Chad Trausch is hoping his battle with the city permitting department will prevent it from strong-arming other homeowners into giving up a portion of their land just to renovate. That’s the “nightmare” Trausch, proud owner of a 1937-built home on NE 46th Street, says he went through.
In March 2024, Trausch and his wife Stephanie sought a city permit to expand their home with a mother-in-law suite to accommodate their growing family and welcome his in-laws to South Florida. But the couple, along with their architects and attorneys, began to cry foul when the city asked them to give up about half of their front yard in exchange for the permit.
“Miami demanding half of my front yard in return for me building an addition in my backyard makes no sense,” Trausch told New Times. “I’m just trying to help my family, but the city is using this as an excuse to take my property without compensation. It’s not fair, and it’s not right. If they can do this to me, they can try to do the same thing to anybody.”…