Visitors Center turning out to be controversial

The proposed Biscayne National Park visitors center is shaping up to be one of those polarizing things that takes over Coconut Grove, you know like Mercy Hospital's expansion plans, the 3 am/5am bar issue and The Home Depot. There are those who love the plans and those who hate them, there isn't much in between, although that's where I am right now. I'm on the fence.

The plans were to be discussed at City Hall last night, during the Waterfront Advisory Board meeting, only there wasn't a quorum and the meeting was called off, even though many residents and business owners showed up.

The subject will be discussed tonight at the Waterfront Implementation Meeting at City Hall (3500 Pan American Drive) at 5:30 pm and on Thursday, at the Village Council meeting at the Sailing Club (2990 S. Bayshore Drive) at 7 pm.

Mark Lewis, Superintendent of Biscayne National Park, was there last night, all ready to explain the project, but unfortunately, we were deprived of his presentation, I do wish they could have just had set it up as a workshop and let the public ask questions. I'm still quite confused over the plans, as are so many others.

Above is a diagram showing where the proposed site would be. You can see the whole outline of the current Expo Center (Dinner Key Auditorium), where Burn Notice films and the red is the smaller area, which is the proposed site of the visitors center that would be built right at the entrance at SW 27 Avenue, right where the pipes are going in on the street now, right in front of the tree massacre. This part is what worries some. They feel that this is just the beginning of development for the waterfront, you know, first the trees, then the pipes, then the visitors center, then what?

This project does not honor the Waterfront Master Plan, which was years in the making. This visitors center entails a three story, 10,000 square foot building with an IMAX theater and offices as part of the plan. Will a restaurant follow? Will retail follow? That's where the debate comes in. Parking on site was an issue, but that has been moved to parking garages on the outskirts, like the Oak Street Garage and the Coconut Grove Bank lot. Ron Nelson, Commissioner Marc Sarnoff's Chief of Staff, who has been very involved in the project, tells me that keeping green space was a major concern and so the parking was eliminated on site.

Village Council chair Michelle Niemeyer, was Chairperson of a residents' committee that worked with the City and Sasaki Associates to assure that extensive public input was gathered, and actually used, in creating the Coconut Grove Waterfront Master Plan. According to Michelle, "The only water-dependent use proposed is a commercial pier jutting into sailboat bay. The proposed revision eliminates the Seminole Boat Ramp (this is a weakness of the master plan, in that the City failed to create the alternate ramp promised when the plan passed with the boat ramp dedicated to regatta use, but the National Park Service plan would eliminate it entirely, with no alternative either.) If our waterfront is lost to water dependent uses, or our public access is taken, we won't get it back."

If you look at the diagram above, you'll notice the building is right up against the water and there is a pier that goes out. How will bikers, runners and walkers get around that? The entrance at 27th Avenue has been moved and it appears as if that whole entrance area will be non-existent.

David Collins, head of the BID, told me that a trolley service would be part of the plan to shuttle people back and forth from the visitors center to the Center Grove and of course from the parking lots.

Some business leaders were present last night and seemed to be in favor of the project, feeling that a large percentage of visitors will trickle into the Center Grove to eat and shop.

I wondered about the traffic. 10,000 people per month are projected to come to the visitors center. Why is that traffic a problem with Mercy Hospital's proposal to expand but not this project? How will people arrive, by helicopter? I am told that since it will be staggered and not in shifts, the cars won't be arriving and leaving at the same time.

More to come on this. So much more. This promises to be a long drawn out issue. Comments are open. How do you feel about the project?