‘Yes in God’s backyard’: Miami zoning change would allow housing on church land

As South Florida grapples with a housing affordability crisis, the city of Miami could free up hundreds of acres of land owned by religious groups, schools, government entities and nonprofit institutions for potential affordable housing development.

On Thursday, the City Commission is slated to vote on a proposal from District 4 Commissioner Ralph Rosado to allow for the development of affordable housing, including mixed-use residential development, on land that has a place of worship on site or is zoned for certain civic uses. The city’s planning department said it has identified over 660 properties with a total of nearly 1,800 acres that fall into those categories.

“It’s not a cure-all, but it’s one more tool to address an important issue,” Rosado said in an interview this week. “I mean, we’re using, essentially, community land to solve a community problem, which is our housing crisis.”

The Miami proposal follows a Florida Senate bill passed last year that gives local governments the option to allow the development of mixed-use housing on land owned by a religious institution, as long as at least 10% of the units in a given project meet the definition of “affordable.”

That legislation is part of a movement dubbed “yes in God’s backyard,” or “YIGBY” for short, as an alternative to “NIMBY,” the pejorative acronym for “not in my backyard” used to describe anti-development advocates.

Sevanne Steiner, assistant director of Miami’s planning department, said at a Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board meeting in November that the city’s proposed legislation is intended “to better align with the state law.” Rosado said that in light of state-imposed rules like the Live Local Act that override local density limits, it’s important for the city to craft its own legislation where it can.

“I’d rather we be proactive and shape things in a way that makes sense for us,” Rosado said. At least one other Florida city, St. Petersburg, has adopted so-called YIGBY legislation in response to last year’s Senate bill.

Rosado’s proposal takes the bill a step further, expanding to also include land owned by nonprofits, government entities, and elementary, middle and high schools — public and private. It also has a higher bar for the percentage of affordable housing, requiring a minimum of 50% of units in a given project to be affordable, according to Rosado’s office.

A breakdown from the city’s planning department shows a total of 667 parcels that are either owned by a religious group or zoned as a civic institution across the city. The breakdown of those parcels by district is as follows:

• District 1, which includes Allapattah and Flagami: 180
• District 2, which includes downtown and Coconut Grove: 80
• District 3, which includes Little Havana and East Shenandoah: 67
• District 4, which includes Coral Gate and Shenandoah: 93
• District 5, which includes Little Haiti and Wynwood: 247

More than 270 of the total parcels — or roughly 40% — are religious properties, according to the city’s analysis. Two-thirds of the 667 parcels identified are less than an acre in size.

Rosado noted that land owned by the city and Miami-Dade County is included in the identified parcels and that the legislation would provide an avenue to use more city-owned land for development. He emphasized that parks are not included in his legislation and are not up for grabs for development.

“But everything else should be considered,” Rosado said.

If the City Commission approves the legislation Thursday, it will need to come back once more for a second and final vote at a subsequent meeting.