Implementing the citizen-approved waterfront master plan and what it means for Coconut Grove and the City of Miami’s future.

Introduction to the Waterfront

This presentation is an effort to better inform the public about the implementation of the Sasaki Waterfront Master Plan that was put together through a public charrette and approved in 2008 by your elected officials on the City of Miami Commission.

More commonly known as “The Sasaki Plan,” it is the culmination of 40 public meetings and input from hundreds of residents, businesses, civic groups and experts in Coconut Grove and throughout the City.

After years of delays, the final phases of The Sasaki Plan that City of Miami residents approved are on the verge of becoming a reality.

Intro to the Sasaki Waterfront Master Plan

A Look At The Site: Yesterday & Today

The Harbour Plan: A Waterfront For Us All

FAQs vs. Fiction

Regatta Park: Sasaki Plan People’s Park

Endorsements & Stakeholders

Sasaki’s core objectives:

Green the waterfront

Capitalize water views

Enhance pedestrian connections

Extend the baywalk

Strengthen the Center Grove

The vision for the Coconut Grove waterfront is a human-scaled coastal recreational park with public open space, strong pedestrian connectivity, inviting waterfront promenades, diverse open spaces, and environmentally sensitive connections to the Spoil Islands.

The plan strives to transform the underutilized waterfront into more cohesive and vibrant public spaces and reorganize the Expo Center and Dinner Key Marina areas into a concentrated working waterfront for recreation, education, and live-aboards.

The Sasaki Plan for our waterfront would create a catalyst for the urban revitalization of Coconut Grove by redefining the urban context: connect distinct places by strengthening the pedestrian experience; create comfortable experiences along the water’s edge, in part by replacing vehicles with human activity; and accommodate a multitude of activities by instituting a community vision for the area.

The economic vitality of Coconut Grove will be achieved as more residents and visitors are drawn to the waterfront and enticed to explore the surrounding area through enhanced green spaces and increased multi-modal connectivity to the Center Grove. Complementary retail establishments and consolidated parking were always contemplated under The Sasaki Plan.

Many years ago, Coconut Grove was a major maritime center that afforded boaters the opportunity to provision their boats and have dinner on the water, an activity that was gradually lost, but which we have now the chance to bring back.

Scotty’s restaurant

Chart House restaurant

We know that maintaining the local character of Coconut Grove’s waterfront, while increasing access and water views, and revitalizing this precious, underutilized natural resource, is a priority for us all. For the benefit of those who have not visited the waterfront, or those who have concerns about why the City of Miami is embarking on this comprehensive revamp of the waterfront, