Miami Beach residents carry the nostalgia of a bygone era in their hearts. North Beach – the northernmost neighborhood of Miami Beach – ignites times gone by when the Beatles performed with Ed Sullivan at Deauville and our young men from WWII came home to raise their families; unfortunately not in the listed area.
This specific post-war period is characterized by a newly branded nomenclature from MiMo (Miami Modernism).
Indeed, this story has to be celebrated in North Beach. These nostalgic properties and areas where you will find the “MIMO” architecture have already been classified as “locally designated” and listed.
Other areas of North Beach fall into a gray area, and local conservation activists affiliated with the Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) are campaigning for it, a huge stretch from roughly 73rd Street to 87th Street and Harding Avenue to Crespi Blvd under the guise of revitalization.
Very few of these buildings really have the characteristics associated with “MIMO” architecture, but meet “scale” criteria that could be protected by “design guidelines”. The structures were erected at lightning speed and without great planning effort at the end of the 1950s and were originally built for holiday rentals.
These small multi-family houses are poorly designed apartments that do not accommodate modern families and create a predominantly ephemeral neighborhood.
Some may argue that such low rents are necessary to accommodate those who work in Miami Beach. This argument falls awry given the harsh economic realities of the situation.
Sea level rise is a problem that manifests itself in real time. Major infrastructure changes are required to make real estate profitable and insurable.
The cost of these infrastructure improvements is billions of dollars and requires both private and public investment. These costs are passed on to the tenants, whereby the tenants with lower rents are essentially priced.
With many of the activists’ arguments in favor of preserving historic monuments failing because of the facts, activists have relied on emotions and demonizing property owners to shape public opinion.
The activists warn of overbuilding and point the finger at the massive skyscrapers that have been built all over South Florida, but not in Miami Beach.
Everyone agrees that development in Sunny Isles Beach and Brickell is not the direction for North Beach. Many people appreciate the village atmosphere in the area; but the status quo has clearly not resulted in economic development and everyone agrees that change is needed.
There is a middle ground between massive development and intelligent, sensible development that can preserve the quasi-urban / village atmosphere while enabling infrastructure improvements and economic growth.
Unfortunately, the emotional tactics of a few vocal activists have influenced many who hold public office and recklessly take positions that are not in the best interests of the people they represent.
If free conservation is allowed in North Beach, the long-term effects will cripple the area economically and result in an unsustainable living environment.
Miami Beach is considered to be the largest housing equality gap, and the continued legal reduction in zones and regulations will only compound the unacceptable challenge of finding accessible housing for family life.
Miami Beach is ground zero for sea level rise and the world is watching how we react. We can either be an avant-garde city paving the way for sustainability and equality, or we can drown on the pretext of saving questionable architecture.
If we side with the high-pitched conservationists yelling from the rooftops with a false sense of moral superiority, and keeping our properties below FEMA minimums and the city’s own new guidelines, true revitalization will literally be washed away.
Matis Cohen
President North Beach Property Owners Association
Board of Governors Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce
Chairman of the Advocacy Council Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce
Principal Kahunah Properties / Landowners North Beach
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