WEEK OF THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
A Singular Voice in an Evolving City
WWW.MIAMITODAYNEWS.COM $4.00
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE OFFICE SPACE
Rising office demand finds little added space, raising rates, pg. 15 BONDS FOR THE STADIUM: The MiamiDade County Commission has approved issuance of $100 million in taxable industrial revenues bonds to fund part of the reconstruction of Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens. Sun Life Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins, is to undergo a $425 million reconstruction. Of that, $275 million is to be covered by the stadium’s owners, and another $50 million is to be covered through a commercial loan program. The Miami-Dade County Industrial Development Authority (IDA) is an entity separate from county government that issues bonds on behalf of projects deemed economically feasible. Neither IDA nor the county is liable to pay off the bonds. The MiamiDade County Commission has to approve the issuance as a check on IDA. Reconstruction at the stadium is to be finished in 2017.
Innovative re-design at complex prevents future problems, pg. 16
THE ACHIEVER
BY CATHERINE LACKNER
NO TO WAL-MART, THEME PARK: The Pinecrest Village Council has voted to oppose development in an area in South Miami-Dade County that’s home to pine rockland. Pine rockland harbors endangered plant and animal species. The targeted area is near Zoo Miami and is officially the Richmond Pineland complex. Two developments have been proposed for the area: Coral Reef Commons, which is to include a WalMart, and Miami Wilds, a theme park to include water rides. The developer behind Coral Reef Commons, Ram Real Estate, has put certain plans on hold to negotiate with federal authorities, according to county records. The county has also retained the authority to pull any county permit to Ram. In addition, county and federal officials are negotiating the logistics of the Miami Wilds development to make sure the theme park wouldn’t harm the environmental site. BIKE RACKS REMOVED: After a flurry of complaints from Brickell residents, Miami city commissioners ordered removal of new bikesharing stations from Brickell Bay Drive and 25th Road. The Citi Bike program operated by Decobike LLC is Miami’s bike sharing and rental system. Citi Bike is intended to provide an additional transportation option. Working with city staff, the rental islands were placed in nearly 50 locations throughout the city late last year. Complaints were lodged immediately by condo dwellers in Brickell, saying the Citi Bike stations were taking up valuable parking spaces and impacting the view of Biscayne Bay. Racks at these locations were ordered removed: 801, 1408 and 1440 Brickell Bay Drive and at 25th Road and Brickell Avenue. The motion commissioners approved said those racks are to be “repositioned” in accordance with the commission’s District Two office, and the advice and consent of adjacent property owners will be sought.
Photo by Marlene Quaroni
Jose Antonio Hernandez-Solaun
Easton Group president takes on community roles The profile is on Page 4
County flyspecking might sink boat show plan BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS
Concerned about the City of Miami’s intentions for Virginia Key, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez is looking into deed restrictions that might impact city plans to bring the Miami International Boat Show and other events to the barrier island. That’s the word from Deputy Mayor Alina Hudak, who met with worried Key Biscayne Village Council members Friday. When it comes to the city’s intent to spend $16 million to create a “flex” park around Marine Stadium in a bid to bring the boat show to the Key, “Our mayor has very real concerns about the possible excessive nature of the improvements and footprints being discussed,” Ms. Hudak said. “The mayor is concerned about the implications” of these planned changes on Rickenbacker Causeway, Virginia Key and Key Biscayne, she said. Ms. Hudak said the mayor asked her to speak with county attorneys to research deed issues. The county deeded the island to the city in 1963 with stipulations that it be used for the marine stadium.
AGENDA
Congested boulevard may shrink
The iconic concrete stadium has rotted unused for more than two decades after Hurricane Andrew hit the area in 1992. In January, city commissioners approved a license with the National Marine Manufacturers Association to host the 2016 boat show on Virginia Key. The association is to pay the city $1.1 million a year and 50% of food and beverage sales income. The city’s $16 million in improvements don’t include restoration of the stadium. County Commissioner Xavier Suarez, who represents the area and spoke at the village council meeting, said his reading of the deed shows the city is restricted to using the property for marine stadium and “allied uses.” He said he views that to mean ancillary or related uses to the stadium. Word that county officials are investigating the legality of the city’s actions coincides with the Village of Key Biscayne suing the city, basically to force Miami into formal dispute resolution over the use of Virginia Key and the stadium. Village leaders say they’re concerned about the adverse impact of high-traffic events like the boat show choking off the only access to
their homes. They are also upset because they feel Miami administrators ignored their concerns about uses of Virginia Key. At Friday’s meeting: Mr. Suarez said he has long opposed commercial development on Virginia Key, dating to his years as Miami mayor. He has offered to mediate the dispute between Miami and Key Biscayne. Key Biscayne’s elected officials called for creation of a Rickenbacker Causeway Authority, funded by tolls motorists pay on the route. Village leaders proposed a toll on the more than 125,000 cyclists who ride the causeway yearly. County commissioners may consider raising the toll motorists pay on the causeway by 25 cents to make the roadway and bridges safer, attendees learned. Key Biscayne Mayor Mayra Peña Lindsay suggested a design competition on the best uses for Virginia Key and the causeway. In his support of controlling uses on Virginia Key, Mr. Suarez said, “We obviously have to control the number of people using the causeway.”
DOWNTOWN RAIL LINE’S WINDOW TIGHT, CASH SHORT ...
2
VIEWPOINT: HANDHELD DEVICES AT POWER LUNCHES ...
6
TEAM TAKES STEPS TO PEDESTRIAN-FRIENDLY GABLES ...
9
MIAMI AT THE WHEEL FOR LUXURY CAR SALES FIGURES ... 11
Newly christened Biscayne Green is moving ahead in an ambitious project to narrow a stretch of congested Biscayne Boulevard downtown from Northeast Eighth Street south to Biscayne Boulevard Way. “The Miami DDA is in the process of building a three-dimension model that should be ready in the next two to three weeks,” Eric Riel Jr., team leader of planning, design and transportation for Miami’s Downtown Development Authority, said Friday. It will be used, he said, for meetings with state officials “with the goal of securing buyin and support to move this project forward.” Last April, authority directors voted to reduce driving lanes from eight to four or six to make way for grass, trees and pedestrians. The plan shaves parking spaces from 388 to 187, costing the Miami Parking Authority $1.2 million a year revenue. The plan would replace a shared bicycle lane with a dedicated lane and widen sidewalks. Cost for medians is $24 million. “We have an opportunity to create a grand promenade. There are not many other areas where this could be done,” said authority board member Jerome Hollo in April. “This will be something great.” Fewer lanes, he said, will slow traffic, making pedestrians safer. A city study concluded that traffic impact would be minimal once lanes were closed, authority documents say. For the project to advance, the Florida Department of Transportation must agree to reduce lanes and the parking authority must trim parking spaces and reconfigure what’s left. The plan calls for some parking at offpeak times only. The development authority must enlist Miami-Dade County to redesign intersections, develop a phasing plan, then submit construction documents to relevant agencies. It’s the authority’s task to find funds for it all.
You know us, help us get to know you. Find the Miami Today Readership Survey inside Please complete and return. We thank you in advance for your time.