Miami Today: Week of Thursday, October 20, 2016

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

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Technology, soaring rents alter office designs, pg. 13 SLOW IT DOWN: Miami city commissioners are considering a 25 mph speed limit on residential streets in single-family neighborhoods. Commissioners were to consider a resolution sponsored by Francis Suarez Oct. 13 to authorize the transportation department and public works to develop a plan for a 25 mph limit but deferred it to Nov. 17. The proposal says a lowered limit “will benefit the public safety, reduce traffic accidents and fatalities, and protect the quality of life of single-family neighborhoods.”

Supermarket-apartments complex wins OK, pg. 16

THE ACHIEVER

LONG-TERM PLANNING: The county’s Strategic Planning and Government Operations Committee last week adopted a long-range strategic plan as a vision to 2035. The plan includes metrics to track progress.

Committee Chair Juan Zapata said the goal is to make this planning process “truly transformative” with long-range objectives well beyond the scope of the five-year strategic plan adopted in 2012 for daily operating decisions.

For the long-range plan adopted Oct. 11, Mr. Zapata said, “we have reached out to over 50 organizations that represent business, educational, environmental and civic interests all over the county; by focusing our efforts on generating coordination and collaboration of all interested parties, we can create not just a plan, but a strategic vision that reflects the true values of our community and in turn directs the county to fulfill it.” Through this collaboration, Mr. Zapata said, commissioners hope to reach a consensus on five to six major areas on which this 20-year plan should focus. Mr. Zapata leaves the commission next month.

FUNDING THE ISLAND: The City of Miami has set aside money for Virginia Key. The city owns most of the barrier island, including Miami Marine Stadium, and has created an advisory board to guide its future. At last week’s city commission meeting, parks director Kevin Kirwin said the 2016-17 budget includes $200,000 for planning and $2 million for “islandwide” improvements on Virginia Key. Mr. Kirwin is an ex-officio member of the new advisory board. The most expensive item on the horizon is restoration of the idled stadium, with cost estimates of $35 million to $37 million. No decision has been made on how to raise those funds.

PARKLETS ON PUBLIC STREETS: The county commission’s Transit and Mobility Services Committee approved legislation last week that would turn parts of public streets and roads into mini parks. Sponsored

by Commissioner Juan Zapata, the resolution would set policy in unincorporated Miami-Dade as well as municipalities within the county to create a “parklet” program. If approved by the full commission, the mayor will report monthly on the program’s progress.

Julie Braman Kane

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Miami attorney leads American Association for Justice The profile is on Page 4

State seeks ways to build freight travel on river

BY CAMILA CEPERO

A state-sponsored study of using multiple modes of transportation to ease congestion and support freight transit along the booming Miami River launched Monday.

The objective is to target viable ways to improve intermodal freight movement in Miami-Dade, according to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

Aside from studying the river’s navigable waterway, the study will examine existing rail lines and the roadway network that connects to major freight generators.

The river’s rail line could be capitalized on, members of the Miami River Commission said.

The rail line parallels the upper river and then turns and ties together the northern and southern parts of the state.

“Marine trade in the port is growing,” said Miami River Commission Chairman Horacio Stuart Aguirre. “And I don’t just mean the yachts... but I mean trade is growing in the freighter industry.”

The Miami River is a key transit point for goods destined for the islands of the Caribbean and the Atlantic ports of South and

AGENDA

Central America, according to the Miami River Marine Group.

Evidence is mounting that an increasing number of island economies will depend on Port Miami River as a main access point to the US economy, Mr. Aguirre said.

The small-draft freighters that ply the river are the only types that can serve small Caribbean ports, he said.

“The 1,000-foot-long freighters that dock at PortMiami can’t get anywhere near those islands,” Mr. Aguirre said. “They run aground.” Many Caribbean shallow draft ports don’t have the cranes, depths or seawalls to handle the larger vessels.

The growing trade import-export industry of the Miami River is helping Miami flourish, he said. The export market, specifically, is booming.

“They leave floating deep in the water and come back floating high,” he said, alluding to goods-heavy freighters leaving the river but returning empty.

The study is crucial to improving the traffic in and around the river, he said.

“When it starts getting really busy, it’s no different than the cars on I-95 – the truck traffic around the perimeter roads get busy.”

And river shipping traffic will only get busier, he predicted.

“If we don’t have this study right now and if we don’t grasp and embrace the intermodal concept idea,” Mr. Aguirre said, “we’re going to have traffic jams in the water and on the roadways.”

“The river has been at a very large trade volume for at least 25 to 30 years,” said Phil Everingham of the Miami River Commission.

“It’s surprising that it’s taken FDOT this long to recognize it as a vital urban trade route for urban waterborne trade because it has been a heavy traffic area for export and import to Caribbean markets for at least 30 years.”

The study will also assess the potential for short sea shipping along the river. The concept of short sea shipping includes transferring 200 to 400 containers from massive freighters coming to PortMiami onto barges that would then travel along the river.

Moving from terminal to terminal, the cargo could be placed on even smaller boats headed to their final destinations, which could include national and international ports.

Move to fill marina gap seeks grant With every spot in MiamiDade’s six county marinas filled and 1,171 boat owners awaiting space, officials have a grant application ready and seek other funds for a $300,000 study to add facilities to narrow the gap.

Going from study to use by boaters could take time: a memo to commissioners says environmental, planning and construction steps alone would take at least four years to add a county marina.

The gap isn’t just local but statewide: the Florida Department of Environmental Protection estimated total Florida boat slips the same as in 1987 as registered boats have increased by more than half.

The move to add slips in Miami-Dade followed a request

by Javier Souto, which fellow commissioners approved Jan. 20, seeking a report on marina capacity and a long-term plan to fill the gap. Michael Spring, senior advisor to the mayor, issued a report last week that calls for detailed study.

Mr. Spring’s report says the county system has 2,258 spaces of all sorts for boats and every marina is at capacity. The total of wet slips is 1,069. An enclosed dry rack storage building was to open this fall at Bill Bird Marina at Haulover Park, handling 234 added boats in stackable storage racks.

“Increasing demand by residents and tourists… coupled with decreasing supply of private boating facilities throughout the area have created a growing conflict between demand and supply, and have placed extraordinary pressure on the county’s existing marinas,” Mr. Spring wrote to commissioners.

Some private marinas, boatyards and boat ramps, he notes, have recently closed or been displaced by housing developments.

The study that Mr. Spring seeks would also pinpoint more “publicly accessible shorelines, connectivity of private shorelines, accessible boat ramps, and waterway transport opportunities…”

SEEKING CNG, DIESEL BUS BUY SMELLS BAD TO SOME ...

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METROMOVER, METRORAIL TO RUN LATE WEEKENDS ...

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MANA’S NEGOTIATIONS MAY COST HIM $7.2 MILLION ...

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CITY CENTRE TO CONTROL ITS STREET LIGHTS, MORE ...

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57-STORY LUXURY CONDOS PLANNED IN EDGEWATER ...

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BEACON COUNCIL PIVOTS TO AN INNOVATION FOCUS ...

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BEACH PLAN: RAZE FILLMORE, REBUILD WITH HOTEL ...

