Is There a Way to Save Midtown’s Central Green Space?
July 18, 2016 by Lucas Lechuga
Photo by Sean McCaughan.[/caption]The great big empty lawn in the center of Midtown Miami has sat there for years as Midtown gradually gets built up around it. Originally meant to be the location of an entertainment center and mall when Midtown was first developed from the old Buena Vista Rail Yards, the huge lawn has for years been literally nothing but a luscious green carpet of grass, with the potential to make a fantastic public space, parkland, gardens, Central Park, etc. for the entire neighborhood. Back in 2012, I wondered what was up, and the answer was nothing. The assumption today in 2016 is that it still will be developed, by its owners or whoever they sell it to, someday. But is there an alternative? I posed the question to some friends on Facebook and one, urban planner Donald Shockey, offered an intriguing potential solution:
The City could aggressively offer the owners expanded transferable development rights to make this a permanent park and still profit from their investment. This is very feasible and would provide a desperately needed central park to serve Midtown, Wynwood, and Edgewater. This would be an enormously transformative project for Miami.
Great idea. The City of Miami is flush with cash as it raises taxes and fees. With a General Fund Budget approaching $700 Million, with 74% or over $500 Million going to pay and benefits for its employees, the City should definitely have some money it could allocate to acquiring the site. Contact the local commissioner Ken Russell. At the moment, the City ranks last in park space per capita for city’s Miami’s size.