Have been very busy the last few days cobbling together some thoughts and observations -along with some helpful and explanatory photos and fact sheets- regarding the following recent public meetings I've attended, and some other stories I've been putting together over the last few weeks, ready to drop them here when the timing was right:
1. Monday's meeting in Hollywood of the South Florida Regional Planning Council regarding the Miami River, and residential development along the waterway at the possible risk of marine industries livelihood.
2. Monday night's presentation at the Hallandale Beach Cultural Center of the most recent edition of the evolving city Master Plan, as put together by the Miami Beach office of EDAW and ERA (Economic Research Associates) of Washington, D.C.
Coincidentally, ERA is located in the very building where I worked when I first moved to D.C. 20 years ago.
I was the last member of the public to speak at this forum and will discuss those questions and why I asked them soon in my post about the event.
3. Wednesday's Hallandale Beach City Commission meeting on installation of red light cameras at certain busy intersections (on private property), as well as the requirement of installation of external surveillance cameras for HB businesses operating after 11 p.m.
4. Thursday afternoon's Hollywood CRA/Zyscovich Plan Public Forum at Hollywood City Hall, on Young Circle/Downtown Hollywood zoning.
Owing to the necessary delay in getting the dozens and dozens of interested and opinionated residents into Hollywood City Hall under the new security protocol, the first time the city has had an event of great interest at city hall since it was implemented, I had the opportunity to speak for a few minutes with both Mayor Peter Bober and Commissioner Linda Sherwood (District 6) about some things going on in Hollywood and in Hallandale Beach.
I saw many familiar public policy faces there, including some who had also been at Monday's Master Plan meeting in HB.
I'll hope to post soon the exact info on when Thursday's public forum will be available for watching on the city's website, since anytime Bernard Zyscovich speaks, there's always a great deal that someone can learn about combining beautiful aesthetics, dynamic and intelligent planning, with some common sense, based on successfully learning the lessons of what has -and hasn't- worked in other cities in similar situations.
Though I wrote as fast as I could over the course of the two hours, just as was true when seeing Zyscovich at other forums in the area -and the Beach CRA forums on Johnson Street in particular- when someone that smart and insightful is ad libbing, it's hard to always concentrate on what you're writing while listening attentively to what he's imparting, because he really makes you think.
Which is to say, that I will be watching the video of the forum also, just to make sure my notes are correct.
5. The apparent move of the Baltimore Orioles' spring training games from Fort Lauderdale up to the Daytona Beach area, to take the place of the Dodgers.
Due to my deep dis-trust of the Orioles front office management, borne of my experience as a longtime Orioles fan since 1970, and former Mini-season ticket holder (20-30 games a year at Camden Yards), I've seen this particular move coming to fruition since last year.
I strongly suspect that I'll have a take on this issue, along with some facts, that you won't find anywhere else in South Florida, blog or otherwise.
Showing posts with label Hallandale Beach Master Plan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hallandale Beach Master Plan. Show all posts
Friday, June 6, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Hallandale Beach Master Plan meeting tonight at 7 p.m.
Hallandale Beach Blog will be at the meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at the HB Cultural Center about HB's Master Plan, and will likely have some questions about City Hall's priorities in the process, and the city's absurd signage situation within that plan.
I'll be curious to see whether tonight's meetings addresses an issue that everyone in the city knows about that -but which the Commission never talks about at their meetings- and that's whether or not ant logical signage improvement will occur so that the city can stop being a laughingstock.
Will it be directly addressed, or punted for YEARS down the road because current officials lack either the competency, common sense or will to see to it that those longstanding problems are finally addressed?
As to the Master Plan itself, while I agree with most aspects of it, in my opinion, the Hallandale Beach Town Center area near the Hallandale Beach City Hall should be the lowest priority, not among the first, which is what I fear will be the case with the current cast of characters.
That's certainly not what citizens from northwest Hallandale Beach want to hear after feeling that they've been getting the short end of the stick for so long.
Or anywhere else in the city, for that matter.
The very thought of it is rather preposterous, given how much open space the city currently wastes in the area between HB City Hall and the Cultural Center, as I have discussed before with many other city residents.
Would it kill them to put a picnic table out there somewhere?
I was in Hollywood yesterday morning at the meeting of the South Florida Regional Planning Council -saw DPW Director Brant and some HB city employee's faces I recognized- and I later took some photos of the signage in the immediate area around Hollywood City Hall for purposes of contrast.
I then posted the photos to the HBB blog last night, if you haven't noticed them, so you could see what sort of simple, common sense Hollywood employs in helping people get around town.
