Miami Today: Week of Thursday, August 4, 2016

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

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DORAL

A product of its success, city facing growing pains, pg. 13 AIRPORT TRAFFIC SOARS: Miami International Airport traffic for the first six months of the year rose 3%, almost 700,000 passengers, from the first half of 2015 to reach 22.6 million, the county’s aviation department says. Domestic traffic rose 5% to 12.1 million passengers and international travel rose 1% to 10.5 million despite problems in Brazil, the county’s largest international market. “To grow by 3% overall despite a major decrease in travel from our top international market is significant,” said Aviation Director Emilio Gonzalez. He forecast “a strong finish at the end of the year.”

500 Midtown Doral condos coming in first phase, pg. 14

THE ACHIEVER

MORE IN THE WINGS: Five airlines will start serving Miami International Airport this fall, the county’s aviation department said. Eurowings is to launch three weekly flights to Cologne, Germany; Fort Lauderdalebased Silver Airways is to start four weekly flights to Bimini in the Bahamas; Scandinavian Airlines is to begin daily service with three weekly flights to Copenhagen and four to Oslo, and Dominican Wings is to begin a weekly flight to both Punta Cana and Santo Domingo. In October, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is to return to Miami International with three weekly flights to Amsterdam.

FIRE STATION REZONING: The City of Miami is one step closer to offering for sale prime real estate downtown. City commissioners on July 29 granted final approval of land use and zoning changes for city-owned property at 144 NE Fifth St., home to Fire Station No. 1. The future land use was changed to Central Business District and the zoning changed to T6-80-O Urban Core Transect Zone - Open. City officials recommended the changes to make the land even more appealing for sale and redevelopment. The city named Miami Dade College as a potential buyer, as the current Wolfson campus hugs the city’s parcel on two sides.

HOTEL RATES SLIP: Average daily hotel room occupancy, average daily room rate and revenue per available hotel room all declined in MiamiDade in the first half of this year from the first half of last year, according to figures supplied by the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Average daily occupancy fell 1.4% to 79.6% from 80.7% last year, average daily room rate fell 2.4% to $212.07 from $217.28, and revenue per available room fell 3.7% to $168.89 from $175.41. The bureau notes that total room sales during the six months actually rose by nearly 185,000, a 2.5% gain, to 7,585,212 as room supply expanded 4.1%. With new hotels opening, 52,618 rooms were available daily versus 50,533 in the first half of 2015.

Andrew Frey

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Seeking to help build world-class urban neighborhoods The profile is on Page 4

17 charter proposals fall to just three on ballot

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

Miami’s charter review committee recommended 17 amendments to the city charter, then commissioners whittled the list to seven at a workshop and ultimately cut proposals to just three.

That may be welcomed news to city voters, who already face a hefty ballot in November, including filling state and federal positions.

The most significant proposal – switching to a strong mayor format – won’t end up on the November ballot. Commissioners made the final selection of proposed changes July 29. The county deadline to make the November ballot is Aug. 9.

The three amendments proposed are: Change the date of a runoff election for mayor and city commissioner from the second Tuesday after the first Monday in November to the third Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The committee recommended the city’s runoff coincide with Miami-Dade County’s to avoid unnecessary expenses and provide the county elections department time to prepare for a runoff.

Provide further independence of the

AGENDA

Civilian Investigative Panel by clarifying its membership composition, affirming its right to hire and fire an executive director and independent counsel, subject to city commission approval, establishing an annual budget by ordinance, confirming its authority to investigate conduct and review policies and practices of the Police Department, and clarifying its authority to issue subpoenas in consultation with the MiamiDade State Attorney’s Office.

Place the Citizens’ Bill of Rights at the beginning of the City Charter, require the city to abide by the charter’s provisions, provide citizens the right to sue and be heard in court to enforce compliance with City Charter provisions and, if successful, to recover court costs but not attorney’s fees.

For more than a year, the 14-member City of Miami Charter Review and Reform Committee dissected and discussed the charter, basically the city’s rule book on everything from the term of elected officials to when a referendum is required.

The volunteer committee’s mission was to recommend improvements to the city commission and ultimately the voters.

Commissioner Francis Suarez chaired the committee and presented its final report to commissioners June 23.

On July 29, Commission Chairman Keon Hardemon asked why the strong mayor proposal wasn’t up for a final vote.

Mr. Suarez referenced the debate on the proposal, which would get rid of the city manager’s position, at a workshop July 13, where commissioners raised many questions and concerns.

Considering that significant discussion would be generated by the strong mayor proposal, Mr. Suarez said, the committee chose to put that question on hold and advance the other three proposals.

He said the intent is to revisit all of the recommendations for possible future ballot placement. Mr. Suarez is running for mayor in 2017.

The charter dates to the early 1920s. It was proposed by 15 citizens elected at a Jan. 21, 1921, charter board election.

Voters adopted the charter that the board prepared and proposed on May 17, 1921.

Details: www.miamigov.com/ charterreview/

County job panorama’s jagged look Concern over a slight uptick in the unemployment rate in Miami-Dade County camouflages jagged job peaks and deepening valleys in the county’s employment panorama.

Construction jobs slowed in June for the first time in a virtual straight line up. Professional and business services employment kept soaring. Long-term highflying leisure and hospitality growth dipped slightly. And government jobs continued their disappearing act.

First, the general level of unemployment hit 5.4%, a tad higher than 5.3% in May but a vast improvement from the 12.4% unemployment in MiamiDade in August 2009 at the peak of the Great Recession.

Meanwhile, amid a consensus that our current building boom is soon to slow, construction jobs slipped for the first time in many months, falling to 45,400 in June from 46,200 in May. Still, construction remained far stronger than the 30,100 jobs in January 2012 before this boom took firm hold. The ranks of on-the-job construction workers peaked at 56,600 in September 2007 near the end of the last boom.

Leisure and hospitality jobs slipped in a bit in June from 136,900 in May to 136,300.

Those jobs had long been climbing in a bumpy but ever-upward line from 100,500 in January 2006. Clearly, the one-month dip does not necessarily constitute a change in the longer upward trend.

June is always a down month in government employment as public schools let out for the summer, but government employment here has been trending down since peaking at 157,800 jobs in February 2008. This June’s 126,600 jobs in all levels of government was below the June 2015 figure by 2,100 jobs.

Professional and business services bottomed out in the recession in July 2009 at 122,100 jobs. The number has been growing ever since, hitting 163,700 jobs in June, up from 163,200 in May.

COUNTY ROLLS OUT 14TH TRANSIT TRACKER VERSION ...

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GABLES MOVES AHEAD TO ANNEX NEIGHBORHOODS ...

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FIRST FOUR ELECTRIC BUSES TO HEAD TO PROPOSALS ...

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LACK OF COLLABORATION CITED IN BONDS FAILURE ...

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VIEWPOINT: MIAMI RIGHT TO EXIT BIDDING DISPUTES ...

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DEVELOPER HAILED FOR WORKFORCE HOUSING PLAN ...

