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MIAMI RIVER COMMISSION
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GREENWAY SUBCOMMITTEE AND QUALITY OF LIFE JOINT MINUTES:
Minutes of meeting
2:00 PM
(THIS IS A PUBLIC DOCUMENT)
I. Discuss Future Miami River Greenway Governance – Dr. Martin stated he and Mr. Brett Bibeau, MRC Managing Director, had met with City Manager Pete Hernandez and City of Miami Planning Department representatives, whom had indicated that the revised and final “Miami River Greenway Design Guidelines and Standards” should be considered for adoption as a self standing ordinance after the City Commission adopts Miami 21's Eastern Quadrant.
Mr. Bibeau distributed a Miami Today article, “MiMo, Design districts under study for business districts,” and noted that the creation of a business improvement district could essentially provide a solution for future greenway governance. Mr. Robert Weinreb , City of Manager , discussed the possibility of having police and/or code enforcement provide security along the Miami River Greenway. Mr. Weinreb stated he supported the concept of designating the Miami River Greenway as a City of Miami Linear Park, and incorporate the use of “Park Rangers”. Mr. Bibeau noted the MRC continues to host and coordinate volunteer clean-ups along the Miami River, most recently with “Engage Miami,” Team Metro Melrose and the University of Miami. The next MRC coordinated and funded volunteer clean ups of the City owned on-road Greenway sections will take place on 10/6 and 10/27.
Mr. Bibeau distributed a series of recent photographs from City owned sections of on-road greenway:
- North shore-tree in front of Garcia's Seafood Grille was run-over, will it be replaced?
- Graffiti on greenway way-finding signage on S. River Drive and SW 2 ST, will the graffiti be removed?
- Tree about to collapse on S. River Drive in front of Miami-Dade County Water & Sewer Department, will it be replanted?
Dr. Martin suggested as directed by the City of Miami that MRC staff report these conditions to 3-1-1 .
Regarding potential means to provide security along the Greenway, Mr. Bibeau distributed a Fact Sheet pertaining to the “Hot Spot Campaign,” a new method created by City Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones, P.U.L.S.E, City of Miami Solid Waste Department, the Neighborhood Enhancement Team offices (NET), City of Miami Code Enforcement, and the Miami Police Department and the to report criminal activities including but not limited to illegal dumping, littering, etc.
Mr. Bibeau noted the City of Miami Police Department provided a power point presentation regarding their installation of a CCTV surveillance system along Biscayne Boulevard .
II. Status of Miami River Greenway Historic Markers – Ms. Ashley Chase, MRC Managing Director, noted MRC staff had received the Spanish draft of the “Miami Shipbuilding Corporation” historic marker from the translator, and upon review by the GSC, they would provide the final bi-lingual text and images to the developer of “Latitude on the River,” whom has pledged to fabricate and install the historic marker at the development site to commemorate the former location of Brickell Shipyard and Miami Ship Services. The GSC agreed to forward any final revisions to the “Miami Shipbuilding Corporation” historic marker final draft text and images to MRC staff by next week.
III. Discuss Status of Miami River Greenway Development – MRC staff agreed to begin including “Status of the Merrill-Stevens / Related Group Project” and “Status of the Miami Circle ” as Item III subtopics in future GSC meeting agendas. Dr. Martin noted Merrill-Stevens Dry Dock Company, as part of its expansion project plans, had expressed its commitment to create a publicly accessible riverwalk at their site, as well as at the county-owned property, Robert King High.
Mr. Kevin Brown , Consul-Tech / City of Miami Capital Improvement , provided the status on the City's construction of the following Miami River Greenway sections:
Segment B (NW North River Drive, NW 2 nd ST to Flagler ST) & Segment C (NW North River Drive, Flagler to Miami Riverside Center's Riverwalk / existing riverwalk beneath I-95) –80% of sidewalks are complete; 70% of curb and gutter are complete, 20% of lighting conduit is complete. Landscaping will be performed following sidewalk completion. Mr. Bibeau recommended planting all schieflera trinettes, which do have been requiring less maintenance and grown better in the previously completed City sections of on-road greenway, rather than the smaller plants used in portions of the previously constructed Greenway areas. Discussion of on-road greenway connection under I-95 through the Miami Riverside Center parking lot is still ongoing. Mr. Brown noted city representatives had scheduled a meeting with the City Manager to discuss the possibility of extending the riverwalk further west through the professional commercial fishing business site they lease to Garcia's.
Mr. Bibeau noted FDOT representatives have stated on the record that they are willing to incorporate the neglected Public Right of Way they control beneath and adjacent to the east side of the 1 ST Bridge to incorporate an expanded a riverfront pocket park adjacent to the on-road Greenway currently under construction. The GSC noted additional funding, construction engineering documents would need to be created to beautify that FDOT owned riverfront area.
