They’re at it again… by Cara Jean Capp, South Florida Community Organizer Clean Water Action/Clean Water Fund
Miami-Dade is yet again willing to threaten our water supply and our agricultural lands to accommodate future development. At the county’s Planning Advisory Board (PAB) meeting last week, members voted 6-3 to approve an application to expand the Homestead Speedway. The Speedway is seeking the county’s blessing to move the Urban Development Boundary (UDB) to allow for overflow parking, construction of a 6,000 square-foot concession kitchen, a “fan experience area” to highlight their various sponsors, and 12,000 additional spectator seats to be built over the next 10-15 years. The proposed expansion is on 120 acres of land along the northern perimeter of existing facilities. The parcels are currently zoned agricultural, and are dangerously close to environmentally-sensitive lands.
To accommodate the UDB expansion, county staff has recommended amending the boundary to include a parcel south of Speedway facilities. The 298-acre parcel in question – which is owned by the City of Homestead, not the Speedway – is classified as a permanent conservation easement, and is already protected from urban development by half a dozen agencies that have jurisdiction over it. This is hardly a fair trade.
Notably, the three PAB members who dissented (Kaplan, Marin, and Rinehart) were in support of the Speedway expansion, but opposed UDB exclusion of the 298-acre conservation easement. Apparently they don’t think mitigation is necessary. (hit read more)
It’s also interesting to note the timing of this particular application. Miami-Dade is currently in the midst of its long-term planning process that will create a vision for our county over the coming decades. Amending the Comprehensive Development Master Plan (CDMP) at this point seems untimely, to say the least.
The Board of County Commissioners will hear this issue on January 27. Commissioners need to hear our concerns about loss of agricultural lands, proximity to environmentally-sensitive areas, and interfering with long-term planning efforts. The meeting will take place at the Stephen P. Clark Commission Chambers beginning at 9:00 a.m.
This is the link to view the application in its entirety.
18 comments:
I attended the PAB Hearing and it seems this application is Fantasy land, at best. There is obviously something bigger behind it, though, what that is, I have no idea. I was surprised that the HARB was so quick to give their blessing because I'm pretty sure, once this opens up, it will lead to more encroachment in their crash zones (part of this app is in crash zone II).
What they avoided was the negative financial burden to the city of Homestead, who's current Development Director (from Doral) couldn't have rubber stamped this quick enough (thing Burgess/Marlins).
I hope the BCC does not move this forward because it's a bad deal for everyone except the LLC proposing it and we have no idea who is really involved, but the land was originally owned by Alger and sold to them back in 1999/2000 along with some other parcels to the South.
Wake up everyone. This is not a fan experience, this is a Land Use nightmare!
My take on this is that there is a move afoot to push the Air Base into closure and go back to the HABDI plan for an airport.
Alger sat on Shivers Air Base Encroachment study about 5-6 years ago which really makes the whole deal with the business park to the west of this property suspect. That was a similar issue to this one... The business park owners "didn't" know that they could not build a high rise in the crash zone of the base - the owners include Mr. Alger. The city of Homestead gave Mr. Alger a wavier which will allow them to build tall in the flight path of the base.
That is a slap in the face to the Air Base and all the flight commands that are out there. In fact, it is a nail in the coffin for the base.
The encroachment around the base (and viability of the Air Reserve Base) is obviously not important to the people with vested interests in off-loading their property around the base.
We are allowing hotels, nuclear plants and now high intensity use of property that will affect the Base mission. This is the step towards a commercial airport which I am willing to bet Ms. Bell and her LBA supporters are involved in.
Our Ag manager had a hand in the study and Steve Shiver after being dumped from the county weasled his way into the study as chairman.
This was a county study in support of the Air Base and the county only had one or two voting seats out of the 17 members. The city of Homestead controlled it, 100%. Alger and Keys Gate Owners were at the table as were the Farm Bureau. The Vision Council group (Beacon Council's south-end buddies) had a voting seat on the board even though they were being paid to facilitate the study.
In the end, I hope to goodness that the base commander hunkers down and protects the US government's (and other agencies) investment.
I would not trust our county commissioner Bell with the Base's best interest. I am sure she will pump them for information and forward it on to the the people who want commercial aviation at the site. Even our US Representative Iliana Ros-L needs to be looked at; they are bosom buddies with Lynda Bell and her playmates.
