Hialeah planning board recommends denial of proposed commercial parking conversion at 1550 West 60th Street after residents object
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Summary
The Planning & Zoning Board voted to recommend denial of a small-scale land‑use amendment that would have allowed a commercial surface parking lot at 1550 W. 60th St., following sustained public opposition over noise, flooding and neighborhood character. The rezoning companion item was postponed for reconsideration in January.
The City of Hialeah Planning & Zoning Board on Nov. 19 recommended denial of a proposed land‑use amendment that would have changed about 1.08 acres at 1550 West 60th Street from major institution/transportation & utilities to commercial to allow a surface parking facility.
Staff described the site as two parcels owned by Iglesia Bautista/Westland Baptist Church Inc., bisected by an FPL easement, and noted the applicant proposed a ground‑level parking operation with fencing, landscaping and no vertical structures. Manny (Manning Rios), the project architect, said the proposal would provide on‑site stacking and landscaping and that access would be primarily from 60th Street. “We have landscaping, and we have a 6‑foot chain‑link fence and heavily landscaped on both the east side and the west side,” the applicant told the board.
Multiple neighbors told the board the project would harm the residential character of the area. “My home will be negatively impacted by this proposed zoning change,” said Margarita Caravallo, a resident of more than 30 years, during public comment. Caravallo and other speakers raised concerns about noise, increased traffic near Milam Elementary, flooding and loss of green space. Osmel Kusa, another nearby resident, warned that traffic in the adjacent school zone already causes severe congestion at dismissal times and said the change would exacerbate the problem.
The board discussed easement ownership, permitted uses near high‑tension lines and the possibility of writing voluntary operational restrictions into the zoning record. Applicant Manning Rios said FPL and his clients would set restrictions and that large commercial vehicles would not be allowed. He told the board the facility was intended as “a storage facility” for boats, RVs and small trucks and that restrictions could be written into a consent agreement with the zoning department.
After debate, the board failed to adopt a motion to approve and then took a separate motion to deny the land‑use amendment. The denial was recorded and the board will forward its recommendation of denial to the City Council. The companion rezoning application tied to this land‑use change was postponed and a motion to reconsider the denial was made so both items can be heard together on Jan. 14, 2026.
What’s next: The denial is a recommendation to City Council; the applicant requested and the board set a postponement and reconsideration so the land‑use and rezoning companion items can return together in January. Neighbors and the applicant said they will meet before that date to exchange concerns and possible voluntary restrictions.