IV. Discussion of North Spring Garden Greenway Project- Mr. Brown noted Ms. Kathleen Kauffman, City of Miami Director of Historic Preservation, continues to meet with Spring Garden residents to address concerns and find alternatives regarding the North Spring Garden Greenway project, which calls for the construction of an on-road greenway in Spring Garden along NW North River Drive from the west side of the Humpback Bridge on NW 7 th Street Road (east end) and connect to the NW 12 Ave Bridge Greenway. Mr. Brown noted the City of Miami 's Historic and Environmental Preservation Board (HEPB) met this month to consider the East side ( NW 9 th Court to NW 7 th Street Road) “Certificate of Appropriateness” separately. Mr. Brown noted the East side ( NW 12 th Avenue to NW 9 th Court ) was deferred to the HEP board's October 2 agenda to allow additional time for the City and residents to reach consensus. Mr. Bibeau distributed photographs of the subject area, which currently has sections in violation of ADA requirements because there are no sidewalks and has suffered from historic flooding issues, both of which would be resolved by creating the proposed on-road Greenway. The GSC noted the project's west side has a net increase of 20 trees, which is nearly a 50% increase. Per the request of the GSC, Mr. Bibeau agreed to provide a PowerPoint presentation at the October 2, 2007 HEPB meeting.
V. Review of Miami River Greenway Riverwalk Cross Section – Mr. Bibeau noted he and Ms. Priscilla Morales, Miami-Dade Public Works Department, had recently conducted a site visit of the County owned 2 nd Ave Bridge's south shore riverwalk, which the County will be improving use their GOB bond funding. While visiting the site, they inspected the needed connection to the “Latitude on the River” development's publicly accessible riverwalk, located immediately to the east. Mr. Bibeau reminded the GSC that over a month ago, Miami City Commissioner Joe Sanchez had requested a meeting with him and the developer of “Latitude on the River” to address inconsistent riverwalk dimensions and the site's lack of connectivity as approved by the City Commission to the adjacent development “Neo Vertika” and the NW 2 nd Avenue Bridge. Mr. Bibeau noted the City Commission-approved riverwalk renditions for the aforementioned riverfront development are wider than the as-built riverwalk. Mr. Bibeau added that the approved MUSP provided connectivity to adjacent riverwalk sections, but the as-built sections failed to connect to the 2 nd Ave Bridge. Mr. Bibeau noted that, during the meeting with Commissioner Sanchez, the developer of “Latitude on the River” seemed somewhat willing to provide a riverwalk connection to the NW 2 nd Avenue Bridge by installing a 6-foot cantilevered bridge. Mr. Bibeau noted that when he had recommended a 16-foot wide (consistent with the Miami River Greenway Action Plan) cantilevered bridge instead over the developer owned submerged land, Mr. Steve Gelb, E.A. Fish, indicated he would consider it, yet it maybe more difficult to obtain a permit for a wider bridge. The GSC directed MRC staff to continue advocating for the Riverwalk dimensions as approved for the projects by the City Commission. Ms. Morales noted the county remains committed to assisting the developer obtain necessary permits in order to establish riverwalk connections, yet the developer needs to be agreeable to making the aforementioned changes. Dr. Martin directed Mr. Bibeau and Mr. Robert Weinreb , City of Miami , to follow-up with the developer. Mr. Bibeau explained that the MRC is simply an advisory board, and considering the numerous times this issue has been pointed out to the City of Miami , he suggested Mr. Weinreb-on behalf of the city- follow up on this important issue. Mr. Weinreb noted the City Manager has taken a special interest in the matter, and is therefore requesting a meeting with county representatives and the MRC.
Mr. Bibeau pinpointed the following riverwalk “gaps”:
- The developer of “Neo Vertika” has removed the county-owned fence which blocked direct access to the M-Path, yet was not planning to perform shoreline repair, which may have incorporated some solutions to provide improved riverwalk connectivity with adjacent parcels. Mr. Bibeau therefore suggested a 22-foot-wide riverwalk (with seawall) to provide connectivity to the County owned parcel where the County will construct a riverwalk beneath the Metro Rail.
- The rusted seawall in disrepair at SW 1 st Court , parallel to MetroRail along the river's edge, is at risk of falling into the river. The seawall was previously owned by FP & L, whom then transferred the property to Neo Vertika. Mr. Bibeau noted that, according to the city code, the owners of the aforementioned property are responsible to make necessary seawall repairs. If not, Mr. Bibeau added that the city code allows the City to perform the seawall repairs and forward the bill to the property owner.
- North shore east of the MetroRail, adjacent to 3,000 unit, 7 building mixed-use project, formerly known as “Riverfront East and West;” Mr. Bibeau noted City of Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff planned to address the City Commission approved riverwalk connections beneath the South Miami Avenue Bridge and the MetroRail, including the 50 foot building setback and 16 foot wide unobstructed publicly accessible riverwalk as part of his district agenda item at the September 27 City Commission meeting.
- Mr. Bibeau noted he has scheduled a meeting on September 18 with a Miami-Dade Transit representative regarding fence relocations to establish a riverwalk connection on the river's south shore, adjacent to the 5 th Street Metro mover station and proceeding east to “Brickell on the River.”