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REDEVELOPMENT UNIT FUNDS MUSEUM’S ACTIVITIES ...

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COUNTY COMMISSIONERS SPEND BUDGET REMAINDER ...

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MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

THE INSIDER RIVERVIEW REZONING APPROVED: A developer who plans to replace 245 old apartments with up to 650 new apartments is cleared to take the next step, after Miami city commissioners approved land use and zoning changes. Miami Riverview Apts. Inc. is owned by Luis Cruz. The property is at 2501 NW 16th St. Road.

The site is about 5 acres with about 558 feet of frontage on the North Fork of the river. The existing apartment complex was once a Miami-Dade HUD elderly housing project, abandoned after the property fell into disrepair, according to attorney Simon Willy Gort Ferro, who represents Mr. Cruz. Mr. Cruz bought the unoccupied property at auction in 2000, rehabilitated the units and offered them as market rate rentals. They would be demolished to make way for new apartment buildings. The developer is required to build a public riverwalk as part of the new development. Commissioner Wifredo “Willy” Gort said he will be working with the developer to establish a water taxi terminal at the site.

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

83 apply for new transit fare break

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

Mr. Monestime wanted to be sure residents who need the assistance are aware of the program, which Mr. Villar said the department promotes via press releases and is described in the program of services on the website.

In addition to the 50% reduced fares, Mr. Villar described some other programs offered for permanent residents needing lower-rate transit options.

They include: The Golden Passport program for senior citizens 65 and older who are eligible for a free pass, through the People’s Transportation Plan, for the Metrorail and Metrobus. There are about 176,000 active cardholders for the program.

The Golden Passport Under 65 program for those under 65 years old but recipients of supplemental Social Security are also are eligible for a free pass to ride Metrorail and Metrobus.

About 22,000 people are active cardholders.

The Patriot Pass program for honorably discharged veterans whose annual income is less than $28,448 or less can ride transit free. About 7,800 people participate.

Mr. Villar also provided an update on the business friendly web-based program for the purchase of bulk transit passes and exchanging complimentary transit passes for City Year workers, legislation the commission passed about a year ago. The reasoning behind the resolution was increasing revenue to Miami-Dade, reducing the cost of transportation for working people of the county, and City Year workers are capable of making compelling presentations about the advantages of using public bus and rail services.

Mr. Villar said since the website for a corporate discount program was launched last June, about 31 companies have enrolled and the department has issued about 8,000 monthly passes. Over 100 companies are currently in line to enroll in the program.

The department issued 203 monthly City Year discount transit passes in exchange for 3,500 “sweat hours,” Mr. Villar said. “The hours logged so far are in excess of 3,500,” he said.

“We’ve used this for K-12 outreach to stimulate that population” about the benefits of public transit.

ROAD IMPROVEMENTS: The county’s Department of Transportation and Public Works has begun People’s Transportation Plan improvements to Northeast Second Avenue from 69th to 84th streets. The overall $10.3 million project, funded with People’s Transportation Plan and Water Renewal and Replacement money, comes in phases. The current project is the next to last phase along the Northeast Second Avenue corridor, an important north-south route that has seen significant growth.

Transit officials say that by reconstructing roadways, improving sidewalks, adding bike lanes, providing continuous storm water drainage, improving signage and signalization and making other upgrades, the work will add mobility, enhance the area and improve safety.

The Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works began offering its newest reduced transit fare option a little over a month ago, providing residents with annual income between $17,820 and $23,760 half-price monthly passes to ride Metrobus and Metrorail.

Called the Commuter Reduced Fare program, those living in Miami-Dade on earnings at 150% to 200% of the federal poverty level are eligible for the specially-coded Easy card. To date, 83 people have signed up for the discounted monthly pass, according to Robert Villar, assistant director for financial services at the Department of Transportation and Public Works.

During a presentation at County Commission Chairman Jean Monestime’s Council for Economic Prosperity Initiatives recent meeting, Mr. Villar said since beginning the program July 1, his office is seeing about 40 people every two weeks seeking information and filling out applications for the card, so he thinks there’s potential it will continue growing.

BIG HORIZON: Carnival Cruise Line has named its second Vista-class ship Carnival Horizon. The 3,934-passenger, 235,500-ton ship is under construction at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera, Italy, and scheduled to enter service in spring 2018 as the 26th ship in the fleet. The Carnival Vista, the first of the new class of vessels, entered service in May. The Horizon’s home port and routes haven’t been announced.

Miami, Gables trolleys link sealed

EDUCATING GLOBAL LEADERS: Five students this month are to begin studying in the world’s first master’s degree in vision science and investigative ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the ophthalmology department of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

The goal of the new degree is to educate the next generation of global leaders in ophthalmology, including clinicians and vision researchers, the school said. The inaugural class includes MDs with degrees from California, the Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Egypt.

GROUNDBREAKING PROGRAM: In a new addition to Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, a first-ever pre-kindergarten program will mingle blind and visually impaired children from throughout Miami-Dade County with sighted classmates from the Brickell neighborhood.

Ground was to be broken this week on the 72,000square-foot, donations-funded addition to the Lighthouse at 601 SW Eighth Ave. “This expansion will help facilitate the transition of blind and visually impaired students to Miami-Dade County Public Schools,” said schools Superintendent Alberto Alberto Carvalho Carvalho. The Lighthouse now serves more than 14,000 clients yearly to help blind and visually impaired persons achieve independence.

NEW YORKERS LOOK HERE: New Yorkers were the top domestic group searching for Miami residential real estate in May, the Miami Association of Realtors said, a shift from the prior May, when Californians led the pack looking at Miami homes and condos. The top 10 states searching this May, in order, were New York, Georgia, Texas, California, Illinois, Tennessee, North Carolina, Louisiana, Nevada and Michigan.

NEW STORE WELCOMED: Miami city commissioners have accepted the final plat of CVS ON 57th AVENUE, between Southwest Seventh and Eighth streets and between Southwest 57th Avenue and 310 feet to the east of Southwest 57th Avenue. The commission accepted the plat from Astor 57th LLC, executed by Henry Torres. The Plat and Street Committee determined the plat conforms to the subdivision regulations and Miami 21 zoning. The intent of the plat is to close the alleyway within the boundaries of the plat to create two tracts of land and construct a commercial development. Commissioner Francis Suarez said he wanted to compliment the developer for bringing a good development to the neighborhood and helping remove an “unsavory establishment.” The platted area is about 63,400 square feet (1.455 acres).

VIRGINIA KEY WASTEWATER WELLS: Faced with a requirement to reduce nutrient discharges in treated wastewater by 2018, the MiamiDade Water and Sewer Department has completed the state’s deepest ‘exploratory’ injection well, 10,000 feet deep, on Virginia Key. A 3,300foot-deep well is to be drilled beside it and be completed by January 2017.

Both are expected to begin operations by 2018 to dispose of treated wastewater deeply enough to protect drinking water supplies. Youngquist Brothers Inc. had a $20 million contract for the deep well and created a custom rig holding more than 1 million pounds in concrete, steel and fiberglass piping. The wells are part of a $13.5 billion water and wastewater capital improvement program countywide.

