Miami Today: Week of Thursday, September 24, 2015

WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

WWW.MIAMITODAYNEWS.COM $4.00

ARTS & CULTURE

DOWNTOWN & BRICKELL

Season providing broad range of performance choices, pg. 12

Most new condos used as rental and rents have flattened, pg. 15

PRICES STABLE: Miami-area prices stabilized over the past two months, remaining 1.3% higher than this period last year, the latest Consumer Price Index released last week showed. Eating became more expensive, as food prices rose 1.1% during the two-month period, led by a 1.4% increase in the “food at home” index. Prices for utility gas service decreased 1.8%, while prices for electricity were unchanged. Medical care costs and primary residence rent were among categories with the highest year-over-year increase, both surpassing 6%.

THE ACHIEVER

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

WORLDCENTER ELECTION: The Miami Worldcenter Community Development District held its landowners’ election Sept. 16, when the district’s five-member board was officially approved. Landowners attending were Michael McGraw, representing The Forbes Co., and Neil Eisner, a proxy holder for six different land-owning entities. Following suit with the initially appointed board, John Chiste was voted chair, Mr. Eisner vice chair, and Steve Colamarino, Joe DiCristina and Cora DiFiore assistant secretaries. Mr. Chiste and Mr. Eisner are to both serve four-year terms, while the rest of the board members are to serve two-year terms. The district will become a financing mechanism for community infrastructure, facilities and services, along with the development’s ongoing operations and maintenance.

FELLOW TRAVELERS: Miami-Dade commissioners have initially OK’d using impact fees to fund mass transit that benefits multiple fee districts. The ordinance, on the Sept. 16 agenda, says roadway trust funds from one or more impact fee districts can be spent on transit capital improvements if commissioners, after a hearing, determine they would provide roadway capacity and benefit each district contributing roadway trust funds to the transit improvement. Transit projects would be chosen for roadway trust fund endowment based on their expected effectiveness in improving roadway capacity. The issue is tentatively due for an Oct. 14 hearing before the Transit and Mobility Services Committee.

COLOMBIA’S TURN: Colombia has replaced Brazil as the top country using the Miami Association Realtors’ online search portal in July. Brazil had led all international consumers using Miamire.com for 13 consecutive months, according to a press release. Colombia hasn’t held the first place spot since May of last year, but has finished second to Brazil for the past six months.

Eric Mendelson

Photo by Marlene Quaroni

Oversees high-flying aerospace corporation HEICO The profile is on Page 4

Board OKs 1,771 Miami Worldcenter residences

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

Two main components of Miami Worldcenter won the approval of a city review board Sept. 16, promising apartments, hotel rooms, office space, restaurants and stores hugging a new 7th Street Promenade.

Two groups of architects, designers, attorneys and developers took a tag-team approach in presenting details for Worldcenter Block E, north of what will be the promenade, and Worldcenter Block G, bordered on the north by the promenade and on the south by FEC rail tracks. The sites are between North Miami Avenue and Northeast First Avenue.

A key to the Miami Worldcenter plan is closure of Seventh Street to create a landscaped pedestrian pathway leading to the old Miami Arena site, which will be developed into Miami World Expo Center, a $600 million hotel and convention center.

Miami Worldcenter is billed as a $2 billion project out to transform 27 acres of the urban core.

As designed by Arquitectonica, Worldcenter Block E will include two towers, 48 and 37 stories, joined by a parking

AGENDA

Downtown Tri-Rail tie up to state

podium topped with amenities. The project will include 899 residences, 344 hotel rooms and parking for 1,100 cars. It will also be home to 38,850 square feet of office space, 11,200 square feet for restaurants, and about 10,000 square feet of retail.

Newgard Development Group is building Worldcenter Block E. “Newgard is excited to be part of Miami Worldcenter as the project prepares to break ground this year,” said Newgard’s Barbara Salk.

“We’re bringing a mixed-use development with hotel, retail and multi-family uses to the heart of downtown just as Miami’s brand goes global,” she said. “Our project, which is consistent with the master-planned vision for Miami Worldcenter, will complement the project’s nearby hotel, expo center, residential and retail components as well as All Aboard Florida’s MiamiCentral project, which is now under construction.”

Worldcenter Block G, to be called Miami Worldcenter 7th Street Apartments, is designed by Cohen Freedman Encinosa & Associates Architects.

Two towers will anchor the ends, with the 43-story east tower being home to 450

residences and the 40-story west tower containing 422. The amenity deck is to have a dog run.

The towers are to be joined at the base by a garage with 1,047 spaces for residential and an additional 20 for commercial use.

Worldcenter Block G will also provide about 20,679 square feet of retail space.

The Urban Development Review Board recommended approval of both projects.

Miami Worldcenter Associates, led by Art Falcone and Nitin Motwani, is master developer for the mixed-use Worldcenter.

In 2011, Miami Worldcenter Associates partnered with CIM Group and assembled a team of developers that will bring Worldcenter to life.

Miami World Expo Center, which includes a Marriott hotel, is being built by MDM Development Group. Groundbreaking is expected this fall.

A demolition was held Sept. 3 to clear the site for Paramount Miami Worldcenter, a 60-story, 500-unit condo tower planned as part of the Mall at Miami Worldcenter, a 765,000-square-foot retail and entertainment venue anchored by Macy’s and Bloomingdales.

All local funds are in place, but Tri-Rail’s link into downtown sits on a side track, awaiting $17 million from the Florida Department of Transportation to come through.

The state hasn’t indicated when the money will be allocated, said Bonnie Arnold, spokesperson for the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which operates the commuter line.

From as far north as Palm Beach, “it will be a one-seat ride into downtown” when the link is completed, Jack Stephens, authority executive director, has said.

Directors of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority voted in May to spend $1.3 million over the next three years to support the extension.

All Aboard Florida, a private rail line between Miami and Orlando owned by the Florida East Coast Railway, has offered the regional transportation authority the opportunity to run a track into the station it is building downtown.

The construction cost to bring commuter rail into Miami Central Station is estimated at $49 million, to be borne by the state, Miami and its redevelopment agencies, Miami-Dade County, metropolitan planning organizations, All Aboard Florida and the authority itself, a memo noted.

