Government officials have approved a new ordinance that will make it easier to open live music venues in Miami Beach.
Earlier this month, the Miami Beach City Commission unanimously approved a temporary deregulatory ordinance that removes the requirement for a conditional use permits and raises the maximum occupancy threshold for indoor venues, which the Miami New Times reports could help bring live music venues back to one of Miami’s most historic nightlife neighborhoods.
In effect through the end of this year, the policy increases occupancy from 200 to 750 people before additional permits are needed, and cuts out the lengthy conditional use approval process altogether for qualified indoor venues.
The ordinance is aimed at major commercial areas in the city, including Lincoln Road, Washington Avenue, and Collins Avenue, which have seen a steep decline in live music spaces over the last two decades.
Once home to live jazz at Lincoln Road’s Van Dyk Cafe and boutique independent nightclubs like Treehouse and Story along Collins Avenue, many storefronts on the promenade now sit vacant after tenants left due to rising rent, the city’s 2AM liquor sale curfew, and lingering complications from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When people reminisce about the heyday of Miami Beach, they think of beloved venues of the past like the Van Dyk Cage that was famous for its live jazz,” Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez said in a statement. “The irony is that this type of venue that people miss would not be allowed to open as of right under the framework we just changed. By removing the requirement for conditional use permits, we’re opening the door for live music, quality restaurants, and bringing life back to our main commercial corridors.”
Read more about the ordinance here.
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