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| Ocean Front: Sunny Isles Beach -- What a Crappy Place to Live. See Any Trees? |
Now who would have allowed a city government to put up all those ocean front monstrosities on a 3 mile strip of narrow land? It was the Arlen House people (on the Bay side of Sunny Isles Beach). They were the voters as there were no voters on the ocean front, because the oceanfront was mostly low-rise hotels, until they put up all these crappy condos. Many Arlen House residents are seniors and Russians. They call Sunny Isles "Little Moscow." How did the mayor con them to vote to ruin their own views of the ocean with a wall of high rises? What the hell happened? Anyone know?
They give Norman Edelcup, the current Mayor, accolades for this unfortunate transformation of Sunny Isles Beach into a condo canyon, when the real damage was done and begun by the first Mayor David Samson who was this big fat bully. I looked everywhere for a photo of him but could not find one. Very unattractive guy. I guess I have to call this City Tacky Town. No stores to speak of; just very, very, large --waiting to flood-- highrise buildings.
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| Arlen House on the bay side of Sunny Isles Beach where the voters lived. |
Sunny Isles Beach not so long ago....
Oh goody, I found a Mayor Samson photo (bad one, he is in the center) and a great article on him in New Times written in 2000. Samson is dead. Very good history on how this City lost its way.
Believe it or not, they are building more, I took this yesterday.
24 comments:
Back in the '70s Sunny Isles was a great place to visit. Theme beach side hotels lined the entire strip and many families would vacation there year after year. Though to some those hotels may have seemed cheesy, it was a great place to spend an inexpensive summer weekend and hang out with your friends. Today, the area has a non welcoming aura and you cannot feel nostalgic as you drive by and wonder where all those memories went.
Please ...give it up! Everyone whining that Miami is not the same, Sunny Isles, the Florida Keys, .....nostalgic BS.
Life is about change... Even we as human beings grow old and change. I grew up in Mineola, Long Island, and left 30 yrs. ago. I recently went back to see my beautiful hometown , and everything was totally different!
Cities constantly are changing and evolving...
No need for nostalgic drama. ..get with the program!
Dear Mineola...
There is a way to grow that doesn't have to be so offensive -- Coral Gables, Surfside, South Miami, Cocoa Beach, etc.
Sunny Isle was always a tourist trap hole. Now it's just a more expensive one.
Cocoa Beach? How'd did that get into your mix?
I'd say HUGE changes from the 60's. In high school we could up to surf and sleep on the beach. From Hope Sound to Ron Jon's there were stretches where you could not see a building in either direction.
The only thing that has temporality saved the space coast is the defunding of NASA which decimated the local economy, which means the little Mom and Pop dives still line A1A south of town.
And thanks to whoever saved Sebastian inlet or it would be a condo canyon too. prettiest top-of-the-bridge view on the coast.
It is not nostalgia to point out that this is probably the best (?) worst (?) example of stupid development in a stupid place. It is a barrier island for Pete's sake. The scale is partly a result of the competition between Dave and the founders of Aventura- especially Ken Cohen. He was fond of saying - they have a mall but we have the beach! He was determined to outdo Aventura in glitz and glitter. Guess he did. I actually liked him - a gruff Chicago pol - but the over-development is a disaster.
To the 60s surfer and beachcomber: yes, those were great times - the same kind of reminiscing local Florida Indians had dancing barefoot around their tepees ...those were the times ....your eyes could stretch across the horizon, and maybe see a panther or two.
As a kid, I enjoyed building ornate sand castles and watching the tide rise and take then out, leaving nothing behind but pristine sand, like I'd never been there and spent a day creating a beautiful edifice. Where does concrete go when the tide rises?
The sea will reclaim it all in time.
FDOT has specific guidelines for structures built within range of saltwater. Condominiums are not built with these guidelines. Corrosion of rebar is nasty problem for oceanfront condominiums. Don't forget that impact windows are what allowed the growth of the tall condominium with large floor to ceiling windows. The higher you go the more wind load the window has to be designed for.
I was at stuck in North Dade last night so I thought I'd go over to Aventura to catch a movie. Going there Ives Dairy Road is literally solid line of parked cars lot from US1 to I-95. I'm told this is SOP.
Once at the mall, EVERY isle of parking had people waiting for a spot, the theaters are a good half mile walk from the outer parking lot, on the way in I counted 12 people in line at hole in the wall starbucks, the food court is a joke. In short the place was packed at 5:30 on a weekday afternoon with the spectrum of humanity. I can't image what goes on at peak hours.
People actually think this the good life? I don't get it.
On the up side I there were only two other people in the movie (Bears. BTW children's movie but worth seeing it in theaters for the AMAZING photography of the Katmai National Park wildness area. Talk about unspoiled)
There probably weren't that many people in the mall stores either. The basic thing in malls is socialization.
That's South Florida for you pave through everything then pay $8,000 for Palms to make up for it.
I think Sunny Isles looks better, more cosmopolitan.
Regarding the trees,, the old picture is closer up and you can see trees. The newer one is shot at a distance, but if you zoom in, you can see basically the same amount of trees.
god the next time we have an averag summer time rain shower scoot over to A1A in S.I...the flooding is here already. the idiots here that are yadayad nostalgia..they wre the brainless notwits who Deserve to live in Concrete city...it is a hellhole over there and i hope i'm around to see the ugliest part of Dade county slip into the Sea...
Ugly place.
Meanwhile North Miami Beach sits on its hands and still does not have leadership to move forward. They missed this development cycle, they are relying a Marina Grand which was approved 2 cycles ago. They were given a roadmap last year and ?
NMB idea of progress is to put these green advertising signs along US One bordering other Cities to make generate revenue. They are obstructions in the sidewalk.
WOW innovative
3 to 1 David Samson was a Cuban incognito they are guilty of everything wrong here , right genio?
3 to 1 David Samson was a Cuban incognito they are guilty of everything wrong here , right genio?
Soon Coconut grove will look like that
Ok please please please explain god and gimespiere you always complain about sprawl now you complain about hi rises. Where do you want us to live in huts or in the tall grass of the glades?
Cato, Cato, Cato, This is hi rise gone hog wild.
Smart growth, a mix of low rise TREES, a liveable community and this is crazy for a barrier island. Surfside is a much better community.
North Miami Beach will soon be getting a dose of Sunny Isles Beach upzonings.
The Dezers of SIB fame (8 condo towers) bought The Intracostal Mall.
SIB-style condoville will surely follow. No way they would have bought that mall to leave it with the same density, height.
Oh My Genius.....It's easy to tell other people what to do with property they have paid real money for. These ocean front muti-family lots surely came at a premium price (something that wasnt happening in 50s and early 60s Miami). That said developers will put as many units as zoning and land use require. No crime in being in it for profit, its up to politicos to set the rules but obviously there is a market for these turds.
What is going to happen to all the condos with the falling of Russian Roubles?
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