Mr. Stephens approached the downtown authority to request funding this year. The Omni/Midtown and Southeast Overtown/ Park West community redevelopment agencies have pledged up to $40 million toward extending the line into downtown for a projected $69 million. Miami has pledged $5 million, the county $14 million, the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust $8.4 million and his agency $3.1 million, Mr. Stephens said.

Need to expand rail is there, he said. Tri-Rail ridership increased 30% between 2005 and 2014, and use grows yearly, he said.

The line now serves about 16,000 people daily.

TRIPLE-TOWER PROJECT TO RISE BESIDE ARTS CENTER ...

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COMMISSION DEBATE: DO JOB GRANTS REQUIRE JOBS? ...

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LURING LONGEST PASSENGER NONSTOP A LONG TRIP ...

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DOWNTOWNERS BOIL OVER FLAGLER REVAMP DELAY ...

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VIEWPOINT: TRANSIT TRUST LIVING UP TO ITS NAME ...

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60-YEAR ROYAL CARIBBEAN LEASE MEETS ONE CRITIC ...

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IS SLOWER INCREASE IN HEALTH SPENDING A TREND? ...

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BEACH SAND REPLACEMENT FUND HITS $27.5 MILLION ...

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MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

THE INSIDER NO LOWS IN LUXURY: Miami’s luxury properties are getting more expensive. The median sales price within the luxury residential market increased: single-family homes priced at $1 million or more had a median sale price of $1.75 million in the second quarter of 2015, compared to $1.65 million in the same period last year. Luxury condos had a median sale price of $1.6 million in the second quarter, compared to $1.58 million in the first quarter. Meanwhile, total inventory for all luxury residential properties increased 26.7% over the year.

WHERE ARE THE NEW JOBS? Miami’s leisure and hospitality industry generated the highest number of new jobs among all industry sectors in the county last month. August gave way to 7,900 new jobs, a 6.2% increase over the year. It was the fifth consecutive month this year that Miami’s leisure and hospitality industry led the county’s industry sectors in percentage of job growth, according to a press release.

GETTING ON BOARD? When Miami’s Downtown Development Authority nominated directors last week, there was one new name. He is John Guitar, senior vice president of business development for All Aboard Florida.

He is responsible for developing and leasing stations and transit-oriented developments in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Current directors who were re-nominated are Alicia Cervera, managing partner of Cervera Real Estate; Jerome Hollo, vice president of Florida East Coast Realty; Richard Lydecker, senior partner of the Lydecker-Diaz law Alicia Cervera firm; and Nitin Motwani, managing principal of Miami Worldcenter Group and managing director of the Encore Housing Opportunities Fund.

ALL SAID AND DONE: A long-standing legal battle between the City of Miami and Rickenbacker Marina is over. Miami commissioners approved a settlement of “all claims and counterclaims” involving Rickenbacker Marina Inc. v. City of Miami, filed in 2013 by the marina owner. The city sought new proposals from potential operators for the site – a scenic spot along the Rickenbacker Causeway on the way to Key Biscayne. Rickenbacker Marina has leased the city-owned land on Virginia Key for nearly 30 years. The city alleged a breach of contract by the marina for failing to pay $2 million, its share of a planned garage, and for unapproved walkway work. The marina owner said the city was treating him unfairly. The city attorney’s office recommended the settlement. The dispute was one reason cited for delay in the Miami Parking Authority beginning construction on a garage to service marina uses, the Rusty Pelican restaurant and perhaps nearby Miami Marine Stadium.

Rickenbacker Marina’s lease expires July 7, 2016.

POTTY PITTANCE: The much-discussed portable toilets for the homeless, as well as tourists, will shortly be installed downtown. There will be advertising space available on the walls, said Jose Goyanes, a director of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority and chair of its Service Delivery Program Committee, and his inclination is to offer it to the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust, with which the authority has clashed.

“It’s the right thing to do,” said Mr. Goyanes, who is the owner of Metro Beauty Center and Churchill Barbershop. “And it might put that last war with him to bed,” he said, referring to Ron Book, the trust’s executive director.

WALKING TALL: Miami School Group LLC plans to build a pedestrian overpass over Northwest Sixth Street to connect the Sports Leadership and Management (SLAM) Charter School at 604 NW 12th Ave. and the proposed SLAM II Charter School at 542 NW 12th Ave. The Miami City Commission authorized the overpass. The school is to pay a one-time user fee of $8,815. The school submitted detailed plans for the overpass, with a clearance of 69 feet above street level, conditioned on a covenant running with the land. The action also OK’d the design of the overpass and the “SLAM!” Frank Carollo school sign affixed to the structure. Commissioner Frank Carollo called it a “great, great project” for East Little Havana.

DOTTY FOR MIAMI: Mayor Tomás Regalado announced that beginning Oct. 2 Miami will become the third US city to have a dedicated top-level Internet domain name. The city will join New York (.nyc) and Las Vegas (.vegas) in creating a global Internet identity through which the city’s businesses, communities and residents – and anyone who wants to be associated with Miami – can identify with the city and its internationally recognized brand. The .miami domain is operated by Minds + Machines, a domain name registry, in cooperation with the city. A significant portion of the revenue Tomás Regalado generated from the sale of the .miami domain names is to go to the city.

Details: www.my.miami or www.GoDaddy.miami.

SOUTH DADE BIZ ACADEMY: The office of County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava is launching the District 8 Small Business Academy on Oct. 1. The goal is for businesses to have the knowledge and resources to increase sales, hire employees and prosper. The month-long program will feature workshops taught by leading business development agencies in South Florida. Participants will be provided with linkages to a network of private and public resources. The first workshop will focus on establishing start-ups. The academy is free. RSVP at www.district8sba Daniella Levine Cava .eventbrite.com.

PIPELINE IN THE PIPELINE: Pipeline Workspaces opens its third shared office space this week at 95 Merrick Way in Coral Gables. A full floor totaling 14,000 square feet will be leased at $200 a month for open work areas and $500 a month for private offices. Pipeline operates a co-working space in the Brickell area and in Philadelphia’s Center City, and has announced plans for new locations in Doral and the Little River District.

Photo by Maxine Usdan

A Miami board last week recommended approval of two 59-story and one 48-story towers on this block.

