Move the Urban Development Boundary (AGAIN)? ... by gimleteye

Today is the first Town Hall meeting to consider a massive change to Miami-Dade County: the extension of SR 836 and sprawl beyond the Urban Development Boundary. Once upon a time, Miami Dade county commissioners wisely decided to discourage development that involves moving the UDB. The state of Florida supported its efforts. 

Six meetings will be discussing the County Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) 2018. Every seven years, the Comprehensive Development Master Plan (CDMP) is reviewed and updated as required per Chapter 163 of the Florida Statutes, a process known as an Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR). The EAR includes an evaluation of the progress the County has made in implementing the goals, objectives, policies, maps and text of the CDMP and also recommends changes.

There is a meeting TODAY in Kendall. For those of you who can attend please ask questions and voice your concerns. If you can't attend please encourage others to do so.  If you want to read some history on the UDB, involving old battles fought along the same line, click here.

The Miami Dade Expressway Authority (MDX)-SR 836 extension project plans to extend the Dolphin expressway beyond the Urban Development Boundary (UDB), which serves as a buffer to agricultural lands and adjacent Everglades National Park. 

Allowing development outside the UDB will jeopardize in a significant way our water quality. It would reduce wellfield recharge and speed salt water intrusion into the aquifer, leading to increased vulnerability of the region to sea level rise as the location is sitting on the most low lying areas in the County.

Although an extension of the expressway sounds attractive to lessen the congested traffic for people living in the southern and western parts of the County, it has been proven that building more roads does not decrease traffic but the opposite. We need to encourage massive public transit projects if Miami wants to lead in smart growth and sustainability targeting infill areas. Changing our CDMP in the midst of what is the crisis of our lifetime- climate change- is exactly the reason we have CDMP and a UDB line, to protect us from additional sprawl that will not serve this County and our future needs.

Although an extension of the expressway sounds attractive to lessen the congested traffic for people living in the southern and western parts of the County, it has been proven that building more roads does not decrease traffic but the opposite. We need to encourage massive public transit projects if Miami wants to lead in smart growth and sustainability targeting infill areas. Changing our CDMP in the midst of what is the crisis of our lifetime- climate change- is exactly the reason we have CDMP and a UDB line, to protect us from additional sprawl that will not serve this County and our future needs.

Although an extension of the expressway sounds attractive to lessen the congested traffic for people living in the southern and western parts of the County, it has been proven that building more roads does not decrease traffic but the opposite. We need to encourage massive public transit projects if Miami wants to lead in smart growth and sustainability targeting infill areas. Changing our CDMP in the midst of what is the crisis of our lifetime- climate change- is exactly the reason we have CDMP and a UDB line, to protect us from additional sprawl that will not serve this County and our future needs.

Although an extension of the expressway sounds attractive to lessen the congested traffic for people living in the southern and western parts of the County, it has been proven that building more roads does not decrease traffic.  More roads inevitably increase traffic!

Changing our CDMP in the midst of what is the crisis of our lifetime- climate change- is exactly the reason we have CDMP and a UDB line, to protect us from additional sprawl that will not serve this County and our future needs.

Get Involved

Help shape the future of Miami-Dade County! Your vision can make an impact on the future of the County. You are invited to attend a workshop, take the EAR2018 Survey or email your comments.

Opportunities for public participation are as follows:

Survey:
Take the EAR2018 survey.

Town Hall Workshops:
Town Hall Workshops will be held in six locations throughout the County to inform the public about the Evaluation and Appraisal Report process and obtain feedback. Below are the dates and locations for the Town Hall Workshops:

• Tuesday, June 6 (6:00 to 8:30 p.m.)
  • Kendall Village Center-Civic Pavilion 8625 SW 124 Ave, Miami, FL 33183
• Wednesday, June 7 (6:00 to 8:30 p.m.)
  • Ruben Dario Middle School 350 NW 97 Ave, Miami, FL 33172
• Thursday, June 8 (6:00 to 8:30 p.m.)
  • African Heritage Cultural Arts Center 6161 NW 22 Ave, Miami, FL 33142
• Saturday, June 10 (10:00 am to noon)
  • Norman and Jean Reach Park 7895 NW 176 St, Miami, FL 33015
• Tuesday, June 13 (6:30 to 9:00 p.m.)
  • Highland Oaks Park 20300 NE 24 Ave, Miami, FL 33180
• Saturday, June 17 (10:00 am to noon)
• South Dade Regional Library 10750 SW 211 St, Cutler Bay, FL 33189
• QUESTIONS:

1. Why are we building in low lying areas?
2. Why don't we concentrate our tax dollars within the county we already have.
3. Fund public transit!
4. What are we really doing about sea level rise?