Archive for the 'Dadeland' Category

Pic o’ the Day: More Concrete, Less Grass

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on September 22, 2008
in Dadeland and Kendall
. 0 Comments

What seems out of place in this picture?  If you guess the triangular sliver of grass amid all the concrete and parking, then you guessed right.  I was browsing through the most recent copy of the LRTP or TIP, don’t remember which one but that is besides the point, when I came across some preliminary plans to acquire this sliver of land from the FEC.  The plan, of course, would be for MDT to convert this last remnant of green space into further surface parking for the Dadeland North Metrorail station.

Now, I realize the importance of parking for metrorail, especially given our commuter-like use of the train and extremely autocentric lifestyles, but the pragmatist in me doesn’t see the need, especially when the immediate surroundings are already paved over with under-utilized land.  Simon Malls certainly isn’t using all of their available parking, why can’t we learn to work with our neighbors first?  The problem with metrorail, contrary to common belief, isn’t that “it doesn’t go anywhere” but that we haven’t constructed anything of any value around it.  Sure Dadeland is a step away, but who wants to walk between 3 parking structures, just to walk under the teal pathway which meanders through the sea of parking? If Miami plans to make any significant upgrades to metrorail or any of our urban centers, we must begin around our existing transit nodes.  It’s bad enough this ROW won’t be used to connect downtown Kendall with the MIC using an LRT…

Transit Miami Profile: EKHO

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on June 20, 2007
in Automobile Dependence, Cars, Dadeland, East Kendall Homeowners Organization, Kendall, Mall, NIMBY, Palmetto, Sprawl and Suburbia
. 6 Comments
We turn our attention once again today to the East Kendall Homeowners (Association? Organization? Federation? Coalition of the willing?) to discuss the initial purpose of the group’s existence. The EKHO was formed in June 2005 in opposition to the former Dadeland Breezes development, slated for N Kendall Dr. and 77th Ave. An excerpt from their site:

“A massive development called “Dadeland Breeze” is being proposed for our neighborhood. This development will demolish the 3 story apartment buildings at N. Kendall Drive & S.W. 77 Ave. in order to construct a complex of 8 condominium towers up to 8 stories high with nearly a 100% increase in the density of the existing buildings. This proposed construction project is clearly incompatible with the low-rise scale of our “East Kendall” residential neighborhood…”

I’d like to speak to the person who reasoned that an 8 story building was “out of character” with the neighborhood, but the Palmetto expressway, expansive parking lots of Dadeland Mall, or the gargantuan 6 lanes of Kendall drive just blended in seamlessly with the surroundings. The fact that most East Kendall residents don’t likely walk to their local Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, or Mall is the most alarming part of this discussion. Furthermore, I find it kind of hypocritical when a group speaks out against a project of greater density because of “increased traffic” but yet also goes against measures to bring public transit to their neighborhood. Is it the development that East Kendall fears or is it a change in the way of life?

“…It will worsen our already bad traffic, further burden our over-capacity schools, and have a negative impact on the quality of life of our families.”

Yahtzee! “Impact on the quality of life” Now, what impact precisely is anyones guess, but a change that will have us living a more vertical, sustainable, and likely healthier life doesn’t sound so bad, that is, unless you like idling in traffic along US-1 or Kendall bouncing around from parking lots to fast-food drive-throughs.

What many Miami residents, organizations, etc. fail to realize is that change and progress are a way of life. Had such powerful opposition existed in the early 1900’s, much of our prized downtown Brickell land could still look much like it did in 1915:

Imagine that? The Four Seasons was once a 2 story bungalow. By now we surely would have paved clear across the everglades and into Naples had someone not decided to build vertical…

Try explaining that and the benefits of sustainable growth to these folks, the EKHO, a group of citizens obviously set in their ways and accustomed to the lousy quality of suburban life:

Intelligent Gowth

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on June 13, 2006
in Dadeland, Datran, Kendall, NIMBY, Pedestrian, Pinecrest and Transit Oriented Development
. 0 Comments

Hey! Pinecrest Nimby’s! Here are some more developments going up in your backyard (Ah, yes, it’s sad that you have no control over them either) in the newly emerging skyline of the south; Downtown Kendall. This latest cluster will build out the remaining lots east of the Palmetto expressway. It never ceases to amaze me what some Transit Oriented Developments (TOD) can potentially lead to. It all started with the Datran Complex (Which is currently building the fifth of five buildings) built on county owned Transit Land. Excellent way to spur development and require more transit use, we’ll be seeing much more of this type of development along other rail stops including: South Miami, Coconut Grove, Overtown, and Allapatah…

Town Center One Homepage (Town Center is such a stupid euphemism for downtown)