Miami Today: Week of Thursday, June 22, 2017 by Miami Today

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

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PARKING AUTHORITY ITCHING TO GET INTO BECKHAM’S NO-PARKING SOCCER GAME, pg. 9 ELECTRIC ADVANTAGE: Miami area households paid 11.9 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity in May, 13.1% less than the nationwide average of 13.7 cents, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last week. The price paid locally was up from 10.8 cents per kilowatt hour a year earlier, at a time when Miami area electricity cost 18.8% less than the national average. The bureau reported that the average May cost for electricity in the Miami area was at least 10% less than the national average for each of the past five years.

The Achiever

By Catherine Lackner

INTEREST IN INDIA: India has displaced the United Kingdom among the top five nations searching for real estate on the Miami Association of Realtors site, ranking fifth among nations whose residents searched on the site in March, the most recent figures available. The top five nations, in order, were Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina and India. Among US states, the top five searches came, in order, from Georgia, California, New York, Texas and Illinois, the association reported. MAY JOBS RECORD: Miami-Dade County’s May total of nonfarm workers employed what the highest total for a May on record – and second only to last December, historically the highest employment month, in nonfarm employment here ever. The May total was 1,182,300, which is 2.3% above the May 2016 total of 1,155,800, according to figures released last week by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. PREPARING FOR LEGAL BATTLE: The developer of Island Gardens has brought a $122 million lawsuit against the City of Miami, after commissioners unanimously found the company in default of a ground lease of city-owned property on Watson Island. The move came after 15 years of little to no construction of the upland planned mega resort. At their meeting today (6/22), commissioners are to consider a request by the City Attorney’s Office to hire outside lawyers to defend the city in all matters related to the default notice. There are actually two proposed resolutions, one to hire outside conflict counsel to represent the city, and another to hire outside conflict counsel to represent the city administration “on all matters in connection with the notice of default of Flagstone Island Gardens LLC, pursuant to city resolution … adopted on May 30, 2017.” Approval of the resolutions would authorize attorney fees and costs associated with hiring the outside attorneys. The city has demanded the developer turn over the island site and a deep water marina it developed.

Robert Rodriguez

Photo by Cristina Sullivan

Guiding NatCom to produce 1,500 videos each month The profile is on Page 4

In Grove pilot, street sensors to monitor parking By John Charles Robbins

In a pilot program, the Miami Parking Authority plans to install on-street sensors to monitor use of parking spaces in various lots and curbside locations. Changing technology, web-based applications and the proliferation of smartphones have already dramatically altered the parking industry. The parking authority, under the control of the city’s Off-Street Parking Board, prides itself on being a leader in the changing industry. The authority’s adoption of PayByPhone technology several years ago is seen as a major success, and authority officials are often called on by other cities to share best practices of the evolving online service. Placing on-street sensors to mark paid parking spots may be the next big thing. At its June meeting, the parking board named Miami-based WiseMoving Technologies Corp. the winning vendor for the sensor parking pilot program. The test project will place up to 150 on-street sensors in Coconut Grove. The pilot program won’t cost the authority anything, said Terrell Reid, director of planning & development.

Downtown pitching its all-star fête

In March the board approved a request for proposals for on-street sensor parking technology. Authority COO Alejandra Argudin reported to the board that several companies had approached the agency expressing interest in doing sensor technology in the city. Staff designed the request for proposals around a one-year pilot program to install the sensors at public parking spaces in the Grove. The proposed test area is bounded on the north by Day Avenue, on the south by Main Highway and South Bayshore Drive, one the east by Southwest 27th Avenue, and on the west by Doulas Road (Southwest 37th Avenue). Authority CEO Art Noriega said the request brought the agency three proposals. A selection committee evaluated them all, he said, and found WiseMoving Technologies Corp. most qualified. Board member Stephen Nostrand asked if other US cities use on-street sensors and add revenue from their use. Mr. Noriega cited successful sensor programs in the larger cities of England, Poland, Russia, Spain and other nations. A program in Austria is trying sensors imbedded in spaces inside parking garages, he said.

But in terms of US application of sensors, he said, there is little to none. “We’re still very much ahead of the curve,” Mr. Noriega said. Currently, the Miami Parking Authority uses a system tied to license numbers on each vehicle when charging for on-street paid parking. The sensor technology would track which spaces are being used and if the space has been paid for, he said. Board member Marlon Hill suggested promoting the sensor pilot program, explaining the project and educating the community on how it will work. Mr. Noriega suggested a more informal approach at this stage, so the authority doesn’t “get ahead of ourselves.” He said the pilot program is just that, a test of the sensor system’s validity. “I want to get comfortable with it first,” he said, before the agency starts advocating for wide-spread application. The request for proposals states: “The selected proposer shall be tasked with setting up their solution in a designated area. The solution shall demonstrate the ability to accurately and reliably report occupancy in the designated area(s).”

Baseball fans are preparing for the 88th All Star Game July 6-11 – it’s Miami’s first turn to host the event, which dates back to 1933 – and the Downtown Development Authority plans to leverage its sponsorship to showcase the district. The game and related activities, being produced by Major League Baseball and the Miami Marlins, are expected to generate about $70 million in economic impact and attract thousands of visitors, including television and radio crews from 57 countries. The event is broadcast to 100 million homes worldwide. The downtown authority allocated $50,000 earlier this year to help support several events. Among them is Play Ball Park, a program that provides sports and educational activities for youth baseball and softball players and their families. Held at Bayfront Park, Play Ball Park will be open July 7 through 10 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, as well as July 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and July 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free. The Electric Run, being billed as the “Major League Baseball All Star 5K,” is also partially funded by the authority. On July 8 at 8 p.m., participants will cross the PortMiami bridge to reach Bayfront Park. On Sunday, July 9, the authority will be a sponsor of All-Star Zumba in Bayfront Park at 9:30 a.m. and the All-Star Gala at the Pérez Art Museum Miami from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. It is also a sponsor of the Red Carpet Show and Parade on July 11 at 12:30 p.m. The parade will kick off at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel and continue to the AmericanAirlines Arena. By July 1, the authority expects to have furnished to 18 host hotels, 15 of which are downtown, brochures to guide visitors to restaurants, shopping, museums and other attractions. They are to be placed in each guest room and at the concierge counter. The Downtown Ambassadors will also be on the streets daily to help provide directions and answer any questions visitors may have, an authority spokesperson said.

