(I am putting up this map again - hit to enlarge it - because the people making comments need to look at it).The Miami Herald story today about the Lowe’s store is off the mark...badly... trying to make it a nimby issue. Many of the people who live nearby WANT the Lowe's store because it won't directly impact them unlike the Home Depot in Coconut Grove used in the reporter's example. The Lowe's is outside the urban development boundary (in the historical Everglades), not in a neighborhood like the Home Depot. I will chalk it up to an intern reporter who didn't research (or at least talk to fellow reporters Chuck Rabin or Matt Pinzur) and an Editor who was on vacation. Read our two posts (Saturday and Monday) below to get the real story. And damn, when Developers try to defend themselves...It can get amusing: Jorge Perez Writes to the Miami Herald! Armando Codina is also big on writing "defense" letters.
20 comments:
The implication that the article raised, that people would like the Lowe's once it is built (like the neighbor of the Home Depot quoted in the article) is a naive assumption at best. The reporter was comparing apples and oranges...or Lowe's and the Everglades.
The Herald article compares an area within the City of Miami to the UDB. This is a misrepresentation of the issue. There is no excuse for a reporter who is comparing a local existing shopping center redevelopment (Home Depot) as the same issue of moving the UDB for profit (Lowe's), especially when there is enought land owned by Lowe's inside the UDB to build.
I agree; this was a cub reporter who didn't have the first idea of the history or the facts of what he was writing about. Shame on the Herald editors for letting such poor journalism slip through.
How mant time must we go through this? 137th Avenue and 8th Street IS NOT THE EVERGLADES! Historical Everglades? What kind exotic te4rm is this? Everyone needs to drive down 137th and see the misinformation going on here.
How many times do we have to correct you. Look at the map we posted on Monday. If you go west there is nothing on the north side of the road till you get to the Indian Casino and then there is nothing again. Just because we made mistakes in the past and put developments in stupid places that have to be pumped all the time to keep the neighborhood from flooding, doesn't mean we should keep doing it. Ask the neighbors a bit to the North, along the lake belt how they like the blasting for the rock? Keep doing stupid things and you remain stupid. Yes there are developments like Weston and Wellington which are not in the best place. So just because they are there does that mean we should do more? Don't we learn from our mistakes?
Friends, the "Historical Everglades" of Julia Tuttle's time included Miami International Airport!
And if we had it to do over, that is not a good place for an airport...flying over a heavily populatd airport...the Hollywood airport is in a much better place. We have a choice now on where to put development, so let's get it right.
10 Avenues from the site are 500 acres owned by the South Florida Water Management District and over 1,000 more owned by the State of Florida. What does that tell you? The District was buying as early as the late 70's and kept buying..some in the early 80's, some in 1997. Why were they on this buying spree over the long haul? To get ready for a Lowe's store and a school or to help Everglades Restoration?
Why should my tax dollars be spent on buying land to give a store a monopoly on competition? This is NOT the place for this store. My tax money, I pay a line item of taxes to the South Florida Water Management District, should be used for public purposes. I assume they are buying this land to help us with water issues or the Everglade clean-up.
Why should my tax dollars be spent on buying land to give a store a monopoly on competition? This is NOT the place for this store. My tax money, I pay a line item of taxes to the South Florida Water Management District, should be used for public purposes. I assume they are buying this land to help us with water issues or the Everglade clean-up.
Again with the misinformation - what happens if you go 2 miles west on the south side of 8th street? - IT IS BUILT TO THE GILLS TO 157th Avenue - the corner of 8th Street and 137th Ave is a busy intersection - does that sound anything remotely like the "Everglades"? - look at the aerial you posted - man oh man, does it look wet or what? - I could understand if this was west of Krome or even close to Korme which could represent a buffer zone - but this is not even remotely close to the buffer - all of Section 4, Township 54 South, Range 39 East or for lay people - everything west of 147th Ave on the north side of 8th Street has been purchased by the State and is now protected - this is where the buffer starts - not the Everglades but a buffer - none of Section 3 or for lay people - between 137th and 147th has been purchased by the state - do I need to tell you why? - let's cut the nonsense and move on - this is NOT WETLANDS, IT IT NOT EVERGLADES AND IT IS NOT PROTECTED LAND - there will never be any developement west of 147th on the north side of 8th Street unless the State of Florida decides to sell it - for some reason I don't think this will happen
You know what...no one cares what you have to say because you are saying the same thing. We know there are people there. We aren't stupid We know there are houses there. That doesn't make it right. And to add to that mistake is wrong twice. Everytime you inch Westward ANYWHERE it is another cut with that knife.
OK, thank you Genuis of Despair - I just wanted you to acknowledge that this is not the Everglades - thanks for doing so - anyways, you don't have to worry about "another inch here and another inch there" - as after 147th ave the land is owned by the state - I just don't want to see you lose anymore sleep in a state of confused anxiety - the only thing that can be built is between 137 and 147 in order to support the thriving community it surrounds - but development WILL NEVER GO PAST 147.
Never said what you said I said, you are who you are...and I am really glad I am not you. Genius
So sad they are sometimes...
Living in a square box where avenues determine where the Everglades "are" instead of silly things like wetlands, hydrology, and geology.
When the pumps stop running and the rains come, the Everglades will tell them most certainly where she is and "isn't."
Pants on Fire, yep, I agree with you - avenues should not determine where the Everglades begin - I too feel WETLANDS determine the Everglades - when you get a chance to actually get out of your house and away from your internet fantasy forums - take an actual drive to the corner 8th Street and 137th Avenue - then take some pictures of this wetland - go ahead and wait until in rains in the summer - you won't even get a picture of a puddle - just he facts around here
And I suppose Sweetwater is dry because that wasn't wetland either.
I guess you skipped science class a lot huh? I paid attention, got some Everglades muck in my boots and got a degree in the subject.
I also seem to have a better grip on my anger than our unofficial Lowes cheerleader.
Don't let the Lobbyist get to you Pants...they are all over this site... making believe they are people from West Miami area. Note to Lobbyists: if you say it enough times we will actually believe you....in another life.
maybe the reporter was trying to convey the idea of:no matter where you build it, some people are going to complain.
Home Depot (Grove) - Neighbors complain
Home Depot (NW 163rd Street) - 5 year fight neighbors complain
Lowes - outside UDB - not a whole lot of adjacent neighbors show up and complain. People from Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Pinecrest, east kendall, pinecrest, and North Miami show up and complain.
I don't believe the real environmental groups really want the Urban Infill they espouse when the UDB gets threatened. They get all up in arms anytime anything bigger than a 2,000 sq/ft single family home is built, even if it's east of Red Road.
Not true last poster. The only time any residents environmental or otherwise get their arms up is when there is a CHANGE TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. If the voters get to vote on these, then you would stop these constant battles -- that is what Florida Hometown Democracy proposes. We can't trust our elected officials to vote for us. We all know that.
I have never seen an environmentalist wear the mantle of stop infill development. They would not be alarmed if Lowe's did the right thing and built the store on property they have INSIDE the line which just requires a store redesign to fit the parcel. You don't know any real environmentalists do you? The one's that I know are we particular about NOT fighting infill projects. Anyone can call themself an environmentalist, maybe you met one of them. There are anti-any-growth people out there...plenty of them.
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