http://assets.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/SFBJ%20Miami%20Town%20Square%20315.jpg?v=1

(More Pictures Below)

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2012/02/01/miami-town-square-concept-unveiled.html

Excerpt:

"Ribbons of parks are proposed as part of a master mixed-use concept for the largely undeveloped area around the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami.
The plan is a potential capstone in the rebound of downtown Miami, which saw its economy hammered by the recession. Subsequently, high-rise condo towers have largely filled up, the Miami Heat (http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/fl/miami/miami_heat/3306607/) [/URL] Miami Heat (http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2012/02/01/miami-town-square-concept-unveiled.html#) Latest from The Business Journals Carnival shares slip as earnings, Concordia costs released (http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2012/01/30/carnival-shares-slip-as-earnings.html)Stanford case will follow the money trail (http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/print-edition/2012/01/27/high-profile-case-follows-money-trail.html)American Airlines Arena outsells other Florida arenas in 2011 (http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2012/01/23/american-airlines-arena-outsells-other.html) Follow this company (http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2012/02/01/miami-town-square-concept-unveiled.html#bizWatch-infoPopup) </SPAN>is among the favorites to win an NBA championship, plans for two museums have moved along and Genting Group is planning a $3 billion destination gambling resort (http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/search/results?q=resorts+world+miami+plans+unveiled)
The Town Square Neighborhood Development Corp. plan was announced at news conference at the Arsht Center on Wednesday afternoon. In attendance were Town Square Chair Armando Codina (http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2012/02/01/southflorida/search/results?q=Armando Codina), chairman and CEO of Codina Partners; principal advisers with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects (http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/ct/new_haven/pelli_clarke_pelli_architects/1205576/) [URL="http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/ct/new_haven/pelli_clarke_pelli_architects/1205576/"]Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects (http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2012/02/01/miami-town-square-concept-unveiled.html#) Latest from The Business Journals Cesar Pelli chosen to design Crescent's Uptown project (http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2011/12/13/cesar-pelli-chosen-to-design.html)Square 54 comes full circle (http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/print-edition/2011/07/01/square-54-comes-full-circle.html)National Children’s Museum unveils design (http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/04/20/daily49.html) Follow this company (http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2012/02/01/miami-town-square-concept-unveiled.html#bizWatch-infoPopup) </SPAN>; and traffic consulting firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin.
Codina, who has long been one of Miami's most prominent developers, said he hoped Miamians would be inspired by the ideas
“This aspirational master plan is the first step of a dream that will become a living document, and it is the Town Square Neighborhood Development’s vision for a livable community, with a mix of education, cultural, housing, entertainment, recreation, civic and retail centers with sufficient public transportation and parking,” Codina said in a statement. “In designing the plan, we were respectful of Miami 21 and worked closely with elected officials. We hope that Miami’s elected officials, along with the area’s neighbors and property owners, are inspired by our plan.”
Cesar Pelli (http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2012/02/01/southflorida/search/results?q=Cesar Pelli), senior principal with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and the Arsht Center’s original architect, and Mitchell Hirsch (http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2012/02/01/southflorida/search/results?q=Mitchell Hirsch), firm principal, presented the master plan. "

And :

"
Traffic consultant John J. Kennedy (http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2012/02/01/southflorida/search/results?q=John J. Kennedy), co-founder of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, noted that the development of the area should be done in concert with a robust public transit system that could include an on-street trolley system to connect Biscayne Boulevard, the neighborhood's main north-south road, to the existing Metrorail system to the west. The trolley would run along the east-west Northeast 14th Street corridor. "

http://assets.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/SFBJ%20Miami%20Town%20Square%20developed.jpg?v=1

amazing!!!

Imagine the amazing cemetery views from the northernmost condos! But seriously, I guess you don't have to worry about your view being blocked.

My initial reaction is very favorable. This looks pretty exciting. Do any of our insiders have any additional info to share?

Additional photos from the article that may be of interest:

This is the before:
http://assets.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/SFBJ%20Miami%20Town%20square%20undeveloped.jpg?v=1


And the surrounding landmarks:
http://assets.bizjournals.com/southflorida/print-edition/Miami%20downtown%20map%20copy.jpg?v=1

Burying the freeway sure would have helped

In the Miami Herald article, they say that that they proposee a Metromover extension through this route and around the neighboorhood.

