{"url":"https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2026/04/07/1826-collins-ave-planning-board-miami-beach.html","title":"Car elevator request triggers Planning Board review for Live Local tower.","domain":"bizjournals.com","imageUrl":"https://images.pexels.com/photos/5505693/pexels-photo-5505693.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=650&w=940","pexelsSearchTerm":"Miami Beach tower","category":"Politics","language":"en","slug":"5750affb","id":"5750affb-44c0-4b04-86e6-d5503e89d139","description":"Miami Beach Planning Board will review a car elevator request for a 15-story Live Local Act tower at 1826 Collins Ave on May 5.","summary":"## TL;DR\n- Miami Beach Planning Board will review a car elevator request for a **15-story Live Local Act** tower at **1826 Collins Ave** on **May 5**.\n- Project includes **29 units** with **40% affordable** for households up to **120% area median income**, **3,500 sq ft offices**, and **35 parking spaces**.\n- Hearing tests how state law speeds housing but limits city input amid local pushback on density.\n\n## The story at a glance\nMiami Beach's Planning Board takes up a conditional use permit for a mechanical car elevator at **1826 Collins Ave**, part of a **15-story** mixed-use tower by Lefferts (Crescent Heights affiliate) under Florida's Live Local Act. The **May 5** meeting focuses only on parking, not the project itself, since the law lets qualifying affordable housing bypass broader reviews. This comes as one of the city's first such developments on a narrow South Beach lot near Lincoln Road.[[1]](https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2026/04/07/1826-collins-ave-planning-board-miami-beach.html)[[2]](https://floridiandevelopment.com/one-of-miami-beachs-first-live-local-projects-1826-collins-avenue-heads-to-planning-board)\n\n## Key points\n- Developer **IC LLC** / **Lefferts**, tied to **Crescent Heights** and **Russell Galbut**, owns the under-quarter-acre site; architect is **Built Form**.\n- Tower rises **15 stories** to **241 feet** (elevator core top), with **29 residential units** (studios to two-bedroom penthouse), including **12 affordable** (40%, ~400-475 sq ft) for incomes up to **120% AMI**.[[2]](https://floridiandevelopment.com/one-of-miami-beachs-first-live-local-projects-1826-collins-avenue-heads-to-planning-board)\n- Includes **3,500 sq ft ground-floor offices**, rooftop amenities with ocean views, and **35 valet-operated parking spaces** via mechanical elevator to fit tight lot.\n- Live Local Act allows administrative approval for projects with enough affordable units, skipping public hearings—elevator permit (**PB25-0801**) triggers this limited board review.[[3]](https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/legal-ads/municipalities/miami-beach/PB%20BOA%20and%20DRB%20May%202026%20ad.pdf)\n- Site sits in Lincoln Road and Art Deco District area, walking distance to beach and retail.\n\n## Details and context\nFlorida's Live Local Act, pushed to ease housing shortages, gives density bonuses and fast-tracks projects if at least 40% of units go below-market for 30+ years. This narrow Collins Ave parcel—over **9,500 sq ft**—highlights how the law enables taller builds where local rules might block them, stirring debate in height-sensitive South Beach.\n\nThe board hearing, per city agenda, seeks approval under city code for mechanical parking (Chapters 2 and 5); no vote on height, units, or design. Affiliates like Galbut have other Live Local proposals nearby, signaling a wave—nearly a dozen citywide.\n\nPast coverage first noted the project in 2025; formal app filed **March 6, 2026**. Controversy brews, as seen in lawsuits claiming Miami Beach blocks similar efforts, like Bancroft Hotel redo.\n\n## Key quotes\nNone reported in available coverage.\n\n## Why it matters\nLive Local Act shifts power from cities to state housing goals, testing Miami Beach's control over South Beach's look amid shortages. Developers gain speed on narrow infill sites, but locals worry about density in historic zones; renters could see more affordable options near jobs. Watch the **May 5** vote and any appeals, plus city responses to growing Live Local pipeline.","hashtags":["#miamibeach","#realestate","#affordablehousing","#development","#floridalaw","#urbanplanning"],"sources":[{"url":"https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2026/04/07/1826-collins-ave-planning-board-miami-beach.html","title":"Original article"},{"url":"https://floridiandevelopment.com/one-of-miami-beachs-first-live-local-projects-1826-collins-avenue-heads-to-planning-board","title":""},{"url":"https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/legal-ads/municipalities/miami-beach/PB%20BOA%20and%20DRB%20May%202026%20ad.pdf","title":""}],"viewCount":2,"publishedAt":"2026-04-08T14:33:02.037Z"}