FLAGLER SEEKS OWN BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT ...

GERMAN AMERICAN BUSINESS CHAMBER PICKS BROWARD ...

SEATS FILL FAST FOR RETURN OF EL AL’S MIAMI FLIGHTS ...

GROVE PLAYHOUSE FIGHT ENTERS COMMISSION CHAMBER ...

VIEWPOINT: MAYOR STICKS NECK OUT ON 836 EXTENSION ...

COMMISSION OUT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROBE LOOP ...

TOP COMPANY NAMED TO RUN COUNTY’S AIRPORT HOTEL ...

MIXED-USE GROVE BAYFRONT PROJECT TO START IN JULY ...

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

MIAMI TODAY

Seats filling fast as EL AL prepares to return to Miami By Camila Cepero

As ELAL Israel Airlines prepares to celebrate what is perhaps the most anticipated passenger airline launch of 2017 at Miami International Airport, airline officials are excitedly witnessing seats beginning to fill fast with passengers from all walks of life. The big day is Nov. 1, when the airline will see the first of its three weekly nonstop flights to Tel Aviv take off. Miami InternationalAirport is the sixth destination in North America for the airline and has been courting the airline since at least early 2016. The flights will be serviced by a Boeing 777, part of a family of the world’s largest twinjets, and accommodate 280 people. Full class service will be offered – First Class, Business Class, Economy Plus, and Economy Class – and passengers will have their choice among 20 kosher meals, which they can pre-select online prior to their flight. The airline will also build a premium service lounge in Miami International, similar to other EL

Starting Nov. 1, EL AL will make three weekly nonstop trips between Miami and Tel Aviv via a Boeing 777.

AL lounges around the world which host passengers flying in the premium classes and some Matmid Frequent Flyer Club members as well as members of the airline’s King David Club. The airline is currently waiving the one-time $25 enrollment fee for its Matmid Frequent Flyer Club in the US. Come November, Miami will be the only destination in Florida and in the Southeast US with non-stop service to Tel Aviv. And the journey begins long before customers set foot in Israel, said Yoram Elgrabli, managing director of EL AL Israel Airlines, North and Central America.

“When you’re entering the plane in Florida, you’re going to feel like you’re already in Israel thanks to the ambience on the plane – the food, the wine, the entertainment, the flight attendants and pilots, with everything in Hebrew and English.” Flights will depart from Miami to Tel Aviv at 11 p.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Return flights to Miami will depart Tel Aviv at midnight Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The airline previously offered the same route before canceling service in September 2008. “We’re proud to come back to Miami and are very happy and excited about opening this route,”

Mr. Elgrabli said. “We know that we have a lot demand.” “We’re looking forward to having the Hispanic community on the flights, we have the Jewish community, the Israeli community, business people with business in Israel, and Israelis that come do business in Miami.” Mr. Elgrabli is also excited about using the Miami hub as a way of connecting to South America. “We know we have demands from Brazil, from Argentina, from all of Latin America,” he said. “And not only in regards to the traffic that originates there, but also with Israelis that would love to do business there.” “We would love to encourage

pilgrims to visit Israel from all of the Christian segments, whether it is Evangelists, Catholics, Protestants, etc. We are already doing well with them, and they are flying to Israel via New York, so people are looking forward to having this route open.” Airline officials are “strongly considering” creating cruise packages in the future to tap into Miami’s cruise industry. As for Israelis, Mr. Elgrabli said, they love Orlando for its attractions and Miami for its shopping opportunities. “Israelis love shopping – they will shop until they drop,” he said, “so I think we have a product that will be popular both in Israel and Miami.” “There are many valuable segments that we are looking forward to and we’re already seeing now those kinds of segments in the bookings.” Typically, flights go up for sale one year in advance of flying dates, but EL AL was “so confident about the market and the demand,” Mr. Elgrabli said, that they opened bookings just last month, on May 15. Currently, the airline is offering a $999 promotional fare for roundtrip non-stop Miami-Tel Aviv flights.

Latin mayors exit bearing Miami’s visitor wisdom By Camila Cepero

“Tourism is everyone’s business.” That was the wisdom William D. Talbert III, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, imparted on attendees at last week’s Inter-American Conference of Mayors and Local Authorities. The conference, initiated in Miami in 1996, is the oldest and largest annual gathering of local officials from throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Speaking at a panel regarding the use of tourism as an agent for

sustainable economic development, Mr. Talbert said that last year alone, Miami welcomed over 16 million overnight visitors who spent roughly $25 billion. “What makes Miami so special?” Mr. Talbert asked the audience. For one, he said, it’s easy to get to. Miami International Airport is among one the busiest airports in the world with over 100 airlines – and new ones consistently added – serving about 150 destinations around the world. Secondly, it’s the “cruise capital of the world,” Mr. Talbert said.

