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20161017 Agenda Mayor’s Ad Hoc Blue Ribbon Steering Committee on the Convention Center Hotel 6:30 p.m., Monday, October 17, 2016 City Commission Chambers, City Hall AGENDA 1. ROLL CALL 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. July 11, 2016 b. August 29, 2016 3. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION: POTENTIAL MASSING OF A HOTEL AND RELATED TRAFFIC MITIGATION ANALYSIS a. Building Massing – Rogelio Madan – Principal Planner, Planning Department b. Traffic Issues – Jose Gonzales, Transportation Department Director 4. PUBLIC INPUT 5. GENERAL PANEL DISCUSSION 6. ADJOURN To request this material in alternate format, sign language interpreter (five -day notice required), information on access for persons with disabilities, and/or any accommodation to review any document or participate in any City-sponsored proceedings, call 305.604.2489 and select 1 for English or 2 for Spanish, then option 6; TTY users may call via 711 (Florida Relay Service). Mayor’s Ad Hoc Blue Ribbon Steering Committee on the Convention Center Hotel 2016/07/11 Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 5 Mayor’s Ad Hoc Blue Ribbon Steering Committee On the Convention Center Hotel 6:30 p.m., Monday, July 11, 2016 City Commission Chambers, City Hall 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach MEETING MINUTES In attendance: Commissioner Ricky Arriola, Chair Member Paul Freedman Member Saul Gross Member Debra Leibowitz Member Jorge Exposito (arrived at 6:57 p.m.) Jeff Oris, Administration Liaison Also in attendance: Commissioner Joy Malakoff Maria Hernandez, Convention Center District Project Director Ricky Arriola opened the meeting at 6:48 p.m. and welcomed all in attendance. 1. ROLL CALL Chair Ricky Arriola, Member Paul Freedman, Member Saul Gross and Member Debra Leibowitz all introduced themselves for the record. 2. OPEN DISCUSSION: POTENTIAL CONVENTION CENTER HOTEL SITES Chair Ricky Arriola stated the purpose of the Committee as well as provided a brief recap of the last few meetings in order to get the residents up to speed on what has been going on in regards to plans for the hotel. Chair Arriola stated the purpose of tonight’s meeting is to discuss other options for the Convention Center Hotel such as: the surface lot that is adjacent to the Jackie Gleas on Theater, going back to the current developer, Jack Portman and either tweaking the design or scraping it and starting again through a formal RFP process as well as look ing into additional sites for the hotel. a. INCORPORATION OF THE JACKIE GLEASON THEATER INTO A CONVENTION CENTER HOTEL Mayor’s Ad Hoc Blue Ribbon Steering Committee on the Convention Center Hotel 2016/07/11 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 5 Member Paul Freedman indicated he believesd the Jackie Gleason Theater site would be a better site for the hotel, but the site can only accommodate a lower structure hotel (600 rooms). Member Paul Freedman also stated that traffic would have to be recirculated, but a major issue with the site might be if people believed the Jackie Gleason Theater is historic to the area. Member Saul Gross specified a 270 foot tall hotel is too large for the available site and did not seem in context with the surrounding buildings given the current 100 foot height limit in the area. Member Gross postulated that there should be a reduction in the height of the hotel that is more compatible with the Lincoln Road and is more in context with South Beach’s real estate. He further questioned how to obtain more land and suggested the Jackie Gleason Theater property. Chair Arriola reiterated that the mission of this committee is to get the Convention Center hotel built and in order to do that, a plan must pass the 60% threshold. The last proposal obtained 54% resident votes, where some of the major concerns of the residents were height and traffic. Resident David Wieder stated he has been a part of the historic preservation board for the past 6 years. The issues with the construction projects are the details. Mr. Wieder asked if a hotel is really needed. He further indicated his belief there is no need for one, but if a hotel were created, it would be best to incorporate the Jackie Gleason Theater into the hotel in order to avoid having an overwhelming height that in not conducive to the area. Weider further stated that the public must be completely informed as to what the project will look like. Former Resident Dirk DeSouza started a petition on social media called Save the Fillmore. He stated if it is proposed that Jackie Gleason Theater is knocked down to make way for the Convention Center Hotel, even if a new Jackie Gleason Theater would be incorporated into the