For more information, contact us via email at
miamiriver@bellsouth.net

MIAMI RIVER COMMISSION 
c/o Robert King High
1407 NW 7 St., 
Suite D
Miami , FL   33125

  Phone 305 644 0544
Fax 305 642 1136
 

The Miami River Commission’s (MRC) Urban Infill Working Group (UIWG) convened on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 10 AM, United Way Executive Conference Room, 3250 SW 3rd Avenue. Jim Murley chaired the meeting.  The attendance sheet is enclosed.

I. Planning Studies/Presentations 

A. Update on Miami Circle – Mr. Bibeau stated the Florida Inland Navigational District (FIND) recently awarded the Department of State (DOS) submitted grant application to fund half of the estimated $1.5 million Miami Circle seawall repair. Mr. Bibeau added the grant requires a $750,000 match, which has yet to be identified.  Ms. Chase noted City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff had mentioned during his October 26, 2007 Miami-Dade Cable-TAP Television “Miami River Greenway” interview that he would spearhead the efforts to find the $750,000 match on behalf of the City of Miami.  Mr. Weinreb stated he doesn’t believe three City Commissioners would vote in favor of providing the FIND grant match to repair the ST owned collapsed seawall at the Miami Circle.  Mr. Bibeau noted the DOS still needs to receive authority from the Legislature during the Spring 2008 session to spend the awarded funding, and Mr. Murley noted the potential to receive that authority from the “Budget Commission” prior to the 2008 session.  The UIWG recommended investigating if the local tribes would be interested in providing the $750,000 FIND grant match to repair the seawall.  Mr. Murley suggested approaching the issue by showing the connectivity the planned publicly accessible riverwalk at the Miami Circle will have with adjacent Baywalk sections, and to meet with stakeholders including the Downtown Development Authority and adjacent property owners Florida Department of Transportation and the Related Group. 

B. Status of the “Upper River/MIC Associated Development” Planning Process – Mr. Bibeau stated during the MRC’s October Economic Development and Commerce Working Group Meeting Ms. Lubby Navarro, designee for Chairman Barreiro, was briefed on the funding needs to create the MRC recommended “Upper River/MIC Associated Development” plan and the related Miami River Short Sea Shipping Plan.  Ms. Navarro stated she would brief the Chairman and explore any potential funding opportunities for the MRC recommended plans with Miami-Dade County and or the Metropolitan Planning Organization, which funded the recently adopted Miami River Corridor Multi-Modal Transportation Plan.

C. MRC Response to Governor Charles Crist’s Executive Order Regarding Climate Change- Per Chairman Murley’s direction at the September 9, 2007 UIWG meeting, MRC Assistant Managing Director Ashley Chase distributed updated copies of the “State of Florida Office of the Governor Executive Order Number 07-126” regarding green initiatives related to the MRC.  Mr. Murley noted the Hotel Intercontinental, located in Downtown Miami, was recently designated a “green meeting facility/lodging.” Ms. Chase agreed to include the Hotel Intercontinental in section 4.3 of the report.  Chair Murley recommended that the MRC work with the Miami-Dade Housing Agency at Robert King High Towers to establish a pilot “green/energy efficient meeting facility” within the New Board Room along the Miami River.

Chair Murley suggested that MRC staff highlight its personal efforts towards climate change in the 2008 Annual Report.  Chair Murley encouraged MRC staff to consider applying Governor Charles Crist’s Executive Order Regarding Climate Change on a more holistic scale along the river, i.e. working with hotels, restaurants, marine industries and developers towards obtaining general consistency with the green initiatives.

II. New Business – The following items were addressed/discussed:

Dr. Bohnsack asked for the status of the MRC recommended Miami River Urban Design Center.  Chair Murley replied after the MRC submitted a feasibility report to Miami-Dade County regarding the potential to create the public Miami River Design Center on the riverfront County owned parcel located on the south shore east of the 12 Ave Bridge, that site was approved as part of the adjacent MRC recommended Merrill-Stevens expansion.  Mr. Murley noted the County asked the adjacent proposed Related Group mixed use project consider including the Miami River Urban Design Center / MRC offices on the second floor of a structure on the upland side of NW 11 ST / North River Drive.

The UIWG discussed the City of Miami’s upcoming plans to demolish the Orange Bowl, and recommended the potential demolishion work be conducted only within the site’s fenced area, because traffic along the adjacent NW 7 ST is already increased due to the ongoing Bridge repairs at 17 Ave, 12 Ave, and 5 ST.    

The UIWG confirmed their next meeting on December 12, 2007, 10 AM.

The meeting adjourned.

 HOME    CALENDAR     ABOUT THE RIVER    ABOUT THE COMMISSION     DREDGING      GREENWAYS    URBAN INFILL PLAN  
STORMWATER RETROFITTING   MINUTES OF MEETINGS      LINKS