Miami Today: Week of Thursday, April 12, 2018

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WEEK OF THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2018

A Singular Voice in an Evolving City

WWW.MIAMITODAYNEWS.COM $4.00

TWO STATE ROAD 836 DIVERGING DIAMOND INTERCHANGES TO DEBUT BY EARLY FALL, PG. 13 AIR TRAVEL GOES ALOFT: A 7.75% increase in international airline passengers helped Miami International Airport achieve a 6.25% total passenger gain in February from the February 2017 total. Total air passenger traffic for the month was 3,325,899 and brought the total for the calendar year’s first two months to 7,490,9878, a gain of 3.22% so far for the year from the same two months of 2017, according to figures posted by the Miami-Dade Aviation Department. For the year so far, international passengers are up 3% and domestic passengers up 3.43%.

The Achiever

By John Charles Robbins

PLAYHOUSE PARKING: The Miami Parking Authority is close to a final agreement with Miami-Dade County on its partnership for a new parking garage adjacent to a restored Coconut Grove Playhouse. That’s the word from Authority CEO Art Noriega, who on April 4 told the Off-Street Parking Board, “We are in the very, very, very final stages of finalizing our MOU (memo of understanding) with the county … we’re ready to move forward with the current plan.” The county’s approved plan calls for restoration of the historic site to include a new 300-seat theater and ancillary uses on the footprint of the large and dilapidated auditorium, and a public garage next door with residential units and retail shops. IRMA CLAIMS PILE UP: A total of 120,921 claims in Miami-Dade for insurance losses from Hurricane Irma had been filed as of Friday, with insurance companies having closed 90.1% of residential claims but just 58.2% of commercial-property claims statewide, according to information posted by the state Office of Insurance Regulation. Irma barreled up the peninsula after making landfall Sept. 10 in Cudjoe Key, less than 30 miles northeast of Key West, and making a second landfall in Collier County. More than 56% of claims statewide have been closed with some payment. Another 32% were closed without money changing hands, often because damage totals fell below hurricane deductibles. The state doesn’t release figures for individual companies. TREASURY ADDS TO LOAN FUND: The US Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund has awarded $630,000 to the Miami Bayside Foundation to spur economic growth through its loans to minority-owned businesses in the City of Miami. Using its award programs, the federal fund says, it supports financial institutions recognized for their expertise in providing service and support to low-income communities, as organizations leverage the fund’s grants to draw in new or increased sources of private funding. The Miami Bayside Foundation says it has lent more than $2.8 million to minority-owned businesses in the city, creating more than 350 jobs and providing technical assistance to more than 250 business owners.

Bo Boulenger

Photo by Cristina Sullivan

Heads operations of all Baptist hospitals, outpatient sites The profile is on Page 4

City-village lawsuit over Virginia Key may end By John Charles Robbins

A three-year-old lawsuit between the Village of Key Biscayne and the City of Miami about land uses on Virginia Key may finally be over: a settlement is on today’s (4/12) Miami City Commission agenda. A 15-page settlement draft basically limits the size and frequency of events at city-owned Miami Marine Stadium and the historic basin it fronts. Years of litigation between Key Biscayne, the City of Miami, Miami-Dade County and others was triggered in 2015 when the city announced plans for a license agreement with the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) to host the Miami International Boat Show at Marine Stadium Park. The show moved there from Miami Beach. The iconic concrete stadium has remained closed but the city agreed to sink millions into a so-called flex park surrounding it. The improvements were part of the city’s deal with the association to host the boat show, but city officials talked of other events on the improved space.

MDCcould run theater, get housing

The city was also in early stages of launching a restoration of the stadium, idled since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The main concern of Key Biscayne officials and residents was that increased use of the site would further clog the already-congested Rickenbacker Causeway, the only road to Key Biscayne. Side issues surfaced too, including potential adverse impact on the environment and damage to the island, along with concerns about the island becoming too commercialized. The proposed settlement says “the parties wish to cooperate in furtherance of the city’s conceptual plans to design and develop the civic space as open space intended for active and passive recreational uses and to manage effectively traffic congestion and other potentially adverse impacts as may affect Rickenbacker Causeway on account of events staged at the property … the parties have agreed on certain restrictions and procedures for the boat show and other events so as to manage traffic and other impacts at or affecting the property or access to it.” The proposed settlement provides, in part: The village will be notified and given op-

portunities to meet with the city and the designer to review in advance and comment on design proposals for the civic events space. The village’s role in park design is advisory; the city retains sole discretion as to the design plans. The parties agree to meet to explore improving the property as part of a park system encompassing Virginia Key and Rickenbacker Causeway with passive and active recreational amenities, compatible with the causeway’s function both as an essential access link for the village and as a desirable recreational venue itself. The city and the NMMA agree to create a comprehensive transportation plan for boat shows at the property. Working with the village and the county, the city will use its best efforts to establish maintenance of traffic plans for mid-size, large and major events at the site. The city and village may plan and cooperate with a view toward establishing a joint venture for a recreational and ball fields complex at the former Virginia Key landfill, which is under remediation. The boat show was held at the city property in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Miami commissioners are looking to Miami Dade College to run the vintage 1926 Olympia Theater downtown. Ken Russell’s resolution for the city manager to explore the idea is on tap at today’s (4/12) commission meeting. Commissioners are pursuing multiple ways to add affordable housing, and the proposal would address that too. The city owns the aging and grandiose Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts at 174 E Flagler St., which not-for-profit Olympia Center Inc. now manages. While the iconic venue continues to host concerts and other large events, it has seen better days. The theater and the residential units above haven’t had a major facelift in more than 15 years. Renewed interest in the building surfaced last year when a developer’s unsolicited proposal sought a public-private partnership to redevelop the 80 residential units and improve the theater. In the face of concerns and controversy that the offer stirred up, the developer withdrew in late October and commissioners asked the administration to study what would be needed to fix the building and to look at its future uses and management. The emphasis ought to be on historic preservation at the outset, Mr. Russell said then. The new resolution would direct City Manager Emilio González “to explore the feasibility of a potential partnership with Miami Dade College for the operation of the Olympia Theater, including housing options for MDC students.” The city would “support a capital investment in the physical structure of the theater to bring it up to acceptable standards before a final agreement with MDC,” it says. It notes MDC has successfully managed the civic and cultural programming and operations of other historic assets, including the Koubek Center and city-owned Tower Theater in Little Havana and the Freedom Tower downtown.

CITY MAY ADD WATSON ISLAND PARKING AS USERS GROW ...

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TWO SITES UNDER STUDY TO BE FIRST REVERSIBLE LANES ...

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IN BALLPARK’S SEVENTH YEAR, MIAMI MAY FINISH RETAIL ...

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‘RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED’ ON NEW COURTHOUSE ...

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VIEWPOINT: DON’T BUY COURTHOUSE PIG-IN-A-POKE DEAL ...

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FEDERAL GRANT WILL EXPAND COUNTY’S CNG BUS FLEET ...

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EDGEWATER AWAITS ART MUSEUM, PARK, SUPERMARKET ...

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MIAMI-ISRAEL TRIPS TOP EXPECTATION, EL AL ADDING ON ...

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