RESISTANCE LADIES HONORED: Miami Commissioner Francis Suarez’s legislation to co-designate Southwest 30th Avenue from Ninth to 13th streets as Damas De Blanco Way won city commission approval July 29. The Damas de Blanco, or “Ladies in White,” represent the fight against human rights violations in Cuba. In 2003, the Cuban government arrested, tried and sentenced 75 human rights defenders, independent journalists and librarians to prison for up to 28 years, the resolution says. Their wives and families formed Damas de Blanco to protest these imprisonments and to fight injustices of the Cuban government. The women protest by attending Mass each Sunday wearing white dresses and peacefully walking the streets of Havana. They also strive to bring international attention to the situation by writing letters to foreign dignitaries as well as Cuban officials, advocating release of political prisoners in Cuba.

BY CAMILA CEPERO

Starting Monday, Coral Gables Trolley and Miami Trolley riders will enjoy seamless connectivity between downtown Coral Gables and downtown Coconut Grove, thanks to some strategic route realignment.

The joint effort between the Coral Gables Trolley and Miami Trolley has been months in the making and was most recently awaiting approval from the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works.

After meeting with the City of Miami to discuss coordinating Coral Gables Trolley service with the Miami Trolley’s Coconut Grove route, the final details were up to the Miami Trolley officials to handle, said City of Coral Gables Parking Director Kevin Kinney.

The Coral Gables Trolley’s 1.7mile Grand Avenue Loop, which launched in July 2015 to better serve the residents of the MacFarlane Homestead Historic District, begins at the Douglas Metrorail Station.

“Once the Coconut Grove trolley stops at Douglas Station, patrons will be able to ride a trolley from downtown Coral Gables to downtown Coconut Grove and back by simply transferring between the Miami Trolley system and Coral Gables Trolley system at Douglas Station,” Mr. Kinney said.

The only missing piece, he said, was a Miami Trolley stop at Douglas Station, which could be easily established as their Coconut Grove route trolley stop was just across US 1.

“Like with all of our routes, we needed approval from the Miami-Dade Department of

Photo by Maxine Usdan

Gables Parking Director Kevin Kinney at Douglas Metrorail Station.

Transportation,” said City of Miami Chief Transportation Manager Sandra Harris.

Last week, the county department approved the realignment of the Coconut Grove route, Ms. Harris said.

In the days leading up to Monday’s launch, all that’s left is some driver training, she said.

“Just the logistics of doing it, how they’re going to go in there, some operational things – we don’t want them standing there. Just little standard operational things.”

In the past, trolley riders would have to cross the catwalk over US 1 to get to and from the Coral Gables and Coconut Grove trolley stops on opposite sides of the busy street.

“The connectivity was there, it was just not seamless,” Ms. Harris said. “Now, we’ll all be in the station together along with the Metrorail and the transit buses.”

We want to hear from YOU! Phone: (305) 358-2663 Staff Writers: Camila Cepero ccepero@miamitodaynews.com Susan Danseyar sdanseyar@miamitodaynews.com John Charles Robbins jrobbins@miamitodaynews.com Letters to Editor editor@miamitodaynews.com People Column people@miamitodaynews.com Michael Lewis mlewis@miamitodaynews.com

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Four of 30 county electric buses set to go out for proposals soon

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

The Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works will soon seek proposals for its first four electric buses and necessary charging stations with a $2.4 million Federal Transit Administration grant, beginning the process of replacing its aging traditional fleet.

The department plans to buy 30 self-contained 40-foot electric buses initially to start replacing its diesel buses that are past their expected useful life as well as reduce noise and congestion in the county, said Director Alice Bravo.

“We’re close to putting out a bid,” she told Miami Today this week.

She estimates procurement could take several months and, adding in the time for county commission approval, said it will probably be about a year or 18 months before the department has 30 electric buses.

Further down the road, Ms. Bravo said, Miami-Dade will look into a larger purchase.

“We’ll get the mechanics trained,” she said. “There will be a period to let the technology mature.”

The buses cost $800,000 to $950,000 each, Ms. Bravo said, so the $2,357,143 grant the department recently received will purchase at most four buses and accompanying charging centers, which will be at each of the county’s three bus operation centers. The department already has funds from the half cent transportation sales tax for the other 26 electric buses as part of its capital plan.

As Miami Today reported last week, The Federal Transit Administration announced that Miami-Dade was one of 20 transit providers in 13 states to share $55 million for transit buses and related technology that replaces aging diesel buses with battery-electric or fuel-powered vehicles.

The 40-foot electric buses Miami-Dade is buying will replace part of a fleet that now has 70% of its traditional buses operating be-

yond their expected useful life, the Federal Transit Administration said in a written statement.

Industry standards find a bus beyond its useful life after 12 years of operation, Ms. Bravo said. The self-contained electric buses the department will be buying require a lot less maintenance than the traditional diesels currently in the fleet, she said, so the county will save over a 12-year period.

“The diesel buses require regular maintenance – we have to take the engines apart and change the oil, none of which will be necessary with the electric buses,” Ms. Bravo said.

The electric buses won’t be assigned to a specific route but, rather, will move around, Ms. Bravo said. They will come out of one of the three operation centers in Miami-Dade, she said, and get rotated.

Two companies came to the county and let transit personnel try out some electric buses, Ms. Bravo said. “They ran all day on a heavy route,” she said, adding she

Alice Bravo and Mayor Carlos Gimenez take an electric bus trial run.

estimates the buses Miami-Dade buys will run for 16 hours and travel about 180 miles – basically all day – before needing a charge.

When officials took a ride on one of the buses, Ms. Bravo said, it was like a regular bus ride in many ways. One difference, however, was when she walked up and the engine compartment was open.

“Someone had to tell me it was on because it was absolutely silent,” Ms. Bravo said. “And when we pulled away, there was no sound at all.”

The department took a video of the ride, and Ms. Bravo said she kept asking people to stop talking so anyone who watched the film later could tell there was no noise whatsoever on an electric bus.

She thanks people who use the transit system now and will eventually board the electric buses.

“These will make our city streets more pedestrian friendly by cutting down on noise,” Ms. Bravo said. “We appreciate residents using transit and helping to eliminate congestion and helping the environment.”

County rolls out 14th version of its Transit Tracker app

BY MARILYN BOWDEN

A new Transit Tracker – the 14th version of an app that gives Metrobus and Metrorail commuters real-time information on public transportation options – was rolled out this week by the county’s Department of Transportation & Public Works, said spokesperson Carolina del Busto.

The re-designed app “has all the information anyone would need to use transit,” said Department Director Alice Bravo in a prepared statement. “The look and feel of the app is much cleaner, so we believe it will be easier – more fun, even – to navigate.”

The updated, beta-tested Transit Tracker app was launched Aug. 1, Ms. del Busto said. The iPhone-iPad version is available from the iPhone app store, keyword “Miami Dade Transit Tracker.”

An Andriod version is in the works.

