Preserving History -- Part 2
The following is a comment that was left on the Preserving History posting. This commenter is trying to say what I was trying to say, without being a bigot, like most of the other commenters.
I was not saying that we should leave the crime and grit that is in the area now and I am not even saying that WE have the right to do anything there. I am saying that the neighbors should have a say and that they don't want large structures, McMansions or anything that is not within the character of the area and by "character", I don't mean criminals, I mean architecture. And just like I think West Grove residents should stay out of the Mercy Hospital land scam, (many have made comments in favor of the greedy Related Group/Mercy project) I think most Grovites should stay out of the West Grove neighborhood and let the residents decide on their own fate.
I have never seen such hate and racism before and am appalled at the responses, but again, I think you are all ashamed, too, or you would not have all posted anonymously.
Here is the only comment that makes any sense, it was also posted anonymously, but the author should not be ashamed of his or her comments because they are the only thing that makes any sense and they do not put down an entire community as being thieves, rapists and criminals.Here it is in red:
Wow... a lot of hatred in this thread... a little scary. That said, it's an important topic that merits discussion. I happen to be a West Grove gentrifier of sorts.
I bought a little place there a few years ago, lived there for a bit, have rented it out ever since, and plan on returning in a year or so after building an addition to the property. On the one hand, I do believe that it is important to preserve much of the historical character of the area, particularly the Bahamian architecture. I also believe that it's important to give the deserving residents of that area an opportunity to stay in that neighborhood via affordable housing options. But I do not consider everyone who now resides in at neighborhood to be deserving.
The drug dealers, prostitutes, gangsters, and other criminals can go straight to hell as far as I'm concerned, and I am ecstatic at the possibility of them being displaced, gentrified, or otherwise gotten rid of. Good riddance! On the other hand, there are a lot of West Grovites (dare I say the majority) that are decent hard-working people whose only crime is not being wealthy. I have a feeling that they would be just as happy to see the criminals displaced as I would.
Gentrification is not in and of itself a bad thing. And frankly, it is a natural and inevitable phenomenon. The aim ought to be to direct gentrification in a way that preserves the neighborhood's heritage and provides opportunity for the decent homeowners of that neighborhood to remain and prosper.
I leave you with this.... Those who wish to preserve history (including myself) must be cognizant of the fact that a central tenant of history is the notion of change and evolution. History is not stagnant, places are not frozen in time, things change, and this is a natural and wonderful part of life. Change will continue to come to the West Grove. This is not a bad thing. Let's harness the change, and make it work for the betterment of the neighborhood and its deserving citizens.
I was not saying that we should leave the crime and grit that is in the area now and I am not even saying that WE have the right to do anything there. I am saying that the neighbors should have a say and that they don't want large structures, McMansions or anything that is not within the character of the area and by "character", I don't mean criminals, I mean architecture. And just like I think West Grove residents should stay out of the Mercy Hospital land scam, (many have made comments in favor of the greedy Related Group/Mercy project) I think most Grovites should stay out of the West Grove neighborhood and let the residents decide on their own fate.
I have never seen such hate and racism before and am appalled at the responses, but again, I think you are all ashamed, too, or you would not have all posted anonymously.
Here is the only comment that makes any sense, it was also posted anonymously, but the author should not be ashamed of his or her comments because they are the only thing that makes any sense and they do not put down an entire community as being thieves, rapists and criminals.Here it is in red:
Wow... a lot of hatred in this thread... a little scary. That said, it's an important topic that merits discussion. I happen to be a West Grove gentrifier of sorts.
I bought a little place there a few years ago, lived there for a bit, have rented it out ever since, and plan on returning in a year or so after building an addition to the property. On the one hand, I do believe that it is important to preserve much of the historical character of the area, particularly the Bahamian architecture. I also believe that it's important to give the deserving residents of that area an opportunity to stay in that neighborhood via affordable housing options. But I do not consider everyone who now resides in at neighborhood to be deserving.
