plan, and will improve the neighborhood character by bringing vibrancy and a destination to Wynwood’s North Miami Avenue Corridor.

“All building elevations visible from the public realm include architectural elements and materials that complement the character of the area and create a cohesive architectural composition.

“The project will contribute to the revitalization of Wynwood’s southeastern entrance,” she wrote.

It was noted that an earlier project planned for the property had a 12-story building.

Raymond Fort, a designer at Arquitectonica, explained for the review board aspects of the new tower and podium’s design.

He said the site plan includes a pedestrian paseo placed along the northern boundary, with a 10- to 40-foot width.

The project has six parking levels and an amenity deck with a swimming pool facing south.

The tower is to include studio, 1- and 2-bedroom residential units.

The parking levels are planned as a solid wall mechanically ventilated, with artistic elements as part of the façade.

Review board members were critical of the size and mass of the proposed tower, for this area, which has new buildings being constructed at 12 stories.

Board member Gia Zapattini said, “I agree with the Wynwood committee about the tower not being screened enough, the mechanical items.”

Ms. Zapattini said, “In general, it seems to me very out of scale … this element added to the podium doesn’t really help bring anything to the scale.

“Everything is very large, which makes the project even more out of scale. I don’t know if we have a solution,” she said.

Board acting chair Dean Lewis noted the earlier proposal was for 12 stories and 48 is a substantial increase.

Board member Robert Behar said, “I’m not very impressed by this work and I agree with Gia, this is out of context.”

Mr. Behar said if they had designed the tower by bringing the massing down, “that would have been to me more in keeping with the surroundings.”

Mr. Behar said, “I have an issue with the tower, how big it is – it doesn’t have to be that tall.”

Mr. Lewis agreed with Mr. Behar, and also suggested natural ventilation and screening for garage levels.

Mr. Font responded, “I think it’s a balance, between if you do a larger floorplate you’re going to have more mass on the building’s façades. So, our intention was to create a thin profile for the building and have that short side, because if we turn it, essentially we’re going east to west the entire length or width of the lot … once you start to turn it you get another wing on the building, and it would look more massive than doing something slimmer on the site.”

Ms. Zapattini concluded, “Personally, I don’t think I can support this. To me, it’s very out of scale with the context. If you study it like my colleagues are suggesting you could do a beautiful design that doesn’t feel so foreign.”

The vote to deny was unanimous.