In addition to tracking the progress of buses on the county’s 96 Metrobus routes, earlier versions provided station information such as connecting bus routes and places of interest near each station, locations of nearby Metrorail and Metromover stations and the status of their elevator and escalator service, current transportation system maps and fare information.

Ms. del Busto said the latest version

also includes a cleaner design for easier navigation, the integration of all municipal trolley schedules, an update to the “Nearby” feature that allows users to see more routes in the vicinity and a Help Center section featuring frequently asked questions and tips on how to use the app.

“With the integration of municipal trolley schedules,” Ms. Bravo said, “riders will be able to get a complete description of how to get from point A to point B by a certain time.”

So far, Ms. del Busto said, feedback from users on social media has been favorable.

First launched in September 2011, the Transit Tracker app has been down-

loaded more than 367,000 times from 133 countries and territories, according to figures from the Department of Transportation & Public Works.

While the cost of the first phase of the MDT Tracker project was covered through an earlier administration’s initiative to equip 125 buses with Wi-Fi, funding for real-time tracking for the rest of the fleet is part of a larger $17.7 million county project addressing infrastructure upgrades to bus service. That project is partially financed through the voter-approved People’s Transportation Plan’s half-cent sales tax surtax, with about $2.3 million coming from the federal American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.

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MIAMI TODAY

VIEWPOINT

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 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

Miami commission on right track: exit all bidding disputes Getting bid protests out of the Miami City Commission’s hair and into the hands of a hearing officer or administrative judge is a logical move that commissioners began with a first vote. Michael Lewis They should make it final in September.

That change should then become the model for every Florida government. It would save commission time and assure all that decisions are impartial and based on equity, not on any political bias, real or imagined.

In fact, local governments should take every possible step to distance themselves from contract awards and put the decisions in the hands of city or county managers or their procurement teams.

Congress doesn’t vote on bid selections, nor does the state legislature.

Local elected officials who get involved in naming bid winners run the risk of being accused or favoritism or worse, though they might in fact be blameless.

Elected officials may vote to seek

bids, but staff professionals ought to pick the winners and administrative judges, not commissioners, ought to resolve protests, which are frequent.

How frequent? Well, handling government bid protests is a legal specialty, with firms large and small having experts to advise losing bidders about challenging government decisions.

Judges or hearing officers are much better equipped to resolve such protests than are the vast majority of elected officials. Big money is involved; impartial professional judges should be as well.

That’s not to say that City of Miami procurement officials are error-prone or lack standards by which to decide on bids, requests for proposals, requests for qualifications, requests for letters of interest and the like.

In fact, the city’s procurement procedures are professional and thorough.

They start with seven criteria upon which the city bases purchasing, including law, codes of ethics, getting what’s needed on time at the right price, stimulating competition to keep prices low, treating all vendors fairly and excluding all personal benefits.

If staff carefully follows the city’s own rules, taxpayers will be well served – as will vendors.

All of these are procedures that elected officials should leave to staff profes-

sionals, not tinker with – and that includes any protests. As Commissioner Francis Suarez rightly implied in proposing the change, leave protests to an impartial administrative judge who doesn’t have to run for re-election or raise campaign funds or please any of the competitors for a bid.

A commissioner who doesn’t get involved can’t be accused of favoritism, and can instead devote the time to policy that can benefit taxpayers.

Mr. Suarez put forth his legislation as the commission was being forced to decide how to handle a request for proposals for marinas on city-owned Virginia Key property. Losing teams had protested the selection, and commissioners in hours of debate had to find a resolution, which was to toss everything out and start over.

Look to Florida’s state government for a way to handle such protests. There, an administrative law judge handles all aspects of bid protests and makes decisions.

At the state level, a notice of protest challenging a bid specification must come within 72 hours of a decision, with 10 more days to file a formal written protest. The state agency involved in the bidding then gets a week to resolve the protest by mutual agreement. If that fails, an administrative law

judge gets the case. It never goes to elected officials.

Miami-Dade County has more complex procedures, with protests potentially winding up on agendas for commission votes. The county would be smart to follow the lead of Mr. Suarez and let administrative judges, not commissioners, make these decisions – though that would wipe out income for lobbyists and lawyers who for decades have made good livings dealing with Miami-Dade County bid protests.

Again, county commissioners shouldn’t be in the business of picking contract winners.

It might be too much to hope that the move by Mr. Suarez to slide commissioners out of the business of judging bidding disputes would be followed by cleaning up rules by eliminating a 10% bidding margin in favor of locally headquartered firms. Such preferences sound so good for helping local business, but research shows that they wind up costing taxpayers far more in the long run.

Dumping local preferences, which are an anathema to procurement professionals, should come next. Meanwhile, kudos to Mr. Suarez and the entire city commission for recognizing that they should not be the judge and jury in bid protests – and getting themselves out of the line of fire.

Why move to Miami beat choices of Manitoba or Moldova If doing something is good, overdoing it must be wonderful. If gaining control is a good thing, gaining complete control must guarantee eternity.

This is how we, neurotics, think.

When I was finishing my Ph.D. in Isaac Prilleltensky psychology I was a fulltime student. I was also working full time outside the university (I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to do that), raising a baby and writing a disserta-

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Hail electric buses funds This is great! Reducing our carbon imprint is of great importance.

The public looks forward to learning to which transit routes these new electric buses will be added and to understand how the county will seek to repurpose the buses that are taken offline.

Can these buses be donated for affordable housing initiatives?

Chelsa Arscott

Like NY, keep on trucking New York City is America’s great laboratory for urban design. Miami, just do what it does because it’s been there and done it and found what works for everyone. Banning truck deliveries at night is a joke – unless you like noise and gridlock during the day.

DC Copeland

tion on a tight schedule.

My wife Ora and I would not get much sleep because Matan, our son, really wanted to play in the middle of the night, and we really didn’t know how to say no, which, 29 years later, we still don’t. This was in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

In winter, the average temperature was -54 and in summer it was 108 mosquitos per square foot.

To make sure I completed my dissertation on time, I followed obsessively a tight schedule. I used to get up at 5 a.m., go down to the basement and start typing. The heating didn’t work so I wore gloves to type. Until 7 a.m. I wrote nonstop to make sure I achieved my word goal for the day.

My obsessive compulsive tendencies were only in incipient form then. Over the years, I went on to obsess not just about writing, but also about eating, exercising, going to the bathroom, taking out life insurance, and buying brown clothes, underwear, watches, shoes and bags.

If having a goal is good for wellbeing, I imagined that having multiple goals would be even better. So, I outlined a life plan with multiple goals.

First, stay out of jail. Second, avoid frostbite. Third, avoid constipation.

Fourth, avoid mosquitoes. Fifth, get the hell out of Winnipeg.

To achieve my fifth goal, and get an academic position, I needed to publish some academic papers. I focused so intently on publishing that one of my friends said I suffered from Surplus Attention Disorder.

