Voters Reject Miami Beach High-Rises

Miami Beach residents voted to stop the development of two high-rise towers in three different referendums last week, reports Deborah Acosta for the Wall Street Journal.

The project, slated for construction on the site of the now-shuttered Deauville Hotel at a height of 375 feet, would have required voter approval to be exempted from current zoning regulations, which limit building height to 200 feet. “Daniel Ciraldo, executive director of Miami Design Preservation League, said the voters signaled they aren’t ready to approve projects that could significantly change the character of Miami Beach, which is famous for its art deco architecture and lower-rise buildings.”

According to Acosta, “Even though the project is on hold, the hotel, which had been run into disrepair by the family who bought it in 2004 for $4 million, was imploded on Sunday. The nearly 4-acre site will now sit empty until new plans for the site are approved.”

Acosta points out that other developers have had more success in getting projects approved in Miami Beach. “New York developer Michael Shvo, for example, secured approval last week from the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board for one of his office developments,” with three total projects in the works in the city.