Related plans triple-tower project beside the performing arts center

BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

The Related Group is bringing another triple tower project to Miami’s urban skyline, this one right next door to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

As a bonus to adding to the city’s burgeoning arts district, the project will bring a nearly 40foot sculpture to anchor the corner of Northeast 14th Street and Biscayne Boulevard.

The development will rise on an L-shaped parcel at about 1400 Biscayne Blvd.

To be called Auberge Residences & Spa Miami, the mixeduse project includes 1,430 residences, a shared podium providing several layers of parking for 1,629 cars, and about 14,080 square feet of retail space spread among the three tower bases.

Two towers are designed at 59 stories, and the third at 48.

Miami-based architectural firm Arquitectonica designed the project.

Bernardo Fort-Brescia, founding principal of Arquitectonica, explained details of the project to the city’s Urban Development Review Board on Sept. 16.

The board recommended approval of the project.

The site is bordered on the

north by Northeast 15th Street, and the west by Northeast Second Avenue. Taking up the rest of the block, on the southwest corner, is a 36-story mixed-use residential project from Melo Group called Melody Tower, currently under construction.

Attorney Iris Escarra, representing Related, talked to the board about waivers requested for the Auberge project, including a 30% reduction in required parking and a 27-foot setback on a corner where 30 is required.

The developer is allowed under the Miami 21 zoning code to ask for a reduction of parking because the site is within a quarter mile of a Metrorail station and within two blocks of a Metromover station, she explained.

The overall site plan is designed to “enhance the pedestrian realm,” said Ms. Escarra, and the entire block will be pedestrian-friendly when built out.

Mr. Fort-Brescia echoed that, saying the project is important because it’s one of the first to capitalize of the arts center locating in the neighborhood.

“That’s been lagging for some time,” he said.

“We’re going to bring residents to the neighborhood and activity on the ground floor,” Mr.

Fort-Brescia said.

Patrons of the arts center will have a place to dine after a show, he said.

The project includes a lavish pool deck above the parking podium. The towers have two-story penthouses.

Board member Dean B. Lewis complimented Related and called the project “ambitious.”

A unique element is the sculpture, described as a monumental piece said to “instill a sense of peace.”

A representative for Related said the company feels a civic responsibility to provide public art as part of its projects.

Titled “Look Into My Dreams, Awilda,” the stark white resin sculpture is the head of young Dominican girl. The piece today is in Chicago’s Millennium Park.

It is expected to be transported to Miami in December, where it will be temporarily located in Museum Park until its final home is ready at Auberge.

Carlos Rosso of Related spoke glowingly of the Auberge, saying it will be “hopefully the first of many developments to the west side of Biscayne Boulevard.”

He indicated that additional growth and development could come to the neighborhood drawn by the promise of a new “signature” bridge leading to the MacArthur Causeway.

Board member Anthony E. Tzamtzis said the Auberge project fined as 55 or older. is “very interesting – very well The non-profit Florida Allidone.” ance for Retired Americans Inc., which pursues and promotes legislation and public policies for retirees, found that during the We want to hear from YOU! last century the US senior population increased from 3.1 million Phone: (305) 358-2663 to 33.2 million.

Staff Writers: According to the resolution, Susan Danseyar it’s estimated that by 2030 the sdanseyar@miamitodaynews.com US senior population will increase to 80 million. Half of those John Charles Robbins 65 and older live in nine states, jrobbins@miamitodaynews.com with California, Florida and New Carla Vianna York leading the way. cvianna@miamitodaynews.com As the elderly population Letters to Editor grows so does the need for afeditor@miamitodaynews.com fordable, safe housing, the resolution states. A congressional People Column report in 2002 by the Commispeople@miamitodaynews.com sion on Affordable Housing and Michael Lewis Health Facility Needs for seniors mlewis@miamitodaynews.com in the 21st century estimated the demand for rental housing for the elderly would rise to 2.3 million additional units by 2020.

Therefore, the resolution states, Miami-Dade can increase the supply of affordable housing units for its elderly through its documentary surtax funds.

Housing stamp of approval

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

Miami-Dade now has a policy to set aside no less than $2.5 million in documentary stamp surtax funds each year for commission districts in most need of elderly housing developments.

The resolution, sponsored by Rebeca Sosa, unanimously passed Sept. 16 after it was amended to require the mayor’s office to report on the feasibility of increasing affordable housing for the elderly in all county districts by the percentage of need.

Originally, the legislation directed the mayor’s office to recommend award of the funds with preference for commission Districts 10, 6, 11 and 4, in that order, which statistics show have the highest rent burden.

In July, the Economic Prosperity Committee recommended that the commission adopt the resolution with the amendment requiring the mayor’s office to report yearly on the feasibility of increasing affordable housing for the elderly. For purposes of the resolution, the elderly are de-

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MIAMI TODAY

VIEWPOINT

WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

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

To our benefit, transit trust seeking to live up to its name In a remarkable journey, the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust is living up to its name’s four elements: citizens, independent, transportation and trust.

After the county comMichael Lewis mission over a decade hijacked $1 billion plus in taxes that citizens pay to expand transportation, the trust that voters were promised would oversee those funds and actually expand mass transit is saying independently that it’s time to keep the promises.

If the trust passes a resolution to that effect Oct. 21 we will commend its courage – even though complying with promises to voters would then rest with the commission, the body that brazenly handled the broad-daylight hijacking in the first place.

It started back in 2002, when thenMayor Alex Penelas, waving a detailed list of what they would get, persuaded voters to tax themselves an extra onehalf percent on sales. The money was to build a cornucopia of mass transit, and a trust independent of our mistrusted officials would do it.

If we had gotten what we voted to pay for, we wouldn’t face today’s transportation gridlock. But we were shamelessly overpromised and even more shamefully under-delivered.

First, those who engineered the tax drive tossed onto the project list far

more than the money could have built.

The promises pleased every power group and the tax passed. But vastly inflated claims spelled failure. We built just a short airport link.

Then, commissioners balked at another promise: to let an independent trust allot the money. First they decided that it wouldn’t be independent. Then they didn’t appoint members until the commission had spent most of the money, not to add transit but simply to run what we had. By the time a trust was seated, it was hamstrung.

Then in 2009, commissioners formalized the hijacking of most of the tax to use in ways voters never approved.

This year, 38% of receipts are subsidizing daily fares.

Now, 13 trust members handpicked by 13 commissioners are set to vote that they’ve had enough hijacking, so let’s spend the tax to add transit. They would end hijacking and let the county spend more itself to run the system.

