Believe it or not, we do have growth management guidelines in place in Forida. Really, I am not kidding. I am not calling them laws, because they have no teeth but there is this shitload of rules that exist.Quick civic lesson: The Dept. of Community Affairs (DCA) is the State Department in charge of growth management. There is this part of the DCA, which I don't quite understand, called the South Florida Regional Planning Council (SFRPC) which votes on regional issues. Regional issues are those that impact more than one county. The SFRPC offices are in Hollywood. Government elected officials from Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe County sit on the SFRPC board. The 3 Miami County Commissioners on the SFRPC are Moss, Heyman and icky Pepe Diaz. Katy Sorenson was removed by that snit Joe Martinez when he was Commission Chair. It was ugly.
Anyway, The SFRPC met this morning to evaluate, among other things, the 3 applications to move the UDB line that the County Commission moved forward (remember the Mayor's veto and the override?).
The outcome of the vote on the 3 applications to move the Urban Development Boundary at the SFRPC:
Applications 5 and 9 - SFRPC Transmitted the applications to DCA as inconsistent with the Regional Comprehensive Plan. This is a good thing. Pepe must not have been a happy camper on the Lowe's application. The "school property" that Lowe's was going to sell cheap did not entice Broward and Monroe County members of the board.
Application 8 - (The one way West on Kendall Drive) went through with small caveats...Moss, the Mayor's appointee and a Commissioner from Monroe voted no. Everyone else transmitted it. Sally Heyman supported it and spoke in favor of it — she was the cheerleader for some dumb road right-of-way the developer was dangling in front of Miami-Dade County and the developer proposed removing any residential element from the application.
Now the 3 applications are officially transmitted to the Department of Community Affairs for review and we can send our personal comments to them: Paul.Darst@dca.state.fl.us and Charles.Gauthier@dca.state.fl.us.
Boring, huh?
Here are the members of the SFRPC:
ASSEFF, Patricia B. (Chair)
Wimbish-Riteway Realtors
950 South Southlake Drive
Hollywood, FL 33019
PHONE - 305-931-8266
FAX - 305-933-1141
BLYNN, Michael (Immediate Past Chair)
Councilman, North Miami
15516 Biscayne Boulevard
North Miami Beach, FL 33160
PHONE - 305-947-8882
FAX - 305-947-9420
BROOK, Scott J.
Mayor, Coral Springs
9551 W. Sample Road
Coral Springs, FL 33065
PHONE - 954-344-1142
FAX - 954-757-1770
CHERNOFF, Jay R.
Commissioner, North Miami Beach
17011 NE 19th Avenue
North Miami Beach, FL 33162
PHONE - 305-948-2986
FAX - 305-787-6036
DIAZ, Jose "Pepe"
Miami-Dade County Commissioner
Miami-Dade Center
8345 N.W. 12th Street
Miami, FL 33126
PHONE - 305-599-1200
FAX - 305-470-1791
GUNZBURGER, Suzanne
Broward County Commissioner
Governmental Center
115 S. Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
PHONE - 954-357-7006
FAX - 954-357-7129
HEYMAN, Sally
Miami-Dade County Commissioner
Miami-Dade Center
111 N.W. 1st Street, Suite 220
Miami, FL 33128
PHONE - 305- 375-5128
FAX - 305- 372-6179
LIEBERMAN, Ilene
Broward County Commissioner
Governmental Center
115 South Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
PHONE - 954- 357-7001
FAX - 954- 357-7295
McPHERSON, Morgan
Mayor, City of Key West
P. O. Box 1409
Key West, FL 33041
PHONE - (305) 809-3840
FAX – (305) 809-3847
MOORE, Carlton
Vice-Mayor, Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale City Hall
100 N. Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
PHONE - 954- 828-5011
FAX - 954- 828-5667
MOSS, Dennis C.
Miami-Dade County Commissioner
Stephen P. Clark Center
111 NW 1st Street, Suite 320
Miami, FL 33128
PHONE - 305-375-4832
FAX - 305-372-6011
NEUGENT, George
Monroe County Commissioner
Stephen P. Clark Center
25 Ships Way
Big Pine Key, FL 33043
PHONE - 305-872-1678
FAX - 305-872-9195
PEREZ, Marta (Vice-Chair)
Miami-Dade County School Board
1450 NE 2nd Avenue, Suite 700
Miami, FL 33132
PHONE - (305) 995-2794
FAX - (305) 995-2786
RIESCO, José A.
Certified Public Accountant
Jose A. Riesco, PA
2801 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Suite 1000
Coral Gables, FL 33134
PHONE - (305) 445-0777
FAX - (305) 446-8576
SCUOTTO, Joseph (Secretary)
Commissioner
City of Sunrise
10770 West Oakland Park Blvd.
Sunrise, FL 33351
PHONE - (954) 746-3250
FAX - (954) 746-3243
SPEHAR, Dixie M.
Monroe County Commissioner
500 Whitehead Street, Suite 102
Key West, FL 33040
PHONE - (305) 292-3440
FAX - (305) 292-3466
WALTERS, Sandra
Sandra Walters Consultants, Inc.
6410 5th Street, Suite 3
Key West, FL 33040
PHONE - 305-294-1238
FAX - 305-294-2164
WEXLER, Lois
Vice-Mayor, Broward County
Governmental Center
115 South Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
PHONE - 954- 357-7005
FAX - 954- 357-7044
DONN, Gary L.
