By Denise Carvalho
Dear Coral Gables Community,
Our beloved neighborhood is facing a potential transformation with the proposal for a new development at 6100 Caballero Blvd. Gables Waterway Associates, LLC has submitted a plan for a multifamily residential and retail development called “Gables Waterway.” While the project may seem promising at first glance, it poses significant challenges and concerns that could affect the character and environment of Coral Gables. I urge you to join me at the Board of Architects meeting on August 8, 2024, at 8:30 AM, 427 Biltmore Way, First Floor Conference Room, to ensure our voices are heard and our community’s interests are protected.
Understanding the Proposal
The developers aim to construct 271 residential units and 1,500 square feet of retail space across three Mediterranean-style structures. Additionally, the proposal includes a public park of approximately 22,500 square feet and a Belvedere space for community gatherings. However, these proposed amenities come with a request for a zoning change that could significantly impact our neighborhood. The developers are seeking to change the zoning from MF1, MF3, and MX1 to MX3, MX2, and S, allowing for increased building height and density.
Key Concerns
Environmental Impact
The proposed structures, with heights of 13, 11, and 9 floors, will cast substantial shade over the canal, potentially altering the local ecosystem. This area is a designated seasonal Manatee Protection Zone and is classified as a Warm-water Aggregation Area, essential for the survival of manatees, an endangered species. The shade from the buildings could decrease water temperatures and inhibit seagrass growth, depriving manatees of their food and habitat. Despite claims by the developer’s environmental consultant that seagrass is sparse, the presence of manatees and fish indicates otherwise. Our responsibility is to protect this vital habitat from any harm.
website: http://www.savethemanatees.miami and an online petition at https://chng.it/kHt4tkxrS4
Traffic and Infrastructure
The developers argue that the development’s proximity to the Metrorail eliminates the need for a traffic study. However, this assumption overlooks the real impact of an estimated 1,000 new residents in the proposed units, plus an additional 800 from the nearby Mark project. These developments could lead to increased traffic congestion, strain on public services, and safety concerns. The lack of a comprehensive traffic study is a glaring oversight that needs to be addressed to ensure the neighborhood’s infrastructure can handle the additional load.
(NOTE: All yellowed areas above are single family homes)
Safety and Neighborhood Character
The Gables Waterway and The Mark projects combined would add approximately 1,800 new residents to an area currently home to around 5,000 people. This dramatic increase in population density threatens to change the character of our neighborhood, which is currently known for its quiet streets and family-friendly environment. The influx of new residents raises safety concerns and may discourage families from enjoying parks and other public spaces.
Pressure on Public Resources
The development will put immense pressure on our community’s resources, including electricity, schools, parks, and water and sewage systems. There are already concerns about sewage capacity, as discussed in previous city meetings. This strain on resources could decrease the quality of life for current residents while maintaining high tax rates. Additionally, the proposed addition to Jaycee Park is insufficient compensation for the potential negative impacts on our community.
Construction and Environmental Concerns
Building these large structures will inevitably lead to construction debris and dust, which can settle at the bottom of the canal, harming the seagrass and aquatic life. The planned subterranean garage for over 500 cars poses further risks to the canal’s structure and nearby homes. Any leaks or construction issues could go unnoticed, leading to water pollution and harm to marine life. The introduction of new residents will also increase boat traffic, which could disrupt the tranquil environment and pose risks to manatees and other wildlife.
Debunking Myths and Clarifying Risks
City officials have expressed concerns about potential repercussions if the project is not approved as proposed, citing the Real-Time Zoning (RTZ) and Live Local Act (LLA) as alternatives developers might pursue. However, these fears may be unfounded. The LLA’s setback requirements make it unlikely that the developers could utilize it effectively, given the land’s zoning constraints. Moreover, using the LLA would require a significant portion of the development to be affordable housing, potentially reducing the developers’ return on investment. By understanding these facts, we can address misconceptions and ensure that decisions are made in the best interest of the community.
Call to Action
The upcoming Board of Architects meeting is an opportunity for us to speak up and ensure our elected officials understand the community’s concerns. We must advocate for transparency, comprehensive traffic and environmental studies, and the preservation of our neighborhood’s character and quality of life.
Join Us
Please join me at the Board of Architects meeting on August 8th at 8:30 AM 427 Biltmore Way, First Floor Conference Room, to discuss these critical issues. Together, we can ensure that the voices of Coral Gables residents are heard and that any development aligns with our community’s values and interests.
Our elected officials, including Mayor Vince Lago, Vice Mayor Kirk Menendez, and Commissioner Rhonda Anderson, have pledged to protect our neighborhoods from overdevelopment and ensure that residents have ample opportunity for input. Let’s hold them to their promises and work together to safeguard the future of Coral Gables.