The trust resolution never says “hijacking,” but it cites a “tremendous renewed interest on behalf of the community, business and elected officials in moving forward with” the projects that voters were promised and says the step is “a critical component to restoring community trust and returning to the original purpose for which the surtax was adopted and the trust created.”

In other words, it’s time to finally keep faith.

Actually, it’s far past time. Since the vote, we’ve lost 13 years in the race to meet transit needs. As it is, more than $1.6 billion from the trust has gone to the county, mostly to run the system rather than make promised additions.

L ETTERS Misled voters call for rail My wife and I voted several years ago for the half penny sales tax with the promise by the politicians that this would be used to EXPAND Metrorail. I guess, with no surprise, the voters were hoodwinked and no expansion has occurred with that tax revenue as promised.

We are a growing metropolitan area with the need to bring other areas of the city into the loop, making Metrorail a truly functional 21st century system.

Let’s get going on this before it is too late. We 100% support the X-Plan.

Roger and Barbara Shatanof

US 1 bridge isn’t answer Our heart goes out to families that have lost loved ones crossing US 1 and Mariposa Court, near the University of Miami. It is indeed a dangerous street, and pedestrians must use extra caution when attempting to cross it. But building a bridge isn’t the answer. Not many pedestrians and cyclists will use the elevated bridge.

Several years ago a similar bridge was built at US 1 and Douglas Road, but few have bothered to use that bridge. Some have found it to be too time-consuming or that it takes too much energy. Perhaps it is also too confining and potentially a place to be robbed.

Students smart enough to be in college can manage to cross even the busi-

This year alone the surtax will bring in about $225 million. The county’s longrange transportation plan for 2019 to 2040 estimates surtaxes averaging $403 million a year, coming to just under $7 billion for that 22-year period.

That money could repay bonds borrowing to build several transit lines – maybe to South Dade, or Miami-Miami Beach, or west to Florida International University or north to Broward. The choice of which comes first is less vital than the decision of whether to build at all. The county so far has chosen to not build at all.

A courageous trust resolution would fall in the commission’s lap just as everyone is begging for more transit.

How will commissioners try to block or weaken the aim of keeping faith with the public? Twice already they’ve kept mass transit from moving forward with money we had in hand. Will this be a third strike?

Clearly we need transportation. It’s also clear that voters have witnessed the blatant breaking of promises and hijacking of transit funds.

Some commissioners are new since the 2009 hijacking, and even then four commissioners – including the current mayor – voted no. With pressure on, the combination of clear needs for transit and to show faith with voters could release the county’s grip on surtaxes.

How could that make a difference?

First, the trust might fund one or two big projects, a vital shift from the commission’s aim to split things 13 ways for 13 commissioners, which waters impact down to a drizzle rather than a river of new transportation. Our weak economic development spending

TO THE

est of streets unless, of course, they are distracted by the inappropriate use of their cell phone for calling, texting or some social-media addiction.

In that case, not even a bridge will be of much help to improve their safety.

Harry Emilio Gottlieb

Who calls firms like GE? Wonder if anyone from the county, city or Beacon Council ever called GE re moving here? Like the big business owner who moved part of his company to Coral Gables and never heard of the Beacon Council, probably not.

In the end, it might have to be left to a mixed-use developer to make that call to fill floor space in his building. Wonder if the Related Group has a guy on a phone doing this kind of stuff, because apparently it isn’t being done by the county, city or the Beacon Council.

DC Copeland

shows how balkanization weakens everything. Statesmen need to pick the biggest impact for the county rather than dribble out funds 13 ways with little to show for it.

The aim should not be to spend fairly for each district but fairly for the county as a whole. Big impact is vital.

Second, for the trust to succeed the county must drive a larger slice of its own budget into transportation to replace surtaxes that will build new projects. The county must operate the present system, which is where the trust money is dribbled away now.

Even the hijacking of transit taxes was sleight of hand. When commissioners formalized that diversion a decade ago they promised to keep current transit rolling by adding 3.5% to it annually from general revenues in addition to the transit taxes. But last year, with the budget tight, the county rescinded even that 3.5% add-on for five years.

Transit trust members are courageous in asking to begin spending as voters were promised. If they stick to their guns, that will give the commission one final chance to do the right thing by voters, taxpayers, residents, visitors, businesses and everyone who has to navigate Miami-Dade.

We’ve watched over time as commissioners have given transportation a back seat. They need to hear from us that keeping faith with promises to add transportation is top, not bottom, priority.

A special lane in hell is reserved for any commissioner who doesn’t listen.

It will be a transplanted strip of US 1 from Dadeland to Brickell, to be driven forever at rush hour. Or would the Palmetto or I-95 be even more hellish?

E DITOR

But I am less concerned about the quality of the people attracted to one school over another than I am about the quality of graduates at the other end.

The list is misleading and unfair to the Tallahassees and Little Rocks of this nation, which simply do not enjoy the population and therefore the talent density that could coalesce into a specialized institution.

So keep this list, fine. But I would like to see two others (we would belong in the over-600 category) subjected to the exact same standards but restricted to non-specialized, general schools.

I applaud Coral Park and others like this which made it on to the list. They form much more than just the core, but the overwhelming majority of the nation’s student population and would therefore be more representative of the real achievements of the school system.

George Childs

housing need General studies reflective Affordable Affordable housing is very important of schools’ achievements at this time, where rents have risen at

Kudos to the MAST Academy for In- least 15% I disagree with providing affordable ternational Studies and other units of the Miami-Dade school system for achieving a spot among the best 500 high schools in Letters for publication may be sent to the nation from among a total of around 21,000. These are students who had a the Editor, Miami Today, 2000 S. Dixie clear path early, and their extraordinary Hwy, Suite 100, Miami, FL 33133 or ecommitment to attendance and great study mail to letters@miamitodaynews.com.

Letters may be condensed for space. habits put the schools on the map.

housing in developments like this [four mixed-use towers on the Miami River], however, affordable housing is needed.

Little Havana should have higher density and allow developers to get a little extra on the land.

First, developers will get more creative in design.

Second, with higher density developers will be willing to also invest in neighborhood extra features.

Thirdly, a trust fund would be good to be spent in beautification in between the areas.