According to official numbers, PortMiami saw 972 cruise ships dock last year alone, accounting for 4,980,490 cruise passengers travelling on 42 cruise ships across 18 cruise lines. According to Mr. Talbert, 5% to 7%, or 750,000-800,000, of annual visitors to Miami come to the city to embark on a cruise. “Tourism is Miami’s No. 1 industry,” Mr. Talbert said. “It’s not a zero-sum game either,” he said. “We like diversification.” And, because tourism is our “No.1 business, we need to be building the infrastructure to sup-

port it,” he said, alluding to the new construction on the Miami Beach Convention Center. Furthermore, Miami offers tourists experiences like the Pérez Art Museum Miami, the new Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science and two national parks – Biscayne National Park and Everglades National Park. “But we don’t take anything for granted,” Mr. Talbert told about 100 attendees. “We get better every day.” As for advice for other cities around the world looking to up their tourism game, Mr. Talbert said they should “invest in sales

Bill Talbert: everybody’s business.

and marketing, always be clean and safe, and promote what makes your location special.”

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For information, contact Janine O. Carro at EWM Realty International's Coral Gables-South Miami office, by telephone at 786.586.6958, or by email at carro.j@ewm.com.

MIAMI TODAY

VIEWPOINT

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

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

Mayor gutsy in sticking his neck out for 836 extension As road commutes take longer each day yet new mass transit drifts farther and farther off into the unfunded future, Mayor Carlos Giménez has taken the tough but logical step o f a s k i n g Michael Lewis Miami-Dade commissioners to override a vote to roadblock a new expressway link from West Kendall into downtown. The extension of 836 for a 15-mile curve west and then into South Dade – an extension to be funded not by taxpayers but by tollpayers on five roadways run by the state-authorized Miami-Dade Expressway Authority – seems like a godsend to weary motorists who drive two hours or more to downtown Miami jobs. Unlike the county’s Transportation Planning Organization and the county itself, the expressway authority says it has revenues to repay borrowing and interest to be able to build the expressway, easing the pressure of daily traffic growth until – and if – rail can push into that area and cash can be found to operate that transit at capacity. But a county commission committee

voted 3-2 last week against allowing the expressway authority to go ahead because some of the road would be west of the Urban Development Boundary that denies intense developments in environmentally sensitive areas. While the highway itself wouldn’t push the boundary west, environmentalists and others worry that if the roadway was there, commissioners wouldn’t resist pressures to then bend the development boundary to allow intense uses where they don’t belong. That legitimate concern must not be the final word. If the majority of 13 commissioners vote against extending an expressway that everyone realizes is vital to this county, they will be saying that they and their colleagues wouldn’t have enough self-control to resist lobbyists who would entreat them to push urban development into ecologically sensitive areas around a new expressway. That puts the burden on commissioners not to deny vital transportation yet to bar unwarranted development. Don’t commissioners think they can muster that strength? The mayor thus is right to ask them to reconsider and allow an expressway that could in fact do minimal damage in spots in order to make hundreds of thousands of lives better every day by speeding traffic not only on the exten-

sion of 836 but, by removing tens of thousands of cars, easing travel on the Palmetto Expressway and South Dixie Highway as well. It’s a tradeoff. An expressway, no matter how carefully built, as it must be, is not pristine nature. And if we hadn’t developed this county far from the urban core as we have, our natural environment would no doubt be better than it is today. But not using offered toll money – again, at no cost to anyone but expressway users – to begin today to alleviate rapidly worsening congestion because we would rather wait until we can find enough money and a non-existent right-of-way to build a rail line is a bad bargain, even if nature might be left a bit greener. Even if we could afford rail, we’d have to find other money to run it. Note that this month the county cut bus and rail runs by $24 million because it vastly overestimated fare income. So where is the source to keep new rail running even if we could build it? Like the three commissioners who voted against the gift highway, we’d prefer rail. It’s better ecologically. Unfortunately, we don’t have money to build it or operate it and there’s no timetable for when we will find the money. County officials must continue pushing for six rail corridors that would give

the county a complete transit network. It’s vital. But even if rail linked West Kendall to downtown Miami today, we’d still need the proposed expressway, just as we need Dixie Highway running parallel to Metrorail from Dadeland to downtown today. Rail and cars are not mutually exclusive. Truth is, we need every bit of mobility as soon as we can get it. So Mayor Giménez is on the mark in supporting an expressway extension – one funded outside of the county’s budget – even as he supports both the SMART plan for mass transit and preservation of our ecological patrimony. Effective governing requires hard choices to balance competing interests. The extension west and then south of 836 is guaranteed to improve hundreds of thousands of lives and become an economic engine in southwest MiamiDade without doing untoward harm in other ways. The mayor will run afoul of absolutists pushing for only mass transit and others who say any environmental impact is unthinkable. His position, however, requires the wisdom and courage to find middle roads that provide the most collective benefit while doing the least harm. An 836 extension funded by the expressway authority wins on both scores.

