Details Continue To Be Fuzzy About The Coconut Grove Waterfront Project

By Author: Andres Leiser
Total Articles: 34
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The head of the Miami Parking Authority, Art Noriega, and City of Miami representative, Enrique Torre, met with the Coconut Grove Village Council in an open forum last week regarding the Grove Harbour waterfront project. This was a forum where neighbors would be able to ask questions about the controversial projects. The District Commissioner Marc Sarnoff did not show for the meeting.

The two luxury Miami real estate projects are the parking garage and the development where Scotty's Landing and The Chart House currently stand.

Real estate details on the size of the parking garage keep changing. During last week's real estate meeting, Mr. Noriega told the crowd that the garage planned for the site will hold only 228 cars, and not the over 1600 that was previously thought. The garage is 40,000 square feet with the first floor consisting of retail stores.

Mr. Torre did not answer direct questions about the luxury Miami real estate project and he avoided all the time whenever someone has questions. No one knows exactly yet how this fits into the Waterfront luxury Master Plan or how they ...
... feel about these large chrome and glass structures and where they fit into the waterfront setting. Mr. Torre said, "The retail will be successful," although local realtors who were there didn't believe so.

When asked why they are diverging from the Sisaki luxury real estate Plan, the Coconut Grove Waterfront Master Plan, which calls for under 7000 square feet of retail and not the 100,000 they now have currently planned, he stated it was part of the original plan. He is one of those types of people.

The Village Council are in support of the luxury Miami real estate project. "The purpose of the agenda item was to give residents an opportunity to see the MPA's plans for the parking garage and to ask questions about the project. They've done a really nice job with it. We didn't vote, but previously did, in support of the project," says Michelle Niemeyer, Village Council member. Michelle was also on the Working committee for many years who helped shape the Sisaki Plan.

Jessica Lewis, chair of the Village Council said, "I wanted a Q and A forum, as there were a lot of misinformation floating around. That's exactly what it was."

Some believe that there where were lots of questions but very little answers at this meeting to discuss the Miami luxury real estate plan.

Some people lean toward voting no on November 5 unless the scope of this luxury Miami real estate project is more clearly defined. As it stand now, it makes no sense to vote to approve it. Why rush, make sure you know what you are approving before you approve it. Maybe then the developers and the city will be more forthcoming. When they are, then you can vote again when it all makes sense.

Another mysterious stipulation of the luxury Miami real estate project is that some secret charity will receive $30,000 per year for the life of the lease, 80 years from Grove Bay Investments, the developer of the luxury Miami project. Some believe the city should receive this much needed money.

Author's Bio

Andres Leiser is a local contributor for Constec Realty's Miami luxury real estate website. Andres Leiser has been involved in Miami real estate for over a decade. For more information please visit www.constecrealty.com