The Miami City Commissioners have voted unanimously this week to place a cap of 75,000 s.f. on big box stores in the Coconut Grove, one of the city’s most distinct neighborhoods. According to the Miami Herald, the Commission took its vote with little debate, barring stores larger than 70,000 square feet from the Grove, and imposing strict conditions on establishments larger than 25,000 square feet, including limits on operating and delivery hours. All this comes too late, however, to apply to the one project that residents in the Grove have been fighting for over a year — a Home Depot. The measure, however, won’t stop a proposed Home Depot store on Bird Avenue, because the project filed for permits before the new ordinance was put in place. But legal battles are expected over the Home Depot if the developer continues with his plans, and there will be no Home Depot anytime soon in The Grove. Besides, there’s already a Home Depot on 8th. Avenue just minutes away from the proposed site.
This is a significant victory for Coconut Grove, and The Grove First citizens group. They have closed the door to big box superstores. Now they just need to kill the last dinosaur on the lot. For earlier stories, search by “Coconut Grove.”