MIAMI - LAST WATERFRONT AT RISK

3756 Views 35 Replies 12 Participants Last post by dave8721, Apr 19, 2006

PattieMIA

Discussion Starter · Apr 16, 2006

MIAMI - The Jewel by the Bay, "The Magic City"...
Most of us are enjoying the architectural progress in Miami.
Over 130 high-rise projects in and surrounding the Downtown Miami
area...

HOWEVER, now comes the time to HAULT and put on the BRAKES!
Why? The Miami Herald WATERFRONT land is the last remaining property,
privately owned, in the City, that is threatened to be ravaged by another
project of 2 mega-structure condo high-rise buildings, 62+ stories EACH.

They are out of scale to the land considerations which is directly on Biscayne Bay and will DWARF the new and not-yet opened PAC (Performing Arts Center), as well as the other existing waterfront buildings within 2 blocks. This proposed condo project threatens to destroy the quality of life relative to INFRASTRUCTURE, particularly the TRAFFIC considerations and SCENIC aspects. And, inadequate GREEN SPACE!

If Miami is the "New Manhattan", where is OUR CENTRAL PARK, where is our SUBWAY SYSTEM or other Transportation modes to move the masses of people? The HISTORIC Venetian Causeway is at serious risk of decline due
the inevitable TRAFFIC which will overflow to her bridges...surely, the residents of these Venetian Causeway bridges see the problem as HUGE!

The Miami Herald people owe it to the PEOPLE of the City of Miami to review their steps and any sale to projects which will destroy, long-term, Miami's
last remaining privately-held WATERFRONT land...the City leaders,
Zoning Board, Commissioners, Mayor Diaz and others in Planning, MUST
be visionaries to what is looming to be a serious mistake. The Developer, The Terra Group, should consider they already have SEVERAL mega-structure high-rise projects in the works, 2 of which are only 1 block from this proposed WATERFRONT land, and RESPONSIBILITY to our environment and City is theirs to hold.

ATTEND the Miami Zoning Board meeting to OPPOSE this MIAMI HERALD WATERFRONT project:
Monday - 08MAY 06 7PM - City Hall - 3500 Pan American Drive - Miami - FL

Please don't assume others will attend...your voice is needed.

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1 - 20 of 36 Posts

archifreese

· #2 · Apr 16, 2006

^ go ahead and support your views, but IMO no one (especially the city) would buy the herald lots or any other lots and make them parkspace.
transit and traffic suck here full time and though proposals are there, they arent moving fast enough.
but leaving a parking lot a parking lot (3/4 of the herald site is parking lot) is NOT better than a development IMO because though park appears in the word parking they have nothing in common and will not be substitued by a municipality/city/county that doesnt maintain the parks and transit they have, let alone developing new ones.
The herald is perhaps the ugliest large newspaper building in the states, if not the world, and needs 2 b relocated and allow the waterfront to be developed. its not the best use of thes site nor the best representation of the herald, its outdated and IMO obselete not to mention (again) ugly.
developers can create green spaces in negotiations with the city (see one miami, brickell on the river, paramount bay, etc) and that makes the best of oth worlds.
and regarding your other comments, you cant prohibit a developer from their right to buy and develop land according to codes because of other developments they have, its irrelevant to any other project (if you own 2 cars should i prevent you from buying a third even if you have the $ just because i think you have too many cars already?)
and neither the herald or the developer are obligated to do anything other than what zoning and code dictate, thats the freeedom allegedly allowed in america, and the only reason miami exists at all is because it was born as a
developers/tourists/investors paradise for speculative development and still is thriving on that today.

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Paul305

· #3 · Apr 16, 2006 (Edited)

2

This project needs to happen. First of all, there are no parking garages within 5 blocks of the Performing Arts Center which will be opening this October. This project will include a new parking garage right across the street from the PAC. The project will also include a mall and the two 62 floor towers, which will probably be cropped by the FAA to 30 or 40 floors. Anyone who has seen this site knows it is an eye soar. The whole thing is surface parking and the building is ugly. Here's a pic taken by jamesgood72 and his nifty model aircraft. The kinda eccentric white building (bottom left) is the PAC. The big ugly parking lot (bottom right) is the site Pattie is fighting for. Edit: To the left of the the black and brown building in the center is the proposed, 60 floor Cardinal Symphony. The under construction building in the top right is Opera Tower, which will be 56 floors when completed.

Two other 60 floor towers are awaiting approval for the lot directly north of the east PAC building. I doubt these buildings will be dwarfed by the new Herald waterfront buildings. Here is a pic of those towers. You can see the Herald Building in this picture too. It is the squat rectangular building on the far right.

For Miami to become the "New Manhattan," the first thing it needs is the density that makes the city so vibrant. Also, there is no way this lot will ever become a park. The property value is way too high.
Central Park : Manhattan :: Miami Beach : Miami

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malec

· #4 · Apr 16, 2006

What's the point in giving out about this tower? Parking lots suck and a tower with its own parking space is way better than a parking lot. The only good point is the park argument, although the site doesn't seem the best location for one.

Sounds like typical Nimbyism to me

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DGM

· #5 · Apr 16, 2006

The site is on the opposite side of I-395 of Bicentennial Park, which will hopefully soon be Museum Park, with the relocation of the Miami Art Museum and Miami Museum of Science to the park. And the area will be even more connected to this park once I-395 is submerged. The I-395 submersion and the museum park things are still up in the air, but I think they will eventually get done. This area isn't really in desperate need of parks. No one even uses parks in Miami.

Paul305

· #6 · Apr 16, 2006

DGM said:
No one even uses parks in Miami.

It's too hot and sticky for parks in Miami, unless you are jamesgood or a homeless person. Ill take beaches over parks any day.

Bobdreamz

· #7 · Apr 16, 2006

it is nimbyism....the residents of the Venetian Island causeway are complaining about traffic?....haven't they always?....why don't they close it & allow residents in only then?

USS Yankee

· #8 · Apr 16, 2006

Paul305 said:
It's too hot and sticky for parks in Miami, unless you are jamesgood or a homeless person. Ill take beaches over parks any day.

I suggest you and DGM go to Tropical Park on any given sunny Saturday if you think parks are not used.

alibiza_1014

· #9 · Apr 16, 2006

4

I passed through Miami in January this year, here are some pics I took of the city.

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DrT

· #10 · Apr 16, 2006

PattieMIA --- if you and the residents are so interested in this parking lot, why don't you BUY IT and do as you wish with it. This is PRIVATELY OWNED. I get the feeling you do not understand what privately owned means. You can either buy it or convince the taxpayers to buy it. Those are the only choices. Anything else is backdoor confiscation of the developers title.

DGM

· #11 · Apr 16, 2006

USS Yankee said:
I suggest you and DGM go to Tropical Park on any given sunny Saturday if you think parks are not used.

Paul305 and I have been to Tropical Park many times. That is where we learned to ride bicycles. The park is underutilized and poorly maintained. Next time I go down to Miami I'll drive over to the park and take pictures of the closed off lakefront beach with its warning signs. Or maybe Ill take pictures of the most popular attraction, the artificial hill strewn with trash and dead animals, that children run, skate or bike down for a quick rush of adrenaline. Or maybe Ill take pictures of the broken water fountains and vending machines. Or I can visit Indian Hammocks or Ron Eihman park, both of which are closer to my home, and I'll take pictures of them being underutilized and run down. Instead of spending the entire park system's budget on a parking lot across the street from a large park, we should fix up the parks we already have.

Paul305

· #12 · Apr 16, 2006

USS Yankee said:
I suggest you and DGM go to Tropical Park on any given sunny Saturday if you think parks are not used.

When I was a child, I used to go to Tropical Park every other weekend. Now, I mostly go to Continental Park or Hammocks Park in Kendall. Edit: -snip- Still this is not the place for a park and you know it. There is a park across the street that has already been granted over $150 million of improvements from the DDA. Also, the Herald property is worth a lot. I bet they couldn't buy the it for $50 million if they wanted to. I would be very mad if that's what they decided to spend my tax dollars on.

USS Yankee

· #13 · Apr 16, 2006

DGM said:
Paul305 and I have been to Tropical Park many times. That is where we learned to ride bicycles. The park is underutilized and poorly maintained. Next time I go down to Miami I'll drive over to the park and take pictures of the closed off lakefront beach with its warning signs. Or maybe Ill take pictures of the most popular attraction, the artificial hill strewn with trash and dead animals, that children run, skate or bike down for a quick rush of adrenaline. Or maybe Ill take pictures of the broken water fountains and vending machines. Or I can visit Indian Hammocks or Ron Eihman park, both of which are closer to my home, and I'll take pictures of them being underutilized and run down. Instead of spending the entire park system's budget on a parking lot across the street from a large park, we should fix up the parks we already have.

My experience has been different, especially since the park has a huge full service equestrian center that hosts a few dozen events throughout the year, a dozen lighted tennis courts, basketball courts galor, and home to future hockey and skating rinks.

Paul305

· #14 · Apr 16, 2006

You forgot Santa's Enchanted Forest

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Mosaic

· #15 · Apr 17, 2006

Oh! Miami is really beautiful.

PattieMIA

Discussion Starter · #16 · Apr 17, 2006

My...how can you read and get it so wrong. There is NO opposition to the Terra projects on the PARKING LOTS (The Boulevard Shop area) on Biscayne Boulevard...it was NOT said that this area should be park area...that would be absurd to expect that. The development in question and which I addressed clearly is: The WATERFRONT land where the existing Miami Herald building is now and the sliver of their parking area north of the existing Herald building...2 mega-structure high-rises of over 62 stories each is not reasonable along the shoreline...it goes against the present layout of the land with the shoreline now having low-rise and no buildings...the Herald land is now zoned C-2 which calls for a MAXIMUM height of 120 FEET...this was reasonable planning for shoreline. To do otherwise, creates a WALL starting at the shoreline preventing any scenic depth visually to what is beyond...ie. the new PAC (Performing Arts Center) which the Architech had hoped would be visible from our Biscayne Bay for all to enjoy. INFRASTRUCTURE must be considered and this will be our (residents of Miami) nightmare to live if we are visionaries to an inevitable problem which we CAN resolve by controlling the numbers of projects being approved.