Your participation is crucial. Let’s unite to make our voices heard and protect our community for generations to come.
Sincerely,
Denise Carvalho
The views expressed in opinion pieces are those of the opinion authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Gables Insider, its staff or its affiliates. If you would like to submit an opinion for publication, please email it along with a photo and a two sentence biography of yourself to info@gablesinsider.com.
Hey people!!!
HAVE A NICE DAY
Hi neighbors,
Tomorrow August 29, 8:30 am, the Board of architects will meet again and decide on this project. We need to go and say that the Mediterranean bonus will impact negatively the neighborhood and will decrease the quality of life and value of the surrounding properties. Using the same wording contained in their document ”design review standards”.
Those are some reasons not to grant Mediterranean Bonus:
1) the building scale and mass does not provide a desirable environment for the general community and is NOT COMPATIBLE with neighboring properties and uses; 2) The parcel they want to donate to increase Jaycee park is insignificant, less than 15% the size of Jaycee Park for an increase of 233% of the height (190 feet versus 45 feet), so the benefit for the public is not enough. The number of units is lower, but those units will be much larger so it is going to be much likely a larger number of inhabitants, and therefore more cars and usage of common resources; 3) The vehicle access to the property and circulation will interfere severely with traffic flow on Caballero Blvd and South Alhambra; 4) adjacent natural features are not protected as the extra height will shadow the canal and severely impact in a very negative way the manatees, that are endangered, and wildlife; 5) there is no sufficient buffering to separate from the single family neighborhood.
Tomorrow August 29, 8:30 am, the Board of architects will meet again and decide on this project. We need to go and say that the Mediterranean bonus will impact negatively the neighborhood and will decrease the quality of life and value of the surrounding properties. Using the same wording contained in their document ”design review standards”.
Those are some reasons not to grant Mediterranean Bonus:
1) the building scale and mass does not provide a desirable environment for the general community and is NOT COMPATIBLE with neighboring properties and uses; 2) The parcel they want to donate to increase Jaycee park is insignificant, less than 15% the size of Jaycee Park for an increase of 233% of the height (190 feet versus 45 feet), so the benefit for the public is not enough. The number of units is lower, but those units will be much larger so it is going to be much likely a larger number of inhabitants, and therefore more cars and usage of common resources; 3) The vehicle access to the property and circulation will interfere severely with traffic flow on Caballero Blvd and South Alhambra; 4) adjacent natural features are not protected as the extra height will shadow the canal and severely impact in a very negative way the manatees, that are endangered, and wildlife; 5) there is no sufficient buffering to separate from the single family neighborhood.
Brian, I’ve got a good one.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
To learn how to properly quote an idiom.
This massive development should be of concern to all Coral Gables residents. As president of the Coral Gables Professional Firefighters, I have implored the city to augment the number of firefighters due to the massive vertical growth we have experienced.
Coral Gables has had 32 firefighters on-duty, citywide, since the opening of the Old Cutler Road station in 1994. Twenty years without an increase in staffing. The current National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard for high-rise fires, buildings of seven stories or more, requires 43 firefighters to safely deal with the emergency.
As president, I have asked for additional staffing through our negotiation process and have been denied. I have appeared before the City Commission at budget meetings and told my comments were alarming in nature but yet we have 120 already existing, known high rises in the city, with another 30 future projects to be reviewed. This project is just one of them.
Look down Salzedo street and you can see the construction cranes for the Regency Towers project (18 stories), the Trammell Crow Residential project (7 stories), the Ponce Park Residence project on Ponce and University (9 stories), the Constellation Group project, 4121 Aurora Street, (16 story) mixed-use project. Let’s not forget the largest development ever, in the history of Coral Gables, The Plaza, over 2.5 million square feet with 17 stories.
All of these projects should be a concern to residents especially as it relates to public safety. It is a concern to us, the men and women who dedicate their lives everyday to the residents we serve. We understand our jobs are risky, but we are asking for our safety and the residents safety, to adequately staff the fire department according to scientifically backed national standards.
If you have four minutes, I ask that you please view the following video that explains the importance of having 43 firefighters on-duty for high-rise fires. https://tinyurl.com/3wm4akc2 The “City Beautiful” needs to prioritize the safety of its residence and the men and women who serve the city in light of this vertical explosion of growth.
