Mast initially requested a height increase from the allowable 85 feet to 290 for a residential tower. Following significant community pushback, the developer reduced the request by more than half, seeking a 140-ft height limit. Ultimately, Mast abandoned any height request and proposed an eight-story building within the current 85-ft limit.
Mast Capital attorney Michael Larkin of Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin & Tapanes said the rezoning allows the developer to reconfigure the building and spread it out on the development site in a way that “respects the students and professors that live within the Talmudic University building.”
Miami Beach Planning Director Tom Mooney told Commissioners the maximum density on the site before its combination with the FDOT parcel is 187 residential units. The maximum density on the additional parcel is 41 units, so the combined site could have had a maximum density of 228 units. “Even though maximum density is that number, based on the smallest unit size permitted under the Code, it’s not likely they will get more than 200 units on the site,” but Mooney said the City wouldn’t know how many units would be proposed until the development application was submitted.
Commissioner Michael Góngora noted the proposal “went from being very controversial to less controversial” without the height request but there was still concern about its impact on traffic. He asked the developer to agree to a maximum of 187 units and not include the 41 units that could be added with the combined site.
Mast Capital CEO Camilo Miguel Jr. agreed to a voluntary proffer to restrict the unit count to 187.
After the approval, Miguel said in a statement, “We are extremely pleased by the City Commission’s unanimous approval of our latest plans for the 4000 Alton Road project. We look forward to developing a signature project that will be an asset to the neighborhood and provide an elegant gateway to the City of Miami Beach. This vote marks the latest step in Mast Capital efforts to usher in a new era of resilient, sustainable and responsible development across South Florida and beyond.”
The project will go through the Design Review Board process next.
Renderings courtesy Arquitectonica