Zully Ruiz

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

MIAMI TODAY

11

Final walk-through leads toward Cuban Museum opening

BY CARLA VIANNA

Architect Raul Rodriguez did a final walk-through the Cuban Museum’s new building Sept.

11, jotting down a punch-list of any unfinished items his eyes caught.

“If it’s a long list, we stop inspection,” said Mr. Rodriguez, who heads Rodriguez and Quiroga Architects. “It was not a huge list.”

The list of unfinished items has been given to the museum’s owner, who may have additional observations. Once the final list is turned over to the contractor, the museum’s new venue – several years in the making – will step into its last phase.

At 1200 Coral Way, the Cuban Museum’s long-awaited white columns now guard its entrance, which will welcome visitors for a ribbon-cutting ceremony next Jan. 28.

“It was the final piece of the puzzle on the exterior,” Mr. Rodriguez said of the columns.

“We worked very hard so that it would be recognized as a classical building resembling many in Havana of that style.”

A few programs will be held during the first half of next year, but the bulk of its inaugural exhibitions will arrive next May, said Ileana Fuentes, the

Photo by Maxine Usdan

Cuban Museum’s long-awaited white columns will greet visitors at a Jan. 28 ribbon-cutting ceremony.

museum’s cultural consultant.

A permanent collection of art representing the Cuban émigré community mostly by artists residing in South Florida will be displayed. An exhibition of about 30 pieces by Luis Cruz Azaceta, an award-winning, internationally recognized artist whose work has been displayed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, will join the permanent collection.

“Funds are being sought” for those events, she said. The museum’s operating budget for its first year has been set at $950,000.

“It’s a conservative budget,” Ms. Fuentes said. “We’ll be looking for funding from the [county’s] Department of Cultural Affairs, from the city, from the county and from private donors, such as the Knight Foundation.”

The museum is also actively reaching out to Cuban American corporations and is starting a room-naming initiative.

To make funding more accessible in the future, Ms. Fuentes said the museum will begin in mid-2016 its accreditation process with the American Alliance of Museums – a three- to four-year process that vouches for a museum’s high standards and profes-

sionalism. Accredited museums have easier access to grants.

Substantial completion will be achieved after the city issues a temporary certificate of occupancy, in which the contractor will be given 60 days to complete remaining work, Mr. Rodriguez said.

Ms. Fuentes told Miami Today that a series of private fundraising initiatives are underway.

The institution’s mission? “To preserve and tell the most complete and inspiring story about the Cuban people who left Cuba in search of freedom after 1959, through outstanding art and cultural exhibitions, and programs that will educate and delight its visitors,” read a statement Ms. Fuentes sent.

The museum will be moving from 1500 S Dixie Hwy., where as of March 2014 it was staying rent-free in a Bank of Americaowned building. The Coral Way building’s purchase and reconstruction is funded by $10 million in borrowing under the county’s Building Better Communities Bond Program.

Its new home is to include a 5,000-plus-square-foot gallery, a movie and live plays theater on the second floor, a sculpture garden, a gift shop and roof space for outdoor concerts.

On achievement checklist, Miami City Ballet dances ahead

BY SUSAN DANSEYAR

A great ballet company is judged by several achievements, including its number and quality of dancers, variety and quantity of the repertoire, national and global touring schedule and how often it commissions outside choreographers.

Miami City Ballet has all of that, Lourdes Lopez believes, as well as a school where dancers are professionally trained to join the company.

A former soloist and principal dancer with New York City Ballet, Ms. Lopez became the artistic director of Miami City Ballet two years ago, bringing a nearly 40-year career in dance, television arts reporting, teaching and arts management.

She said the company is building on all aspects of what denotes a world-class troupe. “You can’t do it all at once,” she said.

“It’s like a student in school whose teachers keep looking at what more they need for a full education.”

In just a short time, however, Ms. Lopez has seen the Miami Beach-headquartered company grow and add layers to its national and global reputation.

“When I walked in here, there

were 42 dancers and today the company has 51,” Ms. Lopez said. “You want a large number of dancers in a company so they aren’t overworked and burned out.”

Miami City Ballet School is the company’s official pre-professional training academy, serving nearly 900 students and granting $500,000 in scholarships annually. Half of the company’s dancers trained at the school.

With a repertoire of nearly 100 ballets, the company performs for 100,000 patrons annually during its South Florida home season in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Naples. Ms. Lopez said the varied ballets include classical, modern, neo-classical and contemporary works.

The company has performed a number of commissioned pieces including Liam Scarlett’s “Viscera,” Justin Peck’s “Chutes and Ladders” and Alexei Ratmansky’s “Symphonic Dances.”

It’s important to audiences that a ballet company commissions, Ms. Lopez said, because that indicates it is staying relevant and current.

She said the number of tours a company takes and whether it

Photo by Maxine Usdan

Poster at the Arsht Center hails October opening of ballet’s season.

has global and national visibility indicates there’s an audience outside its own community.

The company has toured to about 100 cities in the US as well as internationally in Europe, South America, Central America, Israel, Scotland, France, Guatemala and Italy.

Last year, Ms. Lopez said, the company toured through Canada and it will be going to New York and Chicago several times this season as well as to Minneapolis.

An indication of the company’s popularity is a huge

and communications.

“It’s a complete reversal of the industry-wide trend,” he said.

“Our Create Your Own (CYO) subscriptions are expanding for the second year running: in fiscal year 2015 renewals grew by 25% over fiscal year 2014 and CYO acquisitions grew by 17% over FY14.”

Mr. Parks said Miami City Ballet is on track to grow CYO’s another 20% in the aggregate this year.

“Our Premier (also known as “full”) subscriptions broke goal in August and we expect to close about 5% ahead of last season in terms of revenue and seats sold,” he said. “Last season we remained steady and before that were losing 5% to 6% annually, so that’s a really great trend.”

The company was founded in 1985 by philanthropist Toby Lerner Ansin and Founding Artistic Director Edward Villella, a former principal dancer for the New York City Ballet. It is the eighth largest ballet company in the US, headquartered at the Ophelia & Juan Js. Roca Center, with a budget of about $17 million.

increase in ticket and subscription sales. “Subscriptions nationally have gone down but we’ve had an increase,” Ms. Lopez said. “That tells us Miami City Ballet is a strong, viable company with a large fan base.”