will probably be the most used crossroad in Florida. The expressway authority is also contributing $200 million to the new Florida Department of Transportation I-395/SR 836 redo in downtown Miami. In addition, the authority partnered with the state transportation department to redo the entrance and connectors to Miami International Airport. All of these were good neighbor contributions. This community decided 35 years ago that the future was to be in transit and not highways. Today this failed logic continues to plague us. Transit is currently a mess, including Metrorail. And without MDX, our congested highways would be even worse. Since MDX was created 21 years ago, with the exception of the I-95, I-75 tolled express lanes, the Florida Department of Transportation-District 6 has not done one major highway project without MDX money. Mobility means much more than moving people. MDX is moving goods to and through our airports, seaport, warehouseconsolidation-logistics areas (Doral, Hialeah, Medley), which do not move on transit systems. Connecting MIA-Port Miami-Doral-Opa-locka Airport is just as important as connecting Miami Beach to Florida International University and Aventura. In our economy, commerce is an equal economic engine to tourism. Highways, not transit, move both. Do we need all these new highways? It depends on how you see the future. All those highways, with express lanes, will make for an interconnected Bus Express Rapid Transit (BERT) system that is not only affordable, sustainable, with new technology, but opening the way for the

inevitable future of Electric Autonomous Vehicles (EAV) that will be the prevalent transportation system by 2030. This will include EAV buses of all sizes that will solve the first/last mile problem, connect to Metrorail and the new BERT system. We can afford BERT, four times cheaper than trains, especially when there will be scant federal and state monies available. Following its 2040 master plan, MDX is constructing a network of express technology lanes to not only provide urban mobility but to prepare for the soon-arriving EAVs that will include Electric Autonomous Buses. Multimodal transportation hubs in our interconnected highway systems will be the wheel and spokes linked to the existing, greatly underused, 25-mile Metrorail. Coupling of the SMART Plan with MDX’s 2040 master plan can work. We can do both, but with express buses, not trains.

A strategic transportation plan for Miami-Dade County In 2016 the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority released its important Strategic Master Plan 2040, based on the future creation of multi-modal transportation hubs and corridors. That plan has been absorbed into the Miami-Dade Maurice Ferré County Transportation Planning Organization’s SMART Plan. The result could be an affordable, doable strategic transit plan for MiamiDade County in the near future. The expressway authority (MDX), which has been an agency of Florida for 21 years, has also closed the toll highway system, where it now gets 100% payment from all users. In 2007 MDX extended SR 836 (Dolphin Expressway) to 137th Avenue, the first extension of any expressway in the county in 20 years. This extension reduced travel time for West Dade residents by 50%. MDX is currently extending SR 874 (Don Shula Expressway) to cross the Homestead Extension of the Florida Turnpike (HEFT) to serve the Miami Executive Airport and West Kendall area. MDX is also reconstructing SR 836, initially opened in 1965. MDX will also upgrade SR 112, first opened in 1961, and extend the Gratigny Parkway, west and east, to go from I-95, past the Palmetto Expressway (SR 826) to Okeechobee Road, opening up the Opa-locka Airport area to growth. Thus, MDX will help better connect all three commercial airports in the county. The 2040 plan includes extending SR 836 12 miles from its current terminus at

The Writer

Maurice A. Ferré has been a member of the Florida Transportation Commission since 2011. He was mayor of Miami from 1973-1985, a Miami-Dade County commissioner from 1993-1996, a MiamiDade Expressway Authority board member from 2005-2017 and a county Transportation Planning Organization board member from 2011-2017. 137th Avenue, moving southwest towards Southwest 136th Street to serve the vast West Kendall area. Secondly, the extension of SR 112 west from LeJeune along the northern end of Miami International Airport to connect with the 25th Street Viaduct will go into Doral and then on to the HEFT (at 117th Avenue). Thirdly, MDX has on its future wish list the old Douglas/LeJeune (former Sunshine Parkway), which has been in the planning stage for 25 years. This would give the county a much-needed additional north-south relief highway direct from Miami International to the Opa-locka area and the Florida Turnpike. Those three toll roads would greatly improve mobility for those of us who get around in vehicles in Miami-Dade (96%), including 2.7 million residents, 14 million tourists, and 200,000 daily commuters from Broward and Palm Beach counties. While the expressway authority continues expanding these toll highways it has also been a good friend to both the state and county. Without its contribution of $200 million, the important $560 million SR 836-SR 826 interchange (at Palmetto) would not have been scheduled for 17 years. By 2030 that intersection

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MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

Parking authority itching to get into no-parking soccer game By John Charles Robbins

A planned 25,000-seat soccer stadium in Miami with no on-site parking remains a hot topic for those in charge of the city’s vast parking inventory. While the Miami Parking Authority – under the control of the Off-Street Parking Board – plans no formal role in the stadium project, the agency stands ready to assist if asked, said Authority CEO Art Noriega. When board members asked for his thoughts on the stadium proposal, Mr. Noriega made several points. The development group is on record that it will be limiting the number of events at the stadium, and there is no way it will be paying to build a parking garage for the facility, he said. The group intends to utilize existing parking lots and garages in the city, and expects to spend substantially to improve streets and sidewalks in, around and leading to the stadium, Mr. Noriega said. David Beckham’s group, Miami Beckham United, recently garnered a vital supportive vote from Miami-Dade commissioners, approving the sale of county land for the privately-funded facility. The move advances the Beckham group’s plan to construct the Major League Soccer stadium at

‘Get ahead of it?’ Marlon Hill asks.

650 NW Eighth St. in Overtown. One day after that county vote, the parking board discussed the stadium. Board member Marlon Hill said he’s been intently following the progress, in light of the plan for no on-site parking, and he asked Mr. Noriega if the authority should “get ahead of it” or monitor the project. “It is entirely a soccer enterprise decision,” Mr. Noriega said. The group will dramatically improve the streets and sidewalks, “invest in infrastructure … and create park and walk opportunities,” he said. Mr. Noriega said he’s had a lot of conversation with David Beckham’s group about the planned stadium. For soccer fans, “it’s a very walkable sport,” he said. Since announcing the Overtown site and

SOUTHEAST OVERTOWN/PARK WEST COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY PLEASE ALL TAKE NOTICE that the Board of Commissioners Meeting of the Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency (SEOPW CRA) is scheduled to take place on Monday, June 26, 2017 at 5:00 p.m., at Camillus House, 1603 NW 7th Avenue, Building B, Miami Florida, 33136. All interested persons are invited to attend. For more information please contact the SEOPW CRA office at (305) 679-6800. #28773

Clarence E. Woods III, Executive Director Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency

Working together.

