Miami wants to let homeowners on a few blocks near Calle Ocho build duplexes.

The city's Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board takes up the change Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive. City Manager James Reyes filed it on the city's behalf, and the Planning Department recommends approval.

Which blocks

The change covers 56 properties on about 8.5 acres. The area runs from SW 6th Street to SW 8th Street, between SW 29th and SW 32nd avenues. Most of the lots front SW 7th Street between SW 30th and 32nd avenues. A handful sit on SW 30th, 31st and 32nd avenues.

Fifty-five of the lots would switch from single-family to duplex zoning. In city terms, the zoning would go from T3-L to T3-O, and the land-use map from Single Family Residential to Duplex Residential.

One property, at 3003 SW 8th St., is different. Part of it is mapped for single-family use, while the rest is commercial along Calle Ocho. The city wants to make the whole parcel commercial to fix that mismatch.

What changes for owners

Today those lots allow one house each, up to 9 homes per acre. The new rules would allow single-family homes or duplexes, up to 18 homes per acre.

Nothing forces anyone to build. Owners could keep their houses as they are.

Many already look like the new zoning. On an Oct. 22 site visit, planners counted 11 of the 56 properties that function as legal nonconforming duplexes. That means they predate today's rules and don't match the single-family zoning. The change would bring them in line.

The homes on these blocks are older. The average one was built in 1947, according to the city's analysis.

Duplexes are already common nearby. Duplex Residential is the largest land-use category within a quarter mile, covering about a third of the land. The whole area falls inside a city transit corridor buffer along SW 8th Street, and Coral Nook Park is close by.

The tradeoffs

More homes mean more cars. A preliminary city analysis estimated the full build-out could add about 707 daily car trips, including 70 in the morning rush and 68 in the evening rush. Planners said a detailed traffic study may be needed when owners apply to redevelop. The full staff report is in the meeting packet.

What happens next

The board can recommend approval, changes or denial. The City Commission makes the final call at a later meeting. This comes as the city weighs more density along Little Havana's main corridors and a car dealer's 12-story request on Calle Ocho.

Buying or selling in Little Havana? The Miami Lookout is founded by Joe Biscaha, a Miami real estate advisor with Compass.

Shops along Calle Ocho, SW 8th Street, in Little Havana
Calle Ocho in Little Havana in 2018. Source