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MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

THE INSIDER MILLENNIAL MISSION: A 26-member task force focused on problems millennials face in Miami-Dade and reasons many move away would meet at least monthly for a year and report findings to county commissioners under a resolution that the commission’s Economic Prosperity Committee passed 4-0 last week. The measure by Dennis Moss states that “millennials face financial, career and housing difficulties” caused in part by “the county’s significant income inequality, high cost of living, transportation barriers, and lack of innovative technology and business opportunities.” Dennis Moss Commissioners and the mayor would each name one task force member and the commission would appoint seven as a group.

Five specified organizations would each name one as well. The task force would first report after 90 days. It is to “develop strategies to attract, retain and assist millennials,” with incentives being listed as one form of doing so.

MANDATORY WORKFORCE HOUSING: The Miami-Dade Economic Prosperity Committee last week voted 5-1 to require price-regulated housing units in most new developments. If the full commission in November approves the ordinance sponsored by Barbara Jordan, all new projects with more than 20 housing units will have to reserve 10% for workforce housing, with prices for residents earning between 60% and 140% of the county’s median income of $48,100 a year. In return, developers would get a 15% density bonus that could be applied to other projects. Affordable Barbara Jordan housing developments would be exempt. Bruno Barreiro, who voted against sending the measure to the full commission with a recommendation, said the program should only mandate 1% or 2% of units for workforce housing. He advised that developers only be eligible for a density bonus if they include a higher percentage.

RACIAL WEALTH DIVIDE: A new report from the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) cites a racial wealth gap in Miami, finding that 74% of households of color don’t have enough savings to sustain themselves at the poverty level for three months. The report, Racial Wealth Divide in Miami, also finds households of color are three times more likely to be unemployed and six times more likely to live in poverty. CFED’s Racial Wealth Divide Initiative is joining with JPMorgan Chase & Co. and the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy to announce the Building High Impact Nonprofits of Color project to strengthen the capacity of local nonprofits to expand economic opportunity in Miami and across the US. Ten nonprofits were competitively chosen in Miami and New Orleans to participate. Those in Miami are ConnectFamilies, Hispanic Unity of Florida, Miami Children’s Initiative, Partners for SelfEmployment and Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center. Details: http:// cfed.org/programs/racial_wealth_divide/ IN HONOR OF NOTABLES: The Miami City Commission has codesignated Southwest 16th Street from Southwest 32nd to 37th avenues as “Arthur H. Hertz Way.” The legislation, sponsored by Francis Suarez, details Mr. Hertz’s business ventures and long history of service. Several community members spoke in favor, commending Mr. Hertz for tireless work to benefit the community, including funding hundreds of scholarships over the years. The commission also approved a resolution urging Miami-Dade County to co-designate Northwest 17th Avenue between Northwest Arthur Hertz North River Drive and US 1 as “Jose Fernandez Avenue” in honor of the Miami Marlins pitcher who died in a recent boating accident. That resolution was sponsored by Frank Carollo.

LEVELING PLAYING FIELD: Taxi and limousine drivers had mixed reactions to legislation the county’s Transit and Mobility Services unanimously passed last week, with some thanking commissioners for the ordinance that would delete certain requirements, including that cars be equipped with digital security cameras systems and operating warning lights, while others showed fury, with one making an accusations that the officials are “killing people.” Committee Chair Esteban Bovo Jr. had the cab driver who made that comment thrown out but he and the other members also listened Esteban Bovo to other drivers, albeit more polite, complain at that it’s a hard time for the industry now that drivers have to compete with Uber, an entity they say is not regulated. Many, however, said they appreciate the amendments committee members recommended the entire commission approve, which include deleting rules that cabs be required to operate for a specified period to get licenses renewed.

FEES UP FRONT: A county committee unanimously approved legislation last week that would reimburse developers road impact fees for select transit capital improvements, but only after Miami-Dade gets 25% of the funds up front, its director of planning and zoning determines the project will create 100 or more jobs in an enterprise zone and there’s a covenant with the land prohibiting a certificate of occupancy until the fees are paid and terms of the project are met. Members of the Transit and Mobility Committee agreed Oct. 13 that the county can’t be in the “collection business,” as has happened when a property that doesn’t pay impact fees is sold before the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources can confirm whether the terms of the permitting process were met.

CORRECTION: In last week’s issue the name of Lenore Rodicio, executive vice president and provost for academic and student affairs at Miami Dade College, was misspelled.

CORRECTION: It was Miami-Dade Commissioner Javier Souto who on Dec. 18, 2014, proposed a study of aerial cable transit for suitability that the Metropolitan Planning Organization approved 12-0.

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016

Diesel bus buy smells bad to some as county seeks CNG, emission cut

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

Commissioners on Tuesday approved 10-3 buying 15 diesel buses for $8,139,630 grant money, but not before with a long debate on whether the county’s approach to replacing its aging fleet is short-sighted and it’s wiser to wait for a compressed natural gas contract to come through.

Audrey Edmonson asked why the transportation department is looking at diesel buses rather than compressed natural gas, given that the commission has long been discussing CNG as the best way to meet policy to reduce emissions.

Transportation and Public Works Director Alice Bravo said a percentage of the bus fleet is past its useful life as determined by the Federal Transit Administration, which is the primary reason to buy the 15 buses that the Internal Services Department placed on the commission agenda.

“We’re close to completing a CNG procurement but, even if we signed it and the buses were ordered, it would take a year to manufacture the first one,” she said. “We would receive the 300 buses over a three-year period.”

In a few days, Ms. Bravo said, a solicitation will go out for 33 electric buses and associated charging systems.

Internal Services Department Director Tara Smith said the CNG solicitation, which went out in May 2014, has been a thorough, deliberate process with many details. She said she expects the agreement to go in front of commissioners at their next meeting in November.

In the meantime, however, the department wants to improve reliability and help reduce maintenance costs, so it looked around to see if anyone had buses already made that could be in use sooner, rather than later, Ms. Bravo said.

“We would be taking out 17year-old buses,” Ms. Bravo said.

“The emissions of one diesel bus are 95% lower than the one of the buses being taken out of service.” She added that this diesel is “clean” and that operational savings on maintenance would total over $600,000 this year with the purchase.

Transit officials pinpointed these 15 buses that were ordered by another transit agency that had cancelled the order, Ms. Bravo said. The department received a state grant to buy buses for the I-95 corridor. The grant will pay the entire cost of the diesel buses.

Juan Zapata asked if the funds could go toward CNG buses instead and questioned Ms. Bravo closely on why she hasn’t looked

into it. Moreover, he said the 4% discount the transportation department negotiated, which comes to a savings of $320,000 on the entire purchase, is far too low for buses someone else rejected.

“I don’t see the benefit to buying these, long or short term,” Mr. Zapata said. “It sounds like a piecemeal approach. We don’t seem to have a plan for addressing less carbon and saving on costs, which the CNG procurement, now four years since it started, [does], and we’re behind the curve in technology changes.”

At the end of the day, clean diesel or not, said Daniella Levine Cava, the carbon output is still much higher than the alternatives. “We set a policy to cut carbon emissions by 10% last year, which didn’t happen, and 80% by 2050,” she said. “We won’t get there this way.”

