R9D AfteractionCity of Miami Beach - City Commission Meeting
Commission Chambers, 3rd Floor, City Hall
1700 Convention Center Drive
May 5, 2004
9:13:35 p.m.
R9D A Public Hearing To Solicit Public Input Regarding The Notification Of Proposed
Change ("NOPC"), Filed By Flagstone Island Garden, LLC On Behalf Of The
Downtown Development Authority, For The Expansion Of The Downtown
Development Of Regional Impact (DRI) District Boundaries To Include The
Northwest Quadrant Of Watson Island. 5:05 p.m. Public Hearing.
(City Manager's Office)
ACTION: Public hearing held. Motion made by Commissioner Steinberg;
seconded by Commissioner Bower; Voice vote: 6-0; Absent Commissioner
Garcia. Christina Cuervo to handle.
Christina Cuervo, Assistant City Manager, introduced and summarized the item.
Mayor Dermer: This is a very important matter. Frankly it has just as much or
more impact than the matter we discussed tonight, because this is dealing with
Watson Island traffic congestion over 5th Street. The Flagstone Hotel is really a
concern of mine or those, two hotels I guess proposed and an FTAA for which
there has been discussion.
Christina Cuervo, Assistant City Manager, the proposed development is listed in
your [agenda] packet. The proposed development as described has 605 hotel
rooms. That's what they are proposing in the proposed development program. I
think we have outlined all of our concerns and they are listed in the memorandum
which will be attached in the submittal. But I think Fred Beckmann has some
additional comments, our transportation consultant has reviewed it and his
comments are relevant.
Fred Beckmann, Public Works Director: Mr. Mayor and Commissioners, Fred
Beckmann, Director of Public Works: We had a preliminary analysis by a traffic
consultant that's looking at DRI, the key element is the extent of the traffic
analysis, it wasn't done extensive enough. The only thing that was actually
covered was MacArthur Causeway, 5th, and also Alton [Road] from 5t~ to 15th, the
DRI agreement initially was for them to look at all the roads east, west, south and
north from the impacted area so we believe, from the get go, that the analysis
was not extensive enough. A couple of other things, the traffic counts taken by
the consultant for the DRI was only 24 hour counts instead of the typical 72 hour
counts, especially on the Beach, having a 72 hour count is very important,
bottom line, as the traffic analysis.
Mayor Dermer: a 72 hour count, yeah, I think is a good idea, especially with the
clubs open at 5:00 a.m.
Fred Beckmann: Yes, Mr. Mayor. Bottom line as I looked at the different
corridor, the different links that the DRI traffic consultants looked at it, they were
F:~CLER~COMMON~2004~20040505\r9dtranscript.doc
undercounted significantly from a range of 15 to 44 %, so we will have to
complete the study and that will be within the next few days and be ready to
presentation to the State.
Mayor Dermer: okay, we wish to send up objections when do we have till, to
finalize that?
Christina Cuervo, Assistant City Manager: May 14th is the date.
Commissioner Steinberg: before I move the item, I just want to say that the
development thus far on Watson, even though it's been relatively minimal has
already had significant impact on traffic and I know that the residents in Palm and
Hibiscus, in particular, have been very concerned with the number of vehicles
that need to make a U-turn there, and the back-up that was creating in the turn
lane, which was in turn causing them to be in the right-of-way, which was in turn
causing accidents, and FDOT since then, and the County had changed the
lighting, the amount of green arrow time, to eliminate some of that, try to get rid
of the queue and now they plan to extend the left turn lane, but that's just what's
been done thus far, in Watson Island is a relatively small percentage of what is
planned and those highlight the importance and the amount of impact that this is
going to have on our City, one of our main corridors, probably the busiest
entrance point for our City, in my guess, I don't know that actual count, but my
guess is busier that 1-95, it's probably the busiest entrance point in the City and
to have that, in the past the City hasn't looked at this, and I want to commend the
Administration because when the DRI's were done in the past, the City hasn't
taken the time to really analyze it and decide what the impact's were and make
our opinion heard and I think we should be remiss for not doing it in the past, but
fortunately, we are in the position today, that we have the ability to do the
analysis and provide the input to the State to make sure that the impacts are
taken care of and to make sure that they are not allowed to develop that without
control and without objection when it does severely impact the viability of our
City, so that being said, I'll be happy to move the resolution.
Commissioner Bower: Second.
Mayor Dermer: Okay, the motion and second, let us hear, Frank wishes to
speak.
