Nothing like this has ever happened in Hialeah. Please tell all your family and friends in Hialeah about this, and forward it to your e-mail list of people in Hialeah.
PLEASE join us at the City Council meeting this Tuesday, February 13, to oppose a major redevelopment plan for five sections of East and Southeast Hialeah and which will also put our historic Hialeah Park in jeopardy of being "dwarfed."
We are in favor of minimal redevelopment and incentives to repair, improve and beautify our whole city, but not with this horrible ordinance. The plan calls for an automatic zoning change to numerous business lots, apartment buildings and single-family residential homes in select areas, but will also set a precedent for it to happen anywhere in Hialeah. This needs to be stopped ! ! !
Small land owners and residents who cannot afford to keep their properties in accordance with the new ordinance might be forced to sell. Current owners will not be able to alter, modify, or build anything new on their property if they wanted to because anything new would have to follow the ordinance and they would be forced to sell. They also cannot dispute it because the ordinance prevents them from doing so. Several residential neighborhood would be negatively impacted by 5 to 9-story buildings. Traffic will worsen. The incentives favor the wealthy investors and developers who could buy large parcels of land or entire blocks. The higher and the more density they add, the greater the incentives! All buildings will be 'mixed use'.
The cross atop Immaculate Conception Church would be hidden from view by the new tall buildings. Buildings and homes built between the 1920s to 1960s will be gone forever from these areas. Both streets immediately across from Hialeah Park (Hialeah Race Track) are also part of the plan!
ALL Hialeah residents are urged to join us to protest before the city council members. Bring your family, friends and neighbors with you.
Hialeah City Hall
501 Palm Avenue, 3rd Floor
Tuesday, February 13 - 7:00 P.M.
Milly Herrera
Community Activist
Hialeah, Florida
herrera101@aol.com
9 comments:
What is going on Feb 13th ???
you have to hit the "READ MORE" BUTTON.
Well I guess the activist got it wrong last night and misled a lot of people. The City is doing the right thing, bringing responsible growth to the City of Progress.
by Truly Blue
The activists got it right too!
AND The Mayor and City Council must do a better job of bringing consensus on matters of such importance as the five business overlay districts which passed at Tuesday's City of Hialeah City Council Meeting.
These business overly districts may be the best thing since sliced bread for Hialeah, but who would have known it with the lack of information before the city council meeting on Tuesday, February 13?
I believe that the activists of any city would love nothing better than to be on the same page with their elected officials, especially when those same activists probably supported and voted for those elected officials, in this case the Mayor and City Council members.
It seems to me, a friendly observer of Hialeah politics, that the city brings about decisions, many of them correct, without the proper public participation. What can be done to improve the process for all parties concerned?
In many municipalities, cities have work shops and public hearings to discuss issues, to inform the public of the issues, to build support for the issues and to get people on the same page on these important issues.
Hialeah elected officials would do better with their activist friends if they practiced better "transparency" in the government process.
Informing the citizenry of business overlays would have been easy for the city to accomplish. Schedule some public workshops, bring together the experts, the stakeholders, the activists and the citizens AND discuss it. Answer questions for those who feel left out of the process and build community support.
It is really quite easy to do. And I have seen many cities do a great job involving its citizens every step of the way.
I think the goal is to have a WIN/WIN situation. I hope the Mayor and Council decide that this is the same goal too and that they start practicing a little more TRANSPARENCY.
It really works!
Reminder...the City puts out notices, required by law, to all parties that maybe affected. The places an ad in the newspaper, sends letters to residents and goes to the radio airways to notify the population of these types of projects.
Many people choose not to inform themselves on what is going on in there city.
The activist, while I am sure have positive motives that should be heard, fooled and maybe even lied to residents of what was going on. The Mayor completed disarmed the activist by pointing out these lies and clearing up any misconceptions. No one would loose their business or home......period.
Could public work shop have been done to help the process ?? Perhaps! I know Council President Bovo asked in a December if one would be required. But since it is an election year in Hialeah, everything now will be played out with drama.....
I was invited to attend the council meeting in Hialeah and went there out of sheer curiosity. The room was packed to the max, there were people standing and even spilling into the hallway. Several police officers and the media were there. For minutes at a time I felt as if I were in a foreign country . . .
