Addressing Miami-Dade’s single-family zoning can help affordable housing problems | Opinion

Ending suburbs

The March 31 story, “The end of suburbs with single-family-only homes? Miami-Dade zoning rule’s impact could be ‘sweeping’,” is a long overdue exposition highlighting a social injustice topic often overlooked. For decades, communities (particularly in well-to-do areas) have used exclusionary single-family zoning to intentionally prevent affordable housing options within their boundaries. Yet curbing such zoning is the only way to accommodate future population growth, provide more affordable housing, curb sprawl, lower emissions and encourage socioeconomic integration.

Kudos to reporter Andres Viglucci for highlighting the racist historical roots of exclusionary single-family zoning, which was designed as a backdoor tool to further housing segregation after the passage of the 1965 Fair Housing Act.

This racial residue was apparent even in seemingly progressive Miami Shores, where multi-family housing was contemplated last year. Throngs of agitated residents attended council meetings decrying the potential addition of “outsiders,” “those people,” “Section 8 housing” and “all renters are drug dealers.” The unhinged rhetoric culminated in an online death threat against the village’s African American mayor.

While county policy is progressive and admirable, it’s incomplete without the participation of all of the incorporated municipalities, particularly those with an affordable housing deficit.

John Ise,

Miami Shores

Three amigos?

Miami Herald opinion writer Fabiola Santiago is so right in her March 31 column, “Three gringos in Coral Gables launch Biden-Harris Latino campaign (sad trombone).” They haven’t a clue how to address Latinos in Miami-Dade County, how to articulate the valuable things Democrats do for them, nor how to “actively participate in civic life and dish out substance where the voters are, glued to TV and radio shows, and not only political ones.”

Get inside the Latino culture, Santiago said, and land a spot on “El Gordo y la Flaca” to speak directly to ordinary Latinos.

Nikki Fried is a hopeless leader, Miami-Dade County Mayor Levine Cava knows better but goes along with the flow and Doug Emhoff means well but is so out of his depth.

June Frost,

Coral Gables

Things change

The cover story of the March 27 Miami Herald, “For Sale. For almost 70 years, this beloved tavern has fed Miami,” was very sad. Like most cities, old landmarks eventually close because change is inevitable.

Having grown up in the northwest section of Coral Gables, I have seen the likes of the wonderful Blue Grotto Italian restaurant on Red Road, that served the best pizza and garlic rolls, fade away. Also eventually closing was the hole-in-the-wall Ludways, on the corner of Ludlam Road and Coral Way, which served the best 50-cent frozen mug of beer, roasted peanuts, smoked mackerel and Claude’s special hamburgers.

When word got around that Duffy’s was going up for sale, my fellow Coral Gables High 1976 classmates commiserated online, learning of the potential closing. Our 40th class reunion was held at Duffy’s. Fellow classmate ✓Jim Maler, who was drafted by the Seattle Mariners, has his baseball card posted on the wall, just like numerous hometown sports legends.

I have taken my son and son-in-law there to experience the old neighborhood. Duffy’s will be missed when it is eventually sold. Almost 50 years of my memories will be just that, memories.

Stan Schachne,

Davie

Reject dictators

Tens of thousands of Cubans and Venezuelans were fed up with the dictators of their countries. These dictators lied, bullied and placed themselves above the law. The people determined it was time to vote with their feet and uprooted their families by seeking asylum in the United States.

How is it possible to embrace another lying bully who places himself above the law?

Harry Emilio Gottlieb,

Coconut Grove

Beware bitcoin

The March 31 story, “A bitcoin boom is happening in Miami — again,” misses a balance for the bitcoin/crypto space. Merely mentioning FTX and then spotlighting MiamiCoin and Mayor Francis Suarez is not enough. The U.S. digital dollar will soon be announced. Many global central bankers have banned this highly speculative, thinner-than-air potential asset.

The $70,000 run up value has been seen before, akin to pump-and-dump manipulation. This month, bitcoin will see a “halving” that will affect pricing.

Miami and its purported tech and crypto space are not as robust as some might believe nor are there more millionaires or billionaires due in part to successful crypto issuance-operations (mining) sales.

MiamiCoin rose from 38 cents to many dollars and then fell flat under its original issuance. Digital is the future, but the future is not here yet. Future crypto will be asset-backed. Caveat emptor.

Jim Angleton,

Miami

Mayor’s plan

The days when Miami-Dade County mayors and commissioners requested and passed expenditures and increases arbitrarily to the voters, property owners, ultimately affecting all housing and small business renters, are gone.

Not only is Mayor Levine Cava’s $2.5 billion proposal disingenuous, it’s a slap in the face and a lack of empathy for small business owners, renters and homeowners struggling with expenses, including rising insurance costs.

The mayor boasts that the proposal will be paid for by property taxes. That means more costs and expenses to home and business owners. Those increases will likely be passed on to renters and customers.

James Talamas,

Doral

Affordable housing

There has been much hand-wringing on how to create affordable housing. One solution is multi-generational housing — building a second home on an existing single-family home site, the so-called mother/daughter home for younger and/or older family members.

In many cases, existing homes have been paid off, owned by empty nesters. Using their home’s equity, they could build a second home at substantially reduced costs. In Miami-Dade County there are thousands of single-family home sites where a second home could be built without infrastructure expenses, revising urban boundary lines or zoning ordinances. Impact on traffic would be minimal because empty nesters are retired and could help care for their grandchildren and/or parents.

Also, there would be no looming high-rise buildings that change the character of a community. Rather, a decentralized approach will maintain quiet residential neighborhoods. Older neighborhoods will be infused with new life, with parents pushing baby strollers and grandchildren attending local schools.

Allan Ira Bass,

Miami

Havana syndrome

The Herald’s March 31 story, “Despite clashes over reality of Havana Syndrome, CIA agents have been paid for injuries,” has its own built-in enigma. One need no longer have access to CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, to take a stab at the existence of Havana Syndrome there and elsewhere against overseas officers.

It happened. If not, the matter would have been debunked and hostile tour extra pay would not exist for this.

The answer to this brain malady and other health afflictions will probably remain in CIA deep cover mode. The CIA will not show its knowledge or lack thereof. The matter is now a political football and a bureaucratic burden.

The article mentions two technical services officers on a temporary visit who had to fight for this special hostile payment. Time of exposure is not discussed, nor degree of interference in invading a building.

Both houses of Congress have committees working on this and the Pentagon has its health programs investigating. Political footballing and bureaucratic fumbling are guaranteed.

Michael G. Merhige,

Kendall

Tennis splash

Next year, let’s move the Miami Tennis Open back to Key Biscayne, at the Miami Seaquarium site.

Guy Posschelle,

Miami