Jorge Gonzalez, City Manager: While they come up, Mr. Commissioner, you are
absolutely right, I appreciate the compliments, it's, a day like today, those are
very welcome, but, the staff have certainly done an excellent job in analyzing the
DRI proposal and it dovetails nicely with the conversation we had at our last
meeting about when we talk about concurrencies, not just what's happening
within the City, but what's happening around the City that has as much, if not
sometimes more, of an impact to the viability of our City and so we take this
seriously, because, you're right, it is an impact on our community, probably more
so, than on the City of Miami in large respects because of where it is located.
Mayor Dermer: Okay, Frank you got some comments.
Frank Del Vecchio, resident, questioned if the record of this meeting or the
F:~CLER~COMMON~.004~20040505\r9dtranscript.doc
minutes of this meeting in the testimony going to be included? He stated, that
people could not be here because of the late hour. He further, stated that the
traffic impacts on Watson Island development has been a persistent theme of
neighborhood discussions in South Beach for several years. ,A group called
Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club, which meets every Tuesday this is a major
issue before the group. Members of the group have gone to the DRI hearings.
He and David Kelsey, President of the South Beach Hotel and Restaurant
`Association, met with the City of Miami officials a year and half ago to review the
transportation planning and adequacies for the development. He served as chair
for the Citizens `Advisory Committee on Bay Link Study, he read every draft
environmental impact statement in the possession of Parsons Brinkerhoff on
possible ways to alleviate congestion on State Road 836 including Mac,Arthur
Causeway and those conclusions were that there will be a continuing significant
congestion on Mac`Arthur Causeway because of regional demands, irrespective
of the amount of mitigation that could be taken on elsewhere on State Road 838.
He stated that he didn't have an opportunity to read the Consultant report of the
City of Miami Beach, but based on the work study he has done, he believes that
any additional development on Watson Island is going to result in excessive
traffic impacts. He stated that:
There should be an origin destination study in addition to simple traffic count
data, and traffic count data over a 24 hour period is totally inadequate given
the unique nature of traffic into Miami Beach.
Three (3) day traffic count should be done over typical periods, which include
the 11 major event periods identified in the City's studies on special events. It
should include weekend studies during different periods of the year.
3. Look at the collateral impacts on the Venetian Causeway at periods of high
congestion.
David Kelsey, resident, stated that he is in total agreement with Frank's comment
but that there are other issues that go unnoticed, such as,
The proposed Tunnel from Watson Island into the Harbor for Semi-trucks.
When the trucks come out of Watson Island leaving the Port he sees a major
problem integrating that into the existing congested traffic flow when talking
about thousands of container trucks coming and going.
The concerned with the Children's Museum on one side of the causeway and
the Parrot Jungle on the other, people taking their children to both attractions
with no way to cross the MacArthur Causeway on the Island. It's a major
problem and a growing problem with 125 thousand square feet of shops and
restaurants, 500 or 600 hotel rooms, the Air-Sea Museum portion, the office
buildings, the Mega Yacht Marina and all the supplying for that. If you look at
the two lane situation you have and entering Watson Island from the beach,
how do you get to the other side? People will be circulating around the
perimeter and when they hit the two lanes of traffic how will they get across
it? At some point you will have to go over or under it. Going over is difficult
because there is not enough land for proper approaches, means you will go
under, and then they will put in a tunnel in addition to going under for the
F:~CLER~,COMMON~2004~20040505~r9dtranscript.doc
circulation on the Island put a truck tunnel for the port. He stated that he
does not see how this can fit in and is happy that the City in taking an active
part. The Parrot Jungle estimates it will have one-million visitors a year.
That's just the Parrot Jungle.
Judith Berson-Levinson, resident and a member of the Urban Environmental
League, stated that this is public park land and they are taking it away from
public access to the waterway. She stated that they have skirted around an
issue where there is not supposed to be condo ownership and doing it as
timeshare.
Minnette Benson, resident, stated she's somewhat familiar with the DRI and
feels that the City Commission must be very firm in asking that it not ruin the
designated "D" level of service and that must be honored. In addition, feels
that the expansion of Watson Island will just wreck the City of Miami Beach.
Any traffic study that must be done have to be done in peak winter season as
well as in slow months like September.
She also agrees with Frank Del Vecchio's comment that the impact on
Venetian Causeway will be enormous, that is a historically designated road, it
is a two lane road and there are residences all up and down the single family
dwellings of the islands.
F:[CLER~,COMM ON~2004~.0040505~rgdtra n script .doc