A rezoning proposal that would allow the construction of buildings up to 12 stories in areas of Little Havana has divided residents, activists, and authorities in Miami, potentially marking the most significant urban transformation of the historic Cuban neighborhood in decades.
On Wednesday, the Miami Planning and Zoning Commission approved the package with a vote of seven to three, following a heated public debate. The proposal still needs to pass the review of the Miami Commission, which will have the final say in the coming months.
The plan encompasses approximately 460 properties—nearly 100 acres—mainly along 7th Street and part of 9th Street in the southwest. In areas where buildings are currently allowed to be up to three stories high, the new regulations would permit constructions up to five stories. In other areas, the maximum height would increase to eight stories, and even up to 12 with certain incentives.
La Calle Ocho is excluded from this plan because it already allows for taller structures.
The main driving force behind the initiative is Commissioner Rolando Escalona of District 3, which includes Little Havana. His central argument is not only to increase the availability of housing but also to regain municipal control in response to the Live Local Law, a Florida state regulation that allows affordable housing projects to bypass local height and density restrictions without city government approval.
"We do not want to lose the identity of Little Havana. When you do Live Local, as a city, you have no control, and the main reason is to combat precisely that," Escalona stated.
The official claims that to regain that control, the proposal includes creating a Neighborhood Revitalization District (NRD, for its acronym in English), with its own construction rules. Under this framework, developers seeking increased density would need to provide affordable housing units in return.
"In the NRD, we can have specifications. If you want to have more density, you need to provide me with a certain number of units that are affordable housing," the commissioner explained.
However, a central criticism noted by analysts is that the ordinance itself does not require the inclusion of affordable units, although the city asserts that increased density "can facilitate" this type of housing.
Escalona was emphatic in drawing a line: “As commissioner, I do not want Little Havana to become Brickell. You've heard the idea of West Brickell many times. Absolutely not.”
Yvonne Bayona, a resident of the area, summed up the distress of many neighbors: “What’s going to happen to us when they start building all these buildings? It’s going to affect us a lot. There won’t be enough parking. It’s a disaster.”
Activists are also calling to slow the pace of urban development. Denise Gálvez, one of the most active voices, acknowledged the good intentions of the commissioner but demanded more time to assess the projects.
"Give the community a chance. The commissioner wants to make many positive changes for the city and for Little Havana. Let's focus on that first, let's put the protections in place."
The debate takes place within a context of increasing real estate pressure on the neighborhood. Earlier this year, more than 200 families from the Silver Court mobile home park, located on Calle Ocho, received eviction notices to make way for a new real estate development. Most of them were seniors, retirees, and low-income Cuban and Latino immigrants.
Little Havana established itself as a Cuban enclave from the early years of the 1960s, when thousands of exiles fleeing Fidel Castro's government settled in the area, which was then known as Riverside.
The passage of time has turned this area into the cultural and political capital of Cuban Americans, with restaurants, music, domino parks, and small businesses that its residents now fear losing forever.
The Miami Commission is expected to make a decision in the coming months, and its ruling will determine whether Little Havana retains its historical character or embarks on an irreversible transformation.
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