Monday, April 27, 2015

Is the "Miami Innovation Tower" Right for Overtown/Park West? Guest Blog by 2Tall

Taller than the Space Needle
Do We Really Need such a Grandiose Erection?

A 600 foot tall advertising tower in Overtown/Park West may dominate the landscape in years to come that will top off the insult to Overtown itself that has was long ago done with the construction of I-95.

Is this really any path of progress towards racial or economic justice? Or is it a payoff on the road towards an endless culture of spectacle tucked within a newly commercialized space that will overwhelm the entire area and define Miami's future?  This may well be become another sad moment when people speaking out could make a difference. 

Who spoke out before I-95 came roaring though and devastated Overtown?

And this deal was just announced in the press on Friday. It's an insult to any kind of a democratic or thoughtful process. But perhaps typical of Miami. No one is against enhanced economic activity but this is not the way towards a better future.

Call the City of Miami Commission and say no.

Commissioners will meet (Monday) at 5 pm at Camillus House.  Be there! If you can't here is a link to voice your opinion.

Genius: Commissioner Keon Hardemon is your sister or any family member involved with lobbying for this structure or involved in any way? If so you must recuse yourself because it is the right thing to do. Make your community proud don't sell it out. Why is this district always a sell out? Do you want to displace all your friends with gentrification or improve their life? What's it going to be? Be a lawyer but be a good guy...

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't believe that the city commissioners are actually considering the approval of a 600 foot media tower with a LED lit bill boards flashing 24/7 that have a visibility of 20-30 miles. What are they thinking?

Probably not of those who will be looking at this from their homes 24/7 and they are probably not thinking of how it will downgrade the skyline and the image of the city of Miami.

Anonymous said...

A developer is on the brink of getting approval from the Miami City Commission to build a 600-foot-tall tower at the intersection of I-95 and I-395 that will feature huge digital billboards at the top flashing advertising 24/7.

Only in Miami would anyone propose such a plan. And only in Miami would it be given serious consideration. If built, the tower will be the most prominent feature of Miami’s skyline, taller than Seattle’s Space Needle. The digital billboards on all sides would be visible for 20-30 miles. This obscene structure will be what Miami becomes known for. We will be the laughing stock of the civilized world. The proposed tower will be a mockery of all our efforts to create a more livable city for the 21st century.

Anonymous said...

Won't there be issues dealing with aviation? Light pollution? And there is a weak and ignored ordinance against video signage.

Geniusofdespair said...

Light at Night, and Risk of Breast Cancer

Background: Exposure to light at night may increase the risk of breast cancer by suppressing the normal nocturnal production of melatonin by the pineal gland, which, in turn, could increase the release of estrogen by the ovaries.

Journal of the National Cancer Institute
http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/93/20/1557.full

Anonymous said...

The Miami Herald reported that Michael Simpkins has been paying Barbara Hardemon, Keon's aunt, to lobby Keon as Keon and Marc Sarnoff spent the last 1-2 years pushing this abomination along. Simpkins also paid money to Sarnoff's Foundation and he paid money to Teresa Sarnoff. Then to be extra safe he paid Sarnoff's Campaign Manager Steve Marin.
The Agenda item was only released to the public 4 days before the vote.

Anonymous said...

We are told LED billboards are ILLEGAL in Miami-Dade County. Why is Carlos Gimenez so sloooow to enforce laws "on-the-books"?

Anonymous said...

Apparently City of Miami Regalado only learned of this from the Miami Herald article days ago.

Anonymous said...

Just so pathetic. Sarnoff is going to leave the same small legacy as WINTON. But how much damage has he done in the process?

Skip Van Cel said...

Does anyone really believe that hardemon, Sarnoff or any other of our elected officials care what the citizens want?

Anonymous said...

Keon Hardemon and Marc Sarnoff et al approved the 633' LED billboard tower. Chairman Hardemon refused to let the public speak. Developer hired Hardemon's family member and Sarnoff's campaign manager PLUS Weiss Serota and Greenberg Traurig. Monster LED billboard tower passed with no vote, using loophole.

Anonymous said...

As a person who just spent 21 days sleeping on the 12th floor of the University of Miami Hospital, I can affirm that the airplanes already fly eastward just stories above the top floor of the building.

They are close enough at night that you wake up to the sound of jet engines roaring overhead.

Standing on the 7th floor (where the heliport is) and 2 or 3 stories below the building top, jets fly around the structure and over the jail to the southeast.

But, to be honest nothing is more un-nerving than lying on a cot facing east by the window and hearing the jets coming over and then seeing them so close. You see them and have to ponder if the people on the plane realize how close they are to building tops below.

Anonymous said...

Just wait until the FAA find out idiot Miami commissioners just approved a 633' tall LED ad tower under their flight path?

Anonymous said...

Funny Money Miami

Anonymous said...

CRA's Chairman Keon Hardemon has an aunt who takes money from developers like Michael Simpkins. Then - surprise, surprise - Keon does exactly what the developer wants.