If someone could obtain that excerpt from the article: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/01/2620056/master-plan-for-miami-arts-district.html

If someone could obtain that excerpt from the article: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/01/2620056/master-plan-for-miami-arts-district.html

There's this function on a keyboard that allows you to "copy and paste"... you should google it some time. :bash:

The plan’s transportation proposals would appear more achievable because they depend in large part on reconfiguring portions of the existing street grid to improve traffic flow and reduce auto dependency by better accommodating pedestrians, cyclists and transit. The plan proposes an extension to the People Mover, which now ends at the Miami-Dade School Board building, to create a full loop through the neighborhood, with a new stop at 14th Street and Miami Avenue.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/01/2620056_p2/master-plan-for-miami-arts-district.html#storylink=cpy

Since these guys don't own the land or have any funding, there really isn't much of a point.

Yeah, before anyone gets too carried away it should be noted this is a theoretical 'vision' for the area rather than actual plans. The story makes it clear there is no money or land.

Not that it wouldn't be marvelous, but we should be clear on what this really is at this point.

From the Herald article:

http://i.imgur.com/XK3YA.png

There's this function on a keyboard that allows you to "copy and paste"... you should google it some time. :bash:

I'm on my IPhone. :)

But look at what's behind the Biscayne Wall in this rendering. I wonder if that is part of somebody's real plan. LVS said they had something in mind comparable to the Genting project.

http://assets.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/SFBJ%20Miami%20Town%20Square%20developed.jpg?v=1

Yeah, before anyone gets too carried away it should be noted this is a theoretical 'vision' for the area rather than actual plans. The story makes it clear there is no money or land.

Not that it wouldn't be marvelous, but we should be clear on what this really is at this point.

That is the problem with this master plan. Unless you're going to create an overlay district that amends the zoning that creates strong incentives for this plan it's a complete waste of time.

It's sort of like owning a house and having your neighbor show up with designs of how you could build a mansion on your lot.

This isn't even feasible unless a few people were to purchase the majority of the area. Can you imagine if you owned one of the lots that they decided should now be a park.

^^Agreed.

It was an odd 'story' in the first place since it shows this grand, ambitious plan but then goes on to say none of it is actually happening. A little early for April Fools, Herald!

Ah well, it LOOKS good regardless. :cheers:

Man, if this plan is a waste of time, I'd hate to think about past five years we've all spent discussing Met III.

Man, if this plan is a waste of time, I'd hate to think about past five years we've all spent discussing Met III.

I don't know what you mean.

I've been assured by the Nice Sales Lady it's a go. :cheers:

I don't know what you mean.

I've been assured by the Nice Sales Lady it's a go. :cheers:

I hope you're right, and I hope it's moving forward as I've been proposing as opposed to what the developer has proposed.

Man, if this plan is a waste of time, I'd hate to think about past five years we've all spent discussing Met III.

For the most part I thought we were discussing what the actual developer at Met III was planning (or rumors about what we thought they were planning).

But if the members of skyscrapercity got together and spent $300k coming up with a design for the Met III lot and then held a press conference announcing what could be done on the lot even though A) we dont own the lot and B) dont have the money to buy the lot then yes that would be a waste of time as well.

These guys basically held a charrette (which is a good thing). The problem is that for a charrette to be successful you have to have all the key people there (property owners, municipal officials as well as residents). But they seemed to have left out the key component, PROPERTY OWNERS.

Then they could have seen what each property owner was planning and then offered them something that meets their individual needs and yet still is part of a cohesive overall plan. Instead they chose to:

"articulate [their] vision, before property owners cement development plans for the neighborhood. The hope is that developers and the city would find the plan attractive and adopt key elements of it."

This is a very naive way of doing things and frankly was only possible because of a $300,000 grant. They basically wasted $300,000 of the tax payers money. They'd been better of spending that money of streetscape improvements for the area or offered that money up to as a rebate to owners who improve their property or bring in new tenants.

It would have been much more impressive to hold a conference where they show a picture that isn't as pretty but instead had 70% of the property owners there saying they're on board to do something more realistic.

The only way this vision works is if they take it over Genting and ask them to buy the entire area.

Fair point (although our Met III discussions were frequently punctuated with cries of what the developer should be doing. Although, I acknowledge that you were one of the voices speaking for the merits of the developer’s plan, I believe.)

In any event, I think you may be too harshly emphasizing the process over the product. Maybe they should have included property owners earlier on the process, but let’s look at what the outcome has been, perhaps despite the failure to do so.

