Miami’s Temple Israel seeks to rezone parking lot, laying path for redevelopment

Temple Israel of Greater Miami is laying the groundwork for possible redevelopment of a 1.6-acre overflow parking lot bordering three booming neighborhoods.

The Miami Planning and Zoning Appeals Board on Wednesday evening will consider two requests by Temple Israel to rezone the vacant property at 1852 Northeast Second Avenue for “general commercial” use. The parking lot and the adjacent synagogue at 137 Northeast 19th Street border the Arts & Entertainment District, Edgewater and Wynwood. 

The planning board can either support or deny a recommendation for the Miami City Commission to authorize Temple Israel’s request. Should the changes go through, the synagogue will likely fetch lucrative offers from developers hunting for large parcels for mixed-use projects.

The parking lot is currently zoned for “institutional, public facilities, transportation and utilities” uses, according to a May letter of intent submitted by Temple Israel. The proposed zoning change would allow for the development of condominiums, apartments, an office building, a hotel and retail uses. If rezoned, a project of up to 850 condo or apartment units could be built on the site. 

However, a synagogue official told The Real Deal that Temple Israel is in the process of figuring out what to do with the parking lot. “Currently, Temple Israel of Greater Miami does not have any plans, and [we] are in the early stages of exploring development options for the land,” said Temple Israel Executive Director Shari Debowsky via email. 

Founded in 1922, Temple Israel is South Florida’s first reform synagogue, according to its website. Its original home was on the site of The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, and it moved into its current Moorish-Neo Gothic building in 1928. 

The potential development site is near other planned mixed-use projects in the Arts & Entertainment District, Edgewater and Wynwood. Last month, New York-based LCOR unveiled plans for a proposed 42-story mixed-use tower at 1775 Biscayne Boulevard. The project would entail 544 apartments, 10,000 square-feet of ground-floor retail and a 628-space garage. 

Also last month, Miami’s Urban Design Review Board approved a New York-based investment group’s Edgewood 22, a proposed 20-story building with 160 apartments and ground-floor retail on a 0.5-acre site at 2140 Northeast Second Avenue. 

Religious organizations across South Florida are selling off developable land to builders. In May, Cavache Properties bought a church campus and surrounding sites totaling 5 acres in Pompano Beach. After paying $8.4 million, Cavache plans to develop the site into a 10-story, 229-unit building and a six-story, 90-unit building, as well as about 3,500 square feet of commercial space for either retail or a restaurant.