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Pinecrest Parkway Vision Plan Overview and FAQs

Published on July 11, 2022

Frequently asked questions about the Pinecrest Parkway (US 1) Plan

OVERVIEW

Pinecrest is returning to the visioning process to update the Village’s Pinecrest Parkway (US 1) Vision Plan, originally prepared and adopted by the Village Council in 2012. The Village began the process of updating the plan in 2021, taking into consideration Miami-Dade County’s planned South Corridor Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) improvement project that includes two new stations that will be located adjacent to SW 104 Street and SW 136 Street. The planning process will include a review of the Village’s Land Development Regulations impacting development along the corridor and around the stations. The Village Council established the Pinecrest Parkway Citizen’s Committee (PPCC) composed of professional architects, planners and landscape architects to shape this vision under the guidance of planning and urban design consultants from MHCP COLAB and MKSK. View the Updated Vision Plan(PDF, 36MB).

Historically, the Village Council has incorporated input from residents and consultants as part of the process to foster community outreach as it pertains to master planning and comprehensive planning updates. This process, known as “Inspire Pinecrest”, has included various opportunities for extensive public participation and “Community Conversations”. The Vision Plan Update will include the entire

Pinecrest Parkway corridor, the North Pinecrest Business Alternative Districts (NPBAD), which are the only areas where the Village presently allows a mix of uses, and the transit station areas at SW 104th and SW 136th Streets.

VISIONING PROCESS

On January 31, 2022, the Village Council held a workshop during which it directed a Pinecrest Parkway Citizen’s Committee to be established to engage residents in the Pinecrest Parkway (US 1) visioning process. The Village Council formally appointed the seven-member citizen’s committee on April 12, 2022. The new committee will work closely with the Village’s planning consultant, MHCP COLAB, the architecture and design team MKSK (hired on May 11, 2022) and Village’s professional staff to develop the Pinecrest Parkway (US 1) Vision Plan Update and provide various design scenarios. It is expected that the visioning process will be completed by late fall 2022.

SMART PLAN CORRIDOR REDEVLOPMENT

The SMART plan is a six-corridor countywide transportation plan which includes the US 1 corridor and the current busway. The $300M plan is equally funded by the County, State and Federal government with an expectation of a baseline population to support future ridership. The County has given South Dade municipalities two years to provide alternative plans for zoning and land use along the South Corridor and around the confirmed transit stations. For Pinecrest, this includes the existing Dadeland Metrorail station, a new BRT station at SW 104th Street and a new BRT station at SW 136th Street. Concurrent with his process, the County has developed a Rapid Transit Zone (RTZ) ordinance which outlines desired densities and intensities for all SMART plan corridors and transit stations within unincorporated Miami-Dade County.

The Ordinance, approved by the Board of County Commissioners at first reading on June 1, 2022, would exclude single-family residential neighborhoods and otherwise require municipalities to allow future redevelopment of commercial properties within the defined Rapid Transit Zones at minimum floor area ratios ranging between 0.5 and 1.5, depending on their location in proximity to the defined transit corridors and “Urban Centers”. A maximum floor area ratio of 1.0 would apply to the majority of commercial properties in Pinecrest, although mitigating measures can be required as necessary to protect adjoining single-family residences east of the US 1 corridor.

VILLAGE PARTICIPATION

We encourage residents to attend future in-person or virtual meetings. The upcoming meeting calendar will be available on the Village website. Residents may also write to US1Plan@pinecrest-fl.gov or email the Village Council at council@pinecrest-fl.gov, Mayor Joseph Corradino at JCorradino@pinecrest-fl.gov, or the Village Manager at manager@pinecrestfl. gov.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the timeline of the Vision Plan Update?

The project is an estimated six-month process estimated to be completed in late fall 2022, subject to any changes that may be related to Covid or the hurricane season.

2. What is the timeline of the County’s Rapid Transit Zone (RTZ)?

In 1996, Miami-Dade County introduced rapid transit station sites to be developed in accordance with community urban center comprehensive planning policies which provide minimum thresholds and densities for new development. In 2016, the Miami Dade County Board of Commissioners endorsed the SMART Plan for a regional transportation system comprised of six SMART Plan corridor alignments including the South Corridor along US1 south of Dadeland Station.

In September 2018, the County approved a Comprehensive Plan ordinance that included rapid transit zones (RTZ) and corridors (SMART corridors) for unincorporated Miami-Dade County. In Spring 2021, the County submitted a draft ordinance to explore merging RTZs and SMART corridors for incorporated Miami-Dade County.

In March 2022, the South Dade Municipal Coalition provided a formal response requesting the ability to develop their own land development regulations that are consistent with the Countywide transit system and promote transit-oriented development.

