A car dealership on Calle Ocho wants room to grow up instead of out. Miami's planners say the block is the wrong place for it.

Two companies, Miami Automotive Retail Inc. and MAR 701 Southwest 7 Avenue LLC, are asking the city to rezone almost the entire block bounded by Southwest Eighth Street, Southwest Seventh Street, Southwest Sixth Avenue and Southwest Seventh Avenue. The site is about 2.5 acres. Today it holds the Murgado Buick/GMC dealership, with one-story buildings and surface parking lots.

The rezoning is on the City Commission agenda for Thursday, Oct. 22, along with a companion change to the city's land-use map. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. at City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive.

What the dealer wants

There are two requests. The first covers the corner lot at 701 SW Seventh Ave. Its current zoning does not allow car dealerships. The owner wants a more intense zone that does, so the whole block can work as one dealership.

The second covers the rest of the block, at 619 and 665 SW Eighth St. and 620, 630 and 640 SW Seventh St. That land is already zoned for buildings up to eight stories, or 12 with bonuses. The owner wants a zone that allows 12 stories, or 20 with bonuses.

In its application, the owner says it wants to build "a modern, urban car dealership." It says the extra floors would hold a wide range of inventory, "including variants of color, model, and trim levels." A city dealership cannot rely on the acres of surface parking found in the suburbs, it argues.

Why planners say no

The city's Planning Department recommends denying both requests. Buildings near the site are mostly one to four stories tall, its report says. North of the block are mainly one- to three-story apartment buildings.

Planners found the 12-story zone is "not prevalent" in the area. They also warned that approving it could set a precedent for taller buildings nearby, including on blocks to the south that sit next to lower-scale homes. The current zoning, they wrote, "already provides substantial redevelopment opportunities."

The city's Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board split the difference on Sept. 16. It voted 10-0 to recommend approving the corner-lot change, saying it fits how Calle Ocho is redeveloping. It recommended denying the 12-story zone for the rest of the block.

What happens next

The board's vote is a recommendation. The City Commission makes the final call. Zoning changes are passed by ordinance, which takes two votes by the commission. If approved, the change would take effect 31 days after the final vote.

Calle Ocho is not the only place where local leaders are weighing what gets built. The Lookout has also been following the revised plan for the church site at 1836 Biscayne Blvd. and a proposal for 800 homes at the West Dade Government Center.