Sincerely,
David Perez
President
Coral Gables Professional Firefighters
Video link: https://tinyurl.com/3wm4akc2
It appears the chickens have come home to rest ……
One of the first criteria required for consideration by the Board of Architects is “compatibility”. This project is in no way compatible with the low density, single family homes in the neighborhood. It seems that every construction project in the City is now requesting a change of zoning and variances. Why can’t anything be built within the existing building codes??? Play by the existing rules, created to protect our City and residents, or go play somewhere else!
Dale Davis M.D., so glad you flaunt your credentials on a public forum. Do you also have a vanity license plate hinting at your specialization? Something clever like ‘OPER8’? Your lack of understanding of ‘fancy’ well planned cities like Chicago and New York is disappointing, especially given your extensive education. Did you know Coral Gables was inspired by other cities (gasp!), like Venice, Italy? The existing buildings on these sites are sad post war apartments, which represent a low point in the history of design. Look on Google Maps, and you will see what faces the waterway is a parking lot, air conditioner units and the most inhospitable outdoor tables, which are inaccessible to the public. This project looks to change all that, so we can engage with the waterway, per George Merrick’s vision of creating the Miami Riviera. Look up Arva Moore Parks’ book about it. The cover shows a building with a similar relationship to the water. Vicente, learn how to proofread. Denise, all those studies will need to be done, so relax, con take it easy. No More Construction, you may be happier in St. Petersburg, FL, really. Did you see the amount of trees proposed in the plan? Much more than what is there now. Claudio, please state your last name and address, to give yourself the credibility you desire. In the meantime, congrats on spewing the latest buzz-meme word ‘sycophant’. What’s wrong with developers and builders all of a sudden? You do know your history, that George Merrick was a developer and employed builders and designers from NY to raze the pristine slash pine fields to make the city you now call home. If you were alive in the 1920s, you would have chained yourself to a tree and say that you speak for them. Or would you have? No. But here you are now, trying to preserve the work of a developer by saying that developers are evil. The torment in your mind must be exhausting. Just like America’s Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution, it needed Amendments as the Country evolved. Merrick and friends wrote the zoning code, but it needs to be amended to evolve with the City. I know change is not easy, but it is inevitable in all forms of living, from our cities and as we grow up and hopefully grow old.
What I would like to stress is that cities that continue to support unfettered development without acknowledging the adverse effects to the environment are not only out of balance, but out of touch. Urban planning that espouses sustainability on one hand but strongly encourages massive construction on the other, is conflicted. These conflicting goals are at odds. And this conflict adds to the present climate challenges facing the planet. No longer can the powers that be continue to ignore this conundrum.
It is time to stop dismissing and start considering the seriousness of the environmental catastrophic effects of demolitions and new construction and the continued loss of green space and urban canopy. Let’s preserve what is already built along with protecting our natural habitats and ecosystems.
This is a real issue not theory. Just recently, The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction shared its annual data on carbon emissions from building construction and operations. The building sector is the biggest source of carbon emissions causing global warming. Worldwide, the construction and operation of buildings is responsible for 37 percent of all human-generated carbon emissions — more than the amount contributed by sectors such as transportation or other industries. And a recent Yale University study concurs with the Global findings: “The buildings and construction sector accounts for nearly 40% of energy-and process-related carbon dioxide emissions. The sector also has significant impacts on deforestation, habitat destruction, and species extinction
Nick, they are actually reducing the density from what the current zoning allows….
I think they are only asking for hight.
Designed as a high-end, for-sale product rather than a rental community. I sick of student housing and frequent move ins and outs.
The stability of homeownership means fewer transient residents and pride.
Nick, they are actually reducing the density from what the current zoning allows….
I think they are only asking for hight.
Designed as a high-end, for-sale product rather than a rental community. I sick of student housing and frequent move ins and outs.
The stability of homeownership means fewer transient residents and pride.
I like what they are proposing
As a general comment, I do not approve this project. No amount of fancy comparisons to Chicago or New York will return the beauty of the existing zoning, with height restrictions for a reason. The recent history of monstrosity developments by rapacious and greedy developers and politicians speaks for itself.
I don’t care what Don Juan says, as he appears to be bought by special interests. We moved to CG wanting a quaint relaxed City. Low traffic, sunshine instead of highrises and beautiful tree lined streets. I do not care what you think we should do for the future, you are ruining our city. Let them build up around us, but downtown Gables does not look or feel like this city anymore. The traffic is horrible. Parking is horrible and the sunshine is block by some of the buildings. The 3 amigos have been frauds or should I say a Trojan horses. Promises on low construction has disappeared. They got their raises and are now showing who they are. We should be on a 100% moratorium with new construction and keep our city beautiful. Good luck with that due to the clowns running this city and how they have sold us off to developers.
