Stop destroying the Grove
Someone made this comment on another post:
"I don't agree with the statement that the City of Miami is growing and therefore Coconut Grove must change too. That is a lot of hogwash. Zoning laws are supposed to be protecting us from that."
I have to agree. Every time I post something about leaving the Grove alone, I am put down for being against progress and wanting to live in the old days. I am so glad other cities agree with me or we wouldn't have Colonial Williamsburg, Colonial Boston and Philadelphia, Greenwich Village in NYC, the French Quarter in New Orleans, practically all of New England, St. Augustine, and even parts of Key West. And what about the Art Deco area of Sobe? They wanted to knock that down once, too.
The Grove is very popular with everyone because of its ambiance. We don't need to continue raping it and destroying it. Just because many parts of the County are overbuilt, doesn't mean the Grove has to be. If you want to live in Kendall, then move there. If you want to live on Brickell, it's a few blocks away.
"I don't agree with the statement that the City of Miami is growing and therefore Coconut Grove must change too. That is a lot of hogwash. Zoning laws are supposed to be protecting us from that."
I have to agree. Every time I post something about leaving the Grove alone, I am put down for being against progress and wanting to live in the old days. I am so glad other cities agree with me or we wouldn't have Colonial Williamsburg, Colonial Boston and Philadelphia, Greenwich Village in NYC, the French Quarter in New Orleans, practically all of New England, St. Augustine, and even parts of Key West. And what about the Art Deco area of Sobe? They wanted to knock that down once, too.
The Grove is very popular with everyone because of its ambiance. We don't need to continue raping it and destroying it. Just because many parts of the County are overbuilt, doesn't mean the Grove has to be. If you want to live in Kendall, then move there. If you want to live on Brickell, it's a few blocks away.
posted by Tom Falco at 12:53 PM
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16 Comments:
It's a noble instinct......but none of those places are the way they were as recently as twenty years ago. All have been substantially altered by the fact that the US now has 300 million residents and will have another 100 million by 2050. We can't seriously expect they will all be forced to live in the vast open spaces of Wyoming or Utah. Many will want to live in the Hot Cities like Miami. They only way to keep them out would be to price them out by artificially limiting the development of new homes…….and I mean vertical homes (condominiums). But I doubt the courts would allow that over the long haul.
Also....... I'm from Boston but have never heard of "Colonial Boston."
Ditto on "Colonial Boston". If you are talking about the old part of teh city, by Fanneuil hall, etc; it's full of new buildings and traffic is atrocious. And Greenwich Village - have you been there recently? Tons of new stores including a huge Home Depot.
I actually have an apartment in Greenwich Village and the Home Depot is in Chelsea. Not Greenwich Village.
And it is the small type store we are trying to get in the Grove. Very small, neat and clean.
Is there a reason why everyone needs to be so literal and rude here? Boston still has its old buildings, they aren't knocked down after 20 years like in Miami. That was my point.
I went to school in Boston 40 years ago. The traffic was terrible then. But Boston definitely has great old buildings. Bostonians respect great old buildings. And Bostonians respect green space. They have great parks and the Charles River has public paths on both sides. Coconut Grove should also be protected.
Im also from Beantown and have lived here for quite some time now. The post above says it best... Bostonians respect their city and green space. Overpopulation is getting out of hand and there is little being done about it. Until then, we can expect to see rapid increases in housing like the 50+ condo project going on from Brickell up to North Miami.
Planners recommend putting height and density as close as possible to the downtown core and once the downtown area is full then putting height and density along mass transit corridors. It is not smart planning to put high rises on every vacant lot developers can buy. And our waterfronts should be protected. Manny Diaz seems to see parks as opportunities to provide cheap land to his friends.
Mayor Diaz has nothing to do with the placement of buildings. And while the City Commission and City staff have recently allowed some buildings to be built (arguably) too close to adjacent single-family neighborhoods, in almost every instance the city had no real choice in the matter because the city’s Byzantine zoning code allowed it. Denying these projects would have been an empty gesture because the developers would have appealed and prevailed in court.
It was Diaz who initiated the MIAMI 21 process to rationalize this situation, correct 100 years of political neglect and bad planning and impose rational order to the zoning and development process. I am sure he would have preferred that the new code had been put in place faster but there are some things in life that can’t be rushed. Some of the best minds in the business have managed the MIAMI 21 process and they simply did not anticipate the complexity of the process. It will be completed soon and we will all benefit from the logic, sensitivity and predictability of the revised code.
