More park problems
Seems like Grove residents want to reclaim all of their parks these days and just kick out the visitors. First the Seminole Boat Ramp and now a reader wrote me, concerned about parking at the dog and kiddie park at Shipping and Virginia. She says that the neighbors with no additional parking use the few park spots when needed and that too many people from other areas are coming to the park.
She writes: "I'm curious why they didn't build in parking areas or at least zone it for Coconut Grove residents only instead of allowing overflow from South Miami and the Gables to use this park at the expense of Grove residents. It seems like an easy fix if we were to treat the area in the same fashion as other communities do where as the area is available to Grove residents and others at a small cost to go towards maintenance (i.e. The Venetian Pools in the Gables)."
Thoughts?
She writes: "I'm curious why they didn't build in parking areas or at least zone it for Coconut Grove residents only instead of allowing overflow from South Miami and the Gables to use this park at the expense of Grove residents. It seems like an easy fix if we were to treat the area in the same fashion as other communities do where as the area is available to Grove residents and others at a small cost to go towards maintenance (i.e. The Venetian Pools in the Gables)."
Thoughts?
posted by Tom Falco at 10:51 AM
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13 Comments:
I find this comment disturbing.
As a mother of young children, I am always going to different parks. I live in the Grove and go to the Shipping/Virginia park but I also go to Sunrise Park (ostensibly the Gables) and to the larger park on Douglas north of Bird (have 6 swings there for little children). Pinecrest Gardens is a public park and open to anyone.
The park at Shipping and Virginia is a PUBLIC park. It is not a private park. People should be free to use Public parks.
If the issue is parking, then perhaps a permitting system could be developed for after hours parking by local residents.
If the issue is non-Grove people using the park, just exactly how does one tell this??? It makes me wonder if there isn't some other unspoken intolerance underlying this comment.
You can't exclude people from any public accommodation without running into very problematic constitutional issues. If certain Grove residents want an exclusive park, they should buy up some vacant lots and create a private park. Incorporate a neighborhood association and deed the park to the association.
Len Scinto:
I do not think anyone should be excluded from any public areas. The us vs. them attitudes create inequlities and antagonism. Small, distributed greenspaces are important parts of a community especially where poplulation densities get high and people do not have yards of their own. One problem I see is the conflict in models...small greenspaces in urban neighborhoods that have suburban styled 3000 sq ft houses. These types of parks are best used by high density buildings (multistoried). But people want to live in too-big, single family (or duplexes that aren't really duplexes) houses sprawled across the landscape so everyone needs to drive, there is no public transportation, etc. Bad urban planning, use of resources, and development of a community spirit. We are all in this together and with 6.5 billion people there is no more us vs. Them.
The last time I checked, the Grove is part of the City of Miami and not its own entity, as much as people like to think it is. If I am mistaken, who is the Mayor of the Grove?
Also, many people leave comments saying we need more people to come to the Grove, support Grove businesses, etc. Obviously the best way to lure people to see how special the Grove really is, is to charge them admission like Disney.
I think there is plenty of parking if you are willing to walk a block or two. If you don't want to walk then parking at certain hours can be challenging. However, as a grovite, I do not want to start dealing with obtaining resident parking passes and the like NOR would I want a horribly ugly parking lot next to the park either.
Hi. I agree with all the previous posters, although I could easily name the "Mayor" of the Grove, unofficial as he may be, who also has a circle unofficially named after him.
It strikes me that there really is no problem with the dog park, although I miss the days that it was open space where kids could play soccer and thus and such (albeit while dodging the dog crap).
We all know that parking is a problem unless we are in the business district (and have a lot of money), but that strikes me as a part of urban living, and whether we like it or not, we are a part of Miami, and Miami pays for the park.
I see the dog park as a nice service to dogs and dog owners whether the dog is from Miami, Coral Gables or visiting from Maine.
If parking is a problem, then perhaps we ought to revisit the swale issue. We could start right across the street from the dog park immediately adjacent to the circle. Perhaps that swale could be cleared for parking, but I don't want to go there.
Bob Coultas
I think someone's mommy forgot to teach your letter writer how to share.
I'm with the first poster - I love visiting ALL the parks with my son, not just the one next to me.
That comment is not only stupid, it is illegal.
Public parks are public. They are not paid for exclusively by any group.
Excluding people because of where they live will inevitably channel into excluding people because of their color, their accent, their origin and their wealth.
Absolutely unacceptable.
I lived in Brickell for years and would go to the Key Biscayne Park with my kids, never felt unwelcome.
If the writer wants to begin excluding people... why would she want to even live here in the U.S.?
Doesn't that park belong to Commissioner Sarnoff and he lets citizens of Coconut Grove to use it for free?
The person who left that comment is exactly what is wrong with the Grove. The same person would have a coronary if they went to the Gables and were forced to pay a fee to park at a public park to play with their kid/dog. Like a previous poster said, park a block away and walk. Maybe the poster would like segregated schools and bathrooms to make a comeback too?
I don't think the original comment was one of use of the park as much as it was lack of available parking and proper use of public streets in contrast to the parking by those visitors currently creating poor sightlines for drivers related to the children friendly traffic conditions that should be available at that park. If the man with his own rotary doesn't mind the parking on public streets in direct violation to public traffic isn't a concern we should all ignore the issue? The comment of parking "a block or two away" speaks to the in-proper use of those public street non parking areas currently used by the park visitors. Don't users of the parks and pools in Miami Beach and the Gables face the same non-resident concerns (Venetian pool, etc.)? The bigger concern is use of "park area parking" used by locals as additional spots when not using the park and the issues that causes. The comment on segregated options is ignorant.
if you're DRIVING to a public dog park (you know, WITH YOUR DOG) it might be a good idea to actually, i don't know, WALK your dog there... alas! parking problem solved!
what a poor idea. oh well, it got lots of comments so i guess it was good for something.
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