Community Background Report

Kendall

County

Miami-Dade

Boundaries

North: S.W. 88th Street (North Kendall Drive)
South: S.W. 152nd Street
West: S.W. 137th Avenue
East: US 1

Community Type

Neighborhood

History

The community was named after Major Kendall, an executive of the British Land Company that had surveyed and mapped many areas of Florida. Kendall is home to one of Miami's general aviation airports, the Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport. There are at least two Kendalls. In the public mind, Kendall represents a vast, sprawling unincorporated area in the southwest environs of Miami-Dade County that has undergone explosive growth in the past generations (Valdes, 2006).

Today the Board of County Commissioners has purposely distinguished and designated the area of Kendall as West Kendall and East Kendall communities. This was done in order to balance population with regard to determining boundaries for proposed incorporation as new cities; when sufficient community support for study is properly petitioned to the Board of County Commissioners (Valdes, 2006).

While the physical definitions of Kendall may vary, there is little disagreement over the claim that it represents the southern anchor of South Miami-Dade County. The Kendall of today is, of course as different as is horse country from the Dadeland Mall. The postwar era brought great changes to the area, however Kendall remained largely rural. Several major development initiated Kendall’s rapid transformation such as Baptist Hospital, operated by downtown Miami’s historic Central Baptist Church, opened in the 1960s on North Kendall Drive. Further, Dadeland Shopping Center opened in North Kendall Drive east of the Palmetto Expressway and one mile north of the Baptist Hospital. “Adding to the rapid development of Kendall was the opening, in 1967, of a second campus of Miami-Dade Junior College along the Killian Parkway. By the 1970’s Kendall had become Dade’s fastest growing community” (Jensen & Wiggins 2001).

Community Dynamics

Kendall has a population of 74,559 people with a median age of 42.5 and a median household income of $64,339. Between 2015 and 2016 the population of Kendall declined from 76,267 to 74,559, a 2.24% decrease and its median household income grew from $61,554 to $64,339, a 4.52% increase. The population of Kendall is 64.4% Hispanic, 26.9% White, and 3.81% Black. 67.2% of the people in Kendall speak a non-English language, and 86.1% are U.S. citizens.

The median property value in Kendall is $312,800, and the homeownership rate is 64%. Most people in Kendall commute by Drove Alone, and the average commute time is 31.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Kendall, FL is 2 cars per household.

Business Landscape

Today, Kendall’s Community Council primarily created to make zoning and land use decisions that affect their neighborhoods, currently acts as liaisons between the community and the Board County Commissioner, while making recommendations to them regarding the needs and concerns of their neighborhoods via resolutions (Valdes, 2006).

Kendall is perhaps the Miami-Dade neighborhood closest to incorporation of all those vying to become more autonomous. As such it is not only paying careful attention to where its boundaries fall but who it attracts to reside within these boundaries. “The significance of parks is huge,” said Howard Gregg, assistant director of planning and development for the parks department. In the Kendall area, greenways and playgrounds are currently being renovated giving a sense of where the neighborhood is headed. Kendall stands poised to greet the future with new developments all around the neighborhood which include centers of embracing cultural appreciation and leisure time activities (Piniero 2006). Kendall is home to Miami Dade College Kendal Campus, Dade Land Mall, the Falls and Baptist Hospital.

Business Landscape

Kendall is served by the Metrorail at the Dadeland North and Dadeland South Stations in its northeastern end. Both stations provide Metrorail service from Dadeland to nearby commercial centers like the City of Coral Gables, Downtown Miami, and Miami International Airport. The Dadeland South Metrorail Station is a major transit depot in the area, connecting the southernmost cities of Homestead and Florida City to Metrorail via limited-stop bus rapid transit along the South Miami-Dade Busway.

Kendall is served by Metrobus (bus numbers 88, 288, 35, 71, 104) throughout the area, Major highways include US 1, State Road. 836, 874, and Florida Turnpike.