Just try to make heads or tails of what is going on in North Miami at Biscayne Landing (My files are under Munisport, its former name). As I said in yesterday's post, Ron Book is smack in the middle of it all so it is getting really deep in manure. This development according to the website, is going to bring prosperity, lower taxes, jobs (of course that is the buzz word), affordable housing, and make North Miami a tourist destination (?). Hyperbole is alive and well.The Miami Herald said: "North Miami Development Team, the group that was in negotiations to acquire the note on the 193-acre North Miami site assigned it rights to Bay Vista Development Group, a newly formed company made up of Terra Group and Carlisle Development Group."
I looked up Bay Vista Development Group and the Manager is Pedro Martin. I looked up Terra Group and it is owned by Terra International Developments, LLC which is managed by Pedro Martin.
Bay Vista has hired Book to lobby for them. North Miami Development Team has been sending out fliers to residents. They are not a PAC. North Miami Development Team, LLC is managed by North Miami, LLC. North Miami, LLC has no manager or officers just Carlton Fields attorney Jay Steinman as a registering agent. Why are they hiding names behind Corporations? Somehow in my search I came up with a William J. Green have no clue how he is connected to this "New" deal but on his KMACK, LLC web page is the name Jay A. Steinman.
I usually find that when my searches take me in circles I don't like what is going on. So, I will state officially: I don't like what is going on in North Miami at Biscayne Landing. I like to run like the wind away from what I am seeing in North Miami, it is looking to be a boondoggle unless someone gives some straight answers. And worse for getting a straight story, as I said above, the website mentioned in the Miami Herald article "Yes to North Miami Jobs" (not a registered PAC) is so full of bullshit it is incredible. It is Biscayne Landing all over again. When ever the promise is JOBS numero uno...look out. Some advice: Developers, just be up front. Stop sugar coating your affordable housing project. Be honest and don't make empty promises and maybe your project will fly in North Miami. The city already has been burned once with the Biscayne Landing bullshit, I remember Greenberg Traurig attorney Clifford Schulman pushing that one and it is a carbon copy of how you guys are pushing this one on the website.
18 comments:
I remember when Michael Swerlow (the developer who cashed out) was pushing Biscayne Landing on all of us at Keystone Point. Same old song.
wasn't this whole area a toxic dump site? who would want to live there? Jobs, really? for how long and how much per hour?
this whole thing sucks and the north miami residents have been getting the short end of the deal since this all began!
Here is what the website says about the ammonia plume still underground at the property (notice they say at the end "SOMEONE" who is that someone):
FICTION: Biscayne Landing sits on a toxic waste site. It’s not safe!
FACT: The Biscayne Landing site is a former “super fund” site. While the City is ultimately responsible for ensuring the site is properly cleaned up, the North Miami Development Team has pledged to ensure that “remediation” of the site finally takes place. For 8 years, there has been more than $20 million sitting in county coffers specifically for cleaning up this site. Finally, someone will make sure it gets spent for that purpose.
Swerdlow may be behind this group as well.
"Affordable Housing" can be expensive to taxpayers and VERY lucrative for Developers and Lobbyist. Sometimes it puts money in the pockets of politicians just ask James Burke.
Affordable housing people will move in with lots of kids that have to go to school. There will be more crime, more ambulance service, more streets to clean, etc.
In short: With a development comes a lot more costs to the city...and because the units are smaller, the taxes collected would be minimal. Only one who will make money is the developers. Bad deal!
Tax Credits??
Feb 1 2011 11:00 pm BC Meeting City of South Miami
See it now, wait for the comments at the end of meeting.......NOW
http://www.southmiamifl.gov/clientuploads/flash_stream/index.html?PHPSESSID=3934b4ad5ae68a0c1a5f36d38cc9f358
Personally I think that land is cursed. How many people have been burned over the years trying to turn dirty water into dirty wine?
Who is the anon above?: "Affordable housing people will move in with lots of kids that have to go to school. There will be more crime, more ambulance service, more streets to clean, etc.
In short: With a development comes a lot more costs to the city...and because the units are smaller, the taxes collected would be minimal. Only one who will make money is the developers. Bad deal!"
Typical NIMBY code word hate language. Let's post a sign on the highway advising people that they are entering Miami-Dade County, turn around and leave if you can't afford a $300K plus home and private school.
Damn it people - we live in a community. Start acting like it and accept it. Communities are made up of all kinds of people at all economic levels. Do you have any idea what your salads would cost if you paid a true living wage to those who picked the lettuce?
Oh yeah, that is right, we are going to start using prison labor for all our local work needs. Good bless the Tea Party patriots. It must be great having such simple solutions and be happy in our short-sighted stupidity.
First of all this entire scheme was backed by Mayor Andree Pierre. His buddy and more is the same Mr Green you mention. Next, we do have enough affordable housing in North Miami, in fact we have empty houses. This is a crooked scheme to make money for a few and for the mayor. He has done everything he can to OK this deal even though the citizens of this City twice turned out in force to tell the council that they do not want these people involved at all. We have had several very good developers who want to lease this area and do what is right with it.I am sure that the Mayor will continue trying to block the honest people so that his dishonest friends can take over and screw the City and the citizens.
So good to hear that the North Miami Development Group will dutifully clean up the former superfund site -an unlined landfill similar to Virginia Key's unlined landfill (which isn't cleaned up either).North Miami should be required to clean up this mess BEFORE development permits are issued again.
How will they do it?
Isn't Pedro Martin the same who flogged the Herald parking lot deal?
FICTION: For 8 years, there has been more than $20 million sitting in county coffers specifically for cleaning up this site. Finally, someone will make sure it gets spent for that purpose. FACT: Millions of these dollars have already been spent on consultants and studies that have resulted in not a single molecule of ammonia being cleaned from the site's groundwater. Who knows how much money is left? Probably not much, and certainly not enough to do the job.
HMMMM the mayor was driving a 100K Porsche whose owner still remains a mistery perhaps this is a clue.
Throw in Matt Greer and the rest of his shithead family and you have a real boondoggle at the expense of taxpayers. Just ask the citizens of the City of South Miami who shot down Greer and his Carlisle Development Group scam. The Greer Family needs to be exposed for what they really are.
I received one of their brochures through the mail. It looks like a campaign mailing. I cant believe they now deny they sent it. How strange! Is this information false on the mailing? Why wont they claim ownership of their mailing and website? Is there something wrong or illegal with it?
"Affordable Housing". What a crock. It turns out it costs the taxpayers $250,000 to $300,000 per unit to create so-called "affordable housing". The fees to Matt Greer, Carlise, Pinacle, Biscayne Housing et al are huge. $4 mil per building and more. The taxpayers get hosed.
Mensa is right-this project is tied to Andre Pierre and his greedy insiders. I too got one of the mailings and traced this to a Hialeah operation.
Here's the real interesting piece of the puzzle. This fiasco was discussed at last Tuesday's Council meeting where community activist and mayoral candidate Carol Keys, who has followed Biscayne Landing for years, spoke out against the proposed deal. On Wednesday, it looks like every single campaign sign she placed had been stolen. I saw the CBS-4 story on it, but it didn't get into the Biscayne Landing connection.
This is typical North Miami thug politics. Freedom of expression? Not when you get in the way of scoundrels looking to make a quick buck. I'd be shocked if Pierre's buddy Willis Howard isn't still tied to this too.
One thing's for certain-anybody who fights this will get my vote. Count me in Carol Keys.
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