As to the timeline for the Master Plan and what gets funded first, it seems to me that it's now time for members of the Hallandale Beach Commission to weigh in and state what their priorities are, so that citizens can decide whether or not that reflects the popular will or not.
It's key for purposes of comparative advertising for this November's election and beyond.
Lest the Commissioners and the Mayor talk in such a way tonight that you would think otherwise, to avoid making the hard decisions of what aspects of the plan are initiated first, it's NOT the job of an un-elected City Manager like Mr. Good and his staff to make those final decisions.
he's an administrator.
Policy decisions are to be made by elected officials.
That's what elections are for.
Conveniently for everyone, there are two seats up in November.
Fran Schiller's seat and Dorothy Ross, with the latter running for re-election.
__________________________________________
If you can't make it to the meeting, here's the info from late December's presentation at the Hallandale Beach Cultural Center, which doubtless has been modified slightly since then after input from citizens and city staff:
Homepage of Designer of Master Plan: http://www.edaw.com/
HDR Engineering's Transportation Plan:
http://www.hallandalebeachfl.gov/DocumentView.asp?DID=604
Power Point Presentation: http://www.hallandalebeachfl.gov/DocumentView.asp?DID=645
If you have any comments on the Master Plan, direct them to the city at: MasterPlan@hallandalebeachfl.gov
If you can, please send a cc of your email to me here as well, at hallandalebeachblog@gmail.com
I won't run your comments without your approval, but will mention what aspects of the plan are deemed positive and which ones need to go back to the drawing board.
I'll be curious to see whether tonight's meetings addresses an issue that everyone in the city knows about that -but which the Commission never talks about at their meetings- and that's whether or not ant logical signage improvement will occur so that the city can stop being a laughingstock.
Will it be directly addressed, or punted for YEARS down the road because current officials lack either the competency, common sense or will to see to it that those longstanding problems are finally addressed?
As to the Master Plan itself, while I agree with most aspects of it, in my opinion, the Hallandale Beach Town Center area near the Hallandale Beach City Hall should be the lowest priority, not among the first, which is what I fear will be the case with the current cast of characters.
That's certainly not what citizens from northwest Hallandale Beach want to hear after feeling that they've been getting the short end of the stick for so long.
Or anywhere else in the city, for that matter.
The very thought of it is rather preposterous, given how much open space the city currently wastes in the area between HB City Hall and the Cultural Center, as I have discussed before with many other city residents.
Would it kill them to put a picnic table out there somewhere?
I was in Hollywood yesterday morning at the meeting of the South Florida Regional Planning Council -saw DPW Director Brant and some HB city employee's faces I recognized- and I later took some photos of the signage in the immediate area around Hollywood City Hall for purposes of contrast.
I then posted the photos to the HBB blog last night, if you haven't noticed them, so you could see what sort of simple, common sense Hollywood employs in helping people get around town.
As to the timeline for the Master Plan and what gets funded first, it seems to me that it's now time for members of the Hallandale Beach Commission to weigh in and state what their priorities are, so that citizens can decide whether or not that reflects the popular will or not.
It's key for purposes of comparative advertising for this November's election and beyond.
Lest the Commissioners and the Mayor talk in such a way tonight that you would think otherwise, to avoid making the hard decisions of what aspects of the plan are initiated first, it's NOT the job of an un-elected City Manager like Mr. Good and his staff to make those final decisions.
he's an administrator.
Policy decisions are to be made by elected officials.
That's what elections are for.
Conveniently for everyone, there are two seats up in November.
Fran Schiller's seat and Dorothy Ross, with the latter running for re-election.
__________________________________________
If you can't make it to the meeting, here's the info from late December's presentation at the Hallandale Beach Cultural Center, which doubtless has been modified slightly since then after input from citizens and city staff:
Homepage of Designer of Master Plan: http://www.edaw.com/
HDR Engineering's Transportation Plan:
http://www.hallandalebeachfl.gov/DocumentView.asp?DID=604
Power Point Presentation: http://www.hallandalebeachfl.gov/DocumentView.asp?DID=645
If you have any comments on the Master Plan, direct them to the city at: MasterPlan@hallandalebeachfl.gov
If you can, please send a cc of your email to me here as well, at hallandalebeachblog@gmail.com
I won't run your comments without your approval, but will mention what aspects of the plan are deemed positive and which ones need to go back to the drawing board.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Come for the Land Speculation, Stay for the Red Tape!
My comments follow the story.
