Wynwood project sets aside units as affordable housing

New workforce housing is coming to the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami.

A project called The Wyn Mood C is planned as a four-story building offering 72 apartments, with 20% of the units reserved as workforce housing.

Owner-developer Wyn 107 Development LLC plans the new building of about 53,401 square feet at 107 NW 31st St.

The city’s Urban Development Review Board recommended approval with two conditions: Relocate the building’s signage closer to the entrance, and integrate the roof canopy structures and their supporting columns.

The project is designed by Modis Architects. Company principal Robert K. Morisette wrote a letter to the city about the planned Wyn 107 project.

Mr. Morisette said the property is zoned T4-R, Wynwood Norte NRD-2 (Neighborhood Revitalization District) Overlay.

The property has a principal frontage on Northwest 31st Street facing south, with single-family residences to the north, east and west.

The site consists of a total of 21,450 square feet (0.49 acres) and now holds three one-story residences that are to be demolished.

The developer is requesting waivers to the zoning code to allow:

■A 10% increase in required lot area from a 20,000 square feet maximum to 22,000 square feet, due to the nature and size of the lots.

■Additional lot coverage up to 80% for a building that is four stories and provides affordable and workforce housing. The applicant is requesting an increase in lot coverage from 60% to 76% by providing 15 units proposed as affordable housing.

■Reducing the parking ratio up to 30% within a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) area or within a transit corridor.

Along with a rooftop swimming pool with seating, trellises, restrooms and other amenities, the building is to have 38 parking spaces.

Ivo Fernandez Jr., principal at Modis Architects, who made the presentation to the review board, said the NRD-2 area is just west of Midtown, east of I-95, with 36th street to the north of Wynwood.

“It will have mixed studios, one- and two-bedroom residential units. These units are really catering to the submarket in that area.

“You have Midtown with really nice high-end units, and we’re kind of catering to more of a workforce and service-oriented industry … it’s a smaller urban infill project,” he said.

“The NRD-2 requires a five-foot setback, creating a very tight almost Brooklyn-type urban neighborhood,” he added.

The proposed floor plan is basically a doughnut shape, he said, with landscaping in a central internal courtyard.

“This is one of four buildings we are doing for the developer,” Mr. Fernandez told the board.

Board member Francisco Perez-Azua said, “That interior courtyard, it’s very tight.”

Board member Gia Zapattini said, “It’s kind of confusing, when I look at your rendering … basically I see that as your main lobby or entrance. If I’m visiting I would go there, but it’s a vault or something. That’s not the lobby.”

Mr. Fernandez said Florida Power & Light (FPL) is requiring that the power vault be on the street side of the vault room.

“Glass and light from the lobby will attract you (to the entrance),” he said.

Ms. Zapattini said, “I would study not putting it there, because the FPL doors are ugly doors with locks provided by FPL … maybe you can do something as a canopy.”

“An eyebrow sign, sure,” said Mr. Fernandez.

“Something that draws you to where you naturally want to come in,” said Ms. Zapattini.

Board member Robert Behar said, “I agree it’s very confusing. I’d rather not have anything there.”

Mr. Fernandez said, “We may have another building, same scale, abutting five more feet on each side, so the sides will probably not even be visible in the future.”

The vote recommending approval was unanimous.