hotel, he would fight against this because he does not believe the legacy of the Jackie Gleason Theater should be destroying it. He continued that the Jackie Gleason Theater is history; the Fillmore is a brand. The Miami Beach brand is architecturally significant. Mr. DeSouza expressed that the opportunity cost is too high. Live Nation has dozens of shows at the Fillmore each year and DeSousza asked if the Fillmore were closed for 3+ years where will the shows be showcased. Resident Laura Quinlan has a non-profit organization that at times rents the Fillmore for events. She stated the Jackie Gleason Theater is not replaceable. The city needs more preforming arts places, more theater, and more clubs. Ms. Quinlan suggested the new hotel should have a performing arts space within it. Resident Jo Manning stated that the 60% threshold is not attainable. People were made to believe that the height of the hotel was unattainable, there were no other options, and that traffic would be a major issue. There are other options and traffic is not the issue. A 600 room hotel is too small and if this is a final proposal, the Convention Center Hotel is doomed. Ms. Manning believes the Jackie Gleason Theater is not an icon and there is a need for the Convention Center Hotel. Mayor’s Ad Hoc Blue Ribbon Steering Committee on the Convention Center Hotel 2016/07/11 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 5 Resident Kris Milan is in agreeance with Jo Manning. She doesn’t believe that the existing theater is the historic building people remember. There should be a way to incorporating the Jackie Gleason Theater into Convention Center Hotel while still preserving a theater. Resident Jody Lang (with Miami Liaison) stated based on her experience, the primary question clients want to know are: number of hotel rooms, convenience of the hotel to attendees of conventions. She indicated that we should conserve our city but we need to take the business aspects into account. She stated she is in favor of a Convention Center Hotel, but not a tall one. Resident Howard Herring (President of the New World Symphony) discussed the key elements of the City Center area including Lincoln Road and the culture in the area. He stated there is a need to figure transportation in order to get people from Miami International Airport, across the causeways and circulating through the city. Mr. Herring also stated in order to protect the wall casting; we need protection for sound and light pollution that may be due to the location of a hotel. He believed the program for the hotel needs to be considered and how all the programs come together for the pieces that make up the area including the potential use of the P lot. Resident Maureen Nez expressed her support of preserving the Jackie Gleason Theater. b. P LOT SITE Resident Trish Hildridge stated that the P-Lot has been overlooked. She stated the park is not really used in the morning, it is primarily used at night and the acoustics are amazing. Ms. Hildridge expressed that this process not be used and the residents be provided with visuals (massing). Chair Ricky Arriola stated that getting the Convention Center Hotel on the November ballot would be impossible. Member Saul Gross stated that every bridge tournament he goes to is held at a Convention Center Hotel, therefore he has never been to a tournament that didn’t have one and he frequents them quite often. The Bridge Nationals that was held in Miami Beach about 20 years ago was held at the Fontainebleau because there was a hotel and convention facility together at that site. Resident Henry Stolar stated that he is very much in favor of a Convention Center Hotel but 600 rooms are not enough, 600 is an absolute minimum. Stolar suggested there needs to be an 800 or 1200 room and to take into consideration the parking lot across the street plus the Jackie Gleason and the P Lot to whatever extent can be preserved as a park. Niesen Kasdin, representing Live Nation, believes it is important to integrate and connect the Convention Center with the rest of the city. The originally proposed 8 th street site should be reconsidered. He further stated the site for the hotel should include the Jackie Mayor’s Ad Hoc Blue Ribbon Steering Committee on the Convention Center Hotel 2016/07/11 Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 5 Gleason Theater. Mr. Kasdin suggested that a park should not be put on the P-lot instead another public space should be used. 3. OPEN DISSCUSSION: HOTEL DESIGN AND CONTEXTUAL CONSIDERATIONS 4. PUBLIC INPUT Resident Dave Aitel stated that he organized a midsize conference every year for information security professional. The only place that can fit 200 to 350 people is the Fontainebleau. The Loews doesn’t have a