Coconut Grove Station Is Within One Mile of the Heart of the Coconut Grove Village Center, the Dinner Key Recreation Complex and the Coral Way and S.W
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- ---, . \ n. THE SETTING Located in the C~tyof Miami at the intersection of S.W. 27th Avenue and South Dixie Highway (U.S.1).the Coconut Grove Station is within one mile of the heart of the Coconut Grove village center, the Dinner Key recreation complex and the Coral Way and S.W. 27th Avenue commercial corridors. In the immediate vicinity of the station are two distinct low density resi- dential areas separated from each other by U.S. 1. North of Dixie Highway, the Douglas Park and Silver Bluff neighbor- hoods both contain predominantly Latin populations with average socio- economic characteristics.The Silver Bluff I area is a particularly stable neighbor- hood of well-kept single family homes I I which are predominantly owner oc- cupied, This neighborhood has a rela- tively large number of senior citizens (21 percent over age 65) in comparison to young people (18 percent under age 18) In the Douglas Park neighbofhocd where homes are being converted or replaced by duplex rental housing, a slight decline in average income and neighborhood conditions has occurred since 1970. Some overcrowding of housing is now occurring in this neighborhood as adequate hous- ing in moderate price ranges has be- come increasingly difficult to locate within the City. In the Coconut Grove area. ' !! the population is predominantly white non-Latins, with generally middle and upper middle level incomes and high 1 I educational levels. Most of the residents are homeowners. a trend which is increas- ing with the development of numerous townhouse projects west of S.W. 27th Avenue. Over 40 percent of the house- hdds are made up of only one individual. mast of which are young people living in rental apartments. NORTH SlNQlEMMlLY RNUt m OFFlOE SERVlCoADIlUSEMENT MUfflMMlLY W~ALUlWWSTRIM PARKS THE STATION AREA Land Use The area surrounding the Coconut Grove has experienced a succession of small Station is residential, including both single retail and service businesses. Despite the family homes and apartments, in gener- high visibility of this location a number of ally established, stable neighborhoods. businesses have failed to survive here. The areas most likely to experience new probably due, in part, to access difficulty development or redevelopment due to created by traffic congestion, and the the opening of the Coconut Grove rapid area's poor visual environment created transit station are the commercial and by the maze of advertising, aerial wires industrial zones along the S.W. 27th and marginal businesses. Avenue and U.S. 1arterials and the prop- Along 27th Avenue to the north of U.S.1 are erties immediately surrounding the station several new two and three story office site. buildings. a number of marginal service The ~ndustrialstrip which parallels the activities, and some small cafes and north side of US. 1includes light manufac- markets. Recent trends along 27th Ave- turing, auto and marine services, contrac- nue to the south of U.S.1 have been toward tors and construction supplies, wholesale adaptation of existing structures for new distributors, professional offices, and a uses, the most significant including a large Southern Bell distribution service Burger King, two private clubs and several center. These uses appear viable, particu- professional offices, larly in the southwestern section where The Miami Boys Club, located on S.W. several buildings have recently been 32nd Avenue at the western edge of the constructed or renovated. Marine related station impact area, is a major institu- businesses have been attracted to this tional use providing athletic, social, and area because it offers reasonable rents, cultural activities for youth throughcut the regional accessibility via U.S. 1, and county. The transit station could become proximity to a large local market at Dinner an important means of access to this Key. facility. The intersection of 27th Avenue and U.S.1 Zoning Based upon recommendations of the1974 Coconut Grove Master Plan, several zoning changes have been im- plemented in the station area. These changes were intended to curtail direct auto access to U.S. 1 and to encourage high amenity, mixed-use developments and townhouse redevelopment in the vicinity of Bird Avenue and 27th Avenue. Only a small portion of the development potential of these zones has been realized thus far. North of U.S. 1 more traditional commercial zones (C-I and C-4) and relatively shallow lot depths have constrained the quality and intensity of development. Over one million square feet of additional floor area could be developed in the industrial zone (1-1) along U.S.I. The residential zones (R-2 and R-3A) west of 27th