Instead, Ms. Levine Cava advised waiting the year for CNG buses. “I realize the urgency but am concerned this short-term [solution] is not wise.”

But other commissioners said they understand the urgency to replace part of the aging bus fleet and supported the purchase.

“This is the kind of savings we’re looking for,” said Jose “Pepe” Diaz. “It serves a need at this time, which is to fill a necessary hole.”

Manna for Mana may cost him moola

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

If a creative solution can’t be found, developer Moishe Mana might have to pay an unexpected $7.2 million into the public benefits fund of the Wynwood Business Improvement District (BID).

After months of negotiating with the district and city planning and zoning staff, the Mana team won Miami commission approval last month for its Special Area Plan, which creates zoning advantages for Mana Wynwood, a 10-million-squarefoot, mixed-use complex.

Key to the complicated and lengthy agreement: the developer agreed to bury electrical lines that cross the 25-acre project at a cost of up to $25 million.

But “I had a meeting with Mana representatives and Florida Power & Light to clarify what’s achievable, what lines can be taken down and where the lines would be,” said David Polinsky, BID board member, head of its planning committee and principal of 250 Wynwood.

Speaking at the improvement district’s board meeting Tuesday, he explained that the poles carry two sets of electrical lines.

FPL representatives said that higher-voltage lines can be taken out, but that would mean the lower-voltage set, which supplies power to neighborhood businesses, would have to come down too.

“Mana wanted to take them out entirely, but all of those properties need power,” he said.

“I think there was a misunderstanding.”

Most of the affected properties don’t have setbacks that would allow new connections to be built, and other problems would make it hard to provide power to them, Mr. Polinsky said.

Though he quipped at the meeting that the Mana team “could get a $7 million problem,” Mr. Polinsky said afterward that the BID would continue to work with them. And, he pointed out, the developer has five years to find a solution.

District leaders would rather the lines be buried, as befits the emerging neighborhood, but wouldn’t mind the $7.2 million payment to its benefits fund.

“Either way, we’ll be fine,” Mr. Polinsky said.

Mana Wynwood is to include about 2,500 residences and Mana Commons, an open-space parcel of about 168,000 square feet that would be open to the public and also for special events. Garages and other auxiliary uses are also planned. The entire project would run from Northwest Second Avenue west to I-95 between Northwest 22nd and 24th streets.

Months of negotiations fell apart when $7.5 million of the $10 million Mr. Mana originally promised to the benefits fund was diverted to Overtown through an agreement with Miami Commissioner Keon Hardemon.

As part of the Special Area Plan, the Mana team agreed to build most of the project’s ame-

nity- and culture-rich eastern portion before embarking on the western section, which is tradeoriented and expected to be more profitable.

The developer’s team also agreed that a maximum of 25% of the residential units (excluding the hotel) in the eastern portion be developed within the next seven years. Then maximum allowed density – in keeping with the rest of the agreement – will be allowed in the western portion. They also agreed that $4 per square foot will be paid to the Wynwood public benefits fund and to several other concessions.

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MIAMI TODAY

VIEWPOINT

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016

MIAMITODAY Miami Today is an independent voice of the community, published weekly at 2000 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 100, Miami, Florida 33133. Telephone (305) 358-2663

Get a leaders council ready: we can’t dodge bullets forever We just dodged a bullet. Hurricane Matthew went elsewhere.

We might dodge another next month.

Maybe thousands of Haitian refugees won’t bear diseases spawned by the same hurricane.

Michael Lewis We might dodge another bullet in December. We might not have a Zika expansion of epic proportions to devastate tourism.

We might dodge the bullet of sea level rise for a lot longer.

In fact, we might keep dodging bullets of every caliber for years and years – until we stop dodging them. Nowhere on the globe dodges bullets forever.

So the question is, what are we doing now, right now, to be ready for each and every bullet, just in case?

Bullets aren’t all lethal. There are silver bullets of opportunity, like a major corporate move to Miami or the chance to leverage a breakthrough in technology in ways we can’t even imagine or a program that could fund mass transit or workforce housing on a really large scale if we’re ready at the moment to seize the opportunity.

What all those bullets, positive and negative, have in common is we need a small, unified leadership planning for them long before a shot is fired. As far as I can determine, we have nothing like that.

Once, we did. Five leaders led by Alvah Chapman, publisher of the Miami Herald and later CEO of its parent company, called all the shots in Miami. What they wanted everyone did. It was not democratic or inclusive, but it worked.

So when 125,000 Cuban and 50,000 Haitian refugees and thousands from elsewhere landed in Miami in 1980, that group decided how to handle it – and we did just fine. Most of those refugees became solid citizens, not outcasts, and in record time.

Then in 1992 Hurricane Andrew hit us hard. Mr. Chapman again took the lead, formed We Will Rebuild and Miami-Dade again coped.

That was then. This is now. And I can’t spot a single person who could play the role that Mr. Chapman did. There is no undisputed unifier, not the mayor or his election opponent, not the head of any civic organization, no single corporate leader.

That’s no knock on anyone. We have very fine people in many positions. But none is an overall unifier.

We need, in short order: 1. Knowledge that a disaster plan in Miami-Dade covers every contingency and that all key players have agreed on their roles – including being the unifying leader.

2. Knowledge that a structure is ready to deal with a type of disaster that we don’t see coming.

3. Knowledge that the same team that is ready for disaster is ready for the big opportunity that might demand fast local action.

It’s OK to cite plans on paper, but we also need the leaders of key organizations on board, with their troops ready. That means big businesses too.

That’s tough to do in a city where transition is constant – the United Way, Beacon Council and Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce today are in search of CEOs. Even the mayor’s job is in play.

Given the vital need and the gaps, a very powerful informal council of five to seven people must share the role that Mr. Chapman once played. That group should be meeting today to assess needs and opportunities, social conditions included.

Unfortunately, that group by its nature can be neither chosen nor appointed. It can’t report to a mayor or an organization head who will help carry out the council’s aims. Nobody is powerful enough to appoint those five to seven persons except that group itself.

No, this handful of leaders must convene on its own. If you belong, you know it. I don’t have to name you; I couldn’t. But you’ve got the brains, clout and economic might to make decisions that others will carry out just as Alvah Chapman and his

small team got things done.

There’s no democracy in this, no balance by location in the county or ethnicity or industry or anything else. There are only a handful of you, and you know if you belong.

Until the five to seven of you unite, we’ll muddle along as we do these days. A county committee will debate what to do and civic groups will lament decisions and when something does happen, for good or ill, we’ll do our best. We’re a pretty resilient bunch and we get a lot right even without central leadership. We’ll all just do as well as we can. Maybe that’s all we can expect.

But to do better than muddle through, the five or seven of you ought to be talking today and deciding that the community as a whole will be much better off with you taking an active role of leadership.

Nobody is going to elect you, appoint you, approve you or vet your tax returns.

This is unofficial leadership, because we don’t have formal leaders to handle one of those big bullets that we don’t dodge – or those bullets of opportunity that we can’t afford to miss, either.

Nobody is going to put up a big sign that you’re doing what’s needed, either. We won’t know until a shot is fired, way too late for you to take the lead if you aren’t already active behind the scenes.