I got an academic position and off we went to Waterloo, Ontario, which compared to Winnipeg felt like the tropics. It took us eight years to realize that we still

The Writer Isaac Prilleltensky is author of the forthcoming “The Laughing Guide to Well-Being: Using Humor and Science to Become Happier and Healthier.” lived in Canada and that we were still freezing our butts, so we moved as far away from Canada as possible.

We landed in Melbourne, Australia, just in time to welcome the new millennium. I went from a task-oriented culture to a place where everybody was in long service leave longer than they were at their desks. What a concept!

In Canada, I had worked with very productive colleagues who only reinforced high work ethic. In Australia, I worked with wonderful colleagues who only reinforced the realization that I was an idiot and that I worked too much.

After three years in Australia trying to control my neurotic tendencies, I relented to my pathologies and moved back to North America, where I could wallow in self-pity for working too hard.

Not only did we come back to a workaholic culture, but to Nashville no less, where other than country music, all there is to do is work. Also, we went from a food mecca to a food desert. The nearest vegetarian restaurant in Nashville was in Asheville.

After three years we were so desperate we were thinking of going back to Winnipeg. If that failed we could always move to Moldova and reclaim the land the Cossacks stole from my family during the Kishinev pogrom. After debating between Manitoba and Moldova we moved to Miami.

Controlling your behavior is a matter

of life and death in Miami. If you want to stay alive here you have to master your driving behavior.

First, you have to control the automatic desire to move ahead when traffic lights turn green. Second, you have to count four cars that will cross on red in front of you. Third, if you don’t want to be rear-ended, you have to accelerate when the light turns yellow. Finally, you have to learn a few choice words in Spanish to communicate with the morons who get stuck at the intersection.

Miami is indeed a wonderful place to learn how to control your behavior.

Here, you have to unlearn everything you learned about driving, unless, of course, you come from Latin America, which is where I grew up. Given my Hispanic heritage you would have thought that I’d know how to drive here, but all I remember are some choice words I use in intersections.

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

7

Redevelopment agency funds museum activities

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

The Omni Community Redevelopment Agency board has awarded the Pérez Art Museum Miami $1 million for community benefits and programs.

Some of the cash will go to spruce up three lots tucked under I-395 with the goal of activating the space for public uses.

Miami’s five elected city commissioners serve as the CRA board, and freshman Commissioner Ken Russell serves as chairman. They approved the allocation July 29.

Mr. Russell admitted he was initially opposed to the allocation, but added, “I’m a realist.”

He said in the spirit of cooperation, and with a desire to look at the bright side of things, he met with museum officials and they came up with a plan to spend $150,000 of the money to transforms three lots under the freeway.

The vision is to brighten and revitalize these dead zones just west of the museum into peoplefriendly spaces with Art in Public Spaces programming, said Mr. Russell.

Temporary art installations will be created in these three large lots, he said, under what will ultimately be a new signature bridge from the state, through the heart of the Omni district.

The idea is to “pre-activate” those three areas with murals, surface art and perhaps an herb garden or farmers market, he said.

There is even talk of employing the homeless of the district to help maintain these rejuvenated lots, according to Mr. Russell.

“This is exactly what we’re about… making a difference in people’s lives,” said Franklin Sirmans, museum director.

In the quest to beautify these ignored and blighted urban lots, the museum will work with local artists to bring life to the spaces, he said.

The ultimate goal is to make these lots “a place to gather,” said Mr. Sirmans.

The art work will be activated with outreach programs to engage residents of the surrounding neighborhood.

As part of a written agreement, the museum will work in partnership with the redevelopment agency to promote the programs funded by the $1 million award. Other programs include: PAMM in the Neighborhood: A free program to take art activities and supplies to summer camps and community centers throughout the county and city in predominantly low-income areas.

PAMM Teaching Artists conduct creative activities and provide follow-up activities for counselors. All materials are provided by PAMM, including a free art kit for each child to continue creating throughout the summer and into the school year. Participating children also come to the museum for ad-

mission-free tours.

Free Admission Days: A monthly program for drop-in visitors, Free Second Saturdays features hands-on activities for children and adults as well as guided tours and occasional guest artist visits. The program emphasizes families making art together. The program is offered in three languages. Also, admission is free every First Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

PAMM Third Thursdays: Photo by Maxine Usdan Every third Thursday evening, The Pérez Art Museum Miami is to receive $1 million from the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency.

PAMM brings together artists for a live outdoor music series by the bay, which is open to the public.

Free Daily Drop-in Tours: Strength. Commitment. Expertise.

PAMM offers free guided tours, with museum admission, led One of the Healthiest Banks in the by trained museum docents, Tuesday-Sunday during regucountry. Right in your backyard. lar museum hours. Tours last about 45 minutes, are available TotalBank is proud to be named to the DepositAccounts.com Healthiest Banks list year-round and are offered in in 2016.* Of the 6,199 federally insured banks English and Spanish. These evaluated, TotalBank received the highest A+ rating tours are available to all PAMM for comprehensive health and exceptional fiduciary visitors. responsibility including capitalization, deposit growth and loan to reserve ratios.

Performance, Film and Video Programs, Talks and Lectures: PAMM will present pubtotalbank.com 305.448.6500 lic programs including film/ *DepositAccounts.com rating as of 1/1/2016 based info@totalbank.com on 12/31/2015 financial data. video, music and dance performances, as well as talks, lectures and symposia. Available to all, these programs extend the dialogues explored in the galleries. PAMM will partner with other institutions and organizations to commission new works and develop programming to mirror the unique diversity of Miami.

Overtown Afterschool at PAMM: The museum will offer an after-school program for middle school students from nearby communities, including the Omni and Midtown areas, Little Haiti and Little Havana.

Students will receive free bus 4 HOSPITALS AMONG THE REGION’S BEST transportation to the museum, EARNING 25 HIGH-PERFORMING HONORS where PAMM Teaching Artists will guide them in art projects in painting, drawing, sculpture using found objects and clay, textiles and photography.

Brick x Brick: An off-site, after-school partnership program for underserved high school students. Brick x Brick At Baptist Health South Florida, we’re honored to once again be the most uses the museum’s architecdecorated healthcare organization in the region, with Baptist Hospital, ture and exhibitions to inspire Homestead Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall integrated problem-solving and Baptist Hospital rated among the best hospitals in South Florida. This year new skills in architecture, computer graphics, geography, soour hospitals earned 25 high-performing honors in 12 specialties as ciology and specific art interawarded by U.S. News & World Report. It’s an honor we proudly share with ventions. Activities are facilithe thousands of dedicated employees, nurses, physicians, board members, tated by artist-mentors specialdonors and volunteers who work tirelessly to provide compassionate, quality izing in teen workshops.

Through the program students care to our patients each and every day. Caring is our calling. become learn video production and editing as well as professional software programs such BaptistHealth.net as Sketch-Up. PAMM Teen Arts Council: The Teen Arts Council comprises high school students who meet weekly to create original, digital content in PAMM’s Media Lab. These programs are important to the museum, Mr. Sirmans said, as it works to encourage A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to our faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence. community input and involveFor giving opportunities, visit BaptistHealth.net/Foundation ment.

