As already mentioned, CUCD’s major early achievement in the neighborhood was the development of a Grand Avenue Vision Plan.  This was produced over eight months of meetings between the University of Miami School of Architecture and the business and property owners of Coconut Grove.

The desire for such a plan originally grew out of the “next steps” suggested in the City of Miami’s Coconut Grove Planning Study of 1996.  Following these recommendations, the Grand Avenue Vision Plan was intended to present a vision for a revitalized street of mixed “residential, office and commercial” uses.  Toward this end, it incorporated many recommendations for zoning changes, streetscape improvements, and measures that would increase security and livability.  In this effort, special attention was taken to recognize the character and scale of existing buildings, and suggest ways to improve or replace them that might allow the street to regain its quality as a focus of neighborhood activity.

Design Process:  The Grand Avenue Vision Plan emerged from a four-stage process, which proceeded incrementally from data gathering and analysis, to schematic design, to community meetings, and final design.  As part of this gradual approach, presentations were made to the community each month, so that a design direction could emerge in a way that was not threatening to community members.  Indeed, at the critical moment when a draft plan was submitted to the community, there was little objection to its specifics — with the exception of a few property owners who had hoped their properties would be recommended for more intense development.

Creation of the report involved surveys of such important parameters as zoning, ownership, parking, and historic conditions.  These led to a block-by-block reconsideration of buildings and vacant properties to identify those most likely to be rebuilt or improved in coming years.  In several instances, the report suggested the aggregation of smaller lots to create the potential for larger buildings.  Development of common parking areas also suggested on properties scattered throughout the area.

Envisioning a Revitalized Grand Avenue:  Many people have trouble reading two-dimensional drawings and maps, and newer presentation techniques that involve “fly-through” movies of virtual places are much more successful at explaining spatial improvements.  Although we did not have the resources to create such movies, we were able to provide renderings and perspective views of proposed changes at key points along the avenue.  Some of these images are included in the accompanying illustrations.

Vision Plan Report and Guidelines:  At the conclusion of the eight-month process, maps, drawings and written guidelines were assembled into a final report.  This was distributed to the community and to the City of Miami Department of Planning and Zoning.  According to the plan recommendations, private developers and landowners would still be responsible for proposing individual building projects.  But if the guidelines were adopted by the city, building massing and street-facing architectural details and materials could be significantly controlled.

The report also illustrated prototypes for four typical buildings of different uses.  These showed how new building projects might implement the ideas in the vision plan.  The architectural design guidelines included in the report also illustrated typical features of what was referred to as “Caribbean Style” and “Island Architecture.”  Some typical elements included shutters and trellises, porches and dormers, balconies and arcades, and even tin roofs in Caribbean colors.  The report recommended that incentives be written into the zoning code to allow bonuses or reprieves if such features were incorporated in future project designs.

Implementation:  After its completion, the plan was endorsed by the Coconut Grove Collaborative and the Village West Homeowners and Tenants Association.  To date, it has also become the basis for new zoning legislation designed to protect and promote the character and scale of the existing street.  Recommendations for development in the plan demonstrated this need for new zoning legislation, and the university and the community suggested several specific changes to existing zoning as well as the creation of a special zoning district.  These suggestions were subsequently incorporated as a new zoning overlay for the area now approved by the Miami City Commission, with the help of the Department of Planning and Zoning.

The Grand Avenue Vision Plan is also now being assessed, project by project, so that it can become a true and comprehensive implementation plan for the area.  As part of this effort, goals and implementation costs for each property must be determined as a precursor to seeking investors and attracting developers to the area.