The best day for you to convene is today. Who knows when the next trigger will be pulled?

Foreign direct investment glitters for US in global commerce In both political and military battles there are casualties. During this election season, one of the most notable casualties is free trade. The bipartisan piling on – slamming NAFTA, TPP, WTO and single nations (mainly China, Mexico and Japan) – Jerry Haar is without precedent.

As for proponents of free trade, their silence is deafening – fearful of retaliation by a public whose rudimentary understanding of international commerce would fill half a thimble. Business and government leaders in trade-dependent cities on both coasts and the borders with Canada and Mexico are especially concerned, as well as perplexed that so many of their citizens are supporting candidates who espouse protectionism and isolationism.

(Talk about shooting oneself in the foot.)

Ironically (and happily) the anti-trade minions are not anti-foreign direct investment – as long as that investment is inward bound, not outward bound. And fortuitously, whatever the national and congressional outcomes in November, inward flows of investment will continue unfettered.

Just what is the nature, scope and size of that investment and what does it accomplish? Foreign direct investment (FDI) presently exceeds $3 trillion, and the US remains the preferred destination for investors worldwide.

With an unrivaled consumer market, excellent systems of higher education, skilled workers, entrepreneurial and innovation-oriented culture, a transparent and regulatory environment, and the largest venture capital and private equity market

The Writer Jerry Haar is a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC, and a business professor at Florida International University. His latest book, co-written with Ricardo Ernst, “Innovation in Emerging Markets,” will be presented at Books & Books in Coral Gables tonight (10/20) at 8 p.m. in the world, the US will continue to be No. 1 in attracting overseas investment.

Interestingly, eight countries account for 80% of FDI: the UK, Japan, the Netherlands, Canada, France, Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg. Notable, however, are the inroads made by several emerging markets, especially China, which grew by 30% last year to $15 billion. New York led the states with several large real estate and financial services transactions.

And in response to those who believe that we don’t make things anymore and that all our jobs are being shipped offshore, the truth is that manufacturing is the largest industry by far for foreign investors, with chemicals being the leading sector.

Most visible to the average American, however, is the automotive industry. In 1992 South Carolina ushered in the new wave of investment by foreign carmakers in the South by offering BMW a package that was ultimately worth an estimated $150 million. A decade later, the state put up an additional $80 million in infrastructure aid when BMW decided to expand its operations in the state.

In 1993, officials in Alabama lured a Mercedes-Benz facility, the first foreign auto plant in the state, with a package

worth more than $250 million. Today, Acura’s RDX is manufactured in Liberty, Ohio, with 70% American parts; Nissan and Infiniti in Smyrna, TN; VW in Chattanooga; Toyota in Kentucky and Michigan; and BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Kia, Subaru and other big foreign automakers are manufacturing in the US. Be that as it may, it is in the area of services where the US competes most effectively, running trade surpluses and attracting huge amounts of foreign investment, with real estate, financial services and information technology leading the way.

One of the best examples is South Florida, where FDI in real estate is one of the key drivers of the economy. Last year foreigners spent $6.1 billion on Miami area real estate – 36% of all such investment.

The reasons vary from opportunity buyers such as those from the Middle East who spent more than $500 million on Miami commercial and residential real estate in the past 18 months, to necessity buyers such as Brazilians and Venezuelans concerned with insecurity and political and economic troubles in their homelands.

Since Miami is the preferred “second home” for Latin Americans, it is no surprise that real estate and the services industry, in general, would rank among the highest among US locales for business investment.

Cognizant of the huge impact made by FDI – employment, knowledge transfer, tax revenue and other multiplier effects – states and municipalities across the nation are in vigorous pursuit of FDI on a global scale.

South Carolina has successfully recruited companies from overseas, such as Michelin in the transportation sector.

Virginia’s Economic Development Part-

nership boasts 700 internationally-owned companies in the state and last year announced a $2 billion investment from a Chinese pulp and paper manufacturer to establish its first US advanced manufacturing operation, creating 2,000 jobs over five years.

In Florida, both Enterprise Florida at the state level and the Beacon Council at the Miami-Dade County level have achieved notable success in their global efforts to attract FDI across of range of industries, as in the case of Embraer, the Brazilian aerospace company that opened a manufacturing facility on the state, creating 600 jobs.

Free trade may be the whipping boy for politicians and candidates for office this election season, but we should all be grateful that inward bound FDI has been spared vilification. It is the one area of global commerce where the economic benefits far outweigh the consequences.

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TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016

Transit reliability gains so clean, safe rides next

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

Anyone who hasn’t used Miami-Dade’s mass transit lately is in for a pleasant surprise.

The county’s Transportation & Public Works Department’s has stated its goal is to deliver clean, safe and reliable service. Many technological upgrades have boosted reliability, and now increased attention is being paid to the “clean and safe� component. “We know that, for many people, their transportation is part of their personal image, so we’re trying to improve the image of our vehicles,� said Alice Bravo, the department’s director.

Speaking at an Oct. 13 meeting of the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust, the group charged with overseeing uses for the half-penny transit sales tax that voters approved in 2002, Ms. Bravo said the department has stepped up its cleaning game. “With regard to the existing fleet, Mayor Gimenez wanted to make sure we do everything possible to have a great appearance,� she said. “We’ve improved our cleaning service by 200%.� The department had been cleaning 60 buses per night, and increased that to 180 per night. “We can turn over the whole fleet in a number of days; all the buses are swept and mopped nightly.� Each bus is washed three times week, she said. “Prior to September 2015, the buses were not cleaned during the daytime. Now we are cleaning buses as they come in after the morning service, about 165 daily.

We’re now also cleaning at layover transfer locations [for Metrobus, Metrorail and Metromover vehicles] so debris does not accumulate throughout

the day,� Ms. Bravo said. “On the interiors, we have worked aggressively to replace the cloth seats,� she said. More than 500 buses have been outfitted with new plastic molded seats, which are more comfortable, she said.

Some 100 new buses have been added over the past few years, with 300 more on order if the county commission approves, she added. More than 600 of the fleet’s 847 buses have been “wrapped� with a shiny new skin. “This is in lieu of being painted, because to paint a bus, you have to take it out of service for several days or a week,� she said. “Wrapping is quick, and it gives a painted appearance and fresh look. “The cleaning efforts have extended to our stations,� she continued. “We have conducted an inventory as to things that have to repaired or cleaned. At night, you’ll see pressure cleaning activities and repairs being done. We’ve increased inspection intervals, improved the landscaping, repaired fountains and are doing a lot to deter pigeons.�

On the safety front, the department has added 100,000 annual hours of armed security, in addition to having undercover officers randomly ride Metrorail, Metromover and Metrobus vehicles, she said. “Aside from statistics, it’s the perception of safety that matters,� she said. “We want to make sure people feel safe.�

The transit system continues to add closed-circuit television cameras to stations, and has rolled out a smartphone app that allows riders to report suspicious behavior. “They can discreetly advise us if they’re not comfortable with the situation

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

Alice Bravo: improving the image.

around them,� Ms. Bravo said.

