City of Miami residents may decide this November if Watson Island, the home of both the Jungle Island theme park and the Miami Children鈥檚 Museum, will see the development of luxury condos, a co-working space and a public park.
Development on Watson Island 鈥� a city-owned landmass in Biscayne Bay along the MacArthur Causeway 鈥� has been a longstanding and contentious issue, and one that voters have ultimate control over at the ballot box.
At a public meeting Thursday, city commissioners voted unanimously to start the process of new development on Watson Island. They directed the city administration to draft ballot items that will go to voters later this year regarding development on the two halves of the island bisected by the causeway.
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On the north side, a joint venture group wants to build two 300-unit luxury condo towers on a 5.4 acre tract of land adjacent to Jungle Island. The group, Ecoresiliency Miami LLC, is made up of Jungle Island owners ESJ Capital and the development company Terra Group.
ESJ Capital currently leases land from the city to operate their theme park on Watson Island. As part of the proposed deal, the city will sell 5.4 acres of the leased land to Ecoresiliency Miami for the condos. In exchange, the developers offer to build a 13.3 acre waterfront park open to the public in the area currently known as 鈥淛oia Beach鈥� on the northernmost point of the island.
Miami City Commissioner Damian Pardo, who sponsored the legislation, told 港澳天下彩he believes the public park will be 鈥渨orld-class鈥� in its design, and the condo towers will be powerful property tax drivers for the city.
鈥淗aving the private residences generates a lot more revenue for the city of Miami, and, really, the entire island will benefit from it,鈥� Pardo said in an interview.
Though she voted in favor of moving forward with the legislation, Chairwoman Christine King said from the dais Thursday that she would only be supportive if the developer promised to put funding toward affordable housing in other parts of the city.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 in good conscience support a project that鈥檚 creating more luxury housing when we are having difficulty just finding affordable housing for the residents in our other districts,鈥� King said, explaining why she pushed the developers to put funding towards affordable housing in their proposal.
King made reference to a 鈥渃ommunity benefits package鈥� prepared by the developers for her office which outlined what extra incentives they will provide for other parts of the city. 港澳天下彩has put in a public records request for this package.
Terra Group and ESJ Capital originally wanted to build an eco-adventure resort and hotel, which voters approved in a 2018 ballot item.
Eventually that plan was scrapped after some procedural back-and-forth. Last January, the city鈥檚 Urban Development Review Board hotel on the Jungle Island property.
South Side
On the other side of Watson Island, across the MacArthur Causeway, voters will decide if the current lessees can extend their lease from 75 to 99 years and build office property and condominiums.
BH3 IG Developer LLC, which leases the side of the island where the Miami Children鈥檚 Museum is located, is allowed under the current terms of their lease to create residences with a 鈥渢imeshare鈥� form of ownership. The new terms will allow them to create condominiums, as well as a co-working space.
A representative for the developer told commissioners on Thursday that they also plan to expand the on the City鈥檚 waterfront and improve green space.
Ballot items for both the south side and north side development proposals will now be drafted by the City Attorney鈥檚 office. The commission will have to approve the language once it's written, and then voters will decide in November if they want to allow the changes on Watson Island.
Rapid transit woes
City leaders also passed an item declaring the county鈥檚 鈥淩apid Transit Zoning鈥� a hazard to residents within the city of Miami. This is the latest in an ongoing battle between the two municipal governments.
Miami-Dade County has special designated areas called 鈥淩apid Transit Zones鈥� along the Metrorail path and rapid transit corridors. That allows the county to have authority over zoning in those zones, even if they reside in other cities.
The City of Miami has fought vehemently against the county鈥檚 zoning preemption in these zones that lie within its borders. In March, the two governments held a joint meeting to try to come to a compromise without reaching a lawsuit.
Since that meeting of the minds, the two sides haven鈥檛 been able to agree. Today the city commission unanimously passed a resolution that makes clear their position on the matter.
鈥淢iami-Dade County鈥檚 continued amendments, expansions, and enforcement of the rapid transit zone and the county鈥檚 continued issuance of permits for properties within the City of Miami municipal boundaries is declared to be an immediate danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the public which requires immediate action,鈥� the resolution states.
The city wants to have control over zoning within their own boundaries. The county wants to incentivize more dense housing along the transit corridors.
City Commissioner Pardo told 港澳天下彩the city considers the rapid transit zoning rules to be hazardous because the city cannot say whether the highly dense housing in these zones meets their fire safety standards. He said this resolution is a means of pushing the county to stop issuing permits for development in the RTZs in the city until they can reach an agreement.
Other votes
Homeless Miami residents will now no longer be able to use bedrolls or mattresses in public spaces, under a new ordinance that passed without discussion on Thursday. The ordinance adds additional language to the city鈥檚 existing public encampments laws, adding a specific provision prohibiting bedding.
The ordinance also removes the requirement that police give a homeless person two hours to move their camp, and only requires them to give the person a 鈥渞easonable鈥� amount of time.
Commissioners also unanimously passed an item to require property owners to inspect and maintain their stormwater drainage systems and certify them every ten years.
