Citizen Review by John Souder

Friends & Neighbors,

Our fair town is under attack.  Urban sprawl and development are the threats we face.  Ill-conceived projects with too many units on over-developed parcels.  An influx of boarders, taxing our Public Services and Schools.  More vehicles creating more traffic, further exacerbating our parking issues.

We are besieged from all sides.  And from within.

There are now 2 Projects being proposed for our downtown Commercial Business District (CBD) – a Mixed-Use Development at 1 Curtiss Parkway with 51 apartments, and a 12-unit Multi-Family “Luxury Condominium” Complex at 29 Palmetto Drive.

Both of these Proposed Projects run contrary to the Miami Springs Comprehensive Plan, as both have more than twice the number of allowable residential units, or “dwellings” per acre. Both have come under incredible scrutiny and public opposition from numerous Residents.  And now both have been quite handily approved by our esteemed City Council.

On June 21, 2019, I electronically submitted to Council and Staff a 30-page review (critique and condemnation) of the Proposed Project at 1 Curtiss Parkway.  Finally, after sending inquiries and hounding City Staff for 2 weeks, I received a response from the City Manager, as follows:

From: William Alonso <alonsow@miamisprings-fl.gov>
Date: Mon, Jul 8, 2019 at 1:41 PM
Subject: RE: 1 Curtiss & 29 Palmetto
To: John Souder <
johnboy.springsforth@gmail.com>
Cc: Councilman Bob Best <
bestb@miamisprings-fl.gov>, Maria P. Mitchell <mitchellm@miamisprings-fl.gov>, Mayor Billy Bain <bainb@miamisprings-fl.gov>, Mara Zapata <zapatam@miamisprings-fl.gov>, Councilman Jaime Petralanda <Petralandaj@miamisprings-fl.gov>, Daniel A. Espino <Despino@wsh-law.com>, Chris Heid <heidc@miamisprings-fl.gov>, Erika Gonzalez-Santamaria <gonzaleze@miamisprings-fl.gov>, Tammy Romero <romerot@miamisprings-fl.gov>

Mr. Souder:

Yes we received all of your prior emails regarding this and they were all made available to Council, City Attorney and Staff. Our Planning and Zoning Director has opined, and our City Attorney has concurred, that both of these projects are legal and meet all of the city codes as well as the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

My follow-up e-mails to the City Planner and City Attorney have gone unanswered.

I figure there are only 5 or 10 thousand of you out there that love Miami Springs as much as I do.  And I imagine that many of you are concerned about the decisions being made by our leaders, the way our tax dollars are being spent, and about many of the proposed changes for our City.
It seems that we have a runaway City Council and a wayward City Staff.  Our elected leaders and salaried civil servants seem hell-bent to ram these projects through, regardless of logic and reason, regardless of public outcry, even regardless of the very laws of Miami Springs.

I fear the only way to stop this rogue bunch is by filing an injunction.

If 100 people gave $100, it would be enough to get this in front of a Judge.

Just a thought…………………

Very Respectfully,

John Souder

P.S. – Remember folks, if it ain’t been built, it can still be stopped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above listed Citizen Review was provided by Miami Springs resident John Souder.  If you have a letter you would like to publish on MiamiSprings.com, please send it to :  editor@MiamiSprings.com.

 

3 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you Mr. Souder. I would like to donate as well. Hell, my property taxes are just about up to the $10,000 needed to file against the continuation of such an insane project!

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