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its plan for no on-site parking, the group has promoted the tradition of walking to the game. “It’s done in Europe and South America,” Mr. Noriega told the parking board. Mr. Noriega said “the reality of economics” is also a factor. He said the group says it will limit the stadium to 30 to 40 events a year. The Beckham group intends to “activate existing inventory,” he said, with one of the most likely locations being the county-owned garage at 701 NW First Court known as Overtown Transit Village. It’s empty and vacant at night, Mr. Noriega told the board, and it’s closed weekends. That facility is about five blocks due east of the stadium site and has about 886 spaces. In one of its presentations on the planned stadium, the developer said it’s about a 10-minute walk. To the north of the stadium site is the Culmer Metrorail Station, about a 4½-minute walk, the developer says. The developer’s presentation also identifies two other nearby transit stations and other parking facilities. After buying the bulk of the Overtown site, Miami Beckham United said it was taking a responsible approach to planning by engaging the community,

Arthur Noriega has huddled a lot.

emphasizing the location’s access to public transit and prioritizing walkability. The stadium site is within walking distance of downtown Miami, the group said, and just two blocks from the Miami River. Water taxis have been touted as one way to get to and from the stadium. “The Culmer Metrorail Station is three blocks away, 7,000 parking spaces are within a 10-minute walk, and All Aboard Florida’s new rail terminal is within a half-mile, ensuring fans will have several options for arriving and departing on game day,” the group said. In a presentation to the community, the group put forth what it calls a comprehensive traffic management plan that includes: Maximize existing parking supply; minimize day-of-game traffic impact by accessing the existing

parking infrastructure in and around the site; encourage fans to ride public transportation through ticket bundles and financial incentives to ride public transit, car pool and walk to the stadium. The group has also said it’s willing to secure parking for at least 2,000 vehicles for stadium event days in garages or other public parking lots in the Civic Center or downtown Miami and a shuttle from the garages. Speaking of the off-site parking opportunities and encouraging public transit use by soccer fans, Mr. Noriega said the key will be promotion on the part of Miami Beckham United. He said he has extended an openended offer to the Beckham group for the authority to be a resource as it moves forward with building the stadium. It wasn’t the first parking board discussion of the stadium. In March 2016, board member Stephen Nostrand suggested staff get involved in stadium talks and said if the Beckham group builds a major sports venue with zero parking it would be a “disaster.” Ultimately, a decision on a stadium with no parking is up to city planning and zoning officials and perhaps city commissioners. The Beckham group expects to begin talks with city officials in about six months.

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TODAY’S NEWS

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

Commissioners seek full details of affordable housing probe By Susan Danseyar

Miami-Dade’s administration will work with county commissioners and keep them informed about a federal inquiry into developers working on county-financed affordable housing projects. County Attorney Abigail PriceWilliams said Tuesday she’s not in a position to say anything about a subpoena that’s been issued for documents and records of affordablehousing projects funded with public money. “We will work with you all to respond to the subpoena,” she said during the commission discussion that Vice Chair Audrey Edmonson requested after reading an article in the Miami Herald last week. “We’re being watched by the feds and their attorneys, but I want to hear from the administration what they’re doing,” Ms. Edmonson said. “We’re up here as a body making decisions but information is being held from us. We were just informed by the media. I know nothing except for what I read in the newspaper.” She questioned Michael Liu, director of Miami-Dade Public Housing Agency. “Did the Miami Herald misquote you when they said you were aware of this?” Mr. Liu said his comments regarding the investigations were in regard to what’s been public knowledge and

‘We’re up here as a body making decisions but information is being held from us. We were just informed by the media.’

‘We will be working with you, should we find any issues related to implementation of projects on the books.’

‘Just two, three months ago, it was running in the community that I had requested information about a project and none of it was true.’

Audrey Edmonson

Michael Liu

Barbara Jordan

he learned about particular developers on June 14 with the subpoena. “We are monitoring all these projects very closely,” Mr. Liu said in reference to particular developers. “We will be working with you, should we find any issues related to implementation of projects on the books.” Ms. Edmonson said she believes a developer or entity of any kind is innocent until proven guilty. “I’m

not asking you to pull things from under anybody right now. “In the future, when something like this occurs, there should be some effort to come to the commission or commissioners, whatever comes first. Staff should brief us or ask us if we’d like to be briefed. It shouldn’t be done in a public arena. I would like to be briefed. We deserve to be briefed. We’re the ones who want to

vote on this.” Ms. Edmonson said she wants all developers to be treated the same as they were in the past. Mr. Liu said all the developers will be treated fairly and the same as in the past. “Going forward, we are going to monitor all of our projects extremely close and will keep you informed of any concerns. At this point, we have no clear or general

indication of what the potential issues might be but our concerns are the same as yours – that all of the developers work in a fashion we can be proud of.” Commissioner Barbara Jordan said she was out of town until Monday and heard about the newspaper article but had not yet read it. “Just two, three months ago, it was running in the community that I had requested information about a project and none of it was true,” Ms. Jordan said. “I wanted my GOB (General Obligation Bond) funds to be reviewed for my projects. Because of the gains others can make, it appeared I was having another project investigated. Other developers throw names out there. “ Ms. Jordan said she had used $10 million allocated to her for affordable housing for two housing projects, one of which was named in a media report. “I would not use anonymous sources in the Miami Herald as true,” she said. Commissioner Bruno Barreiro said he welcomes all investigations. “I hope all the developers cooperate and turn over information as soon as possible,” he said. “The only request I would make is they do it promptly. We need to do this quickly because people are in need of housing. We look forward to a thorough investigation.”