“It’s about building something together,” he said.

A+

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

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MIAMI TODAY

13

Doral ‘City in transition... product of success’ faces growing pains

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

“We’re a city in transition,” says Edward A. Rojas, Doral city manager. “It’s a unique situation in that we were a little sleepy suburban community and now we’re a product of our success. There are some growing pains.”

In the late 1950s, before the Palmetto Expressway was built, investors Doris and Alfred Kaskel purchased 2,400 acres of swampland between Northwest 36th and 74th streets, with the boundaries of Northwest 79th and 117th avenues on the east and west. They intended to build a hotel and golf course, according to the city’s website. They christened it Doral, a combination of both their names, and opened it in 1962 at Northwest 87th Avenue and 36th Street.

As suburban development in Miami pushed west, home builders, office park planners and major employers arrived in Doral, which finally was incorporated as a city in 2003.

Traffic, Mr. Rojas said, “is a very important topic these days,” and not only because several thousand new residential units and at least three large mixed-use complexes are scheduled to go online within the next few years.

“We have created about 21,000 new jobs in the past

Photo by Maxine Usdan

With added jobs, traffic “is a very important topic these days” in Doral, City Manager Edward Rojas said.

three years and are one of fastest-growing communities in the state, if not the country,” Mr. Rojas said. Close to 200,000 people come into Doral daily to work, do business or go to school, he said.

Major employers include

Amadeus North America, Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Florida, Brinks Inc., Carnival Cruise Lines, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Perry Ellis International, Univision Network Limited Partnership and WalMart Stores East, according to

the city’s website.

“We’re working hard to try to complete our road grid wherever we can, and working with the Florida Turnpike and Miami-Dade Expressway Authority,” both of which have roads that border Doral, Mr. Rojas

said. “We’re looking to see how we can provide alternate means of transportation, so that people don’t have to use their cars.”

A free trolley service spans the city and is popular, he said, and Doral is working with the Town of Medley – site of the nearest Metrorail station – to create circulators that would enable both residents and commuters to use Metrorail to get to work. The city is also expanding its bike paths and investigating bike storage facilities that would include showers so that cyclists could still pedal to work or public transportation during hot weather.

“We have asked developers, when they bring their plans, to help make sure the roads are aligned and complete the grid, but it’s not like this is a grid that allows multiple options,” he said.

“We can move only so much.”

Like everywhere in South Florida, the lack of affordable housing is a problem in Doral; much of the housing stock being built is in the middle to upper price ranges, observers say.

“If we could have true workforce housing, more affordable housing, we could cater more to the teachers, firefighters, police officers and others,” Mr. Rojas said. “If we can capture those markets, we can reduce the number of commuters coming into and out of our city.”

Gated communities now a hindrance in seeking walkability

BY CAMILA CEPERO

The aura of security and belongingness that once surrounded the City of Doral’s gated communities has come to represent a hindrance in the city’s efforts to create a connected, walkable community.

“In the ’80s and ’90s – even before that, when new suburbs were being created – people favored having those types of gated communities,” said Julian Perez, planning and zoning director for the City of Doral.

“It provided them with a sense of security, of belonging to that community, of ‘this is my community and I don’t want anyone coming into it.’”

“In the early phases, even before the city was incorporated,” Mr. Perez said, “they already had communities built here like Costa Del Sol that were already gated.”

The City of Doral, he said, was simply following the trends of the era wherein cities were Photo by Maxine Usdan providing residents with the Lennar advertised “Exclusive Gated Community!” two years ago in offering Aragon Estates in Hialeah. promise of security and privacy “People that lived here back nity’ [feeling].”

The suburban residents of the via gated communities.

Now, Mr. Perez said, the need “Doral at that time was abso- past associated living in gated com- then liked the concept, the sense lutely no different,” Mr. Perez munities with a feeling of belong- of privacy and the ‘I live in this for a more accessible city has place and I live in this commu- shifted the focus to building ing to a community, he said. said.

fewer gated communities.

“I would say that it was just a product of the time, and the city council is working very hard to reverse that trend.”

Some of the bigger projects now under development throughout the city won’t be gated, Mr. Perez said.

“We recognize that we have to change,” he said.

The city, which experiences significant levels of traffic congestion daily, realizes that “open communities promote walkability and provide some relief,” Mr. Perez said.

“One of the things we have is policies that encourage gated communities not to be a priority or consideration,” Mr. Perez said.

“Every situation is a unique situation,” he said, but officials’ main concerns now are improving connectivity throughout the city.

However, none of this means that residents can expect active efforts to tear down the existing gates surrounding communities throughout the city.

Instead, Mr. Perez said, the city will work to have its “members see the benefits of not having gated communities.”

14

DORAL

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

500 residences due in first of four Midtown Doral phases B Y CAMILA C EPERO

Two new joint ventures by Sergio Pino’s Century Homebuilders Group are rising quickly in Doral, giving condo buyers looking for somewhere to live and play, as well as home buyers looking for oneof-a-kind luxurious mansions, somewhere they can call home.

The first of the developments is Midtown Doral, now in its first of four phases on Northwest 107th Avenue.

Phase one is to feature more than 500 residential units in four eight-story residential buildings, and 72,000 square feet of commercial space.

Roughly 85% of residential units are sold, with only about 74 units left, and 90% of the commercial space leased, said Mr. Pino, president and founder of Century Homebuilders Group.

Two garages will provide phase one with 1,700 parking spaces.

“We’re in the process of launching phase two [which includes] 470 more condo units in the $259,000-$400,000 price range with one-, two- and three-bedroom units,” Mr. Pino said.

“We will also have an office building. There are no office condos in this area. If you want to have an office, you have to go all the way to 41st Street.”

Also included is a clubhouse that will house a spa, fitness center, lounge, bar, two rooftop pools and cabanas, among other amenities.

The third and fourth phase

Sergio Pino says about 85% of the residences are sold in the first phase of his Midtown Doral project.

will collectively introduce an additional 600 condos as well as a 225-unit hotel and 250,000 square feet of retail space.

“We have a lot of [businesses] that come to us and we are very, very selective,” Mr. Pino said, speaking about the process of selecting commercial tenants. “If I like a business, I talk to them and I bring them over.”

Two of the most recently signed tenants include Mexican restaurant Cancun Grill and Mediterranean restaurant Maroosh, which has signed up for 5,000 square feet of space.

“I want to have a mix of businesses – one of each,” Mr. Pino said. “I look forward to 15 or 20 restaurants, then other services. If you live in Midtown, you don’t have to go out

to go to the dry cleaner, you don’t have to go out to go to a wine bar, café, to buy liquor or to have lunch.”

Every unit comes with a “smart system,” he said, that allows residents to remotely unlock doors, manage thermostats, control lighting and open and close blinds, among other features, and provides 24-hour connectivity to concierge services.

The city’s corporate employment hub, housing the headquarters for companies such as Carnival Cruise Line and the Miami Herald, sees employees driving to Doral every day from all corners of Miami-Dade and beyond.

