A committee once criticized for its lack of focus responded with a detailed analysis of and proposed plan for a possible Medical Office District, abutting Aventura Hospital to the north and the south. The Aventura City Commission gained a first look at the “conceptual urban development framework” documents at a June 19 city commission workshop, and the early word is that the plan looks solid to commissioners.

“I agree with the recommendations and think it would be a great thing for the city,” said Commissioner Zev Auerbach. “Any great neighborhood has got to have a great medical community.”

“The concept is very good, but I think it will take a while to work out the details,” said Commissioner Ken Cohen.

Cohen has been a critic of some city committees, citing poor attendance and performance records, and that criticism extended for some time to Aventura’s Economic Development Advisory Board. However, the Board was given a specific charge earlier this year to examine the possibility of laying the groundwork for a possible Medical Office District. Assignment in hand, the Board responded this month with a comprehensive look at the still-theoretical endeavor.

At issue is how best to utilize the space surrounding Aventura Hospital – or, more appropriately, how to foster a particular type of development there, since most of the property is in private hands.

According to the concept plan prepared by the city’s consultant, Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC, through the Economic Development Advisory Board, “The area to the north and south of Aventura Hospital has recently accommodated several medical office developments of varying sizes and intensities. A key issue is what is a reasonable mix of land uses based on the likely marketability of office and other uses, and the overall functionality of the district.”

The report went on to say that if redevelopment for office use were to take place throughout the District at the maximum permitted density of 10 stories, nearly two million square feet of office space could be accommodated – which the authors of the report believe is far more than the city could absorb even well into the future. “Consequently,” the report went on to state, “other compatible uses must be encouraged if the area is to redevelop in an appropriate and compatible fashion.”

Based on a number of factors, the report made several key recommendations. Among these are:

* The area bounded by Biscayne Boulevard, N.E. 213^th Street, N.E. 28^th Avenue and the northern property line of Aventura Hospital is believed to be ideally suited to large scale, predominantly medical office use due to its direct adjacency to the hospital, large property sizes and direct access and visibility along Biscayne Boulevard. Consideration should be given to increasing minimum lot size to 3 acres in the 8-acre parcel, with the result being the possible development of 400,000 square feet plus a parking garage. Medical office should be the predominant use, with multifamily residential and a limited array of ancillary commercial uses related directly to the district permitted as conditional uses. To provide for necessary vehicular access and connectivity within the district, several new streets may be appropriate to accompany this redevelopment: including an extension of N.E. 212^th and 213^th Streets to provide east-west access and district entrances from Biscayne Boulevard, and an extension of N.E. 29^th Avenue to provide north-south access.

* The portion of the medical office district located immediately south of Aventura Hospital, south of N.E. 209^th Street, is comprised primarily of small single-family parcels and unrelated commercial uses. The present 1.5-acre minimum lot size poses a challenge for the assembly of suitable sites, and also precludes smaller medical/dental office development appropriate to accommodate individual group practices occupying their own buildings. Recommendations include: that the area be modified to reduce minimum lot size to either ½ acre of 20,000 square feet, permitting a “village-like” array of smaller office structures. Taking into consideration zoning restrictions, and the requirement that 33 percent of the site remain landscaped open space, the end result could be 100,000 square feet of development, which when combined with the development on the north side of the hospital, would total some 450,000-500,000 square feet.

* But the recommendations don’t only extend to medical offices and ancillary services. It also recognized the efficacy of possible residential development. The area between N.E. 214^th Terrace and N.E. 213^th Street is considered highly unlikely for redevelopment for medical office use, so a recommendation of RMF 3B (35 dwellings per acre) zoning designation or RMF 3A (45 dwellings per acre) was made. Shallow lot depths in the portion of the Medical Office District lying north of N.E. 214^th Street prompted a recommendation of either retaining the RMF3 zoning district or slightly reducing allowable density.

* Two triangular parcels on the northern and southern edge of the district are envisioned as freestanding commercial lots, with a recommendation that commercial uses be limited to those that would not detract from the character and image of the Medical Office District.

* City zoning restrictions and development standards are cited in the report as obstacles and recommendations are made on how to address necessary changes for the district to see fruition. Additionally, the report recommends several potential street closures and potential new streets.

 The actual process of approving the initiative and getting it underway will take some time.

“It will have to come before the commission and there would have to be changes made to the Comp Plan as well as some zoning changes,” said City Manager Eric Soroka. “I imagine it will be at least fall before we address the issue officially.”

Cohen agreed it would be later in the year – perhaps even into the winter before the commission could take up the item. “We have a lot on our front burner right now,” he said.

Still, Cohen is pleased with the plan and the fact that it addresses residential concerns. “My desire is to see some of the area developed for residential use,” he said. “The hospital needs a residential area near it because a lot of employees may want to live close to work. Aventura can be very expensive to live in. So I’d like to see moderate range residential development.”

Besides, acquiring the scattered privately owned single-family home properties scattered around the proposed district would be no easy task. “People have really inflated ideas of their property values,” Cohen said. “That’s our problem. They all want to sell, but they all want astronomical amounts of money. It could get very expensive to acquire those properties. Maybe with the proposed increase in lot sizes on the north side, someone will be able to come in and build something substantial.”

Cohen said by the time the commission addresses the issue of the Medical Office District and makes the necessary adjustments to development regulations, there will be interest in building in the district.

Auerbach sees the proposed district as a win-win situation, not just for Aventura but surrounding communities as well.