The drug dealers, prostitutes, gangsters, and other criminals can go straight to hell as far as I'm concerned, and I am ecstatic at the possibility of them being displaced, gentrified, or otherwise gotten rid of. Good riddance! On the other hand, there are a lot of West Grovites (dare I say the majority) that are decent hard-working people whose only crime is not being wealthy. I have a feeling that they would be just as happy to see the criminals displaced as I would.
Gentrification is not in and of itself a bad thing. And frankly, it is a natural and inevitable phenomenon. The aim ought to be to direct gentrification in a way that preserves the neighborhood's heritage and provides opportunity for the decent homeowners of that neighborhood to remain and prosper.
I leave you with this.... Those who wish to preserve history (including myself) must be cognizant of the fact that a central tenant of history is the notion of change and evolution. History is not stagnant, places are not frozen in time, things change, and this is a natural and wonderful part of life. Change will continue to come to the West Grove. This is not a bad thing. Let's harness the change, and make it work for the betterment of the neighborhood and its deserving citizens.
posted by Tom Falco at 10:25 AM
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5 Comments:
Hey, I've got an idea. How about the city stop spending our money on things like studies to change our already beautiful waterfront or sending Linda Haskins to lobby a fight over the plan to lower our property taxes? It then could take that money and pay our cops a decent wage.
Here's an idea. If we got rid of property taxes, then developers would have to find other ways to sway the votes of our commissioners. If the city didn't get any property tax from the condos at Mercy, they might be able to view the project from the voter's view rather than the view of the city budget.
McMansions.
Has anyone read the proposed Miami 21 draft? Currently the height limit for a single family home is 25'. Miami 21 changes the height limit to allow homes to go up to 40' to 48'. Imagine the delight of developers eyeing not yet designated historic homes for teardowns?
Imagine every 1940's and 1950's home with monster McMansions on either side? How long would it take every home to get torn down?
Thanks for the kudos, Grapevine. I happen to be the person that posted the message, but I have been unable to log in under my username, "my_ami", so i gave up and posted it unanimously. We'll see how this one posts.
I did wnat to make one other point about the McMansion issue. I agree wholeheartedly that new construction in the Grove ought to be consistent and compatible with a neighborhood's history, context and character. I also believe however, that the West Grove is in dire need of revitalization... that much ought to be obvious as well. So the question is, how does one reconcile the two? How do you go about revitalizing an area without simultaneously destroying the historic fabric of the community? This is particularly problematic in the West Grove, where frankly, the existing context of the neighborhood, and particularly that of the small cocnh cottages and shotgun houses, is not readily compatible with the needs and lifestyles of today's families. This is a harder question than one might think. It would be great to preserve all of the neighborhood's shotgun houses, for instance. But these simple houses, at 500 sq.ft. a piece, are simply not sufficient for today's families. And yet the thought of tearing these down is not acceptable either. So what does one do?
As an owner of a couple of these little shacks, I am planning on incorporating my "shotguns" (at great expense in time and money) into a design for a larger remodel and expansion that will triple the size of the original home. Some may end up calling this a McMansion, but I would beg to differ. I am working to make the addition as compatible as possible with the original structures and neighbohood, utilizing various caribbean architecture techniques, and am trying not to maximize every setback to the fullest exten.
The home will be much larger, the shacks will lose their uber-simplicity, and I imagine that some Grovites will feel like a disservice has been done. But I would suggest that the alternative, to keep the shotguns as they are, is simply impractical.
I believe that this approach -- preservation joined with respectful renovation/additions -- could revitalize the West Grove while preserving its historic character and heritage. Of course, this only has to do with buildings, and not people, but that is a whole 'nother problem.
Peace! - My_ami
Uh, I meant "anonymously" above, not "unanimously." My bad.
Ironically, almost on a weekly basis, all these rich developers are being arrested for stealing county money earmarked for development in the poor areas.
So if you want to talk about criminals . . . .
I am just waiting for the closet door to open on that Trump wanna-be Jorge Perez.
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