MRC staff distributed copies of the “ Terrazas River Park Village ” and “River Oaks” projects City approved cross sections. MRC staff noted the areas depict publicly accessible riverwalk areas, yet MRC staff is unable to determine if the area includes the approved 16 foot unobstructed riverwalk pedestrian paths dimensions. Therefore Chair Martin directed MRC staff to contact the project developers to obtain verification that the pledged 16 foot unobstructed riverwalk will be included within the larger grand total Riverwalk area depicted on the renditions.
VI. Discussion of Greenway Connectors Needed on County-Owned Property on North Shore Beneath the South Miami Avenue Bridge & Metro-Rail, South Shore Beneath the Metro-Rail, Metro-Mover, and SW 2 Ave Bridge – Dr. Martin welcomed Ms. Priscilla Morales, Ms. Jacqueline Alcina and Mr. Jeff Cohen, Miami-Dade Public Works, and provided a brief overview of the Miami River Greenway Action Plan. Ms. Morales noted the Miami-Dade County 's Public Works Department received the approved $7.5 million Miami River Greenway line item in the County's General Obligation Bond issue to construct a publicly accessible riverwalk on 6 county-owned riverfront parcels. Ms. Morales noted there is a nine-month process associated with the project (from the appointment of a committee to select a consultant to the actual public involvement workshops). Ms. Morales explained that, as part of the project, riverwalk connector sections would be constructed in order to provide a continuous Greenway system from east to west.
Mr. Bibeau noted Ms. Priscilla Morales and several Miami-Dade County representatives had attended the July 26 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Miami River boat tour.
Mr. Bibeau distributed copies of a September 6, 2007 letter from Miami-Dade County Assistant Director Gaspar Miranda to Mr. Roger Hernstadt, Office of the City Manager, in reference to a Miami River Greenway design competition, an August 7, 2007 from Garren Owens, Associate Chair of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) to Mr. Brett Bibeau, and a Miami-Dade County Public Works Department Highway Division Engineer's Opinion of Probable Construction Costs for the City of Miami Lummus Park Riverwalk. In the September 6, 2007 letter, Mr. Miranda notes that the ASLA recently approached the County to endorse a design competition for the Miami River Greenway focused on two vacant parcels on the banks of the Miami River: The first parcel is county-owned and adjacent to the Water & Sewer Department Pump Station, and the second parcel is part of the City of Miami's Lummus Park parcel, adjacent to the county-owned parcel. According to Mr. Miranda, the “ASLA requested that the County approach the City about partnering in the design competition to provide continuity to the proposed riverwalk. The purpose of this competition is for area schools and universities to compete for master plan design of a shared-use bicycle and pedestrian facility in conformance with the Miami River Greenway Design Standards & Guidelines. The county intends to use the master plan by the winning contestant as the basis for the design and construction of the Riverwalk Project. The County has appropriated funds for construction of this project on county-owned properties; however, if the City agrees to endorse the competition, the City would need to agree to fund the design and construction of the improvement to the City's parcel estimated at $250,000.” Ms. Morales noted she had requested surveys of the aforementioned parcels, which she expected to receive before the end of this month and would provide per Mr. Weinreb's request. Mr. Bibeau noted City Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones is supportive of a 20-22 foot-wide riverwalk at Lummus Landing, which is consistent with the City of Miami 's Comprehensive Plan.
Ms. Morales provided a timeline for the entire master plan:
- May 2008-design/engineering documents completed
- December 2008-permitting completed
- October 2009-award project to consultant
- March 2010-project construction completion
VII. Discussion of Grant Opportunities- MRC staff distributed a potential grant opportunity, the “Corporation for National and Community Service Grant,” but noted that since the MRC was not a regional entity, it could not apply. Dr. Martin therefore suggested discussing this potential grant opportunity with Ms. Audrey Ordenes, The Trust for Public Land .
Mr. Bibeau noted a Florida Department of Environmental Protections (FDEP) Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant opportunity. Mr. Bibeau stated his previous grant application to the FDEP RTP was awarded $100,000, and he recommended the new application due in February 2008 be for the maximum $200,000 award to create a riverwalk section in Lummus Park . Mr. Bibeau noted the City of Miami is an eligible applicant, and added that since the City of Miami owns Lummus Park , it would be easier through the grant, permitting, and riverwalk development process if the grant was awarded directly to the City of Miami . Dr. Martin suggested notifying Miami City Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones of the potential grant opportunity and forwarding it to Mr. Robert Ruano , Director of the City of Miami Grants Department.
VIII. New Business – MRC staff distributed a summary of the University of Miami's Waterfront study which will include the Miami River Greenway up to I-95 entitled, “UM School of Architecture to Launch a School Wide Study of Miami Waterfront – Semester Long project to involve more than 300 students”
The GSC confirmed their next regularly scheduled second Wednesday of the month meeting on October 10, 2007 , 2 PM .
The meeting adjourned.
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