Construction Stalled on ‘Triangle Park’ in Brickell

Following a public groundbreaking ceremony in September, construction promptly began on a new neighborhood park near Mary Brickell Village on South Miami Avenue and S.E 11th street. The project – dubbed ‘Triangle Park’ due to the shape of the parcel – is a partnership between a private developer and the City of Miami to build a publicly accessible park on undeveloped privately-owned land. As a private development, the property will remain a park for the ‘foreseeable future’ until the owner is ready to build upon it.

After a flurry of construction activity through the end of 2011, work stalled shortly after the new year. The site is gradually turning into a muddy pit strewn with plastic bags and other garbage. Construction equipment is gone. A ‘Marc Sarnoff for Commissioner’ campaign sign lies crumbled against the chain link fence, which is peeled back in some places. Anything stronger than a gentle breeze kicks up dust from the site onto pedestrians and parked vehicles.

Site as of February 7th, over four months after the groundbreaking. Photo by @BrickellGreen via Twitter.

According to the owner and developer Mallory Kauderer, the primary reason for the work stoppage is due to a delay in securing a necessary water supply for the planned shrubs and trees. Florida Power and Light agreed to provide the site with a water hookup for a sprinkler, but have been unresponsive in repeated requests to install it, according to Kauderer.

Kauderer said that if the city permits for the project were provided in the timeline he originally expected, the water hook-up would not be necessary because the natural rainfall during the summer months would be sufficient. The required permits took longer than expected to secure and construction was delayed until the late fall, when rainfall is less frequent. When asked if construction could resume sometime this spring or summer without the FPL water hookup, Kauderer confirmed it could.

An architectural rendering of the park.

Ron Nelson, Chief of Staff for City of Miami District 2 Commissioner Marc Sarnoff urged residents to be patient. “Please remember that this is a temporary park offered by a private landowner. Our goal is to make better use of empty land throughout the city and encourage landowners to be better stewards. We moved forward based on his commitments and it appears that he has run into some issues that we the city have no control over. He has assured us that the problems are being worked out,” said Nelson in an e-mail to Transit Miami.

In the meantime, Transit Miami calls on Kauderer to keep the site clean and becoming of one of Miami’s signature neighborhoods as well as maintaining communication with local officials to keep residents and business up to date with it’s progress.

Related posts:

1. Overtown/Park West Redevelopment Association & Transit Miami to Host PARK(ing) Day 2011
2. Brickell Receives New Park…For Now
3. Transit Miami, Under Construction
4. Imagining Our ‘Central Park’
5. New Water Park Sounds Refreshing..