Vizcaya Community Outreach Program
As we approach the vote of the City Commission on April 26 on the 300 Grove Bay Residence Project, it seems important to broaden the consideration of the impact of that project to the Coconut Grove and city-wide perspective. To accomplish this in an effective manner, the Special Preservation Committee of The Vizcayans will host a meeting as follows:
WHAT: Community Outreach Education Meeting
re: Coconut Grove Neighborhood Conservation District and 300 Grove Bay Residences Project
WHERE: Vizcaya Museum and Gardens -- Main House (3251 South Miami Avenue)
WHEN: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Monday, April 16, 2007
All the members of Miami Neighborhood United and other appropriate groups or individuals concerned are invited. The idea to be bring together key stakeholders in the Coconut Grove and surrounding areas who have an interest in the Coconut Grove Neighborhood Conservation District and the potential impact of the unwanted mass devleopment project on the integrity of that district.
Refreshments will be provided for the meeting which should last no longer than a couple of hours from 6:30 -8:30 pm. This is not intend to be a replay of the public hearing before the City Commission on March 27, but rather intend this as a session to put this project and its ramifications into a larger context so that all can consider what it could mean in the future.
WHAT: Community Outreach Education Meeting
re: Coconut Grove Neighborhood Conservation District and 300 Grove Bay Residences Project
WHERE: Vizcaya Museum and Gardens -- Main House (3251 South Miami Avenue)
WHEN: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Monday, April 16, 2007
All the members of Miami Neighborhood United and other appropriate groups or individuals concerned are invited. The idea to be bring together key stakeholders in the Coconut Grove and surrounding areas who have an interest in the Coconut Grove Neighborhood Conservation District and the potential impact of the unwanted mass devleopment project on the integrity of that district.
Refreshments will be provided for the meeting which should last no longer than a couple of hours from 6:30 -8:30 pm. This is not intend to be a replay of the public hearing before the City Commission on March 27, but rather intend this as a session to put this project and its ramifications into a larger context so that all can consider what it could mean in the future.
posted by Tom Falco at 8:24 AM
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8 Comments:
Mercy Please
No More Unnecessary Condos!
Glenn Terry was absolutely correct when he wrote in his Sunday Miami Herald column In My Opinion, that “Coconut Grove needs another high-rise like Johnny Winton needs another drink.” It was a most sobering observation!
What Mercy Hospital needs to do is to build a quality Assisted Living Facility and not sell off a portion of its G/I zoned property to the Related Group for them to add more luxury condos to the glut that already exists.
Selling this property to a condo developer will only be a short term fix for Mercy’s financial crisis.
What our community really requires and what will be of greatest benefit in the long run for Mercy Hospital is a very high quality Assisted Living Facility.
The demand for a good A.L.F. is very strong and getting stronger with each year that the Baby Booms continue to age.
The Mercy property is properly zoned for an A.L.F..
An A.L.F. will be a much needed and a most profitable revenue stream for Mercy Hospital.
There is no justification to rezone Mercy property from G/I to R-4 or even R-3 just to accommodate the building of more unnecessary luxury condos and provide Mercy with a temporary solution to their many years of mismanagement that have resulted in this financial crisis.
There is no reason to compromise on reducing the height and density of the three luxury condos that the Related Group insists on planting on this property that is zoned for medical and health care purposes.
The final City of Miami Commission meeting takes place April 26th, to decide the future of the Mercy Hospital property, the Pandora’s Box that may result with all other G/I zoned properties and the future of our community.
Please contact your City of Miami Mayor, Commissioner and Manager and request them to please respect our zoning codes and the Grovener Rule that our community insisted on and that they helped pass and are responsible to honor and protect for the good of us all.
