A proposal to build an industrial headquarters on 246 acres outside Miami-Dade County’s Urban Development Boundary is set to return for a commission vote on March 17, despite ongoing controversy over its impact on wetlands.
The project, put forward by Kelly Tractor, would create a 2.2 million-square-foot facility with offices and space for storage and repairs near Sweetwater. The site is located at the northwest corner of Northwest Sixth Street and a Dolphin Expressway ramp in unincorporated Miami-Dade. Environmental groups have raised concerns about building outside the Urban Development Boundary (UDB), which was established to limit development sprawl onto farmland, wetlands, and toward the Everglades. They argue that paving over wetlands threatens wildlife habitats and undermines water quality and flood mitigation efforts in the area.
After commissioners initially approved the project in January, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava vetoed it last month. Instead of overriding her veto, commissioners allowed Kelly Tractor to revise its application. The original plan called for paving over 160 acres of wetlands; however, a new site plan filed last week proposes preserving 44.5 acres of wetlands along with the 18.6-acre Bayhead Preserve.
Environmentalists say these changes are insufficient. According to Hold The Line Coalition, Kelly Tractor must preserve at least 63 acres of wetlands due to an existing covenant imposed after previous unpermitted work on the land. The coalition also argues that preservation of Bayhead Preserve does not count toward wetland conservation because it is already protected as an archeological and cultural site due to human remains found there.
Chris Kelly, president of Kelly Tractor, said discussions about wetland preservation are ongoing: “We are not land speculators. We are not looking to buy and flip and get a return. … We are a long-term holder of the property and have a long term vision of the business.” He added that expansion would support working-class residents by providing well-paying jobs amid Miami-Dade’s affordable housing crisis.
County staff recommended denial of the application in January because Kelly Tractor did not explain why it could not expand at its current Doral headquarters or elsewhere within available industrial land inside the UDB. A new staff recommendation has yet to be issued on the revised plan, making another delay possible during Thursday’s meeting.
Opponents have also criticized Kelly Tractor’s use of a text amendment process rather than following traditional UDB expansion procedures that require multiple county and state reviews. In a letter requesting Mayor Levine Cava’s veto earlier this year, Hold The Line described the project as “incompatible, intensive industrial activity” that weakens county growth planning frameworks.
The debate comes amid broader disputes over UDB expansions in Miami-Dade County—a region known for accommodating developers but where such boundary changes remain contentious.