Trust chair Anna E. Ward said she has formed and will chair a new subcommittee called Passenger Experience Improvement. “We’re talking about image here,� said Dr. Ward, who is an educator. “We want to establish and maintain the image that we are the No. 1 transit system.� “I congratulate you for creating new and innovative approaches and for actually pressing through to get them accomplished,� trust member Miles Moss told Ms. Bravo. He is president of Miles Moss & Associates Inc., an engineering consulting firm. “We have a great team,� Ms. Bravo responded. “With all of us working together, the sky’s the limit.�

It’s our privilege to serve our community

by Audrey Ross

Tips for Getting the Most Money When Selling Your House

• Price it right - Setting a price too high or too low may destroy your chances of selling it for the most money possible. • Upgrade, but Don’t

A goal Miami’s Downtown Development Authority has been pursuing for more than a year – late-night service on Metrorail and Metromover – will finally be realized by the end of this month.

On Friday and Saturday nights, Metrorail and Metromover will run until 2 a.m., said Alice Bravo, director of the county’s Transportation & Public Works Department. “We have many more restaurants and hotels downtown, a big hospitality sector, and the extended hours will help people working in the medical industry at the Civic Center,� Ms. Bravo told an Oct. 13 meeting of the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust, the group charged with overseeing uses for the half-penny transit sales tax that voters approved in 2002.

The downtown authority

backed the idea so that people going to the Arsht Center, dining late, going to clubs, or attending sports events that might run overtime could leave their cars at home and not worry about being stranded. Metromover currently stops running at midnight; Metrorail is shut down shortly thereafter.

Javier Betancourt, then downtown authority deputy director, predicted last year that Ms. Bravo would make the change.

The department then known as Miami Dade County Transit (MDT), to which Ms. Bravo had just been named director, was dragging its feet, Mr. Betancourt said. “But MDT is undergoing a transition in leadership,� he said. “Alice understands the 24-hour nature of downtown, and that might result in MDT’s becoming more responsive to our request.�

CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA NOTICE OF VACANCIES ON THE PLANNING, ZONING AND APPEALS BOARD

Ross Report on Real Estate When you decide it’s time to sell your home, you want to get as much out of it as possible. Sometimes, it has nothing to do with the market and everything to do with how the home is marketed. Here are a few tips to help you get the most money out of your home when you sell it.

7

Downtown’s fight to run Metromover, Metrorail post-midnight bears fruit

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MIAMI TODAY

Over-Upgrade - Quick fixes are great, but spending too much on upgrades may keep you from getting as much back out of the house. • Kitchen First, Bathrooms Second - Upgrade the kitchen first, as it’s what you’re really selling. • Be Ready to Show Anytime - When you’re ready to show your home any time of day, you’ll be able to sell it faster and gain more offers. • Curb Appeal is the First Impression - Make sure the grass is cut, the flowers look good and you pro-

www.miamirealestate.com

vide plenty of curb appeal.

With the help of these tips and a skilled real estate agent, you will be able to sell your home for top dollar, no matter the market.

For professional advice on all aspects of buying or selling real estate, please contact me at aross@miamirealestate.com or 305-960-2575, or come by the office at 355 Alhambra Circle, 9th Floor, in Coral Gables.

In accordance with Section 62-16 of the Miami City Code, as amended, no appointment shall be made by the City Commission to membership or alternate membership on the Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board (PZAB) until the City Clerk has given at least thirty (30) days’ notice of the vacancies in a newspaper of general circulation in the City of the vacancies.

It is intended that members and alternate members of the PZAB be persons of knowledge, experience, mature judgment, and background; having ability and desire to act in the public interest; and representing, insofar as may be possible, the various special professional training, experience, and interests required to make informed and equitable decisions concerning preservation and appropriate development of the physical environment. Additionally, Miami City Code Section 62-16 requires that persons appointed to the PZAB shall be electors of the City.

Public, professional, or citizen organizations within the area having interest in and knowledge of the planning and plan implementation process are encouraged and solicited to submit to the City Clerk’s 2I¿FH 3DQ $PHULFDQ 'ULYH 0LDPL )ORULGD D FRPSOHWHG QRPLQDWLRQ IRUP LQGLFDWLQJ WKH QDPH DGGUHVV DQG TXDOL¿FDWLRQV RI SHUVRQV IRU FRQVLGHUDWLRQ DV SURVSHFWLYH DSSRLQWHHV WR WKH 3=$% $SSOLFDWLRQ IRUPV DUH DYDLODEOH LQ WKH &LW\ &OHUNœV 2I¿FH DQG RQOLQH DW WKH &LW\ &OHUNœV ZHEVLWH http:// miamigov.com/city_clerk/Pages/Board/Board.asp).

All nominations from the public must be received by Tuesday, November 22, 2016, at 4:00 PM. Applications from the public received by the deadline will be given due consideration by the City ComPLVVLRQ 7KH QDPHV DQG TXDOLÂżFDWLRQV RI SHUVRQV VXEPLWWHG E\ WKH SXEOLF WR WKH &LW\ &OHUN ZLOO EH DYDLODEOH IRU UHYLHZ RQ 0RQGD\ 1RYHPEHU LQ WKH &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH RU RQOLQH DW WKH &LW\ &OHUNÂśV website (http://miamigov.com/city_clerk/Pages/Board/Board.asp).

The City Commission will consider making appointments to the PZAB at the City Commission meeting SUHVHQWO\ VFKHGXOHG IRU 'HFHPEHU )RU DGGLWLRQDO LQIRUPDWLRQ RQ WKH DSSOLFDWLRQ SURFHVV SOHDVH FRQWDFW 1LFROH (ZDQ $VVLVWDQW &LW\ &OHUN DW QHZDQ#PLDPLJRY FRP RU

Todd B. Hannon City Clerk

8

TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016

City gives City Centre control of street lights, improvements B Y J OHN C HARLES R OBBINS

Brickell City Centre, like the Miami Design District, will have its own special street lights and has vowed to install them and maintain them, even though they are considered part of the city’s and county’s public right-ofway.

Miami city commissioners, at a meeting Oct. 13, approved two items allowing Brickell City Centre Project LLC to construct and maintain non-standard street lights and other improvements within the right-of-way along certain portions of South Miami Avenue.

Hong Kong-based Swire Properties Inc. is transforming several blocks into a city within a city as Brickell City Centre rises as a Special Area Plan under the city’s zoning code. The complex will be comprised of 5.4 million gross square feet of floor area, including an underground carpark and 2.9 million square feet of office, residential, hotel, retail and entertainment space.

The three-level shopping center is to open Nov. 3.

The two city actions included: A resolution authorizing the city manager to execute an agreement between the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County for installation and maintenance of nonstandard street lights within county right-of-way along portions of South

Miami Avenue; and a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a covenant running with the land with Brickell City Centre Project LLC for the installation and maintenance of nonstandard improvements, including street lighting, within the adjacent public right-of-way, including portions of Southeast Sixth Street and South Miami Avenue.

The legislation notes that Brickell City Centre Project LLC had requested permission to construct and maintain the non-standard improvements, will hold the city harmless and be responsible for their maintenance.

The city approved the original Special Area Plan about four years ago, bounded by Southwest Seventh and Eighth streets, South Miami Avenue and the Metromover. Later the city approved an expansion to the north, up to and beyond Southeast Sixth Street.

