The Grove has been ill since 1925
This letter was from local activist Harry Emilio Gottlieb to Andres Viglucci, regarding that Herald story on Coconut Grove's "resurgence."
"Andres: This is by far one of your very best articles. Wish you had also interviewed respected Grove Activists such as Grace Solares, Nathan Kurland, Andy Parrish or Glenn Terry. You described most of the symptoms of the Grove’s illness. But the actual cause of the illness is the fact that Miami annexed us back in 1925. Since then we have never been able to determine our own destiny. If we had been able to maintain self-determination, it is unlikely that we would have chosen Cocowalk, Mayfair, cheap sidewalk pavers, multimillion dollar condo projects, McMansions, cookie cutter townhouses, chain stores for the village or permitted our parks to become toxic."
"Andres: This is by far one of your very best articles. Wish you had also interviewed respected Grove Activists such as Grace Solares, Nathan Kurland, Andy Parrish or Glenn Terry. You described most of the symptoms of the Grove’s illness. But the actual cause of the illness is the fact that Miami annexed us back in 1925. Since then we have never been able to determine our own destiny. If we had been able to maintain self-determination, it is unlikely that we would have chosen Cocowalk, Mayfair, cheap sidewalk pavers, multimillion dollar condo projects, McMansions, cookie cutter townhouses, chain stores for the village or permitted our parks to become toxic."
posted by Tom Falco at 12:01 PM
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19 Comments:
Emilio is right, of course; then again, the root cause of the 1925 historical cause of the Grove's Spiritual demise is and continues to be materiali$m and Greed, as always, from the usual minority suspects.
We don't remember what the Grove was like in 1925 -- or in 1935 or 1945, for that matter -- but we live here happily in 2014.
R.i.p Coconut grove the 90's were Awesome
And..Harry was a major supporter of the development of the Grove Harbor Project on Bay...Change of heart Harry?
I think the whole article was a marketing piece designed to make Marc Sarnoff look good and hide the real problems that have not been tackled.
And whoever thinks that Grace Solares would not accelerate the over building of the Grove has got a surprise waiting for them. Remember, there are a lot of developers behind her just not the same Related/Architectonica behind Sarnoff.
I don't think annexation had anything to do toxic ash being dumped in vacant lots. Let's not get too hyperbolic here.
Trash dumping in rock pits happened after annexation. Coincidence?
Coconut Grove literally became Miami's dumping ground!
"Greenwich Village, often referred to by locals as simply "the Village"... has been known as an artists' haven, the Bohemian capital, the cradle of the modern LGBT movement, and the East Coast birthplace of both the Beat and '60s counterculture movements...Greenwich Village has undergone extensive gentrification and commercialization;...ranked among the ten most expensive in the United States.."......... Ring$$$ the bell?
If South Miami had annexed Coconut Grove we would be in a better shape now. Secede, secede.
My property is dry after 10" of rain in 24 hours. My trees produce sweet, sweet, sweet avocado, mango, papaya, banana and cherries. I use our local boat ramp to launch and catch snapper, lobster and stone crabs, gather drift wood and valuable flotsam throughout Biscayne Bay. I fix my home with stuff from Shell Lumber and Home Depot and my wife shops downtown Grove. The skies are mostly blue and the breeze brings in clean fresh air off the Atlantic. The Keys are to the South, S. Beach is to the North. McMansions, are mostly stocked with decent folks with children, pets and new vehicles and many are very friendly. I love this community. Jobie Steppe
Well, the average Joe certainly needs a good boat to see any water or catch the lobster and crabs, thanks to the not-so "friendly", formidable "McMansions" everywhere.. on a positive note, we can always purchase powerful binoculars and plastic nature calendars at our lovely CVS stores!
The annexation is a problem because it cannot be reversed. It's impossible.
Well if we sue the city for poisoning Grove with the incinerator may be Miami will consider a deal.
The solution to every problem in the Grove seems to be a lawsuit. It's ridiculous.
Precisely, what is not so friendly about these McMansions? And please do so in 100 words or less - - - - oh, and please do so intelligently! My home is centered between 10 or so and I feel just fine. J.S.
We need more huge and very friendly McMansions with big SUV's right on the Seminole boat ramp, so that there no more water left to see in the entire Grove. Too bad for those happy local fishermen.. oh and another CVS, please.
4:37pm Have you heard of SLAPP lawsuits, now there is a new type of lawsuit which was actually invented in Coconut Grove called SPANC (Strategic Public Action Neutralizing Corruption) lawsuit.
Many Groveites have been displeased with the manner in which Coconut Grove is treated by the City of Miami. We pay high property taxes and have little say in our future. Much is demolished or developed her that we don’t approve e of. But all of Miami would have to agree to let the Golden Goose loose and that would be highly unlikely.
I wonder if the City of Miami would be more inclined to offer Coconut Grove its independence if we sued. Perhaps if we filed a lawsuit for a sizable amount of money they would consider it seriously.
A case for the illegal annexation of Coconut Grove back in 1925 and the return of the property taxes that we have paid since then.
A case for the illegal and dangerous dumping of toxic incinerator ash in our community, concealing the fact for many years and contaminating our citizens.
We could demand big bucks and settle for independence and some money to get our Village of Coconut Grove operating. The icing on the cake would be that Miami City Hall would finally vacate our historic Pan Am Airport building, so we may put it to better use.
Anon 6:24, excellent comments. Wonder who you are?
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