135-2001 LTC
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
CITY HALL 1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA 33139
http:\\ci.miami.beach.f1.us
LETTER TO COMMISSION
L.T.C. No.J.Z:...;;2(Jr; I
June 18, 2001
TO: Mayor Neisen O. Kasdin and
Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez ~-:fOL..
City Manager
SUBJECT: ALTOS DEL MAR - UPDATE ON PROPOSED PARK AND SALE OF
STATE-OWNED LOTS
Recent History on State/City Ownershiu in Altos Del Mar and North Shore Ouen Suace Park
The State of Florida Governor and Cabinet, sitting as the Board of Trustees of the Internal
Improvement Trust Fund, met on September 28, 1993 and approved authority to sell 22 lots within
the North Shore State Recreation Area, including 11 lots within the present Altos Del Mar single
family historic district and 11 contiguous lots that the City intends to develop as the new Altos Del
Mar Park.
The City entered into a lease agreement with the State of Florida, effective August 23, 1994 through
August 22, 2019, for the 22 lots in Altos Del Mar, the North Shore Open Space Park and six blocks
across Collins Avenue to the west.
The State of Florida Land Acquisition and Management Advisory Council (LAMAC) approved a
proposal on September 2,1999 to transfer title to the North Shore Open Space Park and the west
parking lots back to the City at no cost. At the same time, the LAMAC approved the City's request
that the remaining 11 lots in the single family district be declared surplus for sale to the private
sector. In November 2000, the State transferred the deed back to the City for North Shore Open
Space Park and the six west parking lots. The lease remains in effect until August 22, 2019 for the
22 lots in Altos Del Mar.
On November 4, 1999, the voters of Miami Beach approved the General Obligation Bond program,
which includes $2,900,000 to develop the 11 contiguous lots into a park. In light of this expenditure
oflocal funds, the City amended its proposal to the State to seek fee simple title, rather than a lease,
for the II contiguous lots. On February 3, 2000 the Land Acquisition and Management Advisory
Council (LAMAC) approved the following recommendation to the Trustees:
"Convey the 11 lots to the City of Miami Beach contingent upon the State recouping its investment
through sale of the other 11 lots, and with the restriction that the property remain in recreation and
open space use. "
Page 2
Altos Del Mar Park Update
May 25, 2002
This recommendation will not go to the Trustees until the lot sale takes place. During both the
LAMAC hearings of Feb. 3, 2000 and Sept 2, 1999, the City urged the State to move forward as
quickly as possible with the sale of the single family lots. In addition, the City has written numerous
letters and assigned its lobbyist to help. The City enacted special land development regulations and
Design Guidelines for the historic district in anticipation of the sale of the single family lots and
subsequent construction and renovation by the new owners. So far, there has been no action, except
that the State has obtained appraisals on two separate occasions. Initially, the State planned to sell
the lots through sealed bids. Now it intends to change from a sealed bid method of sale to a
negotiated sale through realtors. There is no fixed deadline for the sale. Last month the City's
lobbyist was told it would be approximately two months until the sale takes place.
The person in charge of the land sale is Deborah Poppel, Chief, Bureau of Public Land
Administration, Department of Environmental Protection. The staff person to contact is Virginia
Yearty. They can both be reached at (850) 488-2291. Mailing Address: 3900 Commonwealth
Blvd., Carr Building M.S. 130, Tallahassee, FL 32399
Status of park planninl! and desil!n:
In July 2000, the Mayor and Commission authorized execution of a contract with the landscape
architectural firm of Falcon and Bueno to provide planning, design, and construction administration
services for the proposed Altos Del Mar Park. The AlE contract execution was delayed due to
discussions with the consultant over wording in the contract that did not involve fee negotiations.
The Administration notified the consultants by letter, dated April 16, 2001, that the project would
be placed on hold until the deed is transferred from the State of Florida (see attachment).
JMG~C
cc: Jorge Gomez, Planning Director
Joyce Meyers, North Beach Planning Coordinator
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beaell, Florida 33t 39
htlp:\Icl.miami-beach.ft.us
OffIce of the City Manager
.-
Telephone (305) 673-7010
Facsimile (305) 673.7762
April 16, 2001
Mrs. Teresita Falcon, Partner
Falcon & Bueno
2655 Le Jeune Road
Coral Gables, Florida 33134
Dear Mrs. Falcon:
I have determined that it is not prudent for the City proceed at this time to sign a contract for
professional services for the planning and design of the proposed Altos Del Mar Park. We
had expected to receive the deed for the park land from the State of Florida. The City issued
the RFQ, selected the design team, and authorized execution of a contract based upon a
resolution from the State Land Acquisition and Management Advisory Council to convey the
park land to the City of Miami Beach, contingent on the State recouping its investment in the
other 11 lots in the Altos Del Mar subdivision. However, the State has not made any
progress in the past year toward selling the remaining 11 lots, and we have been unsuccessful
in getting assurances of a time line.
I hope the time and effort you have devoted to this project so far will not be in vain. As soon
as the City receives the deed for the park land, we will notify you. If, at that time, you are
willing to extend the time of your proposal beyond the 120 days specified in RFQ No. 41-
99/00 and to provide the required services for the previously negotiated fees and
reimbursable expenses, then we will proceed to execute the contract. If you feel the time
lapse requires the contract to be renegotiated, we will ask the City Commission to make a
policy determination. The Commission's options will include accepting a renegotiated
contract, negotiating with the second ranked firm, or starting the consultant selection process
over again with a new RFQ.
If you have any questions about the process outlined herein, please contact Mr. Gus Lopez,
Procurement Director at (305) 673-7490.
Sincerely,
~~ J'~O
Jo~e 1&.. Gonzalez
City Manager
jifq- J~
JMG:MDB:Jtr:JAM
cc: Jorge Gomez, Planning Director
Mayra Diaz.Buttacavoli, Assistant City Manager
Gus Lopez, Procurement Director
Joyce Meyers, North Beach Planning Coordinator
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