In 2014, commissioners approved Swire’s request to expand the footprint east to include 700-710 Brickell Ave. Years in the making, the foundational work included construction of elaborate underground parking and a roadway.

The two levels of underground parking total about 1,934 spaces and are designed to internalize flow and limit the impact of cars and trucks on adjacent roads. The internal circulation is via connection of the five underground garages at a basement level via drive-

ways beneath South Miami Avenue, Sixth and Seventh streets and the Metromover right-of-way.

Southeast Sixth Street will also become part of a major road improvement project for the development and the neighborhood just south of the Miami River.

The Oct. 13 action of city commissioners led to an update on the street improvement project.

Commissioner Wifredo “Willy� Gort asked city staff if the street light agreements were related to the developer’s plans for Sixth Street.

Juvenal Santana Jr., deputy director of the Department of Public Works, said Swire is working with MiamiDade County on the planned intersection improvements.

Attorney Spencer Crowley, representing Swire, reminded commissioners of the deal made two years ago to rebuild a portion of South Miami Avenue as it nears Brickell City Centre.

Engineers have recently completed the necessary drawings for the street project, Mr. Crowley told commissioners, and the developers are preparing to submit the documents to the governing county and city agencies. “They’re in the process,� said Mr. Crowley, regarding developers filing permit requests for the street work.

City commissioners agreed in 2014 to turn over two properties in Brickell

to BCC Road Improvement LLC, part of Swire, with the ultimate goal of smoothing traffic in the booming neighborhood.

The actions then included the commission accepting $4,165,000 from BCC Road Improvement to defray related costs to buy from state government properties at 602 and 614 S Miami Ave. for $4.7 million. The commission authorized the purchase and ultimately declared the land surplus, conveying the parcels to BCC Road Improvement for $4 million, part of the $4,165,000.

One of the three city resolutions needed to complete the deal noted that $700,000 from Sixth Street easement fees made by Swire would also be considered, in order to cover the costs associated with the purchase of the two parcels from the state.

The land is near where South Miami Avenue meets Sixth Street. One parcel was home to an office of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.

BCC Road Improvement plans to reconfigure the traffic pattern there to include a new traffic circle.

City officials have said the street improvements, once finished, will remain public roadway dedicated to Miami-Dade County.

Swire championed the traffic calming construction as a benefit to all of Brickell by helping improve traffic flow.

Brickell City Centre prepares for mall opening in two weeks B Y J OHN C HARLES R OBBINS

Two weeks – that’s all that remains before the shopping destination making up the heart and soul of Brickell City Centre opens.

The sweeping mixed-use development is to debut its more than 500,000-squarefoot shopping center Nov. 3.

Swire Properties Inc., along with retail co-developers Whitman Family Development

and Simon Property Group, have lined up more than 80 retailers and eateries, including top-flight brands.

Saks Fifth Avenue, Brickell City Centre’s anchor tenant, will occupy three floors of the center with street-level access.

Brickell City Centre’s two condominium towers, two Class-A office buildings, and its EAST, Miami Hotel, will also anchor the shopping cen-

EXECUTIVE EDUCATION COURSES

Entrepreneurship in Real Estate

Green Roof and Wall Technology

Oct. 29 9am - 2:30pm

Dec. 3 9am - 2pm

For more information, please visit miami.edu/urbanism or email mredu@miami.edu

OMNI REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY PLEASE ALL TAKE NOTICE that a Board of Commissioners Meeting of the Omni Redevelopment District Community Redevelopment Agency is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, October 26th, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. at CHAPMAN Partnership, 1550 N. Miami Avenue, Miami, FL 33136.

All interested persons are invited to attend. For more information SOHDVH FRQWDFW WKH 201, &5$ RIÂżFH DW

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Jason Walker, Executive Director Omni Redevelopment District Community Redevelopment Agency

ter, along with a luxury dinein movie theater from Mexico City-based Cinemex.

The nearly 36,000-squarefoot dine-in cinema, the first US venue for the growing company, will fill a void for movie theaters in the Brickell neighborhood.

Brickell City Centre will offer vertical shopping, a model common in international cities and well-recognized by global travelers, say the developers. “Brickell City Centre will introduce a much needed, comprehensive retail market to serve Miami’s discerning shoppers,� said Courtney Lord, vice president of leasing for Whitman Family Development. “These shoppers will appreciate the diverse lineup of high-quality brands and open-air atmosphere of the retail component.�

Luxury brands will be located throughout the streetaccessible first floor of Brickell City Centre’s retail component. Others will open on the second and third floors, emphasizing premium and contemporary retailers along with a mix of beauty, home decor, jewelry, apparel and other stores.

The food and beverage offerings are on the third floor, offering fine dining, casual fare and new international brands opening flagships in the US. A key component of the new retail center is the Climate Ribbon, a $30 million trellis of steel, fabric and glass spanning 150,000 square feet, connecting the project’s three city blocks and keeping the elements at bay.

Swire Properties integrated the Metromover with a stop

Brickell City Centre uses a vertical shopping layout common abroad.

that opens directly into the shopping center’s third floor to allow easy access. The shopping center will also ease vehicle movement with its expansive two-story underground carpark that traverses streets in the lower level.

At nearly 10 acres, Brickell City Centre is a city within a city.

Swire recently celebrated a milestone for the $1.05 billion landmark project when the City of Miami granted the developer a temporary certificate of occupancy for its second residential tower, RISE. The action allows residents to move in. Swire says its condos remain popular among US and international buyers, with prices starting from $595,000 to $2.7 million.

As the largest private-sector project currently under construction in Miami,

Brickell City Centre began vertical construction in 2013.

Phase II is scheduled to start in late 2017. Swire owns the entire frontage on Brickell between Seventh and Eighth streets, the area expected to be the focus of that development. Swire previously announced a tower of 80 or more stories for that site but not the details.

To promote wellness and sustainability as well as a commitment to its vibrant community, Brickell City Centre has incorporated programming such as the weekly “Farmers Market� featuring conventional and organically grown produce.

Swire, in partnership with Surface Studios, is also to launch the semiannual Centre magazine, a lifestyle magazine for Brickell City Centre to be distributed throughout the project.

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016

MIAMI TODAY

9

24-story West Brickell apartments need several waivers, clear hurdle

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

Brickell’s boom continues to inch westward.

A development company plans to build a mixed-use residential tower on Southwest Second Avenue, about a block and a half east of I-95.

Maizon is to be a 24-story tower, home to 262 apartments, about 15,000 square feet of ground floor retail uses and parking for about 366 vehicles.

The city’s Urban Development Review Board on Oct. 5 recommended approval.

The project is from ZOM Florida and its affiliate ZF Development II LLC, and designed by MSA Architects.

The property is at 1100-1142 SW Second Ave. and 221-237 SW 12th St., and will stretch from Southwest 11th Street to 12th Street.

The development will be right across the street from the city’s Fire Station No. 4.

The developer is requesting several waivers, including permission to allow parking into the second layer, a reduction in a twoway drive width from 23 to 22 feet, two residential loading berths instead of one commercial loading berth, and a 30% reduction in required parking.