At times it seems that too many people have surplus time on their hands and amuse themselves by shouting catcalls from the sidelines. That’s fine. No one in public life expects to be applauded at every turn. But some of these chronic complainers have their own selfish interests and observers need to be careful they don’t thoughtlessly accept faultfinding that is designed to advance another’s private and/or political agenda.
Ephraim Taylor makes several interesting points. He fails to point out that Manny Diaz has had many options if he had wanted to help protect neighborhoods. For example, Commissioners can deny developers requests for variances. Variances are often reuested to increase height and density or to eliminate or reduce setbacks. In the past, Commissioners approved almost every request. Manny Diaz never used his veto power to deny the variance approvals.
And perhaps most importantly, Manny Diaz could have been a leader and denied the paving of 50% of Bicentennial Park. At least 14 of the 28 acres will be paved. Two buildings will be built at a cost to taxpayers probably well in excess of $500 Mil. (Who will get those contracts?) These two buildings could easily and more properly been located further west.
Some citizens complain because the Diaz Administration gives them no chance to actually participate. Sure they can give the occasional speech, but all too often their words are ignored, their days off from work wasted and their efforts diminished.
OK.....now we are getting someplace.
Yes...maybe Diaz could have used his veto more. I suspect he hasn't to date because he was fearful the fickle development community - that had red-lined the City of Miami for 50 years - might again lose interest and the city would again fall into an economic depression. Maybe he has been too free and easy with developers, although many developers are complaining loudly about roadblocks they encounter these days in their dealings with the City. But we need to give Diaz credit for seeking investment in our city and bringing economic vibrancy back to an area that been in decline since the 1960s.
As to Bicentennial Park, less than 25% of the surface will have buildings on them. Another 25% will be landscaped and the remaining 50% will be open space. But remember, for 30 years the area has been 100% open space…..and almost totally unused except for occasional music festivals and other special events. The rest of the time it has been “used” almost entirely by drug addicts and the homeless. Say what you might about the value of art, science and history (I wasn’t a big fan of any of them in high school), for many people they are the sources of spiritual enrichment and just maybe equal in value to kite-flying, dog frisbee and the other activities that might take place in the open areas.
As to the actual positioning of the buildings in the park, the only other places the museums could be positioned would be along Biscayne Boulevard (thus blocking all views of the bay) or along the southern edge along the inlet (thus blocking that view of the water).
Who will build them? That will be entirely up to the Museum boards and Miami-Dade County, not Mayor Diaz. The city is merely contributing the land. The museums and the County will build and maintain the facilities.
As to public participation, you may be right. But remember how happy we were with Diaz at first because he wasn’t another one of those loud-mouth glad-handing always in your face boors we had grown to hate? He was smart, quiet and thoughtful. Maybe he’s too withdrawn given the public’s new-found appetite for participation. So let’s encourage him to engage the public more. But he’ll be more inclined to accept our invitation if you don’t extend it though clenched-teeth while holding a club!
In response to Mr. Taylor's comment regarding selfish interests, I don't believe I am being selfish when I try to preserve what little is left of the old Grove by trying to keep development out. True, there have been changes and big development but where does it stop? If nobody opposed projects like this Home Depot store we would be in much worse shape than we are already. Worse, we will have been put there by politicians who not only don't live in Coconut Grove but could not even begin to imagine the what we love about living here.
In mentioning "selfish interests" I wasn't speaking of homeowners with a sincere interest in preserving the stability of their neighborhoods. I was referring to those who would disingenuously inflame community passions purely to advance their personal political interests.
"In mentioning "selfish interests" I wasn't speaking of homeowners with a sincere interest in preserving the stability of their neighborhoods."
Isn't that exactly the point?
That IS the point insofar as honest people are concerned. Unfortunately the neighborhood is being mislead by someone who claims to speak for the neighborhood but who's campaign is being run by the cruds who embarrassed us all with their secret deals and bully tactics at city hall. It's so horribly dishonest! And people who've trusted this guy are in denial....
That is such a croc. What this is about is a bunch of politicians shoving development down our throats that we don't want. Anybody who opposes that is ok in my book.
But that's the point. Sarnoff CAN’T oppose development. He’s sold his soul to JOE ARRIOLA, the top buddy boy of the development world. Marc’s made a big deal about opposing one stupid project by Home Depot, a company based in Atlanta with no local political clout. Big Whup!! Wait till Arriola and his developer cronies on the board of the University of Miami, who he can’t say “NO” to, like Ed Easton (79th Street project), Jorge Perez (Civic Center project), and Stuart Miller (everywhere) step up with their next batch of massive projects!! Sarnoff will fold like an old wallet.
Well that remains to be seen. Will Haskins say "no" to Manny Diaz? I think not unless someone offers her a bottle of Grey Goose.
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