__________________________________________
www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbmasterplan0106sbjan06,0,4867253.story
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Hallandale Beach revisiting its master plan for development
Master plan update includes citizen remarks on traffic, affordable housing
By Jennifer Gollan
January 6, 2008
Hallandale Beach
Deluged by proposals for flashy high-rises and gambling hubs, the city last year called a time out to do some urban planning.
A moratorium on new development has been in place since August. The city has hired a consultant to overhaul its 30-year-old master plan, to outline what should be built over the coming decades, and how.
As part of the planning process, more than 60 residents registered their concerns Saturday about everything from the surfeit of traffic to the dearth of affordable housing during a two-hour meeting at the Hallandale Beach Cultural Community Center.
It was the second of four public meetings intended to gather residents' input before the City Commission votes on the plan in February.
The redrafting of the city's plan is driven by an explosion in planned or possible development, including at Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino and Mardi Gras Racetrack and Gaming Center.
There has been a related flurry of proposals for condo towers and mixed-use projects to replace the barren parking lots, tired storefronts and dilapidated homes that overtook much of the city beginning in the 1970s.
"Now development is coming at us like a 180-mph bullet train," said Hallandale Beach Commissioner Keith London.
Indeed, more than 1 million square feet of new development — proposed before the moratorium took effect — is pending or already under way, said Richard Cannone, the city's director of development services.
"The catalyst for the master plan was the development of the casinos, which led us to make sure we are developing in an organized way," Cannone said.
The plan outlined Saturday envisioned six mini-downtowns with shops, restaurants and housing.
The goal is to create a pedestrian-friendly city with lush parks and a unique identity, said Donald Shockey, project manager for EDAW Inc., a design firm with offices in Miami Beach that is overhauling the city's plan for a $250,000 fee.
"Because of the economy, we want to make sure we have economically feasible redevelopment well into the future," said Mayor Joy Cooper.
To that end, Joe DeFalco, 78, asked city leaders Saturday how Hallandale Beach could afford the ambitious vision given in the master plan.
"Where are you going to get the money to do all of this?" asked DeFalco, who is president of Tower Mobile Home Park.
"It's not going to be a boondoggle program," said Shockey, "it's going to be done in a phased, measured way."
Jennifer Gollan can be reached at jgollan@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7920.
Copyright © 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
_____________________________________
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbdig01027sbjan02,0,2312417.story
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Hallandale Beach: Master plan concepts to be presented at public forum
January 2, 2008
A public forum on the citywide master plan is set for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Cultural Community Center, 410 SE Third St.
Initial master plan concepts will be presented and comments from the public received. Residents, businesses and other interested parties are encouraged to attend.
Call 954-457-1381.
Copyright © 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
_______________________________________
Come for the Land Speculation, Stay for the Red Tape!
On the chance that you didn't see the actual print edition of this last Sunday, it had a very different sort of headline: "Hallandale prepares for building blitz"
Wish the Sun-Sentinel reporter had been at the first public unveiling last month, the day after Christmas, when there were more citizens in attendance.
I'll be posting my comments soon on the Hallandale Beach Master Plan itself, which I picked up a printed copy of recently and have been reading in dribs and drabs to refresh my thoughts on the meeting I attended on December 26th.
HB Masterplan Workshop 5503 KB, Last Uploaded: 12/26/2007
http://www.hallandalebeach.org/DocumentView.asp?DID=456
I should say here, though, that while I might disagree with some aspects of it, given the reality of the demographics and personalities here, the presentation itself by Donald Shockey was very impressive in its overall scope, as was his ease with dispensing pertinent facts.
Equally importantly to me was EDAW's true understanding of the myriad underlying problems of the city, and their realization that there's no magic bullet.
Also, contrary to the impression that may've been created by the reporter here, and very much for the better, EDAW, Inc. is an international firm whose closest office is located on Miami Beach, NOT a local firm in Miami Beach with no sense of what's going on outside of South Florida.
I spent quite some time prior to the first public forum looking at their website, then did a Google search to see the sort of plans the firm has produced for past clients, and what the public reaction in those cities were, and suggest you do the same.
(They also did the downtown Master Plan for Boynton Beach
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpschool0107pnjan07,0,5528328.story )
Barbara Faga, EDAW's executive vice president, works out of the Atlanta and Miami Beach offices, and started a blog after writing a book on the intersection of design, development and public policy, http://barbarafaga.com/book/buy.aspx which is quite interesting called designing public consensus.
She even writes about the problems in her own neighborhood in Atlanta associated with unelected neighborhood association officials in a very illuminating fashion.
See http://www.edaw.com/whoWeAre/principals/principal.aspx?key=8931
and http://www.designingpublicconsensus.com/blog/
Referenced blog post re Atlanta is at:
http://www.designingpublicconsensus.com/blog/?p=42
For what it's worth, Design Intelligence named her "one of the top 15 women who are changing the world of architecture."