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PattieMIA

Discussion Starter · #17 · Apr 17, 2006

You are showing the WRONG parcels in your reply and visuals. What you show is the Terra project at (Boulevard Shops area) on Biscayne Boulevard and those parking lots...there is no objection to those projects. The projects I addressed are the Parcels on the WATERFRONT where the existing Miami Herald buildings now exist and the sliver of parking north of the existing Herald buildings...all on the WATERFRONT. East of the pictures you provided here. The existing shoreline is low-rise and no buildings from NE 15th Street SOUTH to the Inter-Continental Hotel. The architect of the new Performing Arts Center appreciated that our new PAC would be a "visual" for all to enjoy from Biscayne Bay as well. To place 2 mega-structures of over 62 stories EACH along the SHORELINE, WATERFRONT, of Biscayne Bay is like putting a massive curtain which prevents the scenic enjoyment from Biscayne Bay towards the City and from the City towards Biscayne Bay...the present zoning was good planning to keep the WATERFRONT SHORELINE structures BELOW 120 FEET in height...that is smart planning and common sense that structures should be height-controlled along the shores. It's great to see the City of Miami grow...but we MUST have limits and in particular we MUST protect the shoreline and use our imaginations to clearly see the impact doing otherwise along the water will create mistakes which will be impossible to take back...the INFRASTRUCTURE issues are many and these must also be considered seriously. The WATERFRONT project for 2 mega-structures is not appropriate for that location. Again, the photo and information you provided is for another un-related project inland.

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PattieMIA

Discussion Starter · #18 · Apr 17, 2006

Are you a Native of Miami? I am. The one and only park now existing in the center of Downtown Miami is Bi-Centennial Park. PARKS ARE USED IN MIAMI!!! ...where people LIVE. Until the recent condo boom of high-rise buildings still under construction, the downtown population has been comprised of buildings for WORK, not living. With the "New Manhattan" being created which will increase and create condos where people will be LIVING in downtown Miami, PARKS ARE INDEED NEEDED and people would use them. There are over 130 NEW condo projects inside and immediately surrounding the City of Miami. The population increase is staggering...we do, in fact, need PARKS...anything we can get. What a sad statement to want a concrete jungle instead. Poor planning faces us. In the summer the temperatures are hot and it is humid...but many people crave such weather to excercise and sweat...in the terrific Fall/Winter/Spring weather, we can all enjoy biking, walking, running, roller-blading, walking the dogs, reading a book under the shade of a tree, napping along the shore, meeting with friends/family, etc. Planning green space for the BOOM IN POPULATION, people LIVING in the Downtown Miami corridor is essential.

I invite ANYONE who "gets it", to attend the zoning board meeting
Monday -08MAY 7P - Miami City Hall - 3500 Pan American Drive (Coconut Grove)...
you DO NOT have to live Downtown...you just have to love Miami and speak up for her...people of Kendall, Coral Gables, Pinecrest, Hialeah, Miami Springs, The Roads, Westchester, South Miami, Miami Shores, ETC!!! ...ALL surrounding areas...speak up, SHOW UP, to protect and save our "Jewel by the Bay", The Magic City, from the errors of non-visionaries and the greed of some in leadership positions. SAVE THE WATERFRONT from another meg-structure high-rise project...specifically, the Miami Herald WATERFRONT, shoreline land. (NOT the same as the Biscayne Boulevard project West of the WATERFRONT.)

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PattieMIA

Discussion Starter · #19 · Apr 17, 2006

Privately owned ... clearly understood. This brings along with it RESPONSIBILITY to the many considerations of INFRASTRUCTURE IMPACT to a unique City on Biscayne Bay and the WATERFRONT shoreline of our City. Some BANKS have even stopped mortgage lending this past week as even they see the over-saturation and strong potential for huge problems ahead. It is my understanding the Miami Herald also has a 99-year Lease commitment in their DEED to the year 2050-something...has anyone picked up on that? The Miami Herald is apparently (not confirmed) moving to another COUNTY, Broward...will they then be the Broward Herald? They can certainly move to wherever they want, the employees can be without jobs, the property is indeed private...yet, such private property bears significance affecting the PEOPLE of Miami and the lack of RESPONSIBILITY will affect us all...there is no cry to stop all condo projects whatsoever...the cry is for RESPONSIBILITY, VISION, and LIMITS to this particular WATERFRONT...

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PattieMIA

Discussion Starter · #20 · Apr 17, 2006

Please attend the zoning board meeting on Monday - 08May 7P - Miami City Hall -
3500 Pan American Drive - Miami (Coconut Grove). We DO NOT have to live in the Downtown Miami area to oppose the change in zoning. Be present to show concern for the City of Miami and to stress that RESPONSIBILITY is essential to good planning and long-term vision. You do not need to speak at the meeting...but please attend to show your "voice". It WILL make a difference to have people in attendance.

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