PEDESTRIAN PATHWAYS THAT CONNECT COLLINS TO OCEAN ARE
AMONG THE REASONS TO
SUPPORT NORTH BEACH DEVELOPMENT
I have read, with great interest, the media coverage on the proposed
mixed-use revitalization project for the North Beach section of Miami Beach.
That area, especially the quaint two-block stretch of Ocean Terrace, has a
special place in the heart of my wife and me.
We were Ohioans -- used to freezing to death and going stir crazy during the
cold, gray winters in the Buckeye State – when we started venturing to Miami
each January in the mid-1990s.
Of course, we first landed in South Beach, but knew it was a place to visit,
not live. Our next visit included a stay at the Ocean Surf Hotel. The City of
Miami Beach had just completed a streetscape project and adjacent Collins
Avenue had an eclectic mix of mom and pop shops running from kosher groceries
to South American Bakeries.
We were so charmed that we quit our jobs and moved to South Florida on
Election Day 2000. Before buying an old house in Little Havana, we seriously
considered buying in North Beach.
But sadly, when we looked at it through potential homeowner eyes, not sand,
surf and sun vacationers’ eyes, we saw too many blemishes. Little Havana, even
though it was far from the rebirth it is undergoing today, won out over North
Beach. Sadly, there was just too much seedy activity, vacant store fronts, etc.
in North Beach.
Fast forward a dozen years, when dozens of core Miami-Dade County
neighborhoods have experienced a renaissance – especially the now world
renowned Wynwood Arts District. North Beach has gotten worse. Don’t get me
wrong, I appreciate its more affordable rents and I certainly don’t want to see
homogeneous development with all chain retail.
But present day North Beach just doesn’t cut it. My wife and I visited a few
months ago. There were still some cute little shops and restaurants on Collins.
But Ocean Terrace, despite its one in a billion two blocks of perfect ocean
front location, was moribund. The beloved Ocean Terrace of 1998 had a front
terrace full of obviously drunken people. The MIMO buildings were shuttered,
but possibly inhabited by squatters.
My wife and I are city people. We love a mix of incomes. We treasure
diversity. But some of the characters lurking in the shadows were reason to run
for the sedan, not stroll along the beach…or have a cocktail in the depressing,
mostly vacant retail base of the ugly St. Tropez Beach Tower on Ocean Terrace.
We made one last stop at the careworn Days Inn. We could see the good bones – the
place could be grand – but its present condition was one of decay, moldy smells
and neglect to the point where you gave second thought before using the
restrooms.
The other day, I read Andres Viglucci’s Miami Herald story. As the best
chronicler of urban life and development writing for a daily newspaper today,
the feature was the typical balanced, fact-filled, narrative I’ve come to
expect from him.
To be candid, I started out very much on the side of NOT favoring the
development. I felt the “banal,” as Brother Viglucci called it, St. Tropez had
hurt, not helped North Beach. I was predisposed to root for a “no” vote on the
referendum needed for the project to go forward.
Then I did my own research. The main developer is a veteran of restoring and
repurposing Miami Beach architectural gems. The Ocean Surf Hotel and the former
Ocean Terrace Hotel, now the tired Days Inn that gave us the creeps even while
quaffing a low price bottle of beer, would be preserved. Albeit, the Ocean
Terrace would get an addition at the rear. But both beautiful old buildings
would be restored and rebranded as 4 or 5 star hotels.
I began to favor the project. Then I thought of Collins Avenue. I knew the
plan called for demolishing a chunk of it. Then I saw the renderings with
breezeways (my Little Havana brain sees them as paseos) that lead from Collins
to Ocean Terrace. So instead of a super block, the new development would
actually create safe pedestrian pathways to the ocean. I was pretty much sold.
Then I thought about the height. The St. Tropez, at 29 stories, is out of
character with the area. The new development height would be capped at 20
stories. To be frank, that’s about as tall as I can stomach. But it’s not as tall as the condo tombstone St. Tropez and the design is much better. I really believe
the new development will embrace the streetscape – on both Collins and Ocean
Terrace – rather than recoiling from it like the ground floor of the St. Tropez
(which can barely keep any retail) sadly does.
The preservationist in me still wavered. While I love deco much more than
MIMO, I did think about the protected MIMO structures. I wrestled till I
decided that no mixed use redevelopment is perfect. And for the numbers to
work, the small beyond careworn buildings would have to go. At least the North
Beach developers will build underground and concealed parking, so the new
architecture can be brilliant and free from ugly parking lots or pedestals.
I also thought about North Beach and how I love it, or at least its
potential, because it is not South Beach. I hope that the redevelopment that
requires a referendum can serve as an anchor for the area. It can create jobs,
stability, vitality, nightlife. This is similar to what is happening near my
house on my beloved Calle Ocho in Little Havana.
On a smaller scale than the
North Beach proposal, the InTown mixed-use development on Calle Ocho is
sparking interest in a reborn Little Havana. InTown is a tiny bit taller than I
would love, but I can gladly swap a few more stories of developable space in
return for a building that embraces a Little Havana renaissance.
Back on North Beach, some opponents oppose the density increase. Density has
never bothered me. I learned very young, back when I was a rookie reporter
covering zoning meetings in Ohio, that density is not a bad thing – unless you
live on a farm. Even in the suburbs, a bit of density creates vibrancy and
conserves land. In a city as dynamic as Miami Beach, density helps increase
transit ridership while giving people the option of living their lives without
having to own a car.
Is the North Beach proposal perfect? No. Does it solve every problem in the
neighborhood? No way. Does it offer the best shot in several decades at
creating a mixed-use anchor for the neighborhood? Yes. Does it still have to
answer to the Beach’s Historic Preservation and other review boards that will
refine and improve the project? Absolutely.
Do I support the vote -- approving a 50 percent increase in buildable square feet -- that will allow this revitalization to move forward? Yes I
do.
I don't live on Miami Beach. But if I did, I would vote "yes" on ballot item #54.
Please note this post is purely my opinion and not that of any of the
urban design, architecture, transportation engineering, master planning, urban
regeneration, academic or nonprofit clients that I collaborate with.