Appeal of Grove Playhouse decision reaches commissioners By John Charles Robbins

The fight to save the Coconut Grove Playhouse ends up in the lap of Miami city commissioners this week, as preservationists try to reverse a decision allowing a partial demolition of the cavernous and aging structure. On the commission’s agenda today (6/22) is an appeal of the city’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board’s granting an application for a special certificate of appropriateness for the partial demolition of the structure, the reconstruction of a theater, and the new construction of a public parking garage with residential units at the individually designated historic site known as the Coconut Grove Playhouse. The famous venue at 3500 Main Highway in the Grove has been closed for more than a decade, as state, county and city officials debated its fate. The certificate of appropriateness was sought by Miami-Dade County, which controls the property as a co-lessee with Florida International University and is advancing its redevelopment plan for the property. The redevelopment plan would basically save and restore the front of the theater, demolish the larger auditorium and build a new 300seat theater. The historic and preservation board granted conditional approval of the special certificate of appropriateness April 4. Residents Barbara Lange and Katrina Moss appealed that decision. The county deemed the board’s April 4 vote as approval of the master plan concept. This approval provides the framework for the design team to continue to develop the plans that

Big-name performers frequently appeared at the Coconut Grove Playhouse. A member of Miami’s mounted patrol is astride his horse at a February 1988 performance of “The Rink” starring Lainie Kazan.

will allow restoration of the front building to the 1927 design by noted architects Richard Kiehnel and J.B. Elliott, and development of the new 300-seat theater with supporting amenities, county officials said. Once drawings are further developed, the team plans to return to the board to request a certificate of appropriateness for the building components. The grandiose 90-year-old playhouse has sat vacant and deteriorating since it shut down in 2006 after financial woes strapped the group in charge. It is owned by the state. The property is now under control of the county in a long-term agreement with FIU, and a key player is Michael Spring, direc-

tor of the county’s Department of Cultural Affairs. Plans to resuscitate the stateowned theater began to come together in 2013 when the county announced an agreement with the university. The state approved FIU’s business plan, which allows the university – in partnership with the county – to have a 50-year lease of the theater, with a possibility of two 25-year renewals. The long-term lease was signed in October 2013. In early 2014, the county announced it had met a deadline to clear up old debts and encumbrances related to the property, requirements of the state before the lease could take effect. It took a few more months for

all old debts to be handled, but in July 2014 Mr. Spring told county commissioners that all had been resolved, finally clearing the lease paperwork with the state. In April 2015, county commissioners approved allowing GableStage, a Coral Gables nonprofit, to run a 300-seat theater in the playhouse. The county hired architectural firm Arquitectonica to create a master design plan for the playhouse property. The county’s design team includes Arquitectonica and historic preservation architect Jorge Hernandez. The overall master plan includes construction of a garage, to be owned and operated by the Miami

Parking Authority. Authority CEO Art Noriega reported on the playhouse status to the city’s Off-Street Parking Board on June 7, noting the appeal was headed to city commissioners this week. “We’ll be there to support it,” Mr. Noriega said of the county’s master plan. While details of the size and scope of the garage were still being worked out between the authority and county officials, Mr. Noriega said the garage will serve the theater and the Grove, and will be lined with residences. The playhouse is a three-story Mediterranean Revival style building designed with distinctive exterior features of cornices, parapets and twisted columns. It was considered one of the most distinctive movie theaters in the US when completed in 1927. The mass of the building is arranged as two wings that hug the sidewalk, bridged by the highly ornamental entrance bay, which is canted at the junction of Main Highway and Charles Avenue. The main entrance originally had an exterior stone fountain in front of the wrought iron gates that led to the main lobby. Storefronts were housed on the ground floor, offices on the second level and apartments on the third. The comparatively unadorned auditorium chamber of the theater lies beyond the elaborate entrance, according to a county report. Significant alterations focused on reducing the size of the audience chamber to create a larger lobby/ dining space, changes in the lobby and auditorium floors and the addition of a mezzanine level to the theater all significantly eliminated the original interior features, the report says.

MIAMI TODAY

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

Commercial Real Estate & Office Space Retail sector buzz swirling around Brickell City Centre By Catherine Lackner

When it comes to the retail sector, much of the buzz surrounds Brickell City Centre and its retail component, which opened late last year. “Drop a pin on Brickell City Centre and you can see the ripples going out, all around the Miami River,” said Robert Granda, a director of Franklin Street of Fort Lauderdale. He points to the Nexus Riverside Central mixed-use development, planned for the 2-acre site of the City of Miami’s office building at 444 SW Second Ave., for which a deal has yet to be made with the city. The $465 million project would add 1,500 new housing units and 30,000 square feet of retail, he said. “It used to be that Miami Beach was where you wanted to be, but now Brickell, downtown, Wynwood and the Design District are the epicenter,” Mr. Granda said. “What’s happening is a testament to Swire’s vision,” he said. “The market was calling for change in Brickell and downtown, and Swire decided to do it” and began construction in the middle of a recession, he said. “The rest of the city has caught up, and now, All Aboard Florida is going to be right in the heart of it. If developers wait for the cities, they’ll wait forever.” Coconut Grove, he said, is due for a revival, with the delivery of several new condominium buildings and the planned partial demolition, and subsequent rebuilding, of CocoWalk. It will

Photo by John Charles Robbins

Brickell City Centre is a new retail epicenter, as others follow suit.

provide the kind of walkable, experience-driven venue that consumers want, especially millennials, he said. “The infrastructure and the transportation are there, and those are the economic drivers in those markets.

