Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Waverly Condominium, 1330 West Avenue
6:00 pm Meet & Greet
6:30 pm Meeting Called to Order
One of our largest audiences attended this meeting, about 110 people. Bebito’s Café served refreshments and the owner, Jason, handed out free coffee coupons.
Boat Mooring Field
Elizabeth Wheaton, city of Miami Beach Environment & Sustainability Director, explained that the city is conducting a feasibility study about establishing a Mooring Field for Biscayne Bay.
If approved, this has the potential to bring needed regulation to boats that are anchored in Biscayne Bay from the Sunset Harbor Marina extending south to MacArthur Causeway.
Currently, many boats are disposing of human waste directly into the Bay. However, a mooring filed requires boat and owner would register with an onsite dock master and pay a daily fee $25 which includes the use of a bathroom and mandatory septic service. Boats would tie up to a buoy that is attached to a permanent anchor screwed into the seafloor. This would reduce damage to protected Seagrass in the Bay.
The audience consensus was that a mooring field in Miami Beach was a sensible idea. Though, two boat owners who currently anchor in the Bay opposed the mooring field.
New Traffic Signal to Help Pedestrians, Called LPI
A program called “Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI)” has been programmed into several traffic signals within the West Avenue Neighborhood. By pushing the “Walk Button” at crosswalks, the “walk” signal will change 4-6 seconds prior to the traffic signal changing from red to green for the vehicles. This allows the pedestrians to get a 4-6 headstart into the crosswalk prior to the vehicles moving. The LPI programming has been installed at 8th, 10, 11th, 15th & Lincoln Road. The key point: You need to Push to the Walk Button to activate the LPI programming.
Road Raising at Lincoln Rd. Meeting at Gaythering March 4th, 6pm
About Lincoln Rd street-end project. All neighbors are invited. This is not a City presentation.. Pump infrastructure will be located in the middle of the street and it will be 116 ft long, 15 feet wide and 18 feet high. This meeting does not address the full West Avenue project , focus is the west end of Lincoln Rd/Lincoln Court.
Results WAvNA Survey
Top 5 Concerns:
1. That Airbnb Will Expand
2. Over Development
3. Pollution in the Bay
4. Pedestrian/Bike Safety
5. Code Compliance Complaints
Top 5 Volunteering
1. Review Developer Plans
2. Attending city meetings on neighborhood issues
3. Attending planning meeting dealing with new 600 West Park
4. Neighborhood walks with code compliance
5. Neighborhood walks with Police Department
G.O. Bond
Alison Novack, from the city G.O. Bond Department, described how to use the city website to track the progress of the 57 citywide projects worth $439M. There is one project in our neighborhood, funded $15M and it has four components.
- Baywalk at Bayview Terrace,1228 West Ave
- Baywalk at South Bay Club, 800 West Ave
- Baywalk at Bay Garden Manor, 1250 West Ave
- Pedestrian bridge over 5th Street
New 3 Acre Public Park at 600 West Avenue
Presentation by Mr. Ford and his design team from Arquitectonica.The park breaks ground next month and will be completed earliest by the end of this year.There will be a fenced-in dog park, fitness equipment, open lawn area. There will be many large shade trees planted (not palm trees), and lots of bright lighting. A circular driveway will enable police to view the entire park. From our neighborhood, the bridge can be reached from a long ramp that crosses over West Ave or from a staircase. On the south side of 5th Street there will be an elevator and staircase.
Rooftop Entertainment at 1212 Lincoln
The developer is asking the city commission to up-zone our neighborhood to allow a movie theater serving alcohol on the rooftop of the parking garage. A lively discussion took place, many members expressing their strong opposition to this type of venue in our neighborhood.
Many questions from residents went unanswered: size of screen, maximum occupancy, hours of operation, size of venue, other activities in addition to movie? Audience comments: this venue belongs in the MXE district; belongs at Lincoln Rd Eatery since that space already has a license for rooftop bar and entertainment; it is premature to commit the floor of the parking garage before the retail of that building is even rented; we are already dealing with outdoor noise from 1111 garage from their 7 special permit per year; other establishments like 1111 garage would most likely want to activate their garage with an outdoor bar every night of the week.
A rooftop movie theater and bar requires up-zoning. This will be voted on by commissioners at Land Use & Sustainability meeting on March 17th, 8:30 am, 3rd floor city hall.
