About the waterfront parking garage

If you click on this image, you can see it better. The garage is at the upper left.

A letter from Art Noriega, head of the Miami Parking Authority (MPA), defending his money machine Grove Harbour parking garage, part of the Grove Harbour waterfront project, states:

Charles, [this is responding to Charles Corda, Grove activist who has been doing a lot of math on this project]:

Let’s set the record straight and so there can be no further embellishment of the truth you will now have a response, which I hope you will liberally share, directly from the source!

The conceptual layout we did months ago for the footprint that was included in the RFP allowed for a retail area of 40,000 square feet on the first floor with 211 spaces on the second floor and 230 spaces on each typical floor above that. So, if you actually do some real simple math, that would total 671 spaces for three floors of parking and one of retail MAXIMUM! That’s a total of 4 floors at a building height of approximately 42 feet. If, as I mentioned in the article, the shared use analysis determines that the need is less, we can reduce the size by a whole or partial floor. More than likely it will be less, but until that study is done we won’t know for sure.

So, to recap and to summarize the message to the entire Coconut Grove community:

1)    Maximum garage height is four floors
2)    Three floors of parking and one of retail

In the article I was very clear about the proposed building height and the approximate RANGE (500-650) of the space count. The facts are what’s important here, otherwise, someone might be under the impression there is a hidden agenda.

Feel free to contact me directly with any questions you may have regarding the garage development in the future since I will be the point person for the project moving forward. Also, if you wish, pass along my information and the facts to your entire contact list so they as well can benefit from the truth about what is proposed.

Regards,
Art


Noriega is defending himself against the claims that Coconut Grove activist Charles Corda brought against this monster garage project as part of the chrome and glass mall on the water.

Four stories? I have asked this before and I'll ask it again. Why is the Expo Center being torn down with the excuse that it's blocking the water, yet a four story (maybe more) parking garage, right on South Bayshore Drive, is not blocking the water? The Expo Center is a short, squat HISTORICAL building. 

A four story garage is huge, the Village of Merrick Park is three stories and this towers over US1, imagine the garage and the mall on the waterfront -- no view, no breeze, no quality of life.

Also, keep in mind, parking is free there now. Since the MPA is involved, does this now involve paying for parking on our waterfront? And who gets this money the MPA? They did claim the decrepit parking  area at Seminole Boat Ramp a few years ago as their own, by putting in parking meters. Even that quaint area is pay for play now.