We have a public interest group formed by a significant neighborhood asset (Arsht) and a former Mayor of Miami who holds significant influence in the development community. In developing the plan, the group met with Genting, the largest and most influential property owner in the area, who appears to have responded favorably to the idea. After seeing the presentation, the idea has support from at least some of the area property owners, the current city mayor, and the current county commissioner from that area. The only seemingly completely negative viewpoints offered in the Herald article are from a Venetian Islands activist and a Little Haiti property owner; neither area is included in the plan.

Maybe the process did not sequence the events as we might have preferred, but I think it is certainly too early to suggest that this proposal is dead on arrival. If we are to criticize anyone, should we not ask the question why, with an imminent multibillion-dollar investment coming to the area, did the city and property owners not convene a meeting to discuss the neighborhood’s future? Or have they?

I like this plan and hope something comes of it.

Maybe the process did not sequence the events as we might have preferred, but I think it is certainly too early to suggest that this proposal is dead on arrival. If we are to criticize anyone, should we not ask the question why, with an imminent multibillion-dollar investment coming to the area, did the city and property owners not convene a meeting to discuss the neighborhood’s future? Or have they?


No they haven't. That was the purposed of the meeting. The finalized plan was presented to property owners. It's basically one property owner (Arsht) putting together a plan on what they want the other property owners to do to best represent them (Arsht). "This is how all of you can developer your properties in a way that will best represent me".

They should be working with those property owners to put together a plan that not only does good for the area as a whole but also benefits individual property owners.

Again if you own one of the lots that is now a park, you're going to look at this plan and completely blow it off. Not to mention this plan shows basically one building on each lot, but many of these lots aren't owned by one person. So unless one person is going to come in and buy all the land its a complete waste.

I like this plan and hope something comes of it.

From what I see it looks cool. I like the ideal of the ribbons of parks that draw you deeper into the community. But it's not an actual plan and still a complete waste of $300,000. If some private person wanted to do this with their personal money fine but don't waste tax payers money on a complete pipe dream. We basically took $300,000 of federal money that is supposed to be used to revitalize urban cities and paid it to Codina and Pelli to create architectural renderings and models of property they don't own.

This is a "vision" of what the area could look like 40 years from. But does nothing to show what were going to do to get there. They should be spending money, time and effort to help the area go where it needs to go in the next 5 years.

...

Again if you own one of the lots that is now a park, you're going to look at this plan and completely blow it off. Not to mention this plan shows basically one building on each lot, but many of these lots aren't owned by one person. So unless one person is going to come in and buy all the land its a complete waste.


...

I can’t argue with this, but this was an independent nonprofit that went out on its own and got a federal grant to create this plan. Can property owners and the city really be upset that the plan doesn’t represent their interests to the fullest extent when they haven’t made any efforts of their own to address the changes coming to the neighborhood? Without the New Town Square plan, there is no plan.

As for the cost of $300,000… yeah, that’s a lot of money. Several of the folks that I worked with at HUD have since jumped ship to go to NEA. I’ve heard them pitch the ArtPlace program before. I’m a big believer in the value of arts in a community, but I’ve never been able to get a good sense about the work ArtPlace is doing. I can only hope that, with the support of Manny Diaz, this doesn’t disappear because what happens to that neighborhood in the wake of Genting is a discussion that we need to be having. The planning needs to begin before Genting breaks ground, not after they’ve finished.

These guys basically held a charrette (which is a good thing). The problem is that for a charrette to be successful you have to have all the key people there (property owners, municipal officials as well as residents). But they seemed to have left out the key component, PROPERTY OWNERS.

That was my first thought when I heard of the plan. However, the Herald article said that the "plan was presented Wednesday to a group of about 80 property owners..." but I'm not sure how much input they had in forming the plan.

I think the presence of the owners at the meeting along with Cesar Pelli makes this plan a little more legitimate.

Can property owners and the city really be upset that the plan doesn’t represent their interests to the fullest extent when they haven’t made any efforts of their own to address the changes coming to the neighborhood?