room big enough for an actual conference. The Fillmore is also a good option and he has seen competitors go there for conferences. His conferences can use up to 700 room nights for a weekend and that’s for a very small conference. Mr. Aitel indicated his group wouldn’t use the Convention Center without a hotel because it is too difficult to collect people from around South Beach. He further stated he doesn’t believe the traffic study that the bigger the hotel the less the impact on traffic. Resident Tonya Bhatt stated she believes that the Miami Beach Convention Center Hotel should be severed by large conventions or it would result in a disservice. There are also opportunities for a Convention Center Hotel as well as for local hotels. The space and service the Fillmore provides needs to be protected. Putting a no name architect on a symbol such as Miami Beach is a lost opportunity. Madeline Alveno, a patron of the New World Symphony, voted against the Convention Center Hotel as did her friends because they were afraid the traffic would interfere with the pleasures of going to the Wallcast. Debi Quade wants a Convention Center Hotel. She stated she goes to conventions to network. With a convention center hotel she can be at every networking and after hour party event instead of hoping for one location to the next and then finding out she missed out on what’s going on. Ms. Quade believes airspace is critical and what makes beauty. She would rather see the hotel pushed back and the corner be incorporated with more airspace before it hits a solid building of the Convention Center and a Hotel. Christine Florez stated that there is a business aspect to the Convention Center Hotel that does not involve tourism. Convention Center Hotel must add to the brand of Miami Beach. The P-Lot, if used as a park space should be used to address the rise of sea levels. The green space should be used for the arts or an educational institution. Rolando Aedo, Marketing Officer of Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau believes a thousand room minimum for a convention center hotel would be ideal and 800 is the bottom threshold. He stated anything below that would be counterproductive and would be a disservice to the City of Miami Beach investment in the Convention Center. Mr. Aedo stated Broward is building an 800 room hotel for a Convention Center that is half the size of our convention center. Miami has a 1,700 room hotel being built Mayor’s Ad Hoc Blue Ribbon Steering Committee on the Convention Center Hotel 2016/07/11 Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 5 Downtown in its final stage, approximately 500,000 square feet of meeting space within that 100,000 square feet of exhibit space is significantly smaller, which is a quarter of the size of the Miami Beach Convention Center. Resident David Kelsey expressed that he was very puzzled with the location and the height from the March referendum and that it wouldn’t pass, which it didn’t. The P Lot made sense, going from a 2 acre lot behind the Gleason to a 6 acre lot in front of the Convention Center. There are 800 cars being parked there now. If you were to put a hotel on top of it you would be able to spread the hotel and not have a problem with height. Mr. Kelsey believes traffic can get in and out from all four sides as opposed to the Gleason. Resident Christina Labuzetta is in favor of a low scale hotel in terms of statue and size. Ms. Labuzetta thinks there should be a campus like space with some greenspace, a couple levels of parking underneath, and more in scale with the community. This shouldn’t be rushed to the November ballot different opinion should be discussed like massing. 5. GENERAL DISCUSSION Maria Hernandez stated there are 1,700 labors currently on the project. Right now, the P Lot Park is a part of the Convention Center Project. To remove the P Lot Park would require commission action. The design has been approved by the Design Review Board and by the City Commission. Chair Ricky Arriola stated that an FIU survey will be coming out in the next 4 to 6 weeks. The results will be public and shared in upcoming meetings. Member Saul Gross stated there will be future discussion about opening up 18th street to traffic might help address and relieve some of the traffic on 17th street. The needs assessment for a hotel needs to be refreshed. This is not going on the November ballot. Discussion continued regarding the main issues with building the Convention Center Hotel. The committee thanked the public for their input. 