Miami Today: Week of Thursday, May 12, 2016

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A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

WEEK OF THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016

WWW.MIAMITODAYNEWS.COM $4.00

HEALTH UPDATE

Solutions cited to stem US opioid abuse growth, pg. 13 MARINA REDEVELOPMENT: A marina on the Little River will be allowed to make improvements. Owner Marine Max East Inc. had requested a land use change and a rezoning on the property at 840 NE 78th St. Miami city commissioners approved the items April 28. The land use becomes Medium Density Restricted Commercial. Attorney Ines MarreroPriegues, owner’s representative, said the approvals mean the marina becomes a conforming use, and improvements are planned there. The matter lingered for a couple of years, due in part to the issue of riparian rights being resolved, according to the planning department.

Rail site contaminants bring environmental order, pg. 15

THE ACHIEVER

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

MEETINGS ON RECORDS RIGHTS: A series of six public meetings from May 24 to June 2 will be held around Miami-Dade County seeking community input on a proposed county charter amendment that would include the right to copy county and municipal public records within the Citizens’ Bill of Rights. The meetings are required by ordinance for any election that would amend the charter. The Strategic Planning and Government Operations Committee recommended the amendment April 12, and three days later Mayor Carlos Gimenez scheduled the meetings ahead of a potential June county commission vote to put the measure on the ballot. AWARDS FOR NONPROFIT WORK: The Sundari Foundation, which created the Lotus House shelter in Overtown for homeless women, youth and children, received the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s Nonprofit Novo Award last week for organizations with revenue above $2 million and The Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade, which focuses on developing female leaders and ending violence against women, won the award for under $2 million in revenue. Each received a $1,000 award, the only cash awards the chamber makes each year. CPA Ed Deppman, a director at Gerson, Preston, Robinson, Klein, Lips & Eisenberg P.A., was named the outstanding nonprofit board leader for helping lead Branches Inc. through a period of growth. MORE PUBLIC GREENSPACE: A new pocket park might pop up on a corner in the Shenandoah neighborhood after an April 28 vote of Miami city commissioners. They approved purchase of an 8,586.9-square-foot lot at 1301 SW 21st Ave. for $303,720 from Xanadu Properties 1301 LLC. The vacant lot is at Southwest 21st Avenue and 13th Street. The deal is contingent on a written appraisal. The $315,000 allocation includes money to cover the cost of a survey, environmental report, title insurance and related closing costs. The city plans to create a park there.

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Isabel Cosio Carballo

New head of South Florida Regional Planning Council The profile is on Page 4

Traffic fuels fiery drive for building moratorium BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

A county committee agreed Tuesday that policymakers must link land use with appropriate transportation now that growth has created horrific traffic congestion, particularly west of the turnpike, but split heatedly on whether a West Dade building moratorium would help. On April 7, Strategic Planning & Government Operations Committee Chairman Juan Zapata wrote to Mayor Carlos Gimenez strongly urging the administration to suspend construction in his district until traffic solutions upgrade quality of life. Excessive congestion weighs on all residents, especially in his district, Mr. Zapata told the mayor. In fact, he wrote, only residents of New York City face longer work commutes than those in the West End but “these alarming statistics will keep getting worse if you continue the irresponsible development.” Mr. Zapata said Tuesday he’s curious what the administration has done about such a serious problem that’s only getting worse. “It’s not like we’re about to break.

AGENDA

Tunnel plan under study for Brickell

We’re already broken.” A moratorium is a “big word” that will certainly upset some people, Mr. Zapata said in response to Commissioner Esteban Bovo Jr.’s concern for people in his district who work as builders. “But it’s the only legal term we have, so we can call it a breather to stop and change the rules on what can and can’t happen,” he said. “I think it’s time for the mayor to engage and engage fully. This is a message that our planning department needs to get serious about planning.” Mr. Bovo said he gets nervous when discussion turns to a building moratorium because he sees it as a nuclear device. “Years of poor planning have come home to roost,” he said. “We’ve linked development with roads without thinking.” The commission needs to make wise decisions, Mr. Bovo said, and realize a moratorium could have a ripple effect. He also cautioned that residents won’t take officials seriously until at least one of six corridors for the proposed rail transit “smart plan” is completed. Mr. Zapata, however, said he knows no other way to get the administration’s atten-

tion. “The point is that the administration has professional, paid staff who should have seen [the traffic congestion problems] coming and had solutions for a very complex problem,” he said. Mr. Zapata said he is particularly upset by Mr. Gimenez’s memo responding to his proposed extension of SR836 beyond the urban development boundary. “The mayor said my proposal requires careful scrutiny,” he said to Deputy Mayor Edward Marquez during Tuesday’s meeting. “That doesn’t sound like he thinks it’s a good idea. We can study all we want, but what will we do? If we can’t do this, I want to hear the alternatives.” Mr. Marquez took issue with the way Mr. Zapata characterized the administration’s work ethic. “The mayor is engaged,” he said. “We’ve consolidated departments to better coordinate and are working on multiple fronts.” Transit and Public Works Director Alice Bravo said the true solution is mass transit, and her department is working on a financial plan that will address how all six corridors for the “smart plan” will be built.

Miami-Dade’s Metropolitan Planning Organization has named Atkins North America to study the feasibility of tunneling under the Miami River near Brickell Avenue, an idea discussed since 1965. The $200,000 study, which will evaluate engineering, geology, hydrology, construction methods and project cost, is due next March 1, a planning organization document says. Atkins was picked from a pool of prequalified consulting firms, sources said. Miami’s Downtown Development Authority members have long said that improper Brickell Bridge openings cause Brickell traffic jams. The group has battled with the Florida Department of Transportation and the Coast Guard to enforce lockdown periods weekday mornings, lunchtimes and evening rush hours. But business interests along the river say frequent bridge openings are vital for their economic survival. A March 2006 City of Miami study said the tunnel was feasible but that traffic volume didn’t warrant digging it then, said Francis Suarez, Miami commissioner and planning organization vice chair when the planning group first considered the tunnel study last year. “Obviously, nine years later, we’ve seen a tremendous amount of density in the Brickell and downtown corridor; I don’t think anyone can argue with that,” he said. “What’s coming in the next five to 10 years is also enormous.” The finished study will be submitted electronically “to be posted in the MPO website and for further reproduction and distribution,” the work order said. That’s good news for the downtown authority. “We’re going to try to use information from the tunnel study when we go to the Florida Department of Transportation and the Coast Guard,” said Executive Director Alyce Robertson in March. “We want to have that study in hand.”

SECOND COURTHOUSE TASK FORCE COULD DIG DEEPER ...

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‘LEXUS LANE’ PERCEPTION DETERS CONGESTION RELIEF ...

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LITTLE HAVANA TARGETS OK TO ADD SIDEWALK CAFÉS ...

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HOTEL RATES NATION’S HIGHEST AS NUMBERS INCREASE ... 11

VIEWPOINT: TROUBLED COUNTY BUSES NEED MORE AID ...

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ADDED TAX EXEMPTIONS PROPOSED FOR PRESERVATION ... 12

CAFÉ THAT NEVER OPENED EXITS BALLPARK SITE LEASE ...

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MIAMI BEACH, WATER TAXI WORK ON PILOT CONTRACT ...

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