Despite a raft of competing events – and widespread apathy- one hundred people showed up for the UEL Public Design Workshop for Virginia Key this past Saturday morning. Prominent architects, planners and residents of the city of Miami, Key Biscayne and the county all expressed their desire to see the current City of Miami /EDSA plan further refined. Although an updated version of the plan was released only on Thursday, the group assessed the latest plan and made a number of recommendations. UEL President Fran Bohnsack presided over the event. UEL Vice President Greg Bush presented an initial overview of the plans – and other background factors- underscoring the lack of city and county oversight of existing deed restrictions as well as the lack of integrated planning for mass transportation and the role of Virginia Key Beach Park.
The morning underscored what citizen activism can achieve when done in a way that is both cooperative and constructive. Despite various points of view there was a unanimous view heard in the hall that the exercise was useful - if it finds listeners among city and county commissioners and other public officials – few of whom showed up.
There were eight sessions and each of them will be issuing their written reports which will be placed on this blog in the coming days. The focus of the difference tables was as follows:
1. Welcome Center
2. Procedural Questions and Governance
3. Land Fill Area
4. Natural Areas/Jimbos/North Point
5. Transportation: Connectivity and Sustainability
6. Integrating Virginia Key Beach park into the Island Master Plan
7. Balancing Fiscal and Environmental Sustainability
8. The Marine Stadium Basin
The UEL wants to thank all the participants for taking a morning to help envision the future of this important island.
We also need people to show up and report to the Waterfront board on October 5th as well as at the City Commission, which will hear decide on the EDSA plan on their meeting on October 8th.
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