6. ADJOURN The meeting was adjourned at 8:31 pm. Mayor’s Ad Hoc Blue Ribbon Steering Committee Page 1 of 4 on the Convention Center Hotel 2016/08/29 Meeting Minutes Mayor’s Ad Hoc Blue Ribbon Steering Committee on the Convention Center Hotel 6:30 p.m., Monday, August 29, 2016 City Commission Chambers, City Hall 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach MEETING MINUTES In attendance: Commissioner Ricky Arriola, Chair Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, Vice Chair Member Paul Freedman Member Saul Gross Member Debra Leibowitz Member Leslie Tobin (left at 7:50pm) Jeff Oris, Administration Liaison Also in attendance: Maria Ilchevia, Ph.D. from FIU Metropolitan Center Dario Moreno from FIU Metropolitan Center from FIU Metropolitan Center Maria Hernandez, Convention Center District Project Director Roland Aedo, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, GMCVB Ricky Arriola opened the meeting at 6:42 p.m. and welcomed all in attendance. 1. ROLL CALL 2. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES: a. June 6, 2016 Paul Freedman made the following motion: MOTION: TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR JUNE 6TH MEETING MINUTES Motion was seconded by: Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez Motion was adopted by unanimous voice vote. b. June 20, 2016 Paul Freedman made the following motion: Mayor’s Ad Hoc Blue Ribbon Steering Committee Page 2 of 4 on the Convention Center Hotel 2016/08/29 Meeting Minutes MOTION: TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR JUNE 20TH MEETING MINUTES Motion was seconded by: Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez Motion was adopted by unanimous voice vote. 3. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION: RESIDENT SURVEY RESULTS: Maria Ilchevia, Ph.D. FIU Metropolitan Center Maria Ilchevia stated the survey results showed that the residents are deeply divided on the issue of the development of the Convention Center Hotel. The difference from the March referendum to now is that support is not increasing, it is actually decreasing. The major finding with the results is that traffic is the biggest issue of concern for residents regardless of ethnicity, race, age, and party affiliation. Dario Moreno expressed that based on similar surveys he has done for Coral Gables, Doral, City of Miami and county-wide the issue of traffic and development are clearly linked. Moreno believes that as the economy drops so does the traffic and as the economy improves there is more traffic. Over the past 4 years, traffic is replacing the economy and crime as the main issue. This is universal across Miami-Dade County. Maria Ilchevia stated that the survey results also showed that a properly designed project that mitigates the impact on traffic may have a chance. A comprehensive plan that alleviates traffics seems to be the lever that can change voter’s perception. Through FIU’s efforts, 600 registered voters were surveyed from August 2 to August 14, 2016. The survey is broken down by race and ethnicity, gender, language, party affiliation and area. The survey showed that 46% of those surveyed still support the original referendum that failed to get a super majority in March 2015. Men, older residents (65+) and Hispanics are more likely to support the original referendum while women, residents under 65, and white, non-Hispanics are not. 31.5% would not vote in favor of the hotel and 21.3% said they would support it because it will help bring quality conventions and jobs (20.7%). Moreno stated the main factor for the hard no’s was the traffic; about two-thirds of everyone surveyed mentioned they had issues with the traffic. The survey showed that 31.7% are less likely to support a hotel that incorporated a new Fillmore/Jackie Gleason Theater into the hotel, 21.8% are less likely to support the hotel if the size was reduced from 800 room to 600 rooms and 40.3% are less likely to support a hotel built on the parking lot across from, the Convention Center that is currently planned to be a public park. About two-thirds of respondents (64%) said they would support the hotel development if it were to include a comprehensive plan to mitigate traffic. This includes the 46% that were already supporting the hotel. Mayor’s Ad Hoc Blue Ribbon Steering Committee Page 3 of 4 on the Convention Center Hotel 2016/08/29 Meeting Minutes Voters are more likely to support a hotel if the height was reduced (49.5%), if there were a reduction in the number of rooms (38%), and if it were designed by a world class architect (38.0%). Changing the location to the parking lot across from the Convention will significantly increase opposition to the hotel. Using the Jackie Gleason had some support (44%) however by itself it would not be enough to pass the project. Discussion continued on the different conditions in which voters would more likely support the hotel in terms of hotel development and changes. Moreno stated that a November election would be better than a special election because there is a bigger voter turnout at major elections. An opportunity would be November 2018 (Governor’s race) and November 2020 (presidential race). Chair Arriola stated he would like to see what super voters would have to say regarding how different areas would be affected by the hotel. Member Saul Gross stated that he would be interested in seeing the results of how many people was vote if the hotel were built on the Jackie Gleason site or not. Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez believes the question regarding moving the site to the park was tainted because it basically says to get rid of a park and replace it with a big cement building. If the questioned was phrased differently there would have been a different response. Chair Arriola expressed his concern regarding the reaction to the replacing the park was stronger than taking down the Jackie Gleason Theater. Maria Ilchevia stated that people are typically against taking away park space and believes mentioning the park changes the perceptive. Member Saul Gross expressed one of the main reason he support the Gleason site because he thinks it necessary to achieve traffic mitigate measures by adding more land and it would lower the hotel height. Member Gross stated he would like to hear from experts or the Planning Department on how they would suggest mitigating traffic. He further stated that one of the purposes of light rail is to get people to the Convention Center but he would like to know how that would be designed and where the rail might be placed. Chair Ricky Arriola stated that the direction of the placement of the light rail seems to be lean toward Dade Blvd. Maria Hernandez stated that a major of the public traffic will be on Convention Center Drive. There is a pedestrian entrance at on Washington Ave. Parking is now is on the roof with one helix that goes to a parking deck on the west side and another helix to a parking deck on the north side. The pedestrian entrance is no longer a car or bus drop off and the curb cut is going to be gone. People staying in the hotels like the W and others on Collins Avenue can walk in through the west side. The closest point from the streetcar to the Convention center is 19th street. The main entrances to the hall will be on the west side. Mayor’s Ad Hoc Blue Ribbon Steering Committee Page 4 of 4 on the Convention Center Hotel 2016/08/29 Meeting Minutes Chair Ricky Arriola stated a direction needs to be decided. An RFP needs to be prepared to include a development being built on the Jackie Gleason site for example, that takes into account the traffic and the recommendation to look at the entrance on 18th street. Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez believes the only problem will be the comprehensive traffic mitigation and that unless it can be shown that traffic will be mitigated people will not be in favor of the hotel. Discussion continued on traffic mitigation. Dario Moreno noticed based on their research that the area that gets the project is the most supportive because of the economic opportunities. That can be a way to sell it to young people and thus he further recommended an economic impact study. Older people are supportive because they are more concerned with their taxes. Going forward, effort should be made in building public confidence. He further stated we tend to oversell things in Miami this is not good, it’s better to be practical. Chair Ricky Arriola suggested working with a consultant to guide us on a way to address the traffic impacts to the area. Member Gross indicated he felt there was more of a planning component in this. Maria Hernandez suggested bringing in the Planning Department and the Transportation Department as they assisted with the traffic study. She further suggested doing some massing work to determine impacts of using different areas. Member Debra Leibowitz believes it is important to do a traffic mitigation plan as opposed to a traffic study. She indicated reducing this to a one page list of ways traffic would be mitigated would help with the public. Additional discussion regarding traffic mitigate and design ensued. Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez thinks orientating the hotel to the Washington Ave is a huge change because with the new development the street will be swamped and doesn’t believe it will pass. She was also concerned about the groups that oppose using the Gleason. The Committee discussed inviting the Planning Department and Transportation Department to the next meeting to discuss light rail and how it would interact and to discuss how the Gleason site may work in this project. 4. ADJOURN The meeting was adjourned at 8:06 pm.