A group of activists are having a community meeting Wednesay night to try to stop a developer
from taking over part of a Miami Park so they can take advantage of special zoning regulations that would allow them to build a bigger and taller building than is currently allowed.
Negotiations with the city are reportedly ongoing for a coalition of developers to build a 10- to 17-story (more than twice what’s allowed), 1.2 million square foot mega complex with more than twice the number of residential units as are normally allowed and 1,000+ parking spaces adjacent to bayside Legion Memorial Park. The developer has promised to give space to the American Legion, which owned the post that was demolished to make room for this development. They also promised to make improvements to the park.
These improvements are a bait and switch carrot. They want the city to give them a slice of the public park 
so they can have the nine acres total to qualify fo the “special area planning exemption” that allows them to upzone, like Brickell City Center did.
So basically they don’t have the nine acres to qualify for the special plan exemption. And they want us and Miami city commissioners to believe that by effectively “borrowing” a couple of acres of park land to “annex” it to their site plan they can qualify for this bonus. Really?
Let’s forget for a minute that any improvements would be offset by the negative impact the development would have on the park and the surrounding neighborhood: The dust at the Farmer’s Market, the noise during morning yoga, the impact to the walkability of the space, the traffic, the pollution in the bay and, most notably, the shadow that a 15 to 17-story building would cast over the park. What kind of precedent would that set? Would that make all lands adjacent to parks suddenly more valuable because they are more buildable?
Ladra bets developers are already poring over maps, looking for the next park to hit up.
“The proposed Special Area Plan utilizing the taxpayer owned Legion Park as a ruse to help a novice developer reach the 9 acre threshold should be shot down immediately,” wrote Peter Ehrlich, of the Urban Paradise Guild, the organization that planned the meeting, on his Facebook page.
Ruse is a kind word. Trick or fraud is what Ladra would use.
The development, known as Legion West, would go next to the already-approved Legion East development, which is stuck with only five stories. Aw, pobrecitos.
The developers also reportedly missed the November city meeting where city officials encouraged them to do some “public outreach.” Activists say that has not happened.
Commissioners Keon Hardemon, Francis Suarez and Ken Russell have been invited to the meeting that starts at 7 P.M., at Legion Park, 6447 NE 7th Ave. Let’s hope they listen to the people there and don’t start acting like the county mayor and giving away our parks.
Activists want to save Miami’s Legion Park from developers added by Ladra on
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