Lennar's Anthony Seijas Letter to the Herald Picked Apart. And, "Hold The Line" Graphic. By Geniusofdespair

A gifted artist team, Edwin Villasmil and Elba Martínez, drew this for the "Hold the Line" campaign. Print it out, hang it in your office. Send a copy to your County Commissioner, print it on a T Shirt. Hit on it to get a printable copy of it. Talk about it, educate your friends and co-workers.

The freight train "Parkland", the massive development, is coming full speed ahead. Did you see the Lennar letter in the Miami Herald today where Anthony Seijas (Lennar regional VP) tries to greenwash the project. Here is his letter with my commentary in caps:

"Re the Nov. 2 story Battle looms on development push to the edge of the Everglades: We are looking to move away from poorly planned developments that have been presented in the past to extend the Urban Development Boundary. We are being proactive in reaching out to our neighbors and the media to share our vision for a comprehensively master planned community. We are planning a sustainable green community that will be certified by the Florida Green Building Council and give families and businesses a choice to live, work, play and educate in a more ecofriendly environment with more that 200 acres of open space." ME: PUTTING LIPSTICK ON THE PIG ANTHONY? GREEN IS NOT DEVELOPING A NEW DENSE CITY IN THE MIDDLE OF AN AGRICULTURAL AREA. Hit on read more for plenty more commentary...

"Parkland is a development of regional impact, which must mitigate its impacts and is bound by law to meet these obligations. Parkland's western boundary is more than four miles from Everglades National Park to our west and not ''on the edge of the Everglades.'' Parkland is a mixed-use master-planned community, not a ``massive residential project.'' ME: OF COURSE IT IS A MASSIVE RESIDENTIAL PROJECT, 7,000 HOMES TRANSLATES TO 20 TO 25,000 PEOPLE). IT IS CALLED A DRI BECAUSE IT IS MASSIVE AND WILL EFFECT 3 COUNTIES NOT JUST MIAMI DADE COUNTY -- IT WILL HAVE "IMPACT ON THE REGION" THUS, A DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL IMPACT. WE KNOW IT IS BUFFER LANDS BUT IT WOULD BE CLOSER TO THE PARK THAN ANY OTHER DENSE DEVELOPMENT. AND IT IS JUST 1 MILE FROM THE 8 1/2 SQUARE MILE AREA WHERE PEOPLE HAD TO BE REMOVED (BOUGHT OUT AT ENORMOUS COST TO TAXPAYERS) FOR EVERGLADES RESTORATION -- BECAUSE OF INCREASED WATER FLOW.) THE PEOPLE'S HOMES WOULD HAVE BEEN FLOODED. ALSO, MIAMI DADE COUNTY STAFF DISAGREES WITH THE "MORE THAN "4 MILE DISTANCE" STATED BY SEIJAS (see http://www.miamidade.gov/planzone/cdmp/Parkland/Parkland_Init_Recs.pdf): "The project is located approximately 2.5 miles from the Everglades National Park and 1.1 miles from two Miami-Dade County-owned hardwood hammocks that serve as important bird roosting habitats for various species, including the American Kestrel, which is listed as a “threatened” species by the State of Florida. Since these hammocks have been completely surrounded by residential development, the agricultural lands provide a foraging habitat for certain wildlife." BACK TO SEIJAS:

"Parkland 2014 has been in the planning stages for more than four years. During its development, it will support more than 17,000 temporary jobs and create more than 3,000 well-paying permanent jobs at completion. We will create reverse commutes and provide numerous offsite traffic improvements. We will add a fire station and other services at our expense, not taxpayers'." ME: TEMPORARY JOBS, REMEMBER THAT, AND I WOULD ARGUE THOSE NUMBERS, ESPECIALLY IF, AS I SUSPECT, THIS IS JUST AN EXERCISE TO INFLATE THE VALUE OF THE LAND. NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD BE BUILDING IN MIAMI DADE IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS. ACCORDING TO COUNTY PLANNERS (see http://www.miamidade.gov/planzone/cdmp/Parkland/Parkland_Init_Recs.pdf): The number of jobs provided is the same as that provided by the applicant, 2,550, however with differences in the composition of these jobs. Based on the square footage of proposed land uses and other parameters in the development program, an analysis employing Bureau of Labor Statistics industry-occupation specific data indicates that 36 percent of these jobs will have an average wage of less than $25,000 per year. The median wage rate for the proposed Parkland jobs is $27,019, lower than the median wage in Miami-Dade County for 2007 of $30,493. In order to determine household income, it is necessary to calculate the number of additional workers in the household. Based on Census 2000, there are 1.78 workers per household. Assuming that the additional worker earn the County annual median wage rate of $30,493, we conclude that 36 percent of the employee’s households earn less than the low/mod income that is 80 percent of County median family income. Therefore these employees could not afford to live in Parkland. This means that 918 of the proposed jobs will have to be filled by employees from outside the Parkland development. Thus only the remaining 1,632 proposed jobs provide wages high enough to afford the lowest priced condominium units. The proposed price range of condominiums is from $150,000 to $250,000. Should units not be available at the lower end of the price continuum many more Parkland workers would be priced out of Parkland. ALSO THEY WILL ADD THE FIRE STATION AND THE SCHOOLS BUT GUESS WHO HAS TO STAFF THE EMPTY BUILDINGS (TAXPAYERS) AND AT WHAT COST, NOW WHEN WE HAVE NO MONEY TO FUND EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE?

"We will covenant that the first home in Parkland will not be completed until 2014. Parkland's comprehensive elements are the result of the proper planning that has been missing from our community. We offer a solution." ME: NOPE THIS IS THE FAILED PLATER ZYBERK NEW URBANIST DEVELOPMENT, IN THE WRONG PLACE, OF A FEW YEARS BACK, THAT CREATED A PUBLIC BACKLASH, ALL OVER AGAIN...BUT WORSE.

ANTHONY SEIJAS, regional vice president, Southeast Florida division, Lennar, Miami