Last anon, that's where I was going with this. By the way, our Ag Manager was the one who signed the letter of intent to purchase the Speedway on behalf of the City of Homestead. It's in the public records, or was as of last week. I think it's dated 11/15/2000 or 2001.
This is NOT about an expansion of the speedway at all. That's just the smokescreen for a whole bunch of property owners in that area.
I can't believe the "Environmental" person for the Air Base didn't see through this and basically agreed with everything.
This definetly has nothing to do with fan parking. The fact is the speedway is having trouble getting decent turnout at the speedway which is why IRL is pulling out. So why whould you need 12,000 additional parking spots?
From a layman's point of view, if I'm reading the Land Use change correctly, this would allow all surrounding property owners to move the UDB for whatever reason (I'll stand corrected).
The LLC also owns land in between the 298 acre mitigation are and the speedway, why didn't they mitigate that land? Why is the County driving the mitigation of the larger parcel which the applicant doesn't own - the City of Homestead owns and didn't agree to move.
This is all going back to the Air Base, if you ask me. The LBA would like nothing better than a 2nd bite at the apple. Maybe the Hudstead Development Director can get a job with the LLC or better yet, the LBA, or hey, why not County Manager!
maybe it is time to dust off the Anti-Airport t-shirts. that is where we are heading.
Well, I'm hoping Gimenez and Moss stop this because Bell won't, even though it's going to seriously hurt the residents of Homestead financially and the surrounding area too - in Dist. 8 & 9! And maybe Katy can spearhead the fight - again! No, I'm not talking about lap band Edwards, I'm talking about Sorenson!
Moving the UDB line is not necessary. This is just another attempt at a land grab.
I am happy to see that so many of the comments saw through the entire land grab. First of all the speedway dose not need any more room in fact it may well soon need even less room. This is plain and simple bribery to take land important to the public and give it to more dishonest developers. I sure wish we had an honest state attorney to arrest the whole gang of gangsters.
The entire property to be removed from the UDB is owned by the citizen of the city of Homestead.
What is the racetrack giving to the city in exchange, if any?
Are they paying the taxes the city pays now.
The last manager in Homestead asked for many things in exchange including price for the removal of the land from within the UDB.
Like anything else in Homestead now, the mayor and some council members MUST be benefiting from this PERSONALY to agree to it.
The whole think stinks like Homestead is and will be forever.
The entire property to be removed from the UDB is owned by the citizen of the city of Homestead.
What is the racetrack giving to the city in exchange, if any?
Are they paying the taxes the city pays now.
The last manager in Homestead asked for many things in exchange including price for the removal of the land from within the UDB.
Like anything else in Homestead now, the mayor and some council members MUST be benefiting from this PERSONALY to agree to it.
The whole think stinks like Homestead is and will be forever.
This will be approved like usual.
Bell and no DCA to help us. Alvarez is busy dealing with recall. We should all stop complaining and change our strategy before everything opens up for development.
We never really tried to work with developers by offering our support. I have tried to stop the UDB from expanding for years. In the end we will always loose.
No more DCA, are we going to live in denial or wake up and smell the coffee!!!!
By offering our support we can get much tighter controls.
I don't think they will even want our support now that Katy is gone. Does anyone agree with me???
Inch by inch, foot by foot. Acre by acre. There is always an excuse. Always a reason why. The Bob Traurigs used to have theirs. Old Bill Losner. Jim Humble. There will be new Algers. New Shivers. It can never stop. Homestead can't be under water soon enough for me.
It's a shame Amendment 4 didn't advertise more on TV which could have passed and would be a great help on this money grab in the making. The citizendry may get snookered again unless they come out in force
3 above....NO ONE AGREES WITH YOU. What have you been smoking?
We offer our support to developers, as you suggest, and what do you think we are going to get in return? Laughed at.
Developers don't want our support, they are in it for the money, any way to maximize their investment is their number one priority. Why should we help them be greedy?
I thought the Indie race was leaving Homestead. Why would they need more land for fewer races?
Let's see if Lynda, "I-didn't-get-reelected-because-I-was-against-development" Bell figures that one out (Doubtful).
I hope you all start showing up at controversial bbc meetings to watch Bell in action. Your next mission might to be running a recall Bell campaign. Braman set the tone. Now, get ready to sing the song.
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