Coral Gables Commissioners could approve today the largest single development project in the city’s 90-year history — a mixed use complex over almost 7 acres just east of Ponce Circle Park with 214 condos, 15 townhouses, 320,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, a 184-room hotel, a movie theater, a gym and offices to be built by Agave Ponce LLC, a company with ties to the Jose Cuervo tequila brand.
The proposed Mediterranean Village is a rebirth of the Old Spanish Village project and developers are asking for several variances from the city code — including one to go two stories over the city’s height limits, one to increase density and one to waive the parking requirement for somewhere around 600 spaces.
In return for these gifts, they promise to mitigate traffic and have pledged $16 million a year in infrastructure improvements, including four new trolley cars for Ponce de Leon Boulevard that are now jokingly called the Cuervo express line by both critics and advocates alike.
It’s a lot to swallow. Even with a shot of tequila to chase it.
And some political observers think this choo choo is being railroaded through the city intentionally before the April 14 elections that could change the composition of the commission — and, thus, change the developer’s chances.
The proposed development has become a campaign issue and several commission candidates, as well as former Commissioner Ralph Cabrera, who is running for mayor, have said they have big concerns because it is out of scale with the neighborhood.
If the project were to go before the commission after Cabrera is elected mayor, he would vote against it in its present state, he told Ladra. “It’s too tall, it’s too massive and they have to provide more parking. Period. And that’s just to start,” Cabrera said, 
adding that he is worried also about the impact that the complex could have on Miracle Mile and The Village of Merrick Park, existing retail centers.
But Mayor Jim Cason, who has taken about $10,000 in contributions from the developer for his re-election campaign — now maybe we know why Agave has invested so much in the mayor — has championed the development at any chance he gets. And it could be more than $10K. We won’t know how much Agave gave to the mayor’s PAC, however, until the last reporting deadline after the election. Isn’t that convenient.
Cason sounded like a downright cheerleader at the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce forum Tuesday night.
“Think back. Our first developer was George Merrick. And Thank God for him,” Cason said, almost regurgitating the words of the developers who have drawn comparison between themselves and the city founder. Cason said the development would add to the city’s tax base and give downtown more life. He also said that they could build one million square feet of retail as of right if they wanted to.
Ladra’s sources say that Cason and Commissioner Frank Quesada are both squarely in favor of moving the project along — with all the special favors and everything — while Commissioners Billy Kerdyk, in what could be his last act as a commissioner, and Pat Keon are not. Commissioner Vince Lago could be the swing vote and he indicated to Ladra on Wednesday that he would not vote for the project as it is presented.
“This is a ground-breaking project that could bring significant vibrancy to our downtown,” Lago told Ladra. “That being said, I have seveal concerns about the density, the height, the potential traffic issues and the zoning mechanism which has never been used in the city of Coral Gables before.”
But what Lago and the rest of them need to do is hold on one cotton picking minute. We have less than two weeks — 12 days to be exact — before an election that will usher in at least one new commissioner in an open seat and probably a new mayor. As a courtesy to those people — and out of respect to the voters — the commission ought to wait this one out.
We’re talking about a month here, not years.
But seeing as how their pocket votes may change, it’s no wonder the Agave developers want this to be decided today.
At the first zoning hearing last week, Agave CEO Hector Fernandez brought up Gables founder George Merrick and how he had run out of time to finish his planned city. “A Coral Gables family spent 10 years with this property and lost it because they ran out of time,” Fernandez said.
Eddie Avila, president of Key Realty Advisors, who is also in on the project, said that the proposal has already been before different boards and community groups in at least 15 public meetings.
“We have researched the market and hired five consultants to study the best use for the property,” he said. “We’ve followed all requests and done more than any other developer in the history of Coral Gables to make sure we have a plan that makes sense for us and the city.”
But it needs to make sense to all the electeds that are going to be sitting there for the next couple of years.
Commissioners ought to know better and put it off just a couple of weeks. What’s the harm? If it is such a good project today, it will be the same good project for the new commission, who are the ones that will have to deal with the aftermath.
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