Miami Today: Week of Thursday, February 22, 2018

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MIAMI TODAY

TODAY’S NEWS

WEEK OF THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018

The Insider ALL ABOUT HOUSING: The City of Miami has posted a notice of a Sunshine Meeting that will serve as an informational workshop on affordable housing topics. Commissioners plan to attend the special meeting at 9 a.m. March 1 in the commission chambers at Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive. The meeting is public and will include input from experts on affordable housing. Commissioners are considering creation of a housing authority or department with a goal of generating money so the city itself can build much-needed affordable housing. COMMUNITY SUPPORTING GAS TAX: While looking at bringing back an additional two cent local gas tax to fund transit that was repealed during the recession, Commissioner Dennis Moss at the Transportation Organization’s Financial Planning Committee meeting Tuesday said that it was only repealed because commissioners were trying to placate the community. “Somebody had to take responsibility for the economy not being great,” Mr. Moss said. “The community was angry and wanted to pound a flesh and we found ourselves in that position.” He said the community would understand the gas tax now as “we are in a different place today and need a reservoir of different funding streams for transit.” P3S TO FUND SMART PLAN: To help fund the SMART plan’s six transit-oriented corridors, county Commissioner Dennis Moss said he would be looking at how public-private partnerships could reduce expansion costs. “I’d like us to craft a framework so if someone proposes something to us, we have a better idea as to how that process would more forward,” he told the Transportation Planning Organization’s Financial Planning Committee this week. Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz last year crafted similar legislation for the county to respond to unsolicited proposals. “We need to look at all A lease was held for this Marlins Park garage site until May 2016 by Café Rubio, which ultimately never of the various alternatives for funding,” Mr. Moss said. TPO Executive opened after it made $400,000 in improvements on the interior. Now Nightlife Brewing is reported to be Director Aileen Bouclé told Mr. Moss she’d bring that to the committee interested in leasing the improved space for a tapas-style restaurant to complement its microbrewery. for the next meeting in March. STREAMLINING STUDIES: Commissioner Dennis Moss said he would be looking at ways to streamline long and costly environmental studies to expedite transit expansion in Miami-Dade County: “I want to try to compress the timeline as much as possible to fast-track bringing in decisions or recommendations.” MORE THAN A DOZEN COPS: Miami city commissioners have accepted a federal grant and approved its appropriation to help fund hiring additional police. The resolution establishes a special revenue project entitled: “2017 COPS Hiring Program,” and appropriates funds consisting of a grant award from the US Department of Justice/Office of Community Oriented Policing Services for $1,875,000, with a required local match of $2,449,141, for a total cost of $4,324,141. This resulted from a grant application submitted by the city to the Department of Justice, requesting funding for 15 new officers. The amount of federal funds awarded will support the salaries and fringe benefits of the new officers. The local cash match brings the total program funding for a three-year period to $4,324,141. The city is required to retain the funded positions for at least one year after the grant ends. CORRUPTION FIGHTER: County commissioners were to vote this week on reappointing Inspector General Mary Cagle to another term that begins this month and ends when she retires from the county Oct. 31, 2020. She has been inspector general, a job that focuses on rooting out corruption, since Jan. 22, 2014. Her salary would increase 5% from the ongoing salary of $228,746.96 to $240,184.31 upon reappointment and then add a 5% merit increase on anniversary dates. Before becoming inspector general, she had been the Florida Department of Children and Families statewide director of Children’s Legal Services. Mary Cagle NEW COMMUNITY CENTER: City of Miami and county officials were on hand for the grand opening of the Community Center at Antonio Maceo Park, at 5135 NW Seventh St. The newly renovated 10,000-square-foot community center has a covered terrace, more parking and outdoor shaded areas. “The residents of Flagami are very appreciative of our county Commissioner Rebeca Sosa, who through her efforts was able to obtain funding for this expansion which will be used by our residents,” said city Commissioner Wifredo “Willy” Gort. Joining them Willy Gort were Mayor Francis Suarez and Parks and Recreation Director Kevin M. Kirwin. BIKES AND TROLLEYS: The City of Miami formally launched a free trolley route for Little Haiti on Feb. 11 after a ribbon cutting Feb. 9 at the Little Haiti Cultural Center. City officials announced the new trolley service, along with a new Citi Bike station for the area. The Little Haiti Route will run north of 36th Street and the Design District/Midtown area, south of 84th Street, west of Northeast Second Avenue and east of Northwest Second Avenue from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Service will run every 25 minutes, connecting to the city’s Biscayne and Wynwood trolley routes in the Design District and Midtown areas. Citi Bike is a solar-powered bike sharing and rental system, with bicycles provided in many locations in Miami. JAILS HEAD: Daniel Junior, who had been acting director of the MiamiDade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department for more than a year and a half, was named department director by Mayor Carlos Giménez. The mayor pointed out that the department runs the nation’s eighth-largest jail system. Mr. Junior, a St. Thomas University graduate in organizational leadership, has worked in the department since 1996. SWALE SAFETY: Sally Heyman’s county legislation creating standards to allow concrete buttons and pyramids in swale areas was deferred when Joe Martinez cited potential safety issues. Property owners maintain the county-owned swales and are routinely cited when residents park on or destroy areas adjacent to their property. The item was to protect property-owners from paying fines when neighbors destroy the swale area. At a committee meeting late last year, Transportation and Public Works Director Alice Bravo said it had never been a safety issue, but a cosmetic one. Manny Garcia, the county’s assistant director of construction and maintenance, also said there was no evidence of concrete pyramids or buttons being a safety hazard. The item was delayed until Mr. Martinez could be assured by Ms. Heyman there is no safety concern.