Midtown has been “very successful in targeting” these employees, Mr. Pino said, and mar-

keting itself as a great place to live in order to be closer to work.

The second development, Mansions at Doral, began construction one year and a half ago, Mr. Pino said, and still has one and a half to go.

“There is no competition to what we’re doing,” he said about the development, which has homes ranging from $1.2 million to $2.5 million.

“It’s a fast-moving project.

It’s not a fast-moving market, but there are still people that want to be in a private community but still want to feel like they’re living in a custom home.”

“The Mansions is not for everybody, but for people who have the ability to buy homes [in the price range], it’s the only

community of its type in Doral,” Mr. Pino said. “You won’t have two houses that are the same – we won’t allow it.”

The development will offer buyers over 100 customization options and 35 floor plans.

“The idea is that you feel when you’re at the Mansions that we built you the home you designed,” Mr. Pino said.

Also located on Northwest 107th Avenue, the gated enclave will contain a “state-ofthe-art clubhouse,” which broke ground last week.

While the development was designed to include 66 homes, Mr. Pino said, the end result will include no more than 55 to 58 homes as a result of people also buying the lots next door to their purchased property.

Roughly 17 or 18 units have closed, he said, with another 25 under construction and 15 families already living in the community.

The project is seeing one to two sales a month, Mr. Pino said.

“It’s not a production community... It’s a little bit more difficult to build homes as you’re dealing with the buyer because at the end of the day, we’re projecting a custom home.”

“The market is shaky, but for us it’s pretty good. The City of Doral is a very, very important city. A lot of people that work here want to live here,” Mr. Pino said. “We’re happy to be here. It’s a great city to do business in; the council is hands-on and pro-development.”

Demand for industrial space remains strong in Doral area

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

With rising need and only a limited supply of land zoned for its use, demand for industrial space remains strong, particularly in the Doral area, observers say.

“We have seen large tracts of land, including what was Flagler Station, sold to residential use, and that will never be brought back,” said Brian Smith, managing director of JLL. “Industrial land is thriving in all aspects. Rents have seen real

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growth; space in parks is at an all- time high,” he said. Space that leased for $100 per square foot 10 years ago now would cost around $190 per square foot, he said.

“As land costs have increased, the cost to own versus lease has stayed around the same,” Mr. Brian Smith Smith said.

“The whole market is moving up; it’s pricey, but a great value if you compare it against New Jersey or Seattle.”

Class A space – of which there is 6.5 million square feet in the Doral market – fetches around $9.50 per square foot for users of less than 50,000 square feet. That rate falls to about $9 per square foot for spaces of larger than 50,000 square feet. There are nearly 17 million square feet of class B space, which can be had for around $8.50 per square foot for smaller users and $8 per square foot for those who occupy 50,000 square feet or more, he said.

Doral, Mr. Smith said, is stable and steady. “Very large global players are heavily invested in Doral, and their ap-

petite is for the very long term.”

“Industrial demand sees nothing but up,” crowed JLL’s second-quarter 2016 report. “The Panama Canal extension that happened this quarter will allow larger ships to pass through the region with more cargo, creating more jobs.”

Deliveries of new industrial space have lagged, the report continued, even in the face of strong demand. “Tighter market conditions for the class A segment, in particular, have created a challenging environment for buildings that typically feature 24-foot clear heights; today, tenants are demanding 30to 36-foot clear height warehouses as the growth in the market continues.

“Logistics and distribution companies are scouting the market in advance, analyzing opportunities and potential buildto-suit projects. Food and beverage [companies] are looking to relocate to high-quality existing space with proximity to major transportation hubs.

Doral, in particular, has become a cluster.”

Several new office parks are coming onto the market within seven or eight months, and it is to these newer, modernized spaces that tenants are migrat-

ing, said Mike Waite, a vice president at The Easton Group, a Doral-based firm that specializes in warehouse/industrial brokerage, investment and management.

The 478-acre, class A Prologis Beacon Lakes in western Doral; Centergate at Gratigny in east Hialeah, with 602,000 square feet; Bridge Point Crossroads East in Hialeah Gardens, with 421,000 square feet; and building 8 at Flagler Station in Medley, with 305,000 square feet, all provide challenges to what Mr. Waite called “the older, third-generation space in Doral.”

They all feature higher clearances that allow more efficient use of space with new rack systems and forklifts, he said, and that stands in sharp contrast to the older warehouses.

“We know land for industrial is next to nonexistent,” Mr. Waite said, “so what you have is redevelopment of existing properties, but there is less demand for this older space, which eventually will become devalued.

“Tenants who don’t necessarily have to be close to the airport are moving to the newer spaces that are further out,” he continued. “This investment will pay for itself over time.”

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

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22

WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

MIAMI TODAY

To calendar submit

of events PUBLIC MEETINGS

cont.—

provement District Board meets.

9:30 a.m. Mayfair Hotel & Spa, Conference Room, 3000 Florida Ave., Coconut Grove. Details: (305) 461-5506.

COMMUNITY

RELATIONS

The Community Relations Board meets. 6 p.m. Miami Riverside Center, 10th Floor N Conference Room, 444 SW Second Ave., Miami. Details: (305) 960-4670.

RED LIGHT CAMERA

Red Light Camera Hearing. 8:30 a.m. Miami City Hall, Commission Chambers, 3500 Pan American Dr., Coconut Grove. Details: (305) 4162037.

RED LIGHT CAMERA

Red Light Camera Hearing. 10:30 a.m. Miami City Hall, Commission Chambers, 3500 Pan American Dr., Coconut Grove. Details: (305) 4162037.

SPECIAL EVENTS Thursday 8/4 FROM IMAGE TO PRINT

HistoryMiami hosts its From Image to Print workshop for professional and novice photographers. The day-long series focuses on tips and techniques regarding color management, pre and post production, print-

ing and light room and Photoshop editing. 1-7 p.m. Nova Southeastern University, Don Taft University Arena, 3301 College Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Details: http://www.nova.edu/ .

INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR

MEDICAL

The Miami Beach Convention center hosts its annual Florida International Medical Expo and Trade Fair showcasing the latest medical equipment, products, services and technologies. The fair will include seminars, workshops, networking sessions and more. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach.

Details: http://www.fimeshow.com/.

Saturday 8/6 ONE NIGHT IN CAIRO

The South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center hosts its One Night in Cairo workshop and performance.

Guests can join Amara Sayid along with her professional dance troupe and experience a night of Middle Eastern Dance, where attendees can view a live performance and learn folkloric dance styles for two. 7-9 p.m. South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211th St., Cutler Bay. Details: (786) 573-5316 or http:// www.smdcac.org/.

Sunday 8/7 MOVEMENT

WORKSHOP

Karen Peterson Dancers hosts its

This is a calendar of selected events in Greater Miami for the week beginning Thursday, August 4, 2016.

Information must be received in writing two weeks before the event.

Include costs, details, relevant phone numbers and photos if possible.

