Spotlight 79-250221

Good morning. In today’s Spotlight:

The Joys of Trash
Opinion on The WELL development on Tigertail
County grants to support small businesses
A post-festival tide of neighborhood events

The Joy of Picking Up (Other People’s) Trash

A recent coastal cleanup event at Coconut Grove’s Kennedy Park produced pounds of debris – and greater awareness of the perils of ocean pollution.

By Carolina Drake

Amanda Di Perna, 22, program manager at Debris Free Oceans, is addressing a handful of volunteers gathered at Kennedy Park ready to work.

“There are seventeen thousand times more pieces of plastics in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way Galaxy,” she explains to the group.

As she speaks, an eight-year-old boy puts on his gloves. A Girl Scout and her mother nod, each holding a trash picker stick and a bucket, while a nine-year-old boy decides to get a head-start toward the mangrove shoreline to fill up his orange bucket.

The quest for the afternoon is to pick up as much trash as possible.

Opinion: Calling The WELL a Transit-Oriented Development is a Cruel Joke

The WELL Coconut Grove, a luxury condo project in Center Grove, says it has the right to build higher, and add more units, on the questionable premise that its well-heeled residents will ditch their cars for mass transit.

By Hank Sanchez-Resnik

The basic idea of transit-oriented development (TOD) makes good sense: Build housing – combined with commercial and office space – close to public transit, and people won’t need cars to get to the important places in their lives. They can bike, walk or take local transit.

For the Grove, it’s working, to some extent, at both the Douglas Road and Coconut Grove Metrorail stations. Both stations have multi-use buildings with hundreds of apartments, grocery markets, and retail stores, and both connect with major bus routes and the Coconut Grove trolley. Although public transit in Miami-Dade is woefully inadequate, TOD has helped to relieve some of the congestion on our roadways.

The WELL Coconut Grove, a luxury condominium project going up on Tigertail Avenue between 27^th Avenue and Mary Street, claims to be transit-oriented development. Prices for its 194 units run from $1.5 million to $6 million.

The existing zoning on the property, T-5, allows for a five-story building, but the developers – a partnership between AB Asset Management and Coconut Grove-based Terra Group – have asked the city to allow for an eight-story building because a zoning loophole, which some refer to as “Enhanced T-5,” grants additional height to buildings if they qualify as a TOD. That loophole, adopted in 2023 after a developer-funded lobbying effort, gives additional benefits to developers within a transit zone by allowing them to build “by right,” which means, among other things, without input from the public.

Mom and Pop Grants for Small Business

Small business owners in Coconut Grove that need a boost to reach that next level of success can apply this month for a Mom and Pop grant of up to $3,000 from Miami-Dade County. The grant money can be used to:

Buy equipment, supplies and/or inventory stock
Pay for insurance, security systems, or marketing expenses
Fund minor renovations

Learn more about the eligibility requirements and application process at this link. The deadline to apply is Friday February 28. Good luck!

Where We’ll Be

Post-Fest Calm and Reconnections

After the big festivals (and guests) leave town, neighbors reunite with shared meals, strolls and bike rides. Comfort foods prepared by others. Cookies for a cause. Can’t beat that.

This may be the last weekend to buy Girl Scout cookies until next year. Local troops set up outside Milam’s Market in Coconut Grove Friday evenings and through the weekend. Which is your favorite? Thin mints? Samoas? If you can’t make up your mind, there’s an obvious remedy – buy one of each! Milam’s Market, 2969 SW 32nd Ave. Times vary.

Shenandoah Days have arrived to celebrate the neighborhood’s beauty. The month-long series of events starts with a historic walking tour led by HistoryMiami Resident Historian, Dr. Paul George. Space is limited; get your advanced tickets soon. Location hasn’t yet been announced, but don’t wait. Saturday 2/22, 10:00 to 11:45 a.m. If you can’t make the walking tour, grab a place on the Shenandoah Bike Tour one week later. Free advanced tickets are found here.

Neighborhood potluck picnics are in season and Center Grove Neighbors has its do-it-yourself feast this Sunday afternoon. Folks that live between 27th / Aviation Avenue and 32nd Avenue can bring a dish that they’re proud to share to Fire Station 8. Miami’s Fire Department is providing the venue; neighbors provide the fun. Kids get to see the fire trucks and cool gear up close, and talk to real firemen!RSVP and instructions are found online. The fire house is at the intersection of Oak and Virginia Streets. Sunday 2/23. Mingle at 4:00 p.m. Food at 5:00 p.m.

At U-Miami’s Jerry Herman Ring Theater, the rom-com “Almost Maine” explores life and love in an almost-town on the fuzzy border that’s almost Canada and almost Maine. The show runs for two weekends only in the intimate theater on U-M’s campus, 1312 Miller Drive, Coral Gables. Metrorail to University Station. Curtain opens Friday 2/21 at 8:00 p.m. Advance TIckets.

