CONTACT US!
For more information, contact us via email at mrc@rsmas.miami.edu

MIAMI RIVER COMMISSION 
c/o Rosenstiel School
4600 Rickenbacker Cswy,
Miami, Fl. 33149
305-361-4850
Fax: 305-361-4755
e-mail: mrc@rsmas.miami.edu

This site
prepared and designed by
Mark Sell Communications, Inc. Public Relations

Jim Murley stated that during his tenure as Director of Florida’s Department of Community Affairs (DCA), the DCA was heavily involved in the creation of a new section of State Statute Chapter 163, regarding the Urban Infill Planning and designation process.  Murley explained he was glad the MRC’s UIWG and TIF subcommittees were having this opportunity to discuss the relatively new Urban Infill process, as it directly relates to the creation of a TIF.  Murley reminded the TIF subcommittee that in the 2000 Miami River Improvement Act, the State legislature requested the City and County to create a Miami River Corridor Urban Infill Plan.  Therefore, the City and County have entered into a Joint Planning Agreement to create the Miami River Corridor Urban Infill Plan, pursuant to state Statute163.  Numerous grants were awarded to contract Kimley-Horn and Associates to assist the City and County Planning Departments in creating the Miami River Corridor Urban Infill Plan.  The consultants Scope of Services expressly request the creation of an Urban Infill Plan, pursuant to Chapter 163.  Murley noted the process of creating and adopting an Urban Infill Plan, is different from that of creating a Community Redevelopment Area (CRA).  While the creation of a CRA requires a determination of slum and blight, the adoption of the Urban Infill Plan and boundary would make a subsection of the designated Urban Infill area eligible for the creation of a Tax Increment Financing District, without a separate determination of slum and blight.  Therefore, the future steps include the reviews by the appropriate City and County Advisory Boards and subcommittees, administration and elected officials, and the Miami River Commission’s May meeting.  By ordinance the City Commission and Board of County Commissioner’s would adopt the Urban Infill Plan, and a map amendment to the City and County Comprehensive Plan’s, approving the Urban Infill boundary.  The adopted map would then go to the Florida Department of Community affairs for review.  Murley stated the importance of taking parallel, not sequential time lines in this process.  Ms. Dena Bianchino, Assistant City Manager, stated she would assign a City Attorney to begin drafting the necessary ordinances for adoption of the plan, and the Comprehensive Plan Map amendment.

Murley explained the Urban Infill Plan’s implementation would commence upon its adoption.  One component of the Plan’s implementation, which would result in an overall expedited funding of the Urban Infill Plan’s recommendations, is the creation of a Tax

Increment Financing District.  Following the guidelines of Chapter 163.387, “A local government with an adopted Urban Infill and Redevelopment Plan may employ tax increment financing under s. 163.387”.  The process to achieve this objective is the City Commission and Board of County Commissioners would create an ordinance adopting the Tax Increment Financing Boundary, within the larger previously adopted Urban Infill Boundary.  In addition, the City Commission and Board of County Commissioners would agree upon the governance structure for the new Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District.

All improvements funded through the TIF must be located within the TIF district, and previously planned in the adopted Urban Infill Plan.  Dr. Ernest Martin, chair of the Miami River Commission’s Tax Increment Financing Investigation Subcommittee, stated the projects supported by the subcommittee, including, but not limited to, dredging, implementing the Miami River Greenway Action Plan (unanimously adopted by the City and County Commission), Implementing the Miami River Water Quality Report, written by the South Florida Water Management District, Environmental Protection Agency, Florida Department of Environmental Protection,  Miami-Dade County Department Of Environmental Resource Management, City of Miami, and the Miami River Commission, which was approved by the MRC on February 4, 2002.  In addition, a few catalytic private-public redevelopment projects may be funded by TIF financing. 

David Cardwell, Esq. Stated he was representing the City of Miami’s Community Redevelopment Authority (CRA).  Cardwell explained the planning firm of Dover and Kohl was contracted by the CRA to plan possible expansions of the existing CRA, including expansion options, which included the Miami River Corridor.   Furthermore, Cardwell notified the MRC’s TIF and UIWG subcommittees that the CRA was scheduled to hear this item during their March 25, 2002 meeting.   MRC Chair, Robert L. Parks, Esq., requested MRC staff to publicly notice a meeting of the MRC’s Executive Committee to discuss the Miami River Corridor Plan and Tax Increment Financing District.

The meeting was adjourned.

HOME        CALENDARS       ABOUT THE RIVER          ABOUT THE COMMISSION         DREDGING      GREENWAYS     
URBAN INFILL PLANS           STORMWATER RETROFITTING            MINUTES OF MEETINGS      LINKS