“Mixed use is the future, and it has everything to do with the next generation and the change in consumer behavior,” he said. “They want a localized concept; food halls are a thing. They want to support local chefs. Little

concepts are going to thrive, and it will be the experience at the venue – and how that plays on social media – that drives the change,” he said. “We haven’t even seen yet what Miami is capable of,” Mr. Granda said. “In 10 years it will look totally different. People will see us as they see Manhattan and Los Angeles.” “My office is in Coconut Grove, and we’re in the midst of a repositioning,” said Jason Shapiro, managing director of the Aztec Group. “We’re about halfway there,” with the openings of Harry’s Pizzeria and Glass & Vine, a new restaurant on McFarlane Road, as well as new retail along Main Highway. There’s talk that part of CocoWalk will be office space, furthering the live/work/play model, he said. “Brickell City Centre is the linchpin,” he said. “You’re going to see development going west to Little Havana. People will come to Brickell City Centre to check it out, and they’ll start looking around. “Gentrification first comes with bars and restaurants,” of which the Swire project has many. “People come into an area for the attractions, and they want to linger. They want to do their shopping there, and they notice the real estate,” Mr. Shapiro said. “Rents will rise, causing expansion further west, and there will even be new residential once you have people showing interest.” Development is also pushing northward, into Little River, El

Portal and the Upper East Side. He points to The Citadel, at 8300 NE Second Ave., a multipurpose space featuring a food hall with a handful of restaurants, pop-up vendors and coworking space for creative types. “Northeast Second Avenue is a good path for new retail, with a good demographic,” he said. There’s also interest in development along transit lines. CocoWalk and Sunset Place are now under the same ownership, Mr. Shapiro said. “Sunset Place has announced some changes in the tenant mix. As you go further south along US 1 to Southwest 144th Street, the unanchored shopping centers on the east side of the street are going through a transition. Rents are increasing quite a bit,” some to $60 per square foot, triple net, he said. “You have a great demographic on the east,” in addition to the Metrorail line. “You can live east and get on the train to go to work.” “The best retailers are focusing on their omni-channel presence,” said Eric Rapkin, a partner in the Akerman law firm who specializes in commercial real estate, via email. “It’s not bricks versus clicks, it’s bricks and clicks. From both a landlord perspective and a tenant perspective, the types of retailers that will bring shoppers to a project are what will drive development and leasing decisions,” he said. “So, for example, we’re seeing restaurant and entertainmenttype retail being in demand, the buzzword these days being ‘experiential.’ ”

Stores and eateries continue to open in Swire’s City Centre By John Charles Robbins

Brickell City Centre’s sweeping shopping center offers three levels of diverse commercial offerings, from the newly opened Apple store to a luxury movie theater called CMX and beyond. Swire Properties Inc., along with retail co-developers Whitman Family Development and Simon Property Group, have lined up an impressive collection of retailers and eateries at 701 S Miami Ave. The 500,000-square-foot shopping center opened in November and has steadily seen new shops opening since. Two weeks ago, Swire Properties’ president and head of US operations, Kieran Bowers, said 57% of the retail component is open. By the time apparel giant Zara opens its doors in November that number will jump to 80%, Mr. Bowers said. The jewel on this crown is the $30 million Climate Ribbon, an impressive mix of art and science, say the develop-

ers. The elevated trellis spans 150,000 square feet, connecting the project’s three city blocks and acting as an environmental management system. Recent retail debuts at the shopping center include: ■Drybar, open daily on Level 3. Drybar is a blow dry bar specializing in just blowouts, no cuts, no color. It also offers professional hair care products and styling tools. This Cali import offers a quick-fix menu of hairstyles, up-dos and braids, according to its website. ■L’Erbolario, open daily on Level 3. The shop offers cosmetics for natural beauty. L’Erbolario offers a range of cosmetics and skin care products that are family-founded, naturally-sourced, eco-friendly and exquisitely packaged, the website says. ■STITCHED, open daily on Level 1. A clothing store for men offering suits, shirts, shoes and accessories. Each season, STITCHED creates a one-ofa-kind ready-to-wear XXXX collection, while curating col-

Photo by John Charles Robbins

CMX, on the center’s fourth level, is the first US venture for Cinemex.

lections from influential brands. ■Tommy Bahama, open daily on Level 2. Tommy Bahama is a Seattle-based manufacturer of casual men’s and women’s sportswear and activewear, denim, swimwear, accessories,

footwear and more. ■Vilebrequin, open daily on Level 2. A French brand, Vilebrequin specializes in swimwear and ready-to-wear for men and women. The website says you too can channel the quintes-

sential St Tropez look with this expanded, iconic collection of swimmers, tees and dresses. CMX is on Level 4. The nearly 36,000-squarefoot dine-in cinema is the first US venue for Mexico Citybased Cinemex. The Apple store, on Level 2, is proving a major draw of younger customers to the shopping center, said Mr. Bowers. The bright and airy store offers all of the latest tech from Apple, from laptops to iPhones to Apple Watches. The store also offers free workshops, a Business Team that finds solutions for companies, and a Genius Bar for face-to-face support. Brickell City Centre is a landmark $1.05 billion, 4.9-million-square-foot mixed-use development. The first phase includes the luxury and premium shopping center, two residential towers, a hotel with residences, and two mid-rise office towers. Phase II is scheduled to begin by year’s end, fronting Brickell Avenue.

MIAMI TODAY

COMMERCIAL & OFFICE SPACE

WEEK OF THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

Overtown proposals on runway By Catherine Lackner

The Grove Bay Hospitality Group says it intends to transform Grove waterfront into a great destination for dining and retail at The Harbour.

