Fellow TM writer Tony Garcia’s cogent thoughts on the new stadium plan and design were published in today’s Herald. Click through the link to read the whole response.
Tony says:
The type of development that this site deserves is too big for the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County — they are not in the business of developing land. Elected officials must be better stewards of public coffers. If they cannot do what is responsible now, then they need to wait until the time is right. As for the Marlins, if they want to leave, call their bluff. If they don’t want to stay, then we don’t want them.
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7 Responses to Get ‘em Tony
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As a quote or in the letter’s section?
Either way, I think this kind of exposure is crucial for our voice being heard. I agree with Tony wholeheartedly. On a side note, I have been reading this blog for months and it has made me more realistic about the apathy of many people in our community. However, it has also opened me up to the infinite possibilities for the future of transit in this country. As a high school student, and aspiring Civil Engineer -specializing in Transportation- I thank you for writing and giving us a center of information in regards to the exciting field of public transportation.
In the letters section.
Thanks for positive feedback Juan Felipe. Please stay active on this blog and let your voice be heard. We need a whole new generation of civil and traffic engineers who understand that transportation is not solely about moving as many cars as possible.
Stick with it!
Send your contact info to MoveMiami@gmail.com if you want to chat.
Mr Garcia
To paraphrase Tom Berenger in Platoon; “What you know about East Little Havana?”
I read your letter to the Editor from the Transit Miami blog. I am a stadium supporter, while acknowledging the hyperbole that comes with selling the project. But I wanted to ask you about this sentence in your letter; “Keeping Major League Baseball in Miami is a worthwhile goal, but at what cost to the residents of East Little Havana?”
As someone with deep roots in the area, I considered the political and financial factors which resulted in the proposal to build the stadium on the former OB site to be a very fortuitous one for the neighborhood. It is the difference between being yet another forgotten lower-income neighborhood, to literally being in the game.
So I have to ask; How exactly would residents of East Little Havana be worse off if a modern stadium, one which is replacing another stadium on the same site, would be built? What are the odds that the neighborhood would be the beneficiary of any significant public or private investment otherwise?
Saludos
Jorge Costales, CPA
Hi Jorge, Thanks for your interest. As a lifelong resident of Little Havana (36 ave and 8th street) and am very familiar with this area. As a historical preservation buff I have advocated for preservation of the neighborhood around the stadium which is full of 1920′s bungalows and old Miami apartment buildings. I care about this neighborhood because it represents a rich slice of Miami life that most people drive through – but never actually experience (as opposed to South Beach or Brickell).
Your question is well taken and topical: What is the downside to this proposal? The downside is the lost opportunity to do things well in the first place – and we know how hard opportunities are to come by in this city. To clarify: I am not against the stadium or its location – just the way that it interacts with the neighborhood both in its urban design and the type of development being proposed. The cost to the residents is the lost opportunity in developing the site to its full potential. This is a site that has the ability to revitalize an area that has been downtrodden for many years – but I don’t think the limited scope of the redevelopment will benefit the community as much as it could. You ask “What are the odds that the neighborhood would be the beneficiary of any significant public or private investment otherwise?” None, but that’s precisely the problem – the current proposal doesn’t go far enough.
Why are the most prominent sites left empty as surface parking? Why do the parking garages only contain limited liners? Think about the difference it would make if the stadium were surrounded by buildings that had active streetfront uses – not garages. As someone who lives ten minutes away – I would much rather go and walk around this neighborhood if there was activity on the street. Remember this is not a dinky five story building- this is going to be a very tall and visible structure. How will you feel walking between a twenty story building and five story parking garage – probably not very comfortable. There needs to be more thought given to what will draw people here apart from the stadium. What this site requires is a masterplan – developed in collaboration with the community – that guides the future build-out of the site.
I understand that the city wants to make this happen and has a rushed deadline – but they can do better.
Tony
Sorry, I had not noticed your reply. Good clarification [I was not clear about your position on the stadium] and fair points. I will be following your blog to see how this plays out.