In June 2022, the County presented a revised ordinance at first reading with new minimum standards for RTZs and SMART corridors in unincorporated Miami-Dade County and the option for new development in incorporated Miami-Dade County to build to this new standard in place of the municipal zoning. The Village has formally requested the County amend this ordinance language to allow municipal zoning to take precedent over the County minimum standards for RTZs and SMART corridors.

3. What is the 2012 Vision Plan and what are the recommendations?

In April 2012 the Pinecrest Village Council initiated a process for the creation of a vision and community consensus for the future development, redevelopment, beautification, and enhancement of Pinecrest Parkway (US 1). This effort stems from the Council’s completion of a five-year Strategic Plan in 2010 and a subsequent update to the Plan in March 2012. A critical recommendation of the updated Strategic Plan was to develop a Vision Plan for Pinecrest Parkway.

The Vision Plan articulated the following guiding principles and goals:
Create a distinct Pinecrest brand (identity)
Encourage environmentally-efficient redevelopment of neighborhood-focused retail
Protect neighborhoods, and provide for appropriate transitions between residential and nonresidential areas
Connect and create a sense of unity for commercial properties

The Vision Plan identifies the Pinecrest Parkway Corridor as a unique local destination with a mix of uses appealing to all residents with a dual nature as both a regional thoroughfare and local Main Street. Through a series of strategic interventions and incentives, the Corridor will operate within two distinct areas: the “Pinecrest Parkway Area” and the “Village Area.” Commercial properties located in the 40% frontage area fall under the “Pinecrest Parkway Area.” This area allows for continued access along the Parkway and is characterized by a series of iconic buildings or features set in a naturalistic landscape, consisting mostly of standalone retail and/or office developments.

The “Village Area”, which is characterized by any part of the property that lies east beyond the 40% mark, caters specifically to local residents of Pinecrest. An alternate interior road would allow easy access from the residential neighborhoods without the need for travel along the busy Parkway. Additionally, a continuous series of “Village Walks” would link all commercial fronts and allow for safe and easy movement between properties on foot or on bicycle. Cross-access easement agreements are critical as properties are redeveloped to take advantage of incentives.

A cohesive material and color palette easily identifies the entire property as belonging to the Village of Pinecrest. Clusters of pine trees, live oaks, palms, and other native plantings are grouped throughout and serve as markers for entrances at both the front and rear of the property. Green walls help screen backs of buildings, while a unique trellis design is repeated at key moments or to mark a connection to a nearby Village park.

4. Why do we need to update the Vision Plan?

It’s been 10 years since the Vision Plan was adopted. Since then the County endorsed the SMART Plan and announced locations for transit stations along the Pinecrest Parkway (US1) which is an opportunity to reconsider the Vision Plan. The Pinecrest Parkway Citizen’s Committee will help reframe the discussion with a focus on landscape, signage, interconnectivity, open space and building envelope.

5. What is the SMART Plan and why do we need it?

The Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Program intends to advance six of the rapid transit corridors, along with a network system of Bus Express Rapid Transit (BERT) service, in order to implement mass transit projects in Miami-Dade County. The South Dade TransitWay Corridor (South Corridor) is one the six rapid transit corridors of the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Program. The corridor runs 20-miles in length and connects numerous municipalities which represent some of the fastest growing communities in Miami-Dade County.

- This corridor extends from the Dadeland South Metrorail Station to the SW 344 Street Park-and- Ride/Transit Terminal and provides a mobility connection between the Miami Central Business District and the Village of Pinecrest, the Village of Palmetto Bay, Town of Cutler Bay, City of Homestead, and Florida City.
- Fully implemented SMART Program Corridors will help commuters save time when compared to existing transit service or driving.
- Positive impacts from the SMART Program are anticipated in the following main areas of the transit system:
- New opportunities for Transit Oriented Developments (TOD’s) along SMART Program corridors.

6. What is planned for the South Corridor? What is bus rapid transit?

The South Dade Bus Rapid Transit Project is being designed and built by Obrascón Huarte Lain (OHL), a Spanish multinational construction and civil engineering company. Once completed, BRT will provide rail-like travel time, iconic stations, level boarding through all doors, and pre-paid fares for speedy access. BRT will also provide enhanced safety features and other upgrades along dedicated lanes with multi-layered service lines on the TransitWay. It will include two end-of-line terminals at Dadeland South and SW 344 Street; 14 new iconic, state-of-the-art transit stations, which will serve both the BRT Limited and All-Stop Routes; and 16 additional stops for the All-Stop Route on the South Dade TransitWay.

7. When will it be operational?

The project is funded. Design-build services began in February 2021 and the project broke ground in June 2021. The project has just been extended and the new scheduled completion date is Spring 2024.

8. How will construction impact my commute?

There are some expected traffic impacts on US1 for single lane closures but those will not be occurring around the clock. Specific details will be forthcoming once they are finalized.