WEEK OF THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016
A Singular Voice in an Evolving City
WWW.MIAMITODAYNEWS.COM $4.00
DESIGN DISTRICT
Affluent neighborhoods feed shoppers into district, pg. 13 MAKING A GOOD ENTRANCE: North Bay Village officials want to beautify and maintain part of the 79th Street Causeway but need to annex the right-of-way to make that happen. Miami city commissioners are onboard with their approval of a resolution supporting the municipal boundary change application to Miami-Dade County by North Bay Village. The annexation is of the 79th Street Causeway right-of-way up to the mean high tide mark, from the current westernmost boundary of North Bay Village to Pelican Harbor Drive, Pelican Island. The land would be annexed out of the City of Miami into North Bay Village. The resolution says the annexation won’t cut into Miami’s tax revenue. Village leaders told the city they plan to turn the area into a grand entrance by making improvements including landscaping and lighting.
Institute of Contemporary Art has new home on way, pg. 15
The Achiever
By Susan Danseyar
CHARTER REVIEW: County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava’s proposed legislation creating a charter review task force was tabled Nov. 10 when the Economic Prosperity Committee adjourned without voting on the measure. Ms. Levine Cava said this week she intends to bring the item back once she has a Sunshine meeting with committee Chair Xavier Suarez. Her proposed legislation would fulfill the commission’s obligation to review the county charter every five years by creating a community panel that would recommend changes. QUIET NEGOTIATIONS: Viacom, the principal tenant at the Screens Gems/EUE studio at 50 NW 14th St., has quietly put out the word that it is seeking to renegotiate some of its local contracts and is holding an invitation-only event Nov. 21. Only 25 spots exist, Viacom said in a release that went out on the letterhead of the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency, which owns the studio. LET THE RIVER FLOW: The City of Miami has agreed to a new contract with Water Management Technologies Inc. to help clean waterways. The Miami-based company employs its Scavenger 2000 Decontamination Boat to remove trash and debris from the Miami River and parts of Biscayne Bay. The city commission has determined the company to be the sole source provider for the continued clean-up, approving a new $250,000 one-year contract with an option to extend for two added one-year periods, funded from the Public Works Operations Budget. The movable arms of the company’s Y-shape decontamination vessels open to corral trash and debris in the water and direct it to a collection machine in the boat’s belly. Nearly daily clean-up runs have collected debris that includes foam cups, automobile tires, plastic jugs and grass clippings.
Photo by Marlene Quaroni
Daniella Levine Cava
Targeting more economic opportunity, accountability The profile is on Page 4
Study douses city bid to run Virginia Key marina $45 million in stadium bonds on table, pg. 12 commissioners voted 3 to 2 to throw out all proposals and seek new ones. The City of Miami should not develop Marina work may raise seagrass issue, pg. 12 Immediately after that, the commission
By John Charles Robbins
and run a marina on Virginia Key but instead have a private company do so, says a report that examined the possibility of the city taking over the marina. The idea to have the city develop and manage what’s known as Rickenbacker Marina arose from the dust of a bidding war that entangled three private developers and the city for months. The new report is part of a discussion item on today’s (11/17) city commission agenda regarding requirements for leasing the city-owned property. CBRE Valuation & Advisory Services analyzed the potential redevelopment of Rickenbacker and Marine Stadium marinas by either the city or the private sector. The firm’s conclusion: “In our opinion, there is a very high risk of financial loss to the city associated with hidden costs and a very lengthy permitting process associated with the redevelopment of the south basin and the development of the north basin. Based on these risk factors alone, it is our opinion that the city should not undertake
Agenda
On county land gifts, clock ticks
the risks and unknown costs associated with attempting to develop and operate the subject. Rather, the private sector is better suited to redevelop based upon their marina specific experience and expertise.” The conclusion is rooted in the potential high cost of dredging and mitigation as part of redeveloping both the larger marina and smaller Marine Stadium Marina. A private firm operates the marina that fills the basin northwest of the abandoned Marine Stadium. The city has worked for years to line up a new operator. In June 2015, the city requested proposals to build and operate two marinas, dry storage, wet slips, at least one restaurant and more. Three companies offered proposals. After evaluation by a selection committee, Virginia Key LLC, also known as RCI Group, was chosen. The second and third place bidders filed protests. After several long, contentious meetings, the battle culminated July 20 when
voted unanimously to direct the city manager to study whether the city’s Marinas Division should operate, develop and manage a new city marina on Virginia Key. The city is already in the marina business, managing the largest wet slip marine facility in Florida, 582-slip Dinner Key Marina, and an adjacent 225-vessel mooring facility in Biscayne Bay. The city also operates Miamarina at Bayside and Marine Stadium Marina. CBRE’s conclusion is backed up by Lambert Advisory in its peer review of CBRE’s report. In its review, Lambert Advisory says, in part: “While we are more agnostic than CBRE as to who develops the marina (private lessee vs. city) considering there are arguments on both approaches as long as the city is able to treat its marina operation as an enterprise function of the city, in this particular case we strongly lean towards the private lessee model given the inherent high risk associated with permitting and unknowns associated with seagrass and dredging costs.”
Non-profits receiving MiamiDade County property must use it or lose it. Commissioners unanimously agreed Tuesday to remove two properties from the Public Health Trust, classify them surplus and convey them to the Haitian Senior Stars Solidarity Group Inc. for $10 each. However, the resolution by Chairman Jean Monestime was amended to require finishing construction on the properties within five years or both revert to the county. The unanimous amendment came after Commissioner Audrey Edmonson said she’s seen county-owned properties given to non-profits often sit way too long unfinished or severely dilapidated. This problem goes further than the two sites at hand, said Jose “Pepe” Diaz, who advised he’ll bring legislation to help clear things up. “Plans are brought into effect and it takes time for the plans to take effect,” he said. “The person may be sure of everything but still had to go into a long delay.” Such delays cost money, Mr. Diaz said, so he’ll work with the state to revamp the system toward curbing holdups. Of course, Mr. Diaz said, once a plan has been approved, it must be moved on. “You can’t keep coming back every time you have a new idea,” he said. “Once there’s approval, that’s it and you start the process of getting it done.” The not-for-profit Haitian Senior Stars Solidarity will receive now-abandoned facilities once run by the Public Health Trust at 480 NW 123rd St. and 11 NW 135th St. Rebeca Sosa was originally concerned that the commission was considering “giving out land that belongs to the people without asking the people.” She said it would be much better to lease the property to protect the public. Mr. Monestime pointed out the properties are abandoned and unlivable, plus the commission previously approved conveying properties to non-profits when it sped benefit to the general public.
WITH LAND IN HAND, ARSHT GARAGE PLANS UNCLEAR ...
2
SOUTH AFRICA, ARGENTINA MISSIONS TARGET TRADE ...
9
GROVE, WITH ZERO CASES, GEARS FOR ZIKA RECOVERY ...
3
TEAM PAVING WAYS TO ALTER EXPRESSWAY AGENCY ...
16
VIEWPOINT: LEAP OF FAITH AS DOWNTOWN ROARS BACK ...
6
44 FLORIDA FIRMS GO TO GERMAN MEDICAL TRADE FAIR ...
16
GABLES ADDS TIFFANY VET AS ITS RETAIL RECRUITER ...
7
RIVER TEAM FEARS RUSE IN CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS PLAN...
23