In 2009, the Miami 21 plan created a new zoning provision to encourage development in areas that had suffered from decades of disinvestment and job loss. Special Area Plans (SAPs) permit new uses, such as housing and retail, on land that was previously zoned for industrial or other bygone uses. The SAP designation sparked some of the city's most successful developments, but has lately been the target of vigorous opposition, culminating in a January vote by the Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board to recommend its repeal. Neisen Kasdin, managing partner of Akerman LLP's Miami office, has extensive experience both as a leader in urban development – he was formerly mayor of Miami Beach – and in representing complex, large-scale, multi-use development projects. In what follows, Kasdin examines the controversy surrounding SAPs.

You have argued that the SAP process has fostered several highly successful developments. Which projects would you point to, and what made them successful? 

The first two SAPs in the City of Miami – the Miami Design District and Brickell City Centre – are nationally acclaimed projects that represent billions of dollars in investment. Not only did these projects catalyze tremendous investments in surrounding properties and create thousands of jobs, but they are highly regarded for their architecture and design. As land use counsel on both, I saw this firsthand.