Wawa Wins

The city’s public works department has now inventoried all of the signs in the City of Coral Gables, with an eye to reducing “sign pollution.” Begun in 2018, the study determined that there were 12,751 signs in the city (traffic, regulatory, warning, guide signs, etc.), and 2,426 street name “monuments” – the white stone markers on the ground.

After investing $35,096 in a study of three areas of the city, the department’s consultants estimated that 29 percent of the

Rarely has there been such an array of opposition to the construction of a gas station/convenience store on U.S. 1. But in a recent city commission meeting more than 50 people – via Zoom – declared their unhappiness with the pending construction of a new Wawa on the edge of the MacFarlane subdivision, at Grand Avenue and U.S. 1

The reason for the opposition was that the Wawa will go up across from George Washington Carver Elementary School, and parents contended that it will create dangerous traffic, air pollution, increased crime and lead to obesity among students (in addition to junk food, Wawa serves breakfast, lunch and dinner meals).

“I do not want a gas station in front of my elementary school,” declared resident Julia Cantor. Said Estelle Lockhart, the PTA president for GW Carver, “We are appalled that the City of Coral Gables has pressed ahead with issuing signs should be removed, and 22 percent changed, relocated or replaced.

When those estimates were expanded citywide, the costs were determined as follows: $87,000 to remove unnecessary signs, $52,000 to replace signs, and $55,000 to relocate signs. These estimates do not include signs controlled by the county, which are not likely to be changed unless they create a public danger. No word on when this effort will be funded. ■ permits.” The problem, noted City Attorney Miriam Ramos, is that the city long ago zoned the property commercial, and “The city cannot dictate what is built on that site, so long as it is consistent with the zoning and land use for that site.” In fact, the city held hearings in 2014 when it approved a site plan for the project. City officials then debunked the parent’s concerns over crime, traffic and air pollution.

In the end, noted Commissioner Michael Mena, the issue was one of property rights. “This is a private owner of private property. This is not a city project,” he said, and you cannot tell an owner what to build so long as it does not violate the zoning code. He also noted that the McFarlane neighborhood association liked the project, both for its convenience and for the jobs it will provide. Meanwhile, with only a few exceptions, almost all of the parents who opposed the project were not Coral Gables residents. ■ new beach entry pool/dock.

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