2004-25637 Reso
RESOLUTION NO. 2004-25637
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, URGING THE
METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION TO
EXPEDITIOUSLY CONSIDER APPROVAL AND FUNDING
FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONDUCTING A TRAFFIC IMPACT
STUDY OF THE MACARTHUR CAUSEWAY, TO BE
CONDUCTED JOINTLY BY THE CITIES OF MIAMI BEACH
AND MIAMI.
WHEREAS, MacArthur Causeway is a critical transportation link between Miami
Beach, Miami and other parts of South Florida; and
WHEREAS, the City of Miami is considering approving a project, "Island Gardens,"
on the northwest corner of Watson Island, which is contemplated to include two hotel
buildings housing 500 rooms and 105 fractional ownership units with accessory uses,
221,000 square feet of retail space, 1,610 total parking spaces, 50 mega-yacht slip marina
and ancillary uses, maritime gallery, and approximately 6.5 +/- acres of public gardens and
open space (the Project); and
WHEREAS, access to the Project will be from MacArthur Causeway; and
WHEREAS, on June 24, 2004, the City Commission of the City of Miami, Florida,
adopted a motion to enter into an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Miami Beach for the
purposes of jointly seeking a new traffic study to address the concerns of Miami Beach
regarding traffic on the MacArthur Causeway, and to jointly request funding from Florida
Department of Transportation and the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization for
the study; and
WHEREAS, on July 7,2004, the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami
Beach approved Resolution No. 2004-25628, authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to
execute the Interlocal Agreement with the City of Miami to conduct a traffic impact study,
and further authorizing the Administration to submit a grant application to the Metropolitan
Planning Organization to fund said traffic impact study.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, that the Mayor and City
Commission urge the Metropolitan Planning Organization to expeditiously consider
approval and funding for the purpose of conducting a traffic impact study of the MacArthur
Causeway, to be conducted jointly by the cities of Miami Beach and Miami.
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PASSED AND ADOPTED THIS 28TH
ATTEST:
~. E-A~i~
CITY CLERK
Attachments
T:IAGENDA\2004\JuI0704\Regular\Watson Island RESO.rev,doc
Resolution Nb. 2004-25637
APPROVID AI 10
FOAM & LANGUAGE
aFORIXECUTION
CllY OF MIAMI BEACH
COI\IMISSION ITEM SUMMARY
m
Condensed Title:
A Resolution of the Mayor and City Commission, urging the Metropolitan Planning Organization to
expeditiously consider approval and funding of a new traffic impact study for the MacArthur Causeway, to
be conducted iointlv by the cities of Miami Beach and Miami.
Issue:
Should the City Commission urge the MPO to expeditiously consider approval and funding for a MacArthur
Causeway traffic study?
Item Summa IRecommendation:
On May 5, 2004, the Mayor and City Commission authorized the Administration to transmit comments and
concerns regarding the Notification of Proposed Change (NOPC) to the Downtown Miami Development of
Regional Impact to the South Florida Regional Planning Council. On June 9th, 2004, the City Commission
of the City of Miami Beach adopted a motion requesting the City of Miami to defer action and present the
project to the City of Miami Beach and discussed concerns with the traffic assessment submitted as part of
the NOPC.
On June 24, 2004, the City of Miami City Commission approved the expansion of the DRI boundaries, but
deferred action on the Major Use Special Permit until July 8, 2004. The Miami City Commission also
adopted a motion to enter into an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Miami Beach for the purpose of
seeking a new traffic study to address the MacArthur Causeway.
On July 7,2004, the Mayor and City Commission of Miami Beach approved an Interlocal Agreement
between the cities of Miami Beach and Miami for the purpose of conducting a new traffic impact study of
the MacArthur Causeway. The Mayor and City Commission further authorized the Administration to submit
a rant re uest to the MPO to fund the stud
Advisory Board Recommendation:
I N/A
Financial Information:
Source of
Funds:
[J
Finance Dept.
AGENDA ITEM C 7 D
DATE 7e}.8-Cll(
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
CITY HALL 1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA 33139
www,miamibeachfl.gov
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
From:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez i .~r--'
City Manager () V" ()
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, URGING THE METROPOLITAN
PLANNING ORGANIZATION TO EXPEDITIOUSLY CONSIDER
APPROVAL AND FUNDING FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONDUCTING A
TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY OF THE MACARTHUR CAUSEWAY, TO BE
CONDUCTED JOINTLY BY THE CITIES OF MIAMI BEACH AND MIAMI.
Date: July 28, 2004
To:
Subject:
ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDATION
Adopt the Resolution.