Mixed-use Grove bayfront project to start in July By John Charles Robbins

The next major project to sink millions of dollars of new investment into the Coconut Grove waterfront is expected to begin next month. The long-awaited construction of a mixeduse development called The Harbour is scheduled to commence in July. That’s the latest word from Ignacio GarciaMenocal, co-founder and CEO of Grove Bay Hospitality Group. Mr. Garcia-Menocal told Miami Today the work will begin in July and major construction should be finished by the end of 2018. A companion project to build a municipal parking garage is already under way, Mr. Garcia-Menocal said, with site preparation work progressing just off Pan American Drive. Grove Bay Hospitality Group says it intends to transform the Grove waterfront into a great destination for dining and retail. The Harbour is to include two upscale chefdriven restaurants, an expansive and elevated indoor/outdoor event space overlooking the bay, a casual outdoor restaurant with an entertainment area, a marina with 400 boat slips, a

public baywalk with new floating docks and finger piers, retail shops geared to serve the marine community and local neighborhood needs, and a public mini-park. The plan is to remake the waterfront in an area that for years was home to Scotty’s Landing and the Chart House restaurants. In summer 2013, the Miami City Commission agreed to lease about 7 waterfront acres to Grove Bay Investment Group LLC for $1.8 million a year upon completion, and about $17.9 million of privately-funded improvements to redevelop a marina, construct restaurants, improve the baywalk, fund part of the garage and make other improvements. City voters approved the plan in November 2013. Litigation stalled the project for more than two years. The public-private project to redevelop the city-owned waterfront north and east of City Hall includes the realignment of Charthouse Drive to open up views of Biscayne Bay. A major component of The Harbour will be Grove Bay Garage, built and operated by the Miami Parking Authority, under the control of the city’s Off-Street Parking Board.

The Grove Bay group is contributing $4 million toward construction of the garage, which has a total price tag of about $8 million, according to the authority. The public parking facility is being redesigned, after bids came in more than double what was expected. One major change will lower it from three levels to two, according to Authority CEO Art Noriega, in comments to the parking board in April. But even with one less level, Mr. Noriega said, interior changes should result in about the same number of parking spaces: 333. The garage will be framed by ground floor retail spaces. The parking board approved hiring RH Engineering Group Inc. for project management in April. Design and architectural work on the garage is from Wolfberg Alvarez & Partners. The parking board, on a separate contract, hired KVC Constructors Inc. for site clearing, demolition, cutting and excavation, as well as protecting all trees on the site, and relocation of a water main.

The Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is mulling ideas in preparation for requesting new proposals for the 3.5-acre Block 55, which runs from Northwest Second to Third avenues and from Northwest Sixth and Seventh streets, said Neil Shiver, CRA assistant director. A date to release the new request for proposals hasn’t been announced. In 2014, the agency was in negotiations, which eventually broke down, for Overtown Gateway, a project of developer R. Donahue Peebles and local partner Barron Channer that would have put two 22-story towers at 249 NW Sixth St. Plans called for 250 to 300 workforce rental apartments, as well as other elements. “We never entered into a development agreement with them,” Mr. Shiver said. “We were experiencing some problems at the time and it was decided to cease negotiations and ask the board of directors to pull it back. We haven’t issued another RFP. “We are discussing among ourselves ways that we could revise the RFP requirements,” he said. “The market has changed, and the economy has changed.” The block sits adjacent to Poinciana Village, a 64-unit condominium at 269 NW Seventh St. that was built in 1990. “We think it is among the most interesting, and possibly the most valuable, blocks in Overtown,” Mr. Shiver said. “We want to do something really special there, and get the very best product for the community.”

Gables inks public safety land swap By Catherine Lackner

With a desirable piece of property in its pocket, Coral Gables is set to move forward with the construction of a new public safety building on Salzedo Street between Alcazar and Minorca avenues. It will replace the present police, fire, and emergency services building at 2801 Salzedo St., which city staff members say is obsolete and would be too costly to renovate. In 2015, the city commission agreed that the building should be demolished and a new site found for a more modern facility. City parking lot No. 6, an Lshaped parcel with 104 spaces, was chosen as the new site. The city wanted to add the vacant lot adjoining it and approached owner Codina Partners with a deal: the city would exchange 63,000 square feet of land beneath the current public safety headquarters for Codina Partners’ 35,000-square-foot parcel. “The city closed on the landswap deal on June 7,” said Leonard Roberts, city assistant director of economic development. “The city has taken ownership of the Codina site, and

‘This will allow us to build a better – not just bigger – public safety building that will give us an improved response time.’ Cathy SwansonRivenbark in approximately three years, Codina will take ownership of existing public safety building and provide a cash payment to the city of $5.2 million.” “This process has been deliberative and detailed,” City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark told the commission in January.

“This will allow us to build a better – not just bigger – public safety building that will give us an improved response time” to the North Ponce area and Little Gables, should it be annexed to Coral Gables. The North Ponce corridor is experiencing an uptick in development, she added. “This will allow us to square off the lot and add additional parking,” Ms. Swanson-Rivenbark said then. “We can’t strip parking away from that neighborhood.” It would also allow for about 16,000 square feet of office and retail space to be added. The value per square foot of the parcels is equal, at $185, Mr. Roberts has said. The swap offers many benefits to the city, and would allow the prominent local developer to fulfill its commitment to the investor, he said. The new public safety building is expected to cost about $37 million to construct, he said, which will be funded partially in cash, with the balance coming from bond sales. Part of the cash would come from a slight citywide parking fee increase, which would not kick in until the Miracle Mile and Giralda Avenue streetscape project is done, city officials have said.

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

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