Personal and candid photos of John Lennon from 1973-1975 are shared by May Pang at a special exhibition at Miami Fine Art Gallery, opening Friday 2/21. The artist will be at the gallery during the three days of the exhibition (last day is Sunday 2/23). Among the photos are one of the last known photos of Lennon and Paul McCartney together, and the only photo of Lennon signing the contract that dissolved the Beatles’ partnership. 3180 Commodore Plaza. The gallery is open from 11:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m.

A Conservation Concert features Miami’s own outlaw singer-songwriter Ricky Valido and the Hialeah Hillbillies on the grounds of the Tropical Audubon Society’s historic site. 5530 Sunset Saturday 2/22 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets.

You can do more than advocate for more trees from behind a keyboard. You can get down and dirty by joining TREEmendous Miami as they protect the habitat of the native trees on Virginia Key. Long pants, sturdy shoes and sun protection are the order of the day as you and other do-ers tackle the invasives that choke out the good stuff. Meet at the pavilion inside Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, near the cottages to the northeast. There’s a lot going on at the park, so look for the TREEmendous banner. Bring a change of clothes (and bathing suit) and join their annual potluck picnic which culminates with a beach bonfire. At the park’s entrance, tell the sentry that you’re there for TREEmendous and they’ll let you in for free. Virginia Key Beach Park. Sunday 2/23. Work Party at 2:30 p.m. Picnic at 4:30 p.m. Advanced RSVP here.

The Coconut Grove Theatre Festival starts with a full-throated launch party to introduce you to some of the Miami writers and directors whose works will be featured. Hosted by the Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove, the evening includes foods from Grove chefs, an auction and raffle. The festival itself is scheduled for May 8-11, so save those dates. Advanced tickets to the Launch Party are available online. 2985 South Bayshore Drive. Thursday 2/27 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tickets.

The Grammy-nominated choral group Seraphic Fire sings romantic works from the Age of Enlightenment at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. A perfect evening of perfect voices for a perfect date night. 2750 McFarlane Road. Thursday 2/27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets.

Secret Garden Tour tickets have gone on sale to the public and are sure to sell out quickly. They always do. This year the SGT will feature a cluster of homes that will make walking between them joyful and inspiring. Where? Can’t tell you, because it’s a secret garden tour. Guests learn the locations of the gardens’ after they check in at the starting point on the grounds of Ransom Everglades Middle School. The Tour advances the work of the Friends of the Commodore Trail. Advance ticket sales. Saturday and Sunday afternoon, April 5 and 6.

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church offers help with your 2024 tax preparation that may be more helpful than simply praying. IRS-certified pros volunteer to help Grove residents through the Free Tax Prep Center if their families earned less than $67,000 last year. Interested? Call them at (786) 548-1070 or set up an appointment directly online. Last call is Saturday 4/12.

The premiere performance of “Lady Miasma: A Student Professional Production” opens at Area Stage. Next generation performers bring their sharpening skills to Area’s impressive line up. Area Stage’s Black Box Theatre, 5701 Sunset Drive, Suite 286. Show opens Friday 2/28 at 7:30 p.m. for four performances only. Find value-priced tickets here.

The Native Plant Network has its last free Starter Kit distribution of the Spring. New NPN members are eligible to receive their first five-plants and directions for their care for free. NPN (formerly Connect To Protect) is a long-running program of Fairchild Tropical Garden. To learn more and join, visit their website. It’s free. Double the enjoyment and bring a neighbor or two. Distribution details will be sent to new members by email. Saturday 3/1.

There’s none better at telling the story of Coconut Grove than Grove historian and Dade Heritage Trust chair Iris Guzman Kolaya. She leads a 90-minute walking tour Friday 2/28 through the neighborhood as part of Open House Miami, a collaboration created by the Miami Center for Architecture & Design and AIA Miami. As the Spotlight went to press, some of the dozens of tours elsewhere in Miami had already sold out. Get them while you can. Friday 2/28 through Sunday 3/2. Times and locations vary.

Save Me a Seat

Challenge, suggest, question, debate or simply share a glass with the editors of the Spotlight at an informal social hour. Berries in the Grove, 2884 SW 27th Avenue. Tuesday 3/4, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free. RSVP here to let them get prepared.

Join Friends of the Commodore Trail and expert guide James Duncan on an eco-bike tour to examine the varied habitats along the Commodore Trail. They’ll visit mangroves, hardwood hammocks, and landscaped urban areas to learn about their ecological status, history, and future. Sunday 3/8 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Details, location and tickets.

The Alhambra Orchestra’s free chamber concert features both classic and folk classics to fill Coral Gables United Methodist Church of Christ, 3010 De Soto Blvd., Coral Gables. Details are found here. Sunday 3/16 at 7:30 p.m. Free.