Average homeowner could pay about $90 more in annual taxes
Voters in Cutler Bay have either gotten or are about to get absentee or mail-in ballots for a $37 million, 30-year general obligation bond to fund the construction of municipal facilities and their own “Central Park” on 16 acres of vacant land on Old Cutler Road in the heart of the town.
There will be no in-person voting. Mail-in ballots, which are sent out between March 2 and 12, must be returned no later than 7 p.m. March 22.
This plan for a community focal point has been in the works since at least 2018. In 2020, the town council approved a land swap — the $9 million office building where Town Hall is now, at 10720 Caribbean Blvd., an adjacent, vacant $2.5 million parcel and $3 million cash for the 16 acres just north of Southwest 212th Street.
That property could have been developed into 480 residential units. Instead, the city is partnering with the University of Miami School of Architecture to create a community gathering place with a new Town Hall, police department, community center and park amenities, said Cutler Bay Mayor Tim Meerbott.
After a number of community workshops and 750 complete surveys were returned to Town Hall, some of the ideas already on the table are a community garden, an amphitheater for concerts, a place for food trucks and water features, the mayor said.
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Town Manager Rafael Casals said that if the bond passes, there will be more community meetings to hash out design details.
“We will be aggressive with our timeline,” Casals said, adding that the design, bidding, groundbreaking and construction process will take about four years.
Meerbott says the property, which is known locally as “the potato field,” has the potential to be like New York City’s legacy Central Park.
“Over 100 years ago, when they were designing Manhattan, somebody had enough foresight to say, ‘Hey, let’s keep the middle of this area here green.’ A hundred years later, what is now Central Park is the crown jewel of Manhattan,” Meerbott says in a promotional video that’s gotten more than 2,700 views on YouTube.
“We have the opportunity to do something very similar here. This decision will not only impact our community now, but also for generations in the future.”
General obligation bonds are a way for municipal governments to fund capital improvement projects that are then repaid through a property tax increase. If voters approve this bond, the average Cutler Bay homeowner will pay about $89 more a year, Meerbott said.
Some people, depending on property size and value, will pay more. The town has set up a calculator on its website so homeowners can know how their taxes will be affected.
Cutler Bay $37 mil bond for Town Hall, ‘Central Park’ project goes to voters added by Ladra on
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To continue to keep it real …
The vision is to transform this parcel into a central gathering place for the community that encompasses many features. One of those features is a park, along with other ideas from the public such as community center, a municipal complex, an amphitheater for events, and various other recreational amenities. It all depends on what the public wants.
The new Publix and the other buildings currently under construction next-door to the 16 acres, has NOTHING to do with the 16 acres. They are 2 separate properties, with different owners. The Town does not own the land the new Publix is being built on. Clear?
As for your “I didn’t see you address how the Park won’t really be a park” comment, the Town has had multiple public involvement meetings and workshops to conceptualize what the public thinks should go there. From those public workshops they gathered all the information they could and worked with the University of Miami School of Architecture to come up with 9 different CONCEPTUAL designs outlined in this booklet:
https://www.cutlerbay-fl.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/community/page/9746/16_acres_um_conceptual_designs_booklet.pdf
Just to be clear, all designs featured in the booklet are conceptual only. They are not the final design for the site. The public will have the final say.
You can further educate yourself here: https://cutlerbaygobond.com/
I encourage you to read everything. PLEASE make an informed decision.
Keeping it Real, yes, we all know property taxes aren’t paid on the full amount of the assessed value of our properties which is why people need to look up to see how much they will pay and not rely on what looks like an artificially low number. It also doesn’t take into account that the homeowner will be paying that for years and years, and get saddled with even more taxes as they go up and up every year, which is how things appear to roll in MDC.
Then, I didn’t see you address how the Park won’t really be a park, much less a Central Park, because it will have most of it allocated to infrastructure. Central Park has 843 acres, to put it into context. A sliver of 16 acres that’s going to be used mostly for police and government buildings and the rest destroyed as real habitat hardly seems to be a favorable idea for taxpayers. Looks more like they’re getting a Publix and infrastructure that will be needed to justify building more units for that area, paid for by the people.
Just curious, does everyone pay taxes based off the retail market value of their home, or is it just the person who put $400,000 into the calculator?
Taxes are paid based on the assessed value of your home, not the market value. The amount you would pay per year for the bond is based off the “City Taxable Value” located on your tax bill. If you don’t have your tax bill handy, go to the Miami-Dade property appraisers website: (cut and pastes this link) https://www.miamidade.gov/Apps/PA/propertysearch/#/
Type your address into the search area, when you see your property pop up, click on the folio number highlighted in blue, that will take you to all your property tax information. Scroll down to the “Taxable Value Information” section and look under the heading that says “CITY”. Use THAT number to plug into the calculator to see what it would cost you per year for the bond.
For instance my home is worth approximately $450,000 if I were to put it on the market, however, my City Taxable Value is only $96,889. That means the bond will cost me $61.90 per year. BIG difference.
I can’t tell you how to vote, but I can clear up disinformation. PLEASE make an informed decision.
It’s a bit strange to say the average homeowner will pay about $89 a year when I checked on the calculator, a $400,000 home would see an increase of $255 per year, which is substantial as it will keep on increasing every year along with the other items on the tax bill. I wonder what property value they plugged in to come at that number.
I also see that the “park” will have a lot of government structures on it. So, how much Park, will the park have. To compare it to Central Park would mean those structures would not be located at the park. This looks like a bait and switch to me.
I’m all in favor of parks. But let them be parks. No buildings unless it’s amenities for the residents. It looks like this needs to have a closer look on it, vote no until the park design is finalized and approved. Then you can ask for the bond to be approved.