Overall, subscriptions had been dropping by 5% to 6% annually for years but in fiscal year 2015 the company managed to hold steady and this season is adding subscribers/ households on net with the most successful subscription Details: (305) 929-7010, campaign to date, said Jeffrey miamicityballet.org Parks, director of marketing

WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

ARTS & CULTURE

MIAMI TODAY

13

New World Symphony nears graduation of 1,000th player

BY CARLA VIANNA

With each new season a third of the New World Symphony’s players come and go. Soon, the orchestral academy will graduate its one-thousandth player.

For the New World’s 996 alumni, the three years spent performing in Miami have paid off.

Of the 87 players the orchestra will perform with this season, two-thirds will secure professional orchestral positions once graduated – at least, that’s what history shows.

Last year, 22 fellows left New World with a job in hand.

“It is an extremely crowded market,” said Howard Herring, CEO and president of the symphony. “An opening in an American orchestra can have anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 applicants for a single position.

For us to have 20 to 22 of our players moving out into [these] positions is quite a phenomenon.”

At New World, more than 1,200 applicants are narrowed to 30 each year. When 30 come in, about 30 to 35 leave.

The most recent graduates are scattered about. Running down a list, Mr. Herring named Pittsburgh, Dallas, Cincinnati, Vancouver and Stockholm be-

Photo by Rui Dias-Aidos

A New World Symphony Wallcast concert shows off a 7,000-square-foot projection on Miami Beach.

fore saying they’re “literally all over the world.”

The 30 admitted each year also come from all ends of the globe. When new players come in, a month is spent integrating the new talent with the already established. During this trial period, free concerts are played in September, Mr. Herring said.

The official 32-week season begins in October.

This past summer, he said, two string players gained jobs

7 artists share grants generated by tourism

BY SUSAN D ANSEYAR

Seven artists from MiamiDade County will receive grant portions from $128,000, generated in part by the 2% hotel/ motel food and beverage surtax revenues and 2% tourist development room tax revenue for projects showcasing the county’s appeal as a tourist destination.

The county commission unanimously voted last week to waive the requirement that contracts with non-government entities be signed by several other parties first so that the grant allocations from the Tourist Development Council Grants program, which are released on a reimbursement basis, be allocated for time-sensitive, tourist-oriented and community events.

The Tourist Development Council Grants program provides assistance quarterly to organizations and events that promote Miami-Dade’s appeal to visitors. The program sponsors tourist-oriented sports events as well as those featuring visual and performing arts that include theater, concerts, recitals, operas, dance and festivals.

In addition to the surtax revenues that fund the Tourist Development Council Grants program, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau provides $25,000, dictated by a multi-year agreement.

A remaining balance of $117,047 in unspent grant funds

for fiscal 2013-2014 was carried over and made part of the fiscal 2014-2015 program. The Tourist Development Council met June 24 to review 20 applications requesting $282,000 for the fourth quarter and recommended funding 16 for the total of $128,800.

The council gives priority to grant requests for tourist-generating events from July through September. A nine-member volunteer advisory board, established by Florida statute, reviews all grant applications and makes funding recommendations to the mayor and commissioners with the idea of developing and enhancing MiamiDade locally, nationally and internationally.

Michael Spring, director of the Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs, who is responsible for monitoring the grant contracts, said in a memo to commissioners that the projects selected for funding represent a diverse range of activities and Michael Spring demographic locations.

Each applicant organization was evaluated for its tourism impact and marketing plan; quality and track record; event organization and management; fiscal responsibility and accountability; and efforts to comply with and incorporate the American with Disabilities Act into projects.

in a Houston symphony looking for five players overall. The two New World grads will be “community embedded musicians,” meaning much of their skill will be garnered toward community engagement.

“Part of our curriculum is for them to learn by doing,” Mr. Herring said, adding that community work is a focal point in the players’ curricula here in Miami.

US music schools continue

to pump out skilled musicians, but the number of orchestras hasn’t changed much since the 1950s, Mr. Herring said, illustrating how the historically competitive industry is further tightened as the graduate pool grows.

New World’s alumni are represented in 175 orchestras around the world. Those who don’t go on to play in professional orchestras may become university professors. Others are orchestra managers, while a select few

have started their own educational projects, he said.

“In the face of the competition, what we’ve discovered is that entrepreneurial skills and sensibilities are increasingly important as well,” Mr. Herring said.

Players can get creative and build careers not necessarily tied to a specific orchestra.

An example is Samuel Hyken, who co-founded Nu Deco Ensemble, a Miami-based “chamber orchestra designed for the 21st century” that describes itself as “genre-bending.” The nonprofit organization meshes musical performances with multimedia, according to its website.

Mr. Herring pointed out the symphony’s Wallcast concerts, which integrate visual and audio technology with a 7,000-squarefoot projection wall, as an exciting feature this season. Two specific concerts Miami should stay on the lookout for include: “A Schumann Journey” Oct. 30 will explore “ the emotional works of Robert Schumann.”

“Become Ocean: A Musical Palindrome” on Dec. 5 focuses on rising sea levels. John Luther Adams’ “Become Ocean” won a Pulitzer Prize in 2014 and a Grammy Award this year.

WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

MIAMI TODAY

15

Downtown authority frets over competitive use of port land

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

Earlier this month, Miami-Dade County’s Trade and Tourism Committee refused to endorse a plan by MITC-2015 to put a $240 million maritime center on 8.69 acres in the desirable southwest corner of PortMiami in a no-bid deal.

MITC-2015’s plan to build Miami Yacht Harbor is still on the table, but the committee said it wants to hear from other proposers, too.

That concerns directors of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority, who fear the county will allow a use that will compete with downtown, like office space or a hotel, to rise there.

Authority board member Bruno Barreiro, a county commissioner in whose district the port lies, had backed Miami Yacht Harbor, saying it fits with the maritime uses mandated by the port’s master plan and that the county has been dragging its feet on developing the parcel.

“There’s a lot of interest from the outside world,” Mr. Barreiro told authority members last week. “The commission has to make a decision. That’s a huge piece of property that’s not being utilized.”

The port’s master plan should be updated, said board member Jerome Hollo, who is vice president of Florida East Coast Realty, “to make it clear what uses will and won’t go in there.”