As seventh ballpark season opens, garages’ retail hits 75% occupancy By John Charles Robbins

There is renewed interest in leasing the retail spaces in the city-owned parking garages hugging Marlins Park in East Little Havana, and the latest tenants to sign on have brought current occupancy to 75%. Vacant space under lease negotiation, if successful, would raise occupancy to more than 84%. The positive news is included in a January activity report delivered to Miami city commissioners this month, prepared by NAI Miami. The commercial real estate agency is under contract with the city to handle leasing of the 53,281 square feet of ground floor retail. What is referred to as the Shops of Marlins Park, the retail spaces are street-front spots along Northwest Seventh Street and plaza retail wrapping around the main entry plaza to the ballpark, in three of the four garages. The Miami Parking Authority operates the garages under the direction of the city’s Off-Street Parking Board. The activity report shows brand new interest in the spaces, and current leaseholders considering additional space. The latest tenants include NightLife Brewing Co. and Casablanca at Marlins Park. The microbrewery opened in 2017 facing the main pavilion of the ballpark in the Home Plate Garage, known as P1 at 1588 NW Seventh St. Casablanca is to bring its seafood to an 8,000-square-foot space on Seventh Street. A construction update in the latest report shows Casablanca in the process of creating architectural and engineering plans for permitting of the new venture. The tenant also has locations at 404 N River Drive and 1717 N Bayshore Drive in the Miami area. The January report mentions

the prospect of a cigar and tapas bar for the 3,196-square-foot space remaining unclaimed in the Home Plate Garage. The interest is from business partners in Palm Beach County with restaurant experience, including ownership of five Zaxby’s restaurants. The partners have restaurant and entertainment venue experience, and have shown “strong interest” in the space, according to the report. The 3,196 square feet was originally leased to Café Rubio, a Latin restaurant and sports bar, but the deal fell apart and the parking board approved a termination of lease agreement in May 2016. Café Rubio never opened there, but about $400,000 worth of interior improvements were made in preparation for a restaurant use. The activity report says NightLife Brewing is also interested in leasing the 3,196-square-foot space “for a moderately priced tapas-style restaurant to complement the microbrewery.” The company’s current focus is the brewery’s start-up operation, the report says. Another current tenant, Wellmax, has signed a letter of intent to expand by about 5,000 square feet for a wellness center in the P3 garage, which sits at the southwestern corner of the ballpark property. The biggest tenant, Wellmax currently leases 14,000 square feet in the P2 garage. Wellmax Health Delivery Network LLC, a Florida company doing business as Wellmax Medical Centers, moved into the commercial space at 1422 NW Seventh St. in April 2016. The company operates a primary care medical clinic, general offices and administrative space from the P2 garage. In regard to Wellmax possibly expanding its services, the activity report says: “The revisions include utilizing a travel path

to transport clients between the two facilities through the Marlins’ controlled plaza area. The Marlins have conceptually agreed to allow Wellmax to use this path, subject to limitations during game time and major events hours.” A sublease addendum is being drafted, along with a draft letter agreement between the city and the Marlins reflecting the terms and conditions of the tenant’s use of the travel path, according to the report. The report also mentions interest from cell phone company Metro PCS in opening an expanded corporate flagship store of about 2,000 square feet in the P1 garage. Other tenants at the garages include a Subway restaurant, and Fresenius operating the Dade Dialysis Center. It has been a struggle to secure tenants for the commercial-retail space in the garages, built by the city around the county-owned stadium, which opened in 2012.

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

Phone: (305) 358-2663 Staff Writers:

Gabi Maspons gmaspons@miamitodaynews.com John Charles Robbins jrobbins@miamitodaynews.com Katya Maruri kmaruri@miamitodaynews.com Sara Marino smarino@miamitodaynews.com People Column people@miamitodaynews.com Michael Lewis mlewis@miamitodaynews.com


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Miami Today: Week of Thursday, February 22, 2018 by Miami Today - Issuu