The company is allowed to ask for the parking reduction in part because of the site’s proximity to public transit. It’s about a block west of the Brickell Metrorail Station and Brickell Metromover Station.

The waiver would allow the 366 spaces instead of 458.

In a letter to city planners, attorney Steve Wernick, representing ZOM, wrote: “Maizon will be a valuable addition to the West Brickell community by providing new commercial uses and pedestrian activation to the rapidly growing neighborhood centered around the Southwest Second Avenue corridor.�

He said multi-family structures and paved parking make up the property, consisting generally of one- and two-story apartment buildings constructed between 1948 and 1976, which are more of a suburban garden style and non-

conforming to Miami 21 zoning. “It is anticipated that all of these will be demolished in order to construct the project, with a design more in harmony with Miami 21 and the evolving nature of the West Brickell area,� wrote Mr. Wernick.

The design characteristics will complement a surrounding West Brickell community that has undergone tremendous change in recent years, he wrote. “Southwest Second Avenue is becoming an important corridor for pedestrian activation, and is poised to become a community of mixed-income professionals that is desirable to households taking advantage of public transportation and easy access to work,�

Mr. Wernick wrote.

Attorney Nicholas Barshel told the review board that ZOM is a leader in residential development in South Florida.

ZOM Living owns and operates mixed-use apartment buildings across the region, including the Residences at Meridian Pointe, and is responsible for the development of several apartment buildings in downtown Miami and Brickell under construction or recently completed, including Monarc at Met 3, Avant at Met Square and Solitair.

Mr. Barshel repeated the desire to cater to those young professionals wishing to make Miami’s urban landscape their home, with a growing desire to use public transit instead of using private vehicles. Maizon intends to meet whose wishes, he said.

The 24-story structure is to have a floor area of 424,258 square feet, including about 15,000 square feet of commercial use on the ground level along with open courtyard areas and the residential leasing center for the apartment building.

On the upper levels, the project will include 262 apartment units as well as an amenity deck and pool on the ninth level. An on-site garage is built into the facility.

Beatriz Hernandez of MSA Architects told the board the project has a strong urban edge and a very contemporary design.

Accent colors and frame elements are to help break up the

monotony of the largest portion of the building, and there is a transition between the podium and the tower, she said.

Along Southwest 12th Street the project provides elements for pedestrian activation on the ground floor, including a bike shop, and art treatments to screen parking areas above. “Very nice work,� said board member Anthony Tzamtzis. “I like the articulation of the building.�

Board member Neil Hall said he liked the “urban feel.�

Board member Jesus A. Permuy asked if Maizon will be built in the immediate future. “Absolutely,� answered Ms. Hernandez. She said they’re already in the design-development stage and preparing to seek building permits so work can begin.

Maizon is to have 262 apartments, parking for 366 cars, plus retail.

CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ANY PERSON WHO RECEIVES COMPENSATION, REMUNERATION OR EXPENSES FOR CONDUCTING LOBBYING ACTIVITIES IS REQUIRED TO REGISTER AS A LOBBYIST WITH THE CITY CLERK PRIOR TO ENGAGING IN LOBBYING ACTIVITIES BEFORE CITY STAFF, BOARDS AND COMMITTEES OR THE CITY COMMISSION. A COPY OF THE APPLICABLE ORDINANCE IS AVAILABLE IN THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK (MIAMI CITY HALL), LOCATED AT 3500 PAN AMERICAN DRIVE, MIAMI, FLORIDA, 33133.

AT THE SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016, AT 9:00 A.M., IN ITS CHAMBERS AT CITY HALL, 3500 PAN AMERICAN DRIVE, MIAMI, FLORIDA 33133. THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION WILL CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING ITEM RELATED TO THE REGULAR AGENDA: A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH ATTACHMENTS, ACCEPTING THE PLAT ENTITLED “RODRIGUEZ SUBDIVISION�, A REPLAT IN THE CITY OF MIAMI, SUBJECT TO ALL OF THE CONDITIONS OF THE PLAT AND STREET COMMITTEE AND THE PROVISIONS CONTAINED IN CITY CODE SECTION 55-8, AND ACCEPTING THE DEDICATIONS SHOWN ON SAID PLAT, LOCATED BETWEEN NE 27 STREET AND NE 28 STREET, AND FROM BISCAYNE BOULEVARD TO APPROXIMATELY 730 FEET TO THE EAST, AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY CLERK TO EXECUTE SAID PLAT; AND PROVIDING FOR THE RECORDATION OF SAID PLAT IN THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA. Copies of the proposed Resolution are available for review at the Public Works Department, Survey and Land Records Section of the Construction Division, located at 444 SW 2nd Avenue, 4th Floor, during regular working hours. Phone 305-416-1232.

The Miami City Commission requests all interested parties be present or represented at the meeting and may be heard with respect to any proposition before the City Commission in which the City Commission may take action. Should any person desire to appeal any decision of the City Commission with respect to any matter to be considered at this meeting, that person shall ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made including all testimony and evidence upon which any appeal may be based (F.S. 286.0105).

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, persons needing special accommodations WR SDUWLFLSDWH LQ WKLV SURFHHGLQJ PD\ FRQWDFW WKH 2IÂżFH RI WKH &LW\ &OHUN DW 9RLFH QR ODWHU WKDQ ÂżYH EXVLQHVV GD\V SULRU WR WKH SURFHHGLQJ 77< XVHUV PD\ FDOO YLD )ORULGD 5HOD\ 6HUYLFH QR ODWHU WKDQ ÂżYH EXVLQHVV GD\V SULRU WR WKH SURFHHGLQJ

Todd B. Hannon City Clerk # 25299

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MIAMI HERALD,

October 12, 2016

News that matters when it matters!

16

MIAMI TODAY

COMMERCIAL & OFFICE SPACE

WEEK OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016

After changes, supermarket-apartment complex wins OK

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

A revised plan to bring a residential and retail project to the heart of East Little Havana has gained unanimous support of Miami’s Urban Development Review Board.

The plan from Eight & First LLC will bring a Presidente Supermarket and 96 rental apartments to a high-profile site at 45 SW Eighth Ave. Back in February, the board deferred the project after complaining of several proposed components, including a busy color scheme for the façade.

One member also expressed disappointment that the developer wasn’t taking full advantage of allowable housing, proposing 96 apartments when zoning would allow up to 312.

The board had considered recommending denial of the plan but instead opted to defer it, allowing the developer and its design team the chance to return with revisions.

In a revised plan submitted in September, the developer stuck with 96 residential units but changed several other aspects.

The project, labeled Eight and First Development, is planned at the northwest corner of Southwest First Street and Seventh Avenue. The architect is Herman Chaviano with DTI Architecture.

The main changes include the layout of the retail floor space and parking, a less varied color palette, a different look to the façade of the grocery store por-

The plan at 45 SW Eighth St. includes a Presidente Supermarket and 96 rental units in East Little Havana.

tion, and the selection of materials.

The L-shaped building will extend to Southwest Eighth Avenue on the west and part of West Flagler Street on the north.

Lot coverage is about 76,610 square feet, with the grocery store being about 35,930 square feet.

Two other ground floor retail spaces are included, one at 5,465 square feet and the other at 3,130, extending along Southwest Seventh Avenue.