Director of Planning and Programs, Dist. 6
Florida Department of Transportation
602 South Miami Avenue
Miami, FL 33130
PHONE - (305) 377-5900
FAX - (305) 377-5967
KENNEDY, Chad
Watershed Management & Planning
Program Manager
Department of Environmental Protection
400 N. Congress Avenue, Suite 200
West Palm Beach , FL 33401
PHONE - (561) 681-6661
FAX - (561) 681-6755
WATERS, Elbert (Bert)
South Florida Water Management District
Broward County Service Center
8211 W. Broward Boulevard, PH3
Plantation, FL 33324
PHONE - 954-713-3200, ext. 4981
FAX - 954-475-4169
9 comments:
So how are we suspose to vote on the latest county proposals?
You don't. Not unless Hometown Democracy passes.
First anon...
You send your comments to the two emails I supplied. You don't vote. Tell them how you feel about moving the UDB.
The SFRPC and all RPC's act in an advisory capacity to DCA. At the end of the day, even if DCA objects to the comp plan amendments, the BCC can vote however it sees fit. The only issue that has recently held up comp plan approvals was water consumption, however, a deal was struck in connection with the Codina UDB application, and other smaller applications, that have for the moment, opened the door for additional approvals, and there is not much that DCA can do about it.
A co-worker monitored the SFRPC meeting, and mentioned to me that Diaz was not happy as the Broward representatives all shot down the Dade applications, even after empassioned pleas from the three sitting Miami-Dade County Commissioners. He said it was quite interesting to watch.
The Codina deal was based on a reuse plant being built for Hialeah. Last I heard: No one was paying for it. At the county meeting it sounded like Hialeah would foot the bill, then they tried to get the state to pay for it. I would suppose the county will foot the bill.
Even though the county commission can do what they want, once the DCA reviews, people can ask for an administrative hearing based on DCA rules and regs being violated.
It's a shame that this meeting was not noticed in some publication of general circulation. It's also a shame that the make up is largely government officials. Why not more average citizens, like doctors, teachers, bus drivers, engineers, small business owners/employees, retirees,nurses and engineers? I have always been impressed with the work of Grand Juries, which are made up of regular Joes and Janes. There are lots of smart people out there who are less encumbered that the insiders. What a concept; let the people have a say. That's why I support Hometown Democracy.
Pepe Diaz may have to look somewhere other than Lowes to suppliment his faltering income.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008 - 10:25 AM EST
Miami-Dade UDB expansion causes concern
South Florida Business Journal - by Brian Bandell and Oscar Pedro Musibay
The South Florida Regional Planning Council found two applications to build outside of Miami-Dade County's urban development boundary inconsistent with planning laws and found an additional application consistent with concerns only after the developer removed the residential component.
Council members voted Monday on the Lowe's Home Center, ruling the plan was inconsistent with the regional plan for Miami-Dade County. It wanted to build the store on 21.6 acres on Southwest Eighth Street and Southwest 138th Avenue outside the UDB and put a school on 30.1 acres.
The planning council staff report cited environmental impacts to wellfield protection areas and traffic impacts as concerns. There is enough undeveloped land inside the UDB to meet the demand for commercial space, the report concluded.
The council also disapproved of Ferro Investment Group's proposal to build a 426-unit mixed-use residential project outside the UDB at Southwest 104th Street and Southwest 164th Avenue. The SFRPC staff report cited impacts to the wellfield protection area and over-burdening roads, fire/rescue services and schools. In addition, it said the plan wouldn't fit with the South Miami-Dade County Watershed Study, which calls for preserving open space and farmland and concentrating building in the urban core.
The SFRPC staff report disapproved of the application from David Brown, Steven Brown and Victor Brown to build an office park on 42 acres outside the UDB west of Kendall Drive, but the council voted in favor of the project after the developers promised to restrict residential uses from the site. However, the council left in concerns about its impact on the wellfield protection area and traffic.
"Once they agreed to limit residential use, it became more palpable to the board," planning council spokeswoman Isabel Cosio Carballo said.
The council found one more major comprehensive plan amendment from Miami-Dade inconsistent. A regional activity center at Northwest 107th Avenue and Northwest 12th Street -- which would have 1,050 residential units, 800,000 square feet of retail space, 430 hotel rooms and 225,000 square feet of office space -- would cause school overcrowding, planning council staff said.
The Florida Department of Community Affairs will issue its recommendation for Miami-Dade's comprehensive plan amendments within 60 days. The planning council's position will weigh heavily.
The three UDB expansion applications were highly controversial and opposed by a cadre of conservationists and environmentalists.
On Nov. 27, commissioners voted to transmit to the Florida Department of Community Affairs three requests to move the UDB. The two commercial projects had a recommendation for approval. The residential project received no recommendation.
To win a judgement before an Administrative judge is next to impossible. The rules are tilted in favor of the State. DCA can sanction governments for approving an application found not in compliance but it usualy becomes a test of compromise with the state giving in. I knew Heyman and Diaz would advocate for approval. Why can't this hearing be televised so we know what our elected officials do when out-of-sight?
I have attended these meetings... they are held in a crowded room, with the board members in a rectangle and the peanut gallery nearby. The impression you get is the room is very dark. And it is, there are dark suits everywhere and even the women tend to wear dark colors... It must be a lobbying thing.
The agenda and the meeting minutes are on line. They also have interesting reports ... like the process of DRI projects. You can go here and look around.
http://www.sfrpc.com/
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