The Biscayne Times is reporting that developers Javier Rabinovich and Mariano Karner are having a difficult time developing a partially vacant lot located at 6401 Biscayne Blvd. According to the BT article, There’s a Reason They Call It Boulevard of Dreams, they plan to build a retail project anchored by a Miss Yip restaurant with seven retail spaces ranging from 900 to 1375 square feet. Last month they were informed that they would have to pay $200,000 for the installation of a 12-inch pipeline, in addition to paying impact and permit fees. The Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD) is requiring that Mr. Rabinovich and Mr. Karner to do so. In a written statement to the Biscayne Times Adriana Lamar, chief of WASD’s public and governmental affairs division had this to say:
In regards to [the MiMo Center], the existing water pipe in service is a six-inch pipe, this pipe would not support the code requirements of the new development, especially in regard to fire flow. That is why a 12-inch pipe is required.”
Wow! Where are the impact fees going?
As it is, things are tough enough for developers to build in MiMo with the 35-foot height limit. The height restriction alone makes it difficult for them to turn a profit and it is one of the reasons why we haven’t seen more development in MiMo. Unfortunately, the 35-foot height restriction has essentially limited development to retail projects, so we probably won’t see any mixed-use residential projects along Biscayne Boulevard. We desperately need more residential density in MiMo in order to make Biscayne Boulevard safer- the more eyes on the street, the safer the neighborhood becomes. The 35-foot height restriction must be overturned to allow development up to 5 stories as Miami 21 originally stipulated before it became watered-down by “Upper Eastside politics”.
Naughty Boulevard
Then we have the issue with the actual design of Biscayne Boulevard itself. The FDOT recently resurfaced Biscayne Boulevard but did nothing to make it business or pedestrian-friendly. Cars speed through the historic district and nothing was or is being done to calm traffic in order to make the street more inviting to those not in a car. Crosswalks are few and far in between, there is hardly any on-street parking available and cyclists are forced to ride on the sidewalk because riding on Biscayne Boulevard is a death wish.
Boulevard of our dreams
More needs to be done by the public sector to encourage development and to ensure the economic success of businesses that are trying to make ends meet in the MiMo Historic District. The public sector should partner-up and work with the MiMo Biscayne Association and the MiMo Business Improvement Committee to make MiMo a more desirable place for developers and businesses to invest. If certain fundamental changes are not made drugs, prostitution and crime will continue to proliferate in the neighborhood.
*Felipe Azenha is a board member of the MiMo Biscayne Association and the MiMo Business Improvement Committee.