ESCAPE from NY! My parents moved here in the 60s from NY, as did so many others at different times seeking quality of life. How sad the greedy ignoramuses want to turn Miami & the Gables into a tacky concrete jungle.
We need a realist and comprehensive traffic study including the other development in the area, The Mark (not the one did by David Plummer that states that traffic will get better), we need to understand how the process of building the subterranean garage and breaking the coral will impact the canal, the environment and the houses that surround the development, we need to understand the constraints in sewage, we need to lower the height of the project so that we don’t have shade on the canal (environmental has to come first), we need the keep the tranquility of the canal. Zoning code exists for a reason. Please attend to the meeting tomorrow.
Sorry Claudio for addressing my previous comments to you instead of the individual hiding behind the pompous tag of Don Juan for whom they were meant.
Claudio,
Perhaps you don’t know, or don’t care for, what has made Coral Gables an attractive and desirable place to live in. Besides its architecture, tree lined streets and adherence to strict zoning codes, the Gables’ low density neighborhoods have attracted families and businesses to its environs since its foundation. Regrettably, during the last couple of decades, greedy developers with deep pockets have “enlightened” the elected views who have voted to allow the “Manhattanization” of Coral Gables despite the wishes of the majority of its residents.
Don Juan don’t hide what r u scared of? state your real name so we all know who you are & keep your biased reasoning, go build somewhere else. You’re either the developer/owner, or one of their many sycophants.
If the commission is going to allow these rezonings to go on with approval of the Board of Architects then what purpose does the BOA & zoning codes serve here?
Claudio, it’s Mr. Don Juan to you. Zoning codes are there to maintain a certain standard of density and height for city planning. Now, when the city grows, one must use smart growth strategies, and adjust the zoning as the city grows, or you will be left with a stagnant and long forgotten ghost town in no time. Imagine if Manhattan zoning only allowed the original one story buildings which were built when the city was settled. We would never have the glorious mansions of 5th Avenue, which then gave way to the towers which define the city, and it continues to evolve. Evolve we must, but in a sensible and smart way. The current waterway condition is inaccessible and plain ugly. This project engages the public to the waterway in a beautiful way, reminiscent of Chicago and other successful and ever evolving cities. We cannot be rigid in our thoughts and prevent any kind of growth, which is the short sighted nature of NIMBYs. Nick Jones, where did you get 5 stories from, the air? Where is your research? You are just as arbitrary and shortsighted as the others. Imagine if original Miami zoning never evolved and our city stayed as a native American burial ground? See where I am going with this? Who here has enjoyed The Plaza project, or how about the beautiful townhomes built near Valencia, which have only enhanced the City and make it more walkable. If the neighbors of this immediate area would think for more than two seconds, they would realize they would get restaurants, waterway access, shops within walking distance, and not have to endure the speeding cars on US1. The current residents would be the luckiest people in the City.
Each unit will have underground parking, they will break a lot of (coral) ground.
Our offices were in GOT, Gables One Tower, the noise and vibration while destroying and building for the Thesis was unbearable.
I cannot imagine what the underwater vibration while breaking, digging and building will be for the manatee, if any of them return. Breaking coral is not considered a marine activity for the developer to cease work.
Another “zoning change”!?…First the Holiday Inn tract, then the TGIF tract, now this…when we moved into this area we moved counting on the existing zoning limitations for the neighborhood…can I get my single family lot rezoned to a 5 story building?…no bc we do not have “deep pockets” to buy 3 votes in the commisson…neighbors may be willing to accept “minor” variances to the existing zoning but this is way too much…just buy the land for what you can build as of right and do not overpay contingent on getting the variances requested to be approved…Commissioners must remember they “represent” us the local neighbors and not the outside developers!
I think the design is fantastic and aesthetically pleasing. A great improvement over current structures. Will be an overall benefit to our community.
Hey Don Juan or whatever your real name is so why have a zoning code then? Do you any idea why it’s there?
This is a huge increase in height and density from what’s there now. Give them 5 stories or pound sand. This would make for a better transition into the neighborhood. Let’s see which of the 5 support it
Don Juan, it is obvious you do not live in this neighborhood. This monstrosity will destroy the waterway, will create more traffic issues on US1, and impact the quality of life for thousands on neighbors.
Claudio, relax and quit clutching your pearls. This design is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Our City should be honored to have something like this built, which will not only enhance the City but teach future generations what a well designed building and tasteful waterway city planning can be.
Zoning change? oh yeah the special favors, go build somewhere else. Tired of all the abuse of our zoning code, alley give aways, for personal enrichment of already filthy rich individuals go fly a kite.