Mayor Manuel A. Diaz
mannydiaz@ci.miami.fl.us
Tel: (305)250-5300
Fax: (305)854-4001
Commissioner Angel Gonzalez
District 1
agonzalez@ci.miami.fl.us
Tel: (305)250-5430
Fax: (305)250-5456
Commissioner Marc Sarnoff
District 2
msarnoff@miamigov.com
Tel: (305)250-5333
Fax: (305)579-3334
Commissioner Joe M. Sanchez
District 3
jsanchez@ci.miami.fl.us
Telephone: (305)250-5380
Fax: (305)250-5386
Commissioner Tomas P. Regalado
District 4
tregalado@ci.miami.fl.us
Tel: (305)250-5420
Fax: (305)856-5230
Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones
District 5
MSpence@ci.miami.fl.us
Tel: (305)250-5390
Fax: (305)250-5399
City Manager Pedro G. Hernandez
pgh@miamigov.com
Tel: (305)250-5400
Fax: (305)250-5410
Sincerely,
Harry Emilio Gottlieb
Coconut Grove
I entered a blog comment two days ago on “Desperate Developers – March 2007” to hopefully receive some factual information on the proposed project adjacent to Mercy Hospital. (I am a long time resident of Miami and have been out of town – I’m playing catch-up.) After the fact, I did some research on my own. I believe a lot of what I have read in the grapevine is somewhat misleading if not altogether incorrect.
The current zoning (GI) allows for significantly larger projects than the one that is being proposed. There are NO height restrictions in GI zoning, therefore, if Mercy Hospital chooses to sell this property to a developer for a medical facility and/or a “quality Assisted Living Facility”, it is quite likely that the height of the building will significantly INCREASE compared to the proposed project … and NO ONE will have any thing to say about it because the land is already zoned GI, a designation that would allow for an Assisted Living Facility regardless of its height.
I googled “Retirement homes and ALFs” and found an article from the New York Times (4-1-07) entitled "Retirement Homes Go High-Rise and Urban". I believe the proposed project is slated to have a maximum height of 318 feet (according to the Miami Herald 3-28-07) and 240 units – the density rate designated by the GI zoning would allow for over 700 units on the same parcel of land and unlimited building height. The NY article talks about the new trend in Assisted Living Facilities (especially on PRIME land) and of an ALF currently being constructed in Chicago that is 52 stories high or in excess of 520 feet -- a development that would not require a zoning change from the current GI designation.
I think it sounds really warm and fuzzy to say that an ALF would be preferable – but would it be?
I would imagine there would need to be auxiliary medical facilities built to accommodate the residents of the ALF and to be economically feasible to the facility itself. That means around-the-clock (24/7 – 365 days per year) shifts of primary and auxilliary personnel all coming and going via Bayshore Drive. I know the City planners have a formula for figuring traffic impact and by my next blog, I will try to find those numbers.
So, there goes the traffic on South Bayshore. It is FACT that the comings and goings from a medical facility and/or an Assisted Living Facility would create exponentially MORE TRAFFIC than the proposed project of privately-owned luxury condos. So the impact on the community would be far greater, traffic-wise.
And there goes Viscaya’s view ANYWAY -- although, I’m not quite sure why they think they own the “view”, (I’ve lived in Miami since the mid-50’s and have never seen the view from Viscaya – I have an aversion to paying an admission fee for a county owned “public” property – and the events held there seem to be promoted to the elite.) At least with the proposed project, if I wanted to see the view, I could use the baywalk planned with this project for free!
Let’s face it – the bay front property is a gold mine, regardless of the development. Whatever is built there, it will be "luxury" and most of us poor folk (baby-boomer-types) will never be able to enter the lobby, much less, actually live there – whether it be privately-owned luxury condos or luxury ‘assisted living’ condos!
So, I guess what I’m getting to is – it seems to me the proposed project would be preferable if we are truly in the fight to preserve our way of life in the Grove. I don’t think we will stop development on the site, I think our only hope is to minimize the impact it will have on the rest of us.
Let us convince three commissioners to vote to deny the rezoning. It should not be difficult. After all Commissioners Sanchez, Gonzalez and Spence-Jones should respect the local commissioner, Commissioner Sarnoff. The Mercy rezoning issue is a Dist 2 issue.
I think we would all be happy with keeping the zoning GI.
I don't think we can come up with as much money to pay them off as Jorge Perez has already done.
The question is:
Should Commissioners meddle in the affairs of other Commissioners?