Avenue allow duplex and low density townhouse type structures on multiple lot development. Although there is little vacant land available in these areas, considerable additional devel- opment is possible through conversion of existing single family homes or demolition and replacement of deteriorated struc- tures. Circulation U.S. 1 and S.W. 27fh Avenue are the major traffic routes in the Coconut Grove Station area. Both of these arterials have seg- ments in the vicinity of the transit station currently carrying more traftic than they were designed to handle. Roadway and intersection improvements along S.W. 27th Terrace and S.W. 27th Avenue adjacent to the station are planned to better accommodate the traffic projected to come to the station from the east and west. However, traffic crossing U.S.1 is presently severely llmited by the priority which must be given to U.S.1 traffic, and this condition is not likely to ease in the fo~esxmbleMure. Pedestrian movements across U.S. 1are severely constrained by conflicts with turning vehicles at 27th Avenue and the considerable distance transit patrons would have to walk to reach the signalized pedestrian crossing south of S.W. 24th Avenue. Additional pedestrian linkages between the station and nearby areas will be identified and addressed in the SADD program. The protection of nearby residential neighborhoods from traffic infiltration will be a major concern, due to the lack of major east-west streets directly serving the station and the potential for disruptive traffic spilling over into local residential areas. $uilding Characteristics Most of the bulld~ngsin the stat~onarea 1 are well maintained and tn good struc- tural condit~on,having been built since 1945 when building code regulations became relatively stringent However, In the low density resldentlal areas there remain a significant number of older I. hmes, many of which are of wmd frame construction The overall appearance and condition of properties in the station area is generally better in the stable I single family neighborhood east of 27th Avenue than In the transitional duplex areas to the west, where there is a need for minor maintenance and general improvement to prevent deterioration The reluctance of lending institutions to make mortgage and home improvement loans on these older structures has been a major factor in the process of decline and redevelopment in these neighborhoods. 7 7 I II~'~*+&BMITTED INTO THE awl - huctural Condition 1975 PUBLIC RECORD FOR ITEM~-,IP oN5-d-ol . eve opment Trends 3-'a --ODD: 0 c3ncmc~. ;:,[icun 3 2o a OD"88: Slnce 1970, building activity in the oqrswr 3 8 ~g SUL-J~C 00 .nooo D 8 o Coconut Grove station area has con- ! - - --- ?--------- - sisted primarily of duplex and multi-family residential construction. In the area north ~urrj-~c~ro~ of U.S.1 the process has included infill and replacement of wood frame structures with conventional "I-"-shaped duplexes esz: lacking in distinctive design, landscap- !P--- ,-, _ _ ina. or site amenities. Medium densitv re;tal apartments have been con: structed alona U.S. I.The du~lexareas ,IVm=b.:cl=3;!cr;~ so~thd~.~.lCIT;bthe~-3~z&alon~Bird D ..oF10c a& Road have seen a trend toward parcel mzm91 assemblage and construction of quality ZdouG GooaG -0 planned developments. The numerous older wood frame structures remaining in this area plus the apparently strong market demand for moderate priced housing in Coconut Grove appear to present considerable opportunity for continuation of this trend. Along S.W 27th Avenue in the northern to sector of the station area, offices have been created both by new construction and by renovation of existing commercial and residential uses. The strength of the office market in tt?e station area will be m AM I. carefully assessed in the SADD program. b-1970-1977 eq+ Bulpunouns SD~JD ~eq+oUI un3m (uw~O~~A~J'DeJD eAOJ3 +nu0303 eq+ WOJ) SSe33D 04 UO!(Ue++DlD!3edS SpuDWQp 1 .sn Aq pe+ueSaldJe!JJDq e(q -0plWJO) w'83S!UeAUO3 pUD 48~slo) UO~+DJ8p!suO3~e~!nbe~ UO!lD(S I!SUD4 ec(+ o+ssmw el3&!q ~UDBU!YIDM 'uo!+!ppo Ul 'SUO!pesle+Ul U]Dpe3 +D S~DU~!S3!jJDJ+ j0 UO!+DIID+SUlel# PUD S+WJ+S10301 eWOS lo f3u!uepw puD MPnqsUo='J Aq me Gq lllM UO!(olD+S8q4 O+ SSe33D JDln3!qeA 'QD3986 lo PUoWW 4!DP Pe+='@d D ehles 04 96~106BU!AJD~ D e(Dp0W -W33D AIID~~U~A~O+ S! +! 'W3 OPZ +nOqD JOJ 401 BU~~JD~~PDJ~-+D UD AllJO ePnlm! AllD!+!u!ll!M uo!+D+sW e1!4M 'el!qowolno Aq ~(l~nb-euolouo!+!ppo UD puo sesnq Jepeej 1~x1Aq +~~dap 10 e~p~o+ pe+38@~d ~JD suo~+~d eseq~ j0 IIDq-euo AIeW~coddv'OOOZ JKXA eW AqAI!~ suo4od oop~SAO ems 04 peu8!s -ep eq II!M uol+~+s~AOJ~ +nu0303 eql OPPORTUNITIES mediately south of the station is under experienced limited in-filling and rede- single ownership. It is mostly vacant with velopment with duplexes and town- For the same reason that business and only a few marginal uses occupying a houses.