Send to: Miami Today Calendar Attention Katya Maruri 2000 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 100, Miami, FL 33133 E-mail: calendar@miamitodaynews.com

movement workshop focused on the creative exploration of movement between dancers with or without disabilities through integrated dance. 10 a.m.-Noon. Excello Dance, 8700 SW 129th Terrace, Pinecrest. RSVP. Details: (305) 298-5879 or www. karenpetersondancers.org.

BLUEGRASS

FESTIVAL

The South Florida Bluegrass Association hosts its annual bluegrass festival featuring Alligator Alley and performances by other bluegrass bands. 1-5 p.m. Greynolds Park, 18501 NE 22nd Ave., North Miami Beach. $7-$15. Details: http:// www.southfloridabluegrass.com/

SPORTS Monday 8/8 MIAMI MARLINS

The Miami Marlins take on the San Francisco Giants. 7:10 p.m. Marlins Park, 501 Marlins Way, Miami. Details: (305) 480-1300 or www.miami .marlins.mlb.com

Tuesday 8/9 MIAMI MARLINS

The Miami Marlins take on the San Francisco Giants. 7:10 p.m. Marlins Park, 501 Marlins Way, Miami. Details: (305) 480-1300 or www.miami .marlins.mlb.com

6T

O

P LAN

THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts presents “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” which tells the true story of King’s rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. Feb. 14-19. The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. Details: (305) 949-6722 or http:// www.arshtcenter.org/.

ARTBRAZIL ArtBrazil hosts its fourth annual exhibition showcasing installation works, photography, paintings, sculptures, ceramics and other forms of art that incorporate Brazilian traditions and culture in a modern, contemporary context. Sept. 8. ArtServe, 1350 E Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Details: http:// www.artbrazil2016.com/index.html.

FASHIONABLY PINK LUNCHEON The South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce hosts its Fashionably Pink Luncheon in support of breast cancer awareness month. Noon-2 p.m. Oct. 14.

4

Location TBD. Details: http://sflhcc.com/.

GALA CONCERT

Cleveland Orchestra Miami hosts its annual season gala concert featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Cleveland Orchestra Miami director Franz Welser-Möst as they perform DvoYák’s cello concerto. 7 p.m. Feb. 3. Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. $55-$199. Details: http://www.clevelandorchestramiami.com/ gala/.

WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S

The Alzheimer’s Association hosts its annual walk to end Alzheimer’s to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Nov. 5.

Museum Park, 1075 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. Details: http://act.alz.org/site/ PageServer?pagename=walk_home page.

ART OF THE PARTY The Pérez Art Museum Miami hosts its Art of the Party, which features three exclusive experiences that showcase the museum’s unique architecture and celebrates Miami’s position as an international art capital. 7 p.m. April. 1.

Pérez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. Details: (786) 375-3000 or http://www.pamm.org/.

MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS POWER CIRCLE CONFERENCE

ColorComm Inc. hosts its annual power circle conference. About 200 attendees expected. Aug. 1-6. Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, 455 Grand Bay Dr., Key Biscayne. Details: http://www.colorcomm network.com/.

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL EXPO

FIME holds its Florida International Medical Expo. About 15,000 attendees expected.

Aug. 2-4. Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach.

Details: http://www.fimeshow.com/.

NATIONAL GEM CONSORTIUM

The National Gem Consortium holds its national conference. About 220 attendees expected. Aug. 3-5. Nobu Miami Beach, Eden Roc, 4525 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Details: http://www.gem fellowship.org/.

ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN SPORTS MEDIA

The Association for Women in Sports Media holds its annual meeting. About 125 attendees expected. Aug. 3-7. Mandarin Oriental Miami, 500 Brickell Key Dr., Miami.

Details: http://awsmonline.org/.

SOURCE: GREATER MIAMI CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

THEA TER THEATER

Thursday 8/4 BUYER & CELLAR

The Actors’ Playhouse presents “Buyer & Cellar,” which follows an underemployed Los Angeles actor

who goes to work in Barbra Streisand’s Malibu basement. 8 p.m.

Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. Details: (305) 444-9293 or http://www.actorsplayhouse .org/

High-rises developer hailed for bringing workforce housing

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

Developers of a pair of highrises next door to a Metromover station are being praised by city officials for committing to bring much needed workforce housing to Miami.

Melo Group, through its 14th Plaza Corp., hopes to break ground this month on Square Station, a large mixed-use project for 1424 NE Miami Place.

City commissioners July 29 granted final approval to rezoning the vacant land between Northeast 14th and 15th streets, adjacent to the School Board Metromover Station.

The rezoning paves the way for Square Station, bringing about 710 apartments to the neighborhood.

The current plan would see twin 34-story towers built to a connected pedestal providing 946 parking spaces, along with about 15,000 square feet of commercial/retail space.

There would be 355 units in each building, with prices ranging from $1,600 a month for a one-bedroom up to $2,500 for a three-bedroom.

In a covenant with the city, the development firm promises that 96 of the 710 apartments will be reserved for workforce housing, which equates to about 14%, said Iris Escarra, representing 14th Plaza Corp.

Melo Group hopes to break ground this month on Square Station, which will add about 710 apartments.

The covenant says workforce housing units are described as housing priced up to 140% of the area median income, as certified by the City of Miami’s Department of Community and Economic Development.

The city will defer developmental impact fees on those units reserved for workforce housing.

Commissioners praised and thanked the developers for bringing the project to an area that needs the growth, and for helping to ease the city’s aching need for more affordable housing.

“Thank you,” said Commissioner Ken Russell, to the developers’ representatives, for making their promise of affordability official.

The move sets a good precedent, that it is important to prioritize affordable housing, he said.

Commissioner Francis Suarez said he’s working with the county and League of Cities to make affordable housing a higher priority.

“You beat out the county,” said Ms. Escarra with a smile.

The city got a 14% commit-

ment, while the county on a similar project as part of the Douglas Road Station secured a promise of 11% workforce housing, she said.

Commissioner Frank Carollo also commended 14th Plaza Corp. for meeting a need. “It’s a great project,” he said.

In October 2015, commissioners approved legislation to defer developmental impact fees for workforce housing.

The goal is to encourage developers to build workforce housing for those persons vital to any community: police offic-

ers, firefighters, teachers, nurses and other service workers.

In a city with rising housing costs like Miami, housing that is affordable for these workers is considered imperative as these individuals contribute to the vitality and sustainability of the community.

The proposal was sponsored

by Mr. Suarez, who has advanced other incentives to encourage affordable housing and mixed-income housing.

Just a few blocks from the Square Station site, Melo Group opened Melody Tower in May. The 38-story apartment building was more than 95% leased the day it opened its doors for tenants to move in, illustrating the need for affordable and workforce housing in downtown Miami.

Melody brought 497 market rate apartments to the city’s fledgling arts and entertainment district at 245 NE 14th St. Melody Tower caters to young professionals wanting to live close to their jobs in and around downtown Miami. The new tower is right next door to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and within walking distance of Museum Park, the waterfront and more.

Square Station is planned just three blocks to the west and also caters to those young professionals.

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