Mr. Barreiro said he has always fa-

vored putting a fuel farm to serve Miami International Airport on that piece of land. “Right now, we’re trucking in fuel from Broward, about 100 trucks a day.

That’s an accident waiting to happen.”

“That would be like putting a wart on a beautiful woman’s face,” quipped board member Jose Goyanes, who is the owner of Metro Beauty Center and Churchill’s Barbershop.

But, Mr. Barreiro insisted, “We can’t have that land just sitting there.”

Most new condos become rentals, and rates have flattened

BY SUSAN D ANSEYAR

Condo rental rates in the downtown/Brickell area have largely stayed the same for six months, most brokers agree, but they cite a number of variables to watch going forward before we’ll know if the trend holds.

Currently, rental rates in Brickell and average days on the market have remained essentially unchanged for two quarters, said Jonathan Garcia, broker for ONE Sotheby’s International Realty. The main difference in the past six months, he said, is more rentals are now available.

Several new condominium buildings have opened in 2015, and at least 50% of the inventory is going straight to the rental market, Mr. Garcia said. He pointed to Brickell House, 1300 Brickell Bay Drive, with 374 units, 191 of which are rented or pending a lease (51%); Millecento Residences, 1100 S Miami Ave., with 382 units, 263 of which are rented or pending leases (62%); and Nine at Mary Brickell Village, 999 SW First Ave., with 390 units, 280 of which are rented or pending (51%).

Units in the new condo towers are going to the rental market, slowly but surely, said Sergio Mannarino, vice president of sales and operations for OneWorldProperties. However, he said, the rental price increases of 2014 for the condos have come to a halt. For the

Photo by Maxine Usdan

Rental buildings like Brickell First, 110 SW 12th St., compete with a growing pool of condos being rented.

most part, he agreed, rents have stayed the same for six months.

Moreover, he anticipates they will be capped when new rental buildings open in 2016 and 2017.

Overall, Mr. Mannarino said, condo rents in downtown and Brickell start at $1,700 for a studio, $1,900 to $2,000 for a one-bedroom (or, occasionally, $2,300 in the newer buildings), $2,500 to $2,550 for a twobedroom and $3,800-plus for a

three-bedroom, of which there are few.

Salaries in Miami-Dade haven’t increased, Mr. Mannarino said, so he can’t imagine condo rents will be able to rise, except for rare cases. In fact, he said, in some buildings that lose tenants owners may be willing to lower rates.

“As construction progresses in Brickell, sometimes into the late hours, we’re getting complaints from residents who say

they’re considering moving out of the area,” Mr. Mannarino said. “We haven’t seen that yet but there’s a concern in some buildings.”

So far, he has noticed that landlords who are preparing to renew leases are aware of the increasing units becoming available and are maintaining rental fees with current tenants for another year. In some new units, Mr. Mannarino, said the firsttime leases may be priced slightly

lower than comparable ones in the area by about $100 a month.

“The new inventory will be absorbed, but it will be difficult to justify higher rental rates,” he said.

It’s possible there will be a slight correction in condo rental prices once the residences slated to come online are complete, Mr. Garcia said. As of July 1, he pointed out, media reported for the first time since the last recession all of Miami-Dade’s real estate markets are in value growth mode.

According to data from the county appraiser’s office, the 37 taxing districts saw gains since 2014. “If the values continue to improve, that affects real estate taxes,” he said. “This increase in value translates to higher costs for investors.”

However, Mr. Garcia said, the median income for tenants in downtown and Brickell is not rising. In fact, he said, MiamiDade has one of the highest rental rates compared with median income in the country.

We have to pay attention to these factors and wait to see how things play out, Mr. Garcia said, but he’s doubtful condo rental rates can grow higher. He also says it’s becoming less and less feasible to have condo units as investment properties, given that landlords are carrying more expense with rising taxes.

“Rents are already at a peak,” he said. “Perhaps some of the units will be sold to people who live there.”

County asked to align use of its sites with downtown’s aims

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

Properties owned by Miami-Dade County could be developed to benefit downtown Miami and residents of 23,000 proposed residential units there, Alyce Robertson, executive director of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority, told directors at their meeting last week. “We’re looking at different properties the county owns downtown.”

A county resolution approved unanimously last November directed the office of Mayor Carlos Gimenez, in consultation with the downtown agency, to

“prepare a report and plan for the development, use, and maintenance of county-owned property” downtown within 60 days. That report was to assess how the properties are being used, what the highest future use would be and how much proposed scenarios would cost.

The county’s Internal Services Department listed 21 properties, 17 of which are within the downtown authority’s boundaries, said a memo from Ms. Robertson. When considering uses for those properties, the county should look for opportunities that align with the authority’s 2025 master plan,

her memo suggested.

For instance, the Cultural Center at 50 NW Second Ave. could be repurposed as a public or private elementary or secondary school, the green space west of the Steven P. Clark Center could be transformed into a downtown park, and the county could lend financial support to the second phase of the Flagler Street renovation, which would continue Flagler improvements from the Dade County Courthouse to the Miami River.

The courthouse, Ms. Robertson’s memo noted, could be rezoned to enable a transfer of development rights that

would allow uses that preserve its historic nature. Further, “Miami-Dade holds land that could be developed to allow for a wider mix of housing options at different price points within downtown Miami,” it continued.

“We are in the midst of another major development cycle that will yield two major retail hubs, a conference center, and a major train station,” Ms. Robertson’s memo said. “There is strong public interest in seeing that county-owned property is developed, used and maintained in an efficient and well-planned manner to best serve the needs of the county and its people.”

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DOWNTOWN & BRICKELL

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

Brickell City Centre cranes gone, Metromover station due B Y C ATHERINE L ACKNER

Good news, Brickell drivers, pedestrians and Metromover riders: the cranes are gone from the Brickell City Centre construction site and key components will be up and running soon.

“We are a fluid construction site, although we are very close to delivery of certain components,” said a spokesperson for Swire Properties, which is developing the massive project. All of the buildings in the first phase have been topped off.

The Eighth Street Metromover station, closed since August 2014, will re-open this fall, revitalized and incorporated into a third level of shopping, she said. Riders will be able to disembark and get to the street level, she added, though the station will not be connected to the rest of the complex yet.