Should three Commissioner vote against the express wishes of the Commissioner from the affected District? (On none Citywide issues?)
Isn't Mercy just a zoning issue affecting the quality of life in Dist 2?
Zoning Codes Must Be Driven By Needs of Community
Not Needs of Property Owners, Developers, Attorneys & Lobbyist
Zoning Codes are supposed to be like the speed limits on local roads and highways. They are both implemented to protect our community and our citizens. They are both designed to be in the public’s best interest and are approved by our government and protected by our laws.
There are various neighborhoods with different Zoning Codes and many streets and highways around town with different speed limits, which range from 30 to 55 mph.
Now just imagine if some guy owned a trucking company and wanted the speed limit changed on the street that he works. So, he makes the claim that by increasing the speed limit it will benefit the community with less consumption of gasoline, less traffic, less noise, more money for the city and make more money for his company that will trickle down to the rest of the neighborhood.
If a trucking company can’t change the speed limit with these arguments than a developer or property owner should not be able to even ask the community to change its zoning code, let alone have the City vote on it.
I still feel that the G/I zoning in properties such as that of Mercy Hospital must not be changed for the benefit of a privately owned business or that of an overly ambitious developer even if he does have many political connections. There is no justification to build the 300 Grove Related/Group Residential Project that consist of three out of scale and out of place towers. There is no justification for looking for loopholes in our Zoning Code or Grovener Ordinance to help Mercy Hospital and the Related Group to circumvent the intent and spirit of our land use codes and laws.
The G/I zoning for Mercy Hospital should remain as is. Mercy should build or they should sell the property to some one that will honor the G/I zoning. They should build an Assisted Living Facility that will provide Mercy with a much needed revenue stream and our community with a much required health care service.
Some People are saying that an Assisted Living Facility will then have the right to build up to 400 feet high if they wish, but I disagree. There is no reason for an ALF to be any taller then the present height of Mercy Hospital. And besides, the City can restrict the height of any G/I project just like they are bargaining to restrict the height of the proposed R-4 or even R-3 ill-conceived 300 Grove Related/Group residential project.
I still find it difficult to understand why a decision as important as this “Zoning” issue with Mercy Hospital is being allowed to be made as a compromise with the three major players. Too little consideration is being made for the public’s needs and the rule of law pertaining to our Zoning Codes and Grovener Ordnance.
It is the cities job to protect the community, abide by the Zoning Codes and abide by the Grovener Ordnance. The City should be proactive in implementing good urban planning and driving the Zoning Codes to benefit our community and its future. It must not be left up to developers, attorneys and lobbyist to drive our Zoning Codes and create a patchwork of projects that are a detriment to our neighborhoods and community.
Any compromise to change the Mercy Hospital property zoning will be a travesty. Any effort by our city to once again bend over backwards to better accommodate the Related/Group in building even more unnecessary residential luxury units in Coconut Grove and throughout Miami will be an affront and an insult to our community. We can only hope that our communities concerns, the rule and the spirit of the law and the future of our city will be enough to persuade 3 out of 5 City of Miami Commissioners to deny the change of zoning request by Mercy Hospital and decline the offer by Jorge Perez and the Related to build on this property.
Harry Emilio Gottlieb
Coconut Grove
Harry, The city bends over backwards for Perez, but we must bend over forward to get what they have for us.
Anonymous said..... why don't you all leave your name? it would be refreshing to know... I am a Grove resident, who had a grandmother for many years in an assisted living facility next to Mercy Hospital...(almost 3.. until she died) it is a small facility.. but you would not imagine the amount of cars that the ALF brought to the area. Incredible.. there was never enough parking around the ALF. As a Grove resident I care about the quality of life in the area, and the less traffic and congestion the better. The most ironic part of this crusade is that the person throwing the first stone against the Related Group and Jorge Perez is John Hinson, the developer of the Ocean Club... just go ask long time residents of Key Biscayne what they think about the Ocean Club and what it did to their views and the shadows it created, not to mention traffic and congestion in the island. Development is not bad. Bad planning is the kiss of death.
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