IF only we could put Ms. Faga in charge of building and implementing a new Marlins ballpark near Chez Huizenga and the Metro that'll be operating near there in 2012.
A beautiful and uniquely Miami stadium, funded largely by a new consortium of far-sighted Marlin owners with a love for architecture, design and South Florida, instead of the current Loria & Co. brain trust, which seems fixated on paying for as much of it as possible with the public's wallet. In what could only be called one of THE worst possible locations, far from its fans.
She could be a Janet Marie Smith for South Florida's baseball fans!
See Ballpark: Camden Yards and the Building of an American Dream by Peter Richmond
See http://www.amazon.com/Ballpark-Camden-Yards-Building-American/dp/0684800489
Here are some links to some local South Florida projects that EDAW is involved with.
They might help you come to some conclusions on thoughts of your own about what, if anything, is missing from the current plans for Hallandale Beach that EDAW submitted to the city, and what needs to be considered or modified.
EDAW Miami Beach office: http://www.edaw.com/whoWeAre/offices/office.aspx?id=66456
Flamingo/Lummus Neighborhood Urban Design and Streetscape Improvements
(for The Related Group)
http://www.edaw.com/WhatWeDo/projects/projects.aspx?back=y&office=66456
One Miami Riverwalk (for The Related Group)
http://www.edaw.com/WhatWeDo/projects/projects.aspx?idx=1&projId=66658467726976686982765048485548534952485051575250&office=66456
Oceanfront Neighborhood Urban Design and Streetscapes (for City of Miami Beach)
http://www.edaw.com/WhatWeDo/projects/projects.aspx?idx=2&projId=6578686982837978745048485248564957485752505251&office=66456
Biscayne National Park Ethnographic Overview and Assessment (for NPS)
http://www.edaw.com/WhatWeDo/projects/projects.aspx?idx=3&projId=6578686982837978745048485348554949485048484957&office=66456
St. Joe West (for St. Joe Land Company)
http://www.edaw.com/WhatWeDo/projects/projects.aspx?idx=4&projId=6578686982837978745048485248555051485250555254&office=66456
__________________________________________
www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbmasterplan0106sbjan06,0,4867253.story
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Hallandale Beach revisiting its master plan for development
Master plan update includes citizen remarks on traffic, affordable housing
By Jennifer Gollan
January 6, 2008
Hallandale Beach
Deluged by proposals for flashy high-rises and gambling hubs, the city last year called a time out to do some urban planning.
A moratorium on new development has been in place since August. The city has hired a consultant to overhaul its 30-year-old master plan, to outline what should be built over the coming decades, and how.
As part of the planning process, more than 60 residents registered their concerns Saturday about everything from the surfeit of traffic to the dearth of affordable housing during a two-hour meeting at the Hallandale Beach Cultural Community Center.
It was the second of four public meetings intended to gather residents' input before the City Commission votes on the plan in February.
The redrafting of the city's plan is driven by an explosion in planned or possible development, including at Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino and Mardi Gras Racetrack and Gaming Center.
There has been a related flurry of proposals for condo towers and mixed-use projects to replace the barren parking lots, tired storefronts and dilapidated homes that overtook much of the city beginning in the 1970s.
"Now development is coming at us like a 180-mph bullet train," said Hallandale Beach Commissioner Keith London.
Indeed, more than 1 million square feet of new development — proposed before the moratorium took effect — is pending or already under way, said Richard Cannone, the city's director of development services.
"The catalyst for the master plan was the development of the casinos, which led us to make sure we are developing in an organized way," Cannone said.
The plan outlined Saturday envisioned six mini-downtowns with shops, restaurants and housing.
The goal is to create a pedestrian-friendly city with lush parks and a unique identity, said Donald Shockey, project manager for EDAW Inc., a design firm with offices in Miami Beach that is overhauling the city's plan for a $250,000 fee.
"Because of the economy, we want to make sure we have economically feasible redevelopment well into the future," said Mayor Joy Cooper.
To that end, Joe DeFalco, 78, asked city leaders Saturday how Hallandale Beach could afford the ambitious vision given in the master plan.
"Where are you going to get the money to do all of this?" asked DeFalco, who is president of Tower Mobile Home Park.
"It's not going to be a boondoggle program," said Shockey, "it's going to be done in a phased, measured way."
Jennifer Gollan can be reached at jgollan@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7920.
