A faithful Transit Miami reader recently attended a zoning change hearing for a proposed mixed-use tower called Civica Tower, located at 1050 NW 14th Street in the Civic Center district. According to the reader, Miami’s Planning Advisory Board didn’t event question the developers new proposal, allowing an additional 650 parking spaces beyond the 800 gratuitous spaces already granted.  The justification? The developers are nixing the tower’s hotel component to provide more retail and office space.

This utter lack of vision made on behalf of the city is unacceptable. Not only is there ample transit coverage in the district (three Metrorail stops, a myriad of Metrobus lines), there are newly planned trolley routes aimed at making one of Miami’s densest employment centers more walkable, transit friendly, and urbane. This decision, which follows a long standard of poor choices in the city, will continue to undermine the transit investment meant to improve the area, and the city at large.

Shame on the PAB.