I'm not saying property owners should be upset. If anything this just sheds light on their neck of the woods and possible helps to increase exposure and possible market value. I'm just saying that this is a waste. Again this would be like me (as your neighbor) going out to a star architect and coming in with new designs for all the houses on our block. Now I'm sure you and the other neighbors will look at this and say "cool", but I don't have money build a house like that on my lot. You might even borrow an ideal or two but overall it would be a complete waste of time/money. Now if I would have approached all of the neighbors and found out what their intentions were I could have put together a cohesive plan for the neighborhood that is actually realistic. Now because most of the property owners don't have buckets of money (which is what Pelli's design is based for) the overall plan would be less sexy, but again it would be realistic.

Without the New Town Square plan, there is no plan.

And with New Town Square plan there is no plan. Again this isn't a plan, this is one mans vision of what the area could be. I've be apart of these design studies and unless property owners are a part of it they're a waste of time. They don't take into consideration market dynamics and are just basically a vision of what's "possible" under zoning. "If you owned 10 city blocks and had unlimited amounts of cash, how would you design an cohesive mixed use neighborhood."

These type of studies should be left to focus only on the public realm as that is the only place that can actually be affected. For instance they could do this in conjunction with the city and decide to widen sidewalks, plant shade trees, etc. along the streets that would encourage developers certain types of development.

As for the cost of $300,000… yeah, that’s a lot of money. Several of the folks that I worked with at HUD have since jumped ship to go to NEA. I’ve heard them pitch the ArtPlace program before. I’m a big believer in the value of arts in a community, but I’ve never been able to get a good sense about the work ArtPlace is doing. I can only hope that, with the support of Manny Diaz, this doesn’t disappear because what happens to that neighborhood in the wake of Genting is a discussion that we need to be having. The planning needs to begin before Genting breaks ground, not after they’ve finished.

That planning was done before Genting breaks ground, its called Miami 21. Every thing Pelli designed is in compliance with Miami 21. Everyone else who develops here will have to follow the same guidelines. Pretty much the only thing that Pelli did was to add a bunch of parks on private land which probably wont be built for the obvious reasons.

I don't know what you mean.

I've been assured by the Nice Sales Lady it's a go. :cheers:

Oh it's absolutely a go. Remember that totally anonymous one-shot poster oozing with credibility came in here assured us it was happening?

It's clearly a done deal!

They could have used that money to do the type of stuff the CRA has been planning to do in that area for decades. Ugh! :(
Those $300K could have paid for some streetscape improvements. They could have just paid a college intern to make those plans for free.

They could have used that money to do the type of stuff the CRA has been planning to do in that area for decades. Ugh! :(
Those $300K could have paid for some streetscape improvements. They could have just paid a college intern to make those plans for free.

Excatly. They could have gotten this and more for next to nothing had they just partnered with UM and held a charrette. Here is a charrette that was held in Lauderdale by the sea:

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-06-07/news/fl-lbts-design-project-20110530_1_proposals-parking-garage-window-film

http://pompanopelican.webs.com/apps/blog/show/7276174-university-of-miami-students-take-their-architectural-skills-to-town-to-share-young-ideas

For $16,5000 you had 30 students (both undergrad and graduate) working for an entire week. There were several meeting with town officials, residents, property owners and other local business owners. It was a great opportunity for the local property owners because they were basically able to tell the students what their plans were and they got free designs that not only fit what they were looking for but were also integrated as a cohesive plan for the area. And because there were real estate development students the ideals were analyzed from a financial feasibility perspective.

Did these guys look at each individual lot and figure out what was the most financially feasible project to put for each individual property owner? No, they just drew a pretty picture...for $300,000.

The purpose of the grant was to "identify ways to resolve the area’s parking shortage and traffic congestion before and after events at the arts venue (Arsht) and the future Genting project." While the Herald article was written by someone who only seemed to look at the pictures, the South Florida Business Journal article at least mentions that the New Town Square team brought in transportation planners, who suggested that "development of the area should be done in concert with a robust public transit system that could include an extension of the Metrorail system, a looping of the Metromover system and a type of on-street trolley system in the 14th Street corridor extending from Biscayne Boulevard to the existing Metrorail system."

I think maybe that is the point. We shouldn't get hung up on the "necklace" of parks. The point may be that the area should address its traffic needs by becoming more pedestrian friendly, and this "plan" suggests a few ways to do that. So that is one way to approach this... or you could approach it as Mayor Regalado has suggested, by building more parking.

Also, as I recently learned, this was not taxpayer money. Although this public-private partnership includes a number of federal agencies, all the funding was put up by private foundations and one anonymous donor. No public money was used to fund the grants.