County Commission mulling over Playhouse plan

We have a brand new movie theater back in Coconut Grove, how about a brand new playhouse? The Coconut Grove Playhouse has been sitting vacant for years, this is a crime, and the current board is committing the crime, along with the State and County, who are controlling the issue at this point. The place is sitting and rotting while political games are being played.

Last week, District Commissioner Marc Sarnoff's plans for the Coconut Grove Playhouse were brought up by County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez before the County Commission. Comm. Sarnoff would like the state to reclaim the playhouse from the current board which has done nothing with the decaying building for years, and he would then like it turned over to a new board, which would consist of Comm. Sarnoff and a few others.

The county commission says they will do a study on the issue and return in 30 days with a decision.

Comm. Sarnoff had hoped the county commission would see his side and do whatever is possible to bring the Playhouse back to life. $20 million is available, which was designated by Miami-Dade County's capital-improvement funds in 2004, but the money can be taken away at any time. This is a county project, not a city project.

The letter sent to the Commission last month is here.

State Representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera, who also would like the state to reclaim the property from the current board, says there is a reverter clause which states that the property “shall only be utilized for theatre, theatrical productions, theatrical education or related arts uses and uses supporting same as currently permitted under the Playhouse Sublease.”

There have been charrettes, there have been plans to have GableStage take over, there have been plans to knock it down and rebuild it, there have been plans to refurbish what could be refurbished, there have been plans to get plays going on the property outside under tents. There has been lots of plans, but no action. Shame. It's a jewel with a lot of history and a very important economic engine for Coconut Grove which is decaying (the playhouse, not the Grove).