Spotlight 101-250509

Good morning. What we’re covering in today’s Spotlight:

Plans for a Playhouse Parking Garage
A Push to Protect Trees on Leafy Way
The Effort to Reform Miami City Hall

After Years of Delays, Playhouse Parking Garage Inches Forward

The partial demolition of the adjacent Coconut Grove Playhouse paves the way for the $35 million garage and retail complex but legal and design delays leave construction schedule in question.

By Francisco Alvarado

With the partial demolition of the Coconut Grove Playhouse plowing ahead – and the adjacent surface lot partially closed for staging – all eyes are on the Miami Parking Authority (MPA), the semi-autonomous city agency that has been promising a multilevel parking garage at the site for close to a decade.

“It’s very critical,” Coconut Grove Business Improvement District (BID) Executive Director Mark Burns told the Spotlight. “I think it’s a game changer, not only by adding more parking spaces but, also, the garage’s ground-floor retail will be activating an area that right now is almost a dead-end.”

Since taking the helm of the BID a year ago, Burns has looked for any signs of progress on the $35 million garage project.

“It got to the point of why don’t they just build the garage if nothing is being done with the playhouse,” Burns said. “I guess it wasn’t possible.”

City Board Rebuffs Leafy Way Owners on Tree Removal Plan

Declaring the “soul of the neighborhood” at risk, a skeptical city oversight board deferred a vote on a request to remove 75 trees from a South Grove property, offering a developer time to rethink his proposal.

By David Villano

A city oversight board has signaled to the owners of a property on Leafy Way in South Grove that they will likely reject a request to remove 75 trees to make way for a new construction project unless they make significant changes to their proposed landscaping plan.

After sharp questioning from members of the city’s Historic, Environmental and Preservation (HEP) Board on Tuesday, an attorney for the property’s owner/developer agreed to return to the board in July with a revised plan that takes into account neighbor concerns over canopy loss.

“I’m really trying to get you guys to understand that there are the overall number [of trees removed] and there’s the science,” HEP Board member Najeeb Campbell told the property owners’ representatives. “But there’s also the soul of the neighborhood… the landscape, the little trees, and the canopy.”

A City of Miami staff analysis of the tree removal request is equally damning. “It is not clear how the applicant has demonstrated a ‘good faith’ effort to redesign the project in a manner that protects the trees,” wrote Kenneth Kalmis, the city’s Historic Preservation Officer.

Opinion: Proposed Charter Changes Deserves Our Support

The City of Miami’s government is broken, but it can be fixed, former City Commissioner Ken Russell says.

By Ken Russell

Everyone knows that Miami’s government is broken. Most believe it can’t be fixed. Some have differing ideas of how to fix it. Only a determined few get off the couch to do it.

A group of civic minded individuals and organizations called Stronger Miami have leapt off the couch to make a big change – sweeping amendments to the City of Miami’s Charter. They deserve our scrutiny, support, and advocacy. This is no easy task, and it will take all of us to get it done.

If they are successful, the city’s governance will have more local accountability, generate better turnout in elections, and attract better candidates for office.

Bottom line, this group has put forth a petition that, when signed by enough residents, will force the City Commission to put the Stronger Miami proposal on the ballot for a vote of the entire city.

Letters to the Editor

Readers frequently share their views on Spotlight topics.

You can find the most recently posted Letters to the Editor here.

Where We’ll Be

It’s All About Mom

Maybe it’s too late to pick up your room for Mother’s Day, but you can still impress her by picking up trash in a unique marine debris recycling event. SeaCycle’s innovative program will take the materials you help collect and reform them into usable products like park benches. Totally cool if you decide that qualifies as a last-minute Mother’s Day gift, but that’s on you. Saturday 5/10 from 12:45 to 3:00 p.m. in Kenneth Myers Park, at the bottom of the hill on McFarlane Road, just in front of the Coconut Grove Sailing Club. Pre-registration is encouraged here.

Walk a few steps up the hill and set a more relaxed mood for Mother’s Day with the rich sounds of Spanish guitar. In a live performance, local musician Joe Fredd showcases traditional rhythms and melodies from Spain, Venezuela, Cuba, and Argentina. Coconut Grove Branch Library, 2875 McFarlane Road. Saturday 5/10 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Free. All ages.

Get a super-early start on Mother’s Day by inviting a mother out dancing late night Saturday. Salsa Night starts with free beginner and intermediate lessons at 10:00 p.m. followed by dancing until 2:00 a.m. Just a few doors up from the library’s Spanish guitar event, at the Oasis Lounge. Saturday 5/10 with a 10:00 p.m. start. Free.

After a late night dancing, Mom may need to hydrate. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden could provide the perfect opportunity for recovery with mimosas and herbal teas. The Mother’s Day at the Garden event features local singer/songwriter Victoria Blue as well as several ticketed events and offerings. Please check the availability of specific Mother’s Day events, as some had sold out as the Spotlight went to press. 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables. Sunday 5/11 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tickets required.

You’ll be able to tell the story of your mother’s incredible salsa style with flair after you join Grove-Gables Toastmasters at their regular meeting. With the positive and supportive environment of this experienced group, all your forms of communication – in the office, during interviews, around the dinner table, or on stage – will improve. Oh, how your mother will love to hear your stories (don’t forget to call her). For more information, email [email protected]. Virrick Park Branch Library, 3255 Plaza Street. Monday, 5/12 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Adults. Free.

With your improved eloquence, join your Shenandoah neighbors at their monthly neighborhood association meeting and catch up on local developments. The agenda will feature discussion of the Stronger Miami charter initiative to make commission districts more neighborhood-focused, and an update on the planned reconstruction of US-1 at 17th Avenue. Miami Shenandoah Neighborhood Association. Shenandoah Park, 1800 SW 21st Avenue. Monday 5/12 at 7:00 p.m. You can’t afford to miss it.

Are you one of those special people that can’t get enough of Miami’s traffic? Then join Miami Detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) as they return once again to take on the dangers of Miami’s streets with their unique brand of law enforcement. Bad Boys: Ride or Die (R) is featured in Cinema & Chill, Coconut Grove Library’s free movie offering. 2875 McFarlane Road. Thursday 05/15 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Adults only. Free popcorn is included.

Rainy season starts soon and you can prepare at a Rain Barrel Workshop at the International Center for Tropical Botany at The Kampong. You’ll receive a $50 rebate for rain barrel purchases. 3959 South Douglas Road. Saturday 5/10 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Free. Register here.

Save Me a Seat

Curious about some of the development projects announced for the West Grove, or have an issue you want to talk about with City of Miami staff? Come to the Little Bahamas Expo and Community Meeting on Saturday 5/17, where local developers and city staff will be on hand to answer questions. Virrick Park Gymnasium, 3255 Plaza Street from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Free. For more information, call 305-250-5333.

Join former Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick as he leads a leisurely walking tour of the downtown hub of Coral Gables. This is the place where it all began 100-years ago and many of the iconic historical buildings still exist. Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables. Sunday 5/18 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Modestly priced advanced tickets here.