In July, the Miami Beach’s planning board passed a new zoning code to create a new arts district in South Beach. The City commission is expected to approve the zoning incentives at their scheduled September, 5th meeting. The area known as The Cultural Arts Neighbourhood District Overlay, or CANDO. The CANDO district is bounded by 24th Street and North Lincoln Lane to the north, Meridian and Lenox Avenues on the west, South Lincoln Lane to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The idea is to offer developers incentives to provide affordable housing for artists. Developers will be able to either rehabilitate existing buildings or construct new ones. Artists will have to qualify for work space or affordable housing in the new CANDO zone. They will have to prove that they are artists or work for a cultural arts organization and have incomes that fall between 51 and 120 percent of the median income in Miami-Dade, which is presently $55, 900. If all goes well, maybe this will bring some of the artists back to the beach. After-all, it was the likes of these creative folks that gave South Beach that artsy flair and Bohemian charm that made it the eclectic place that it is today.
