Here's Ron:
The petition that is circulating portrays the Grove Bay project “The Harbour” in a highly inflammatory manner, and misrepresents the scope and spirit of the project. The Grove Bay proposal follows the Sasaki Waterfront Master Plan which you will remember was put together through a public charette process. Implementation of the waterfront plan has been stalled by a lack of funds and political will, but the reality of our waterfront has not changed. We, the residents of the Grove, and our visitors upon whom our merchants depend, have limited access to beautiful Biscayne Bay which lies within a tantalizingly close distance. The Waterfront plan intends to convert this unused wasteland of parking lots and rundown buildings into valuable public and private spaces, assets to the neighborhood. If it seems hard to believe that a commercial space can be a valuable asset- just think of the positive impact of Fresh Market!
1. the overall master plan
2. the master plan zoomed into site specific
3. an aerial photo with a few site notes
4. the proposed site plan
Please click on each image to see a larger version.
Provided below is a link to the Sasaki Waterfront Master Plan, and if you take the time to peruse it you will see that the Grove Bay project is only a piece of a larger plan. One which was developed with ample public participation. And adjacent to the “The Harbour” is the 9 acre "Regatta Park," which will be constructed simultaneously. The only way to create “Regatta Park” is to remove the 9 acres of asphalt and parking and put it into a parking garage. Note when you read the master plan that the parking garage with a retail liner is referenced no less than six times. Remember that the 2 hangers on the site have been declared historic and are listed in the National Register. The master plan encouraged the restoration and adaptive reuse of these buildings, again like the Fresh Market. The proposers went to great length to develop at least 3 new sightlines to Biscayne Bay and in doing so added much more green space to the site than currently exists. The achieve this by removing buildings that block the view and building ones that are open to the view, and by the ability to remove asphalt and placing cars in the parking garage. Also provided below are 2 links the Grove Bay project “The Harbour” one illustrative and the other technical.
There is a large boating community that currently exists along the Coconut Grove waterfront, to which dry stack storage and marinas are a vital part providing hundreds of jobs and thousands of visitors. This plan allows us to share the waterfront with the non-boater as well. The master plan envisioned moving the “Seminole Dock” (boat ramp), but as promised if another location cannot be found it will remain. Due to strict environmental regulation and the lack of other access points we do not anticipate closing the ramp.
The petition being circulated skews the facts. It is easy to oppose change, especially when the change is (incorrectly) portrayed as a rape of our community and its values. It seems the petition intentionally does not disclose the fact that this is part of a Waterfront master plan, which residents of the Grove since the early 2000s will recall was done through an extensive public process, with more than 40 engagements and 3 years of work. It is easy to find fault in one element of a plan if you are unaware that the larger plan exists! We can debate the architecture that’s subjective, but you cannot ignore the facts.
Sasaki Waterfront Master Plan:
http://www.miamigov.com/Planning/pages/master_plans/Coconut_Grove_FINALREPORT-12_08_WEB.pdf
Grove Bay project “The Harbour”
http://www.miamigov.com/PublicFacilities/pages/1213001/RFP12-13001_Illustrative%20Boards.pdf
http://www.miamigov.com/PublicFacilities/pages/1213001/RFP12-13-001_Technical_Proposal.pdf
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