The 12-story building is to include eight levels of apartments atop four levels of parking, including street level. The retail space will hug the outside of the parking.

The retail space will include storefronts along the northeast, east and southeast sides of the

property, along with a new Presidente Supermarket on the southwest, Mr. Chaviano wrote to the review board.

In addition, a landscaped pedestrian cross block passage will cross from West Flagler Street to Southwest First Street, and bicycle parking racks will be sprinkled on the site.

Tenants will have a pool area with other amenities on the fifth floor.

“The proposed building exterior will incorporate colors, textures, and parking area screens, and at the ground level provide glass storefronts along pedestrian walkways with cantilevered canopies to add shade along the sidewalks. The storefronts along the street allow the pedestrian full view to the interior of the stores contributing to the enhancement

of the pedestrian experience,” wrote Mr. Chaviano.

“At the ground floor, the proposed parking lot is hidden from pedestrian view by the retail stores and in some areas by a continuous hedge and street screens.

The parking floors above are shielded by stucco walls and decorative perforated metal forms with different shapes and colors to create a visual effect for the pedestrian and at the same time assist with the parking garage ventilation,” he wrote.

In his letter, the architect references points board members raised in February, including: Reduce the number of colors proposed for the apartment building.

Activate the corners of the project.

Provide a break in the façade

along Northwest First Street.

And he shows how the design team addressed those suggestions, including: The original proposed color scheme for the apartment building façade has been reduced; building corners have been addressed; a more visible break in the façade between the two-story supermarket and the four-story garage has been provided; the decorative perforated screen panels have been extended to the third floor at the garage; and along Northwest First Street a canopy has been added to accentuate the crosswalk passage.

Mr. Chaviano concluded, “The proposed revisions have been made in collaboration with the owner, and the Planning and Zoning staff, and as such we would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in providing solutions to the board’s comments and moving this project forward.”

Meeting Oct. 5, several board members said they liked the changes.

“The color palette does look a lot better,” said Fidel Perez.

Neil Hall said, “I think it’s an improvement.” He said the design changes help to break up the mass of the building.

“I agree. I think it is an improvement,” said Jesus A. Permuy.

Board Chairman Robert Behar said he still wanted more openness to the corner of the grocery store, but “I see the attempt to address our comments and concerns.”

Standout malls offer standout future despite e-commerce

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

The picture for large malls looks good as long as they know their core customers and provide an experience that stands out, observers say.

“There’s an ongoing debate about the effects of e-commerce, people buying things online,” said Boris Kozolchyk, executive vice president of retail services at Colliers International.

While some think e-commerce might make malls obsolete, “I can’t see that happening,” he said.

“There is an element of social contact at a mall; it’s being with people, seeing new things, finding things that you didn’t even know you wanted. Malls provide entertainment you can’t replicate as easily at home.”

Entertainment literally has come to many malls via movie theaters, some offering an upscale experience, complete with food and beverage service.

An AMC theater replaced the Sears store in the Pembroke Lakes Mall, while a Cinepolis movie theater has replaced the Nordstrom store in Wellington Green, Mr. Kozolchyk said.

Higher-end malls including The Falls, Dadeland, Aventura Mall and Boca Town Center “are very strong and really have not suffered,” he said, enjoying vacancies of less than 10%.

Some that incorporate Macy’s stores might be negatively affected by that corporation’s decision to close some stores, he

said. The giant retailer has not said which stores it will shutter.

“I think the malls we have in our market have done reasonably well,” he said, pointing to expansions at Bal Harbour Shops and Aventura Mall. The Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale, one of the area’s legacy malls, has added a theater and new retailers, including H & M, a clothing store that appeals to young people.

Dolphin and Sawgrass Mills malls have suffered because they are, to some extent, reliant on tourists from South America, so currency devaluations and political problems affect them, Mr. Kozolchyk said.

Mid-market malls like Westland Mall and Broward Mall do well because they understand their neighborhood and target shopper, he added.

No new malls have been built in at least 10 years, despite steady population growth, he said, but redevelopments have added outdoor spaces and walking areas, which contribute to the social experience of shopping at a mall.

And ultra-luxury malls, like The Design District, allow visitors to “buy with their eyes” goods that may exceed their budgets, Mr. Kozolchyk said.

“The mall business is quite good, considering what’s going on in other parts of the country,” he said.

“Malls here are very healthy; I don’t see any clouds in the sky,” said Paco Diaz, senior vice president of CBRE. He

‘My family, myself and our team have been anxiously awaiting approvals for our expansion for 10 years.’

Matthew Whitman Lazenby pointed to the Aventura Mall expansion, which will add 250,000 square feet. In addition, the current Sears store – another 250,000 square feet – will be redeveloped in a new open-space configuration.

The only new mall proposed is American Dream Miami, a 6.2-million-square-foot project planned on nearly 200 acres in Northwest Miami-Dade.

“That’s about the only place they could put a mall,” Mr. Diaz said. “If you were to take a map of Miami, it’s pretty well covered by malls.”

“My family, myself and our team have been anxiously await-

ing approvals for our expansion for 10 years,” said Matthew Whitman Lazenby, whose grandfather built Bal Harbour Shops in 1965 and whose family has operated it since. “The Village of Bal Harbour is a fully grown, mature community with not a whole lot of space.”

While they were waiting, the Whitmans acquired most of the real estate available in the village’s business district.

The planned expansion will take the complex from 400,000 to 700,000 square feet. “We’re not quite doubling,” said Mr. Lazenby, who is president and CEO of Whitman Family Development. “But our nearest competition is Aventura Mall, which is almost 3 million square feet.”

After the Nov. 8 election, which may bring in a new village council, “We hope they will take it up first thing,” Mr. Lazenby said. “It’s the most critical issue facing the village and its residents.”

Many of Bal Harbour Shops’ tenants don’t like to refer to the complex as a mall, though the Whitman family considers it one, “though purposely smaller,” he said.

“Luxury tenants aren’t mall brands, and there are still a handful of luxury stores that consider themselves high-street only. By and large, these luxury brands are driven equally by a desire to remain exclusive and a desire to be profitable, which are at odds with one another.

“In general terms, the market is not the best that’s it ever been for stores at all ends of the spectrum,” he said. “Stores that are dependent on tourism – whether in Miami, New York or Los Angeles – are facing strong headwinds. In a strong-dollar environment with no end in sight, it’s been a challenge. Traffic counts matter, and they are stable or even a little bit up. But the transaction rate is down, and that’s a problem for everybody,” particular for retailers who those customers come from Brazil or Russia, countries that have experienced currency devaluations.

“The silver lining is that it is forcing retailers, restaurants and anybody who’s been fat and happy to now look at the relationship with that loyal, local customer.

We’ve been privileged to have that customer for 50 years and we’d be nowhere without them.”

“Many of these stores have redoubled their efforts to connect with that customer, who is not impacted or positively impacted by the strong dollar,” Mr. Lazenby said.

E-commerce, he said, is “the latest layer on a cake that’s been around for 25 years or more.” Online shopping “will have a measurable impact and will be disastrous for stores that don’t embrace the fact that they are not just selling stuff,” he said. “This business is supposed to be about creating meaningful experiences.”

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