ANALYSIS
On April 8, 2004, representatives of Flagstone Island Gardens, LLC submitted a
Notification of Proposed Change (NO PC) to the Florida Department of Community Affairs,
on behalf of the Downtown Development Authority. This NOPC proposed to expand the
boundaries of the Downtown Development of Regional Impact district to include the
Northwest quadrant of Watson Island.
Additionally, the Developer of the Project, Flagstone Island Gardens, LLC, and the City of
Miami, jointly filed an application for a Major Use Special Permit (MUSP) to approve the
Project within the geographic limits of the expanded DR!. The City of Miami and the
Developer, working through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, also
sought a waiver of the public use deed restriction from the Florida Cabinet sitting as the
Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund.
On May 5, 2004, the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami Beach approved
Resolution 2004-25566, authorizing the Administration to transmit comments and concerns
about the NOPC to the South Florida Regional Planning Council and the Florida
Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Additional comments on the NOPC were
provided by the Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resource Management,
the South Florida Water Management District, and the Florida Department of
Transportation. On May 28, 2004, the South Florida Regional Planning Council transmitted
their comments to DCA, who in turn transmitted comments and concerns to the City of
Miami.
On June 9, 2004, the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami Beach adopted a
motion requesting that the City of Miami defer action on the project and present the project
to the City of Miami Beach at the July 7, 2004 City Commission meeting. The City
Commission also discussed concerns with the traffic assessment that was submitted as
part of the NOPC.
Commission Memorandum
July 7, 2004
Downtown Miami Development of Regional Impact
Page 2 of 3
During the week of June 14,2004, the Administration met with the aides to the Cabinet
members to express the City's continuing concerns regarding traffic from the proposed
project. During these meetings, City staff explained the City's request for a one-meeting
deferral of the waiver of the public use deed restriction from the June 24, 2004 Cabinet
agenda.
On June 22, 2004, DCA forwarded to the City of Miami, their position that based on the
revised development order conditions submitted on June 215\ the proposed changes to the
NOPC would not result in a substantial deviation. Therefore, DCA had no further objections
with the City of Miami's adoption of the proposed changes to the development order.
On June 24, 2004, Mayor Dermer and City staff attended the meeting of the Florida
Cabinet, and conveyed the City's request for a one-meeting deferral, as well as a
restriction in the deed that prohibited the development of future uses on the island whose
impacts were not reviewed during the NOPC process. During discussion, the Cabinet also
expressed concerns that uses that were not being presented could be developed in the
future without Cabinet input. To address this concern, by a vote of 3 to 1, the Cabinet
approved the waiver of the deed restriction, and they unanimously approved a restriction in
the deed that requires Cabinet approval of changes to the lease between the City of Miami
and the Developer and thereby only uses currently reviewed are covered in the waiver of
deed restrictions. Therefore, uses such as residential or casino gambling would not be
permitted without further cabinet action.
On June 24, 2004, the City Commission of the City of Miami held public hearings on the
expansion of the DRI boundaries and the Major Use Special Permit. Commissioner Bower
and City staff spoke at the City of Miami City Commission meeting and conveyed the City
of Miami Beach's requests for a deferral and for a new traffic impact study. The City of
Miami City Commission approved the expansion of the DRI to include the land on which
the Project is to be located, but deferred action on the MUSP until July 8, 2004.
Additionally, they adopted a motion to enter into an Interlo'cal Agreement for the purposes
of seeking a new traffic study to address the concerns of the City of Miami Beach regarding
traffic on the MacArthur Causeway, and to jointly request funding from FDOT and the MPO
for the Study.
On July 7,2004, the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami Beach approved
Resolution No. 2004-25628, authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to conduct a traffic
impact study, and further authorizing the Administration to submit a grant application to the
Metropolitan Planning Organization to fund the study.
On July 8, 2004, the Miami City Commission approved the Major Use Special Permit for
the Flagstone Island Gardens project. Separately, the Miami City Commission
approved the Interlocal Agreement between Miami Beach and Miami, with an amendment
to provide a copy ofthe Interlocal to the Miami-Dade County Public Works Department and
that the MPO and FDOT be invited to be a participant in the agreement. The City of Miami
administration was also directed to work with FDOT to develop better signage to Parrot
Jungle and the Children's Museum.
Commission Memorandum
July 7, 2004
Downtown Miami Development of Regional Impact
Page 3 of 3
RECOMMENDATION
The Administration recommends that the Mayor and City Commission adopt the attached
Resolution and forward it to the Metropolitan Planning Organization.
JMG/C~/kC
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