The bulk of the first phase “is scheduled to be delivered this winter,” the spokesperson said. Included are two

office towers (Two Brickell City Centre at 78 SE Seventh St., with 129,338 square feet of space, and Three Brickell City Centre, with 134,550 square feet of space at 98 SE Seventh St.), the 263-key Miami East Hotel at 788 Brickell Plaza, and three residential buildings. They are the East Residences, with 89 units at 89 SE Eighth St., the Rise Condo at 88 SW Seventh St., and the Reach Condo at 68 SE Sixth St., each of which will contain 390 units.

A 500,000-square-foot shopping center at 701 S Miami Ave., to include food, beverage and entertainment, is scheduled for completion in fall 2016.

Construction on Phase II, which comprises the 80-story One Brickell City Centre, is scheduled to begin at the end of 2017. North Squared at 529 S Miami Ave., on the Miami River, is slated for future development but a timetable has yet to be determined for it, the spokesperson said.

The completed Metromover Station on Eighth Street at Brickell City Centre is expected to look like this.

Downtowners boil over Flagler revamp’s delay Huddle told

BY CATHERINE L ACKNER JOHN C HARLES R OBBINS

Flagler OK now rolling

AND

Frustrated to the point of disgust with delays on a longplanned Flagler Street renovation, directors of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority said last week they will directly confront Alberto Parjus, deputy city manager, to demand answers. They also want to involve Jeovanny Rodriguez, head of the city’s Capital Improvements Program.

“It’s been a continued debacle,” said Marc Sarnoff, authority chair and Miami commissioner, referring to the authority’s quest to renovate the street from Biscayne Boulevard to the Dade County Courthouse. He suggested Mr. Parjus be called to the authority’s next board meeting. “We want a six-week review of emails and correspondence.” The head start will give Mr. Parjus time to organize a response, he added.

“We’ve not been met with forthrightness,” said Gary Ressler, principal and managing member of the Tilia Companies, owner of the Alfred I. Dupont Building at 169 E Flagler St. and a member of the Flagler Street taskforce. Though stakeholders meet regularly with Capital Improvements Program employees, he said, there is a sense that they are not being dealt with fairly.

With all of the funding in place, the project seemed well on its well to construction when, in June, a flaw in design drawings threw a wrench into plans.

The plans didn’t allow for sufficient drainage, necessitating a change order, authority sources said. As many entities are collaborating on the project, it’s not known who made the error or who discovered it.

“I thought the change order was being negotiated,” said

BY CATHERINE LACKNER

‘I thought the change order was being negotiated.’

‘We’re being told permits are nearly complete.’

‘We need to have the deputy manager here.’

Neisen Kasdin

Brian Alonso

Jerome Hollo

board Vice Chair Neisen Kasdin, who is office-managing shareholder of the Akerman law firm.

“We’re being told permits are nearly complete,” said Brian Alonso, co-chair of the Flagler Street task force and principal of La Epoca department store at 200 E Flagler St. “There is no accountability. This project is not a priority, but we have to make it a priority.”

“Owners can’t lease space,” Mr. Ressler said. “There’s a perception out there that Flagler Street is being redone, and people are wondering why the street is not torn up yet.”

“We need to have the deputy manager here,” said board member Jerome Hollo, who is vice president of Florida East Coast Realty. “He’s in charge of [capital improvements].”

“And we’ll have the manager here watching him,” Mr. Sarnoff said. He suggested calling capital improvements officials before the board on a regular basis to prod them on stalled authority projects, including a signage and wayfinding system that seems to encounter frequent roadblocks.

The development authority’s

discussion last week followed a Sept. 10 meeting in which Miami city commissioners approved an agreement for water and sanitary sewer facilities with Miami-Dade’s Water and Sewer Department in connection with the Flagler Street reconstruction.

The city’s Capital Improvement and Transportation Program intends to relocate and construct off-site water and sewer main facilities along West Flagler Street from Northwest First Avenue to Biscayne Boulevard. The agreement for water and sanitary sewer facilities with the county is a pre-requisite before work can start.

The water and sewer work is only a portion of the overall project cost, estimated at more than $12 million.

The Flagler Street design is to feature a railroad theme, highlighting Standard Oil tycoon Henry M. Flagler’s achievement in pushing the Florida East Coast Railroad past Palm Beach and into Miami, thus connecting the fledgling city with the rest of the world.

The sidewalk design alternates light and dark grey bands

of concrete to give the effect of railroad tracks. An actual railroad tie is to be imbedded in the sidewalk to separate the walking surface from the street furniture and trees. The concrete was chosen because it is inexpensive, durable and easy to replace. Movable gates that look like those at railroad crossings reinforce the theme, can be used to close off streets for special events and can be propped up vertically when not in use.

Shade trees, bike racks and other furnishings complete the picture. The concept is to widen the sidewalks for outside cafes and make them more walkable.

Flagler Street has long been a concern to downtown business owners. Many sidewalks have been expanded, restricted or rebuilt over the years. In addition, street surfaces are uneven, and a failed pavers project has left many conflicting surfaces.

Because underground pipes, drains and utility lines were antiquated and in severe disrepair, the City of Miami had to replace them before tackling aboveground work, authority sources said.

Word traveled fast when, on Friday, members of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority and neighborhood stakeholders expressed extreme frustration with repeated delays in the renovation of Flagler Street from Biscayne Boulevard to the Dade County Courthouse.

A Monday morning meeting of the authority’s Flagler Street task force was attended by representatives of city government, including Hector Badia, assistant director of Miami’s Capital Improvements and Transportation Program (CTIP); Gerry Marquez, senior project manager; and Alberto Parjus, deputy city manager.

“Currently, CTIP is in negotiations with [contractor] FH Paschen for a change order due to the addition of drainage wells along the project boundaries,” said an email from Wendy Jaramillo, CTIP public relations officer, to Marc Sarnoff, city commissioner and downtown authority chair.

“And we are also finalizing permit approvals with the Florida Department of Transportation, Miami-Dade County and the state.

Notice to proceed will be issued within the first or second week in October. A town hall meeting will be scheduled in October at the Olympia Theater with all of the affected parties prior to the start of construction, anticipated for November.”

Construction, engineering and inspection services were discussed at Monday’s meeting, Ms. Jaramillo’s memo said, and once the contract negotiations are final, a weekly briefing will be held with all parties. Other town hall meetings may be scheduled in the future, her email continued.

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