It was disgusting to see how the Mayor of the second largest city in Miami-Dade county got up with independent mic on hand, waving a yellow paper up in the air with the other hand (the flyer that was handed out I suppose) and verbally abusing and accusing the group of activists of lying to the people and telling he crowd they had been lied to, scared, and that they had played on their emotions.
One of the "woman activist" was apparently pin-pointed and naturally (who wouldn't) became upset. I wanted to clap when I saw her get up (so bravely) and wave the stack of papers that were the ordinance (as if imitating the Mayor) and telling the crowd that she was the "author of the yellow flyers" and did not lie. "Here's the ordinance," she said, "for anyone who wants to read it." I wanted to jump on it and go up to her and ask what was in it - Come to think about it, the Mayor never made a single reference to the ordinance.
What the hell is wrong with these Cubans in Hialeah?!?! They should have stood up and defended this woman who I deemed to have a gentle spirit with a fighter's guts. No respect for the big bully giant who said to be a friend of the Mayor and tried to frighten the acitivists. The idiot got booed by the crowd and another man went up there to confront him - the police stepped in - this was an adventure to watch.
I was really touched by the owner of Tarpoon Dive Center, and the man who spoke about small business owners and living in Hialeah all his life. My heart went out to these people - Hialeah needs a recall of its Mayor and city council members. Only one council woman (can't recall her name) voted against the issue.
No doubt, the activist should not have gotten up before her time, but I think in her place I would have done the same thing. She was also not allowed to speak on the issue. Why? Why? Why? My heart went out to her because I saw a realy lady with gentle soul and brave disposition.
I left and drove down Palm Avenue to check out The Tarpoon - amazing - Hialeah should be protecting this and not harassing the owner. What the hell is wrong in the people who rule there? Wake up Hialeah and get rid of them all!
To the activist: I hope you keep fighting and don't let these bull dogs bite you out of continuing to help your people. Keep up those yellow flyers. As I was walking out of the building where the meeting was held, I heard more comments in favor of you and against. I think the majority of the people in Hialeah know you, like you, respect you, and want you to continue doing what you're doing. Keep up the good work!
Where are you? Why don't you comment on the blog?
I say: Good work to all activists that take the time to go out to address their government.
If the activists are mistaken it is up to the elected government officials to politely help them understand. Apparently there was a disconnect in Hialeah. I think there is a new day coming...people are going to demand more from their elected officials. I don't know the entire issue -- if the newspaper did a better job, maybe I would.
I am a former resident of Hialeah where I grew up. At this I support those activist, especially that main woman that is fighting for the good of that city. One thing I can say for sure because I know her personally and love her. She is an extrorinary woman that fights strongly for what she believes in and DOES NOT LIE. She's done her research and if the community follows her & support her at least it will be a good fight against this crooked city government in the City of Hialeah. That city has been corrupted starting with the former Mayer & now this ...not any better.
You go Activist ! Keep on fighting
Concerned former Resident
Close to six months ago, the Ordinance that allows for the rezoning of 5 major areas of Hialeah was approved by 5 of 7 city council members.
Only Councilwoman Cindy Miel voted against the item and Councilman Luis Gonzalez was absent. Visit www.hialeahfl.gov and see who the other 5 council members are who voted in favor of this travesty.
There is a bit of good news and I wanted to let everyone on this forum know that Mayor Julio Robaina will be meeting with a select number of us in September to review and, I'm hoping, consider amending the ordinance.
I know, without doubt, as I did on the evening of February 13, 2007, that the ordinance takes away current property owners rights and give incentives for developers to purchase entire city blocks, placing building 5 to 9 stories high right next to our residential homes.
You can argue as much as you want if you haven't read the ordinance or consulted with a lawyer (two things I have done), but you cannot argue what is in black & white (read it and understand it before you speak in its defense).
We are hoping to have the ordinance amended, but are now also concerned with the new house bill 7203 and how this will affect us in Hialeah and other parts of Miami-Dade county.
Milly Herrera
Hialeah, Florida
herrera101@aol.com
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