Copyright © 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
_____________________________________
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbdig01027sbjan02,0,2312417.story
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Hallandale Beach: Master plan concepts to be presented at public forum
January 2, 2008
A public forum on the citywide master plan is set for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Cultural Community Center, 410 SE Third St.
Initial master plan concepts will be presented and comments from the public received. Residents, businesses and other interested parties are encouraged to attend.
Call 954-457-1381.
Copyright © 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
_______________________________________
Come for the Land Speculation, Stay for the Red Tape!
On the chance that you didn't see the actual print edition of this last Sunday, it had a very different sort of headline: "Hallandale prepares for building blitz"
Wish the Sun-Sentinel reporter had been at the first public unveiling last month, the day after Christmas, when there were more citizens in attendance.
I'll be posting my comments soon on the Hallandale Beach Master Plan itself, which I picked up a printed copy of recently and have been reading in dribs and drabs to refresh my thoughts on the meeting I attended on December 26th.
HB Masterplan Workshop 5503 KB, Last Uploaded: 12/26/2007
http://www.hallandalebeach.org/DocumentView.asp?DID=456
I should say here, though, that while I might disagree with some aspects of it, given the reality of the demographics and personalities here, the presentation itself by Donald Shockey was very impressive in its overall scope, as was his ease with dispensing pertinent facts.
Equally importantly to me was EDAW's true understanding of the myriad underlying problems of the city, and their realization that there's no magic bullet.
Also, contrary to the impression that may've been created by the reporter here, and very much for the better, EDAW, Inc. is an international firm whose closest office is located on Miami Beach, NOT a local firm in Miami Beach with no sense of what's going on outside of South Florida.
I spent quite some time prior to the first public forum looking at their website, then did a Google search to see the sort of plans the firm has produced for past clients, and what the public reaction in those cities were, and suggest you do the same.
(They also did the downtown Master Plan for Boynton Beach
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpschool0107pnjan07,0,5528328.story )
Barbara Faga, EDAW's executive vice president, works out of the Atlanta and Miami Beach offices, and started a blog after writing a book on the intersection of design, development and public policy, http://barbarafaga.com/book/buy.aspx which is quite interesting called designing public consensus.
She even writes about the problems in her own neighborhood in Atlanta associated with unelected neighborhood association officials in a very illuminating fashion.
See http://www.edaw.com/whoWeAre/principals/principal.aspx?key=8931
and http://www.designingpublicconsensus.com/blog/
Referenced blog post re Atlanta is at:
http://www.designingpublicconsensus.com/blog/?p=42
For what it's worth, Design Intelligence named her "one of the top 15 women who are changing the world of architecture."
IF only we could put Ms. Faga in charge of building and implementing a new Marlins ballpark near Chez Huizenga and the Metro that'll be operating near there in 2012.
A beautiful and uniquely Miami stadium, funded largely by a new consortium of far-sighted Marlin owners with a love for architecture, design and South Florida, instead of the current Loria & Co. brain trust, which seems fixated on paying for as much of it as possible with the public's wallet. In what could only be called one of THE worst possible locations, far from its fans.
She could be a Janet Marie Smith for South Florida's baseball fans!
See Ballpark: Camden Yards and the Building of an American Dream by Peter Richmond
See http://www.amazon.com/Ballpark-Camden-Yards-Building-American/dp/0684800489
Here are some links to some local South Florida projects that EDAW is involved with.
They might help you come to some conclusions on thoughts of your own about what, if anything, is missing from the current plans for Hallandale Beach that EDAW submitted to the city, and what needs to be considered or modified.
EDAW Miami Beach office: http://www.edaw.com/whoWeAre/offices/office.aspx?id=66456
Flamingo/Lummus Neighborhood Urban Design and Streetscape Improvements
(for The Related Group)
http://www.edaw.com/WhatWeDo/projects/projects.aspx?back=y&office=66456
One Miami Riverwalk (for The Related Group)
http://www.edaw.com/WhatWeDo/projects/projects.aspx?idx=1&projId=66658467726976686982765048485548534952485051575250&office=66456
Oceanfront Neighborhood Urban Design and Streetscapes (for City of Miami Beach)
http://www.edaw.com/WhatWeDo/projects/projects.aspx?idx=2&projId=6578686982837978745048485248564957485752505251&office=66456
Biscayne National Park Ethnographic Overview and Assessment (for NPS)
http://www.edaw.com/WhatWeDo/projects/projects.aspx?idx=3&projId=6578686982837978745048485348554949485048484957&office=66456
St. Joe West (for St. Joe Land Company)
http://www.edaw.com/WhatWeDo/projects/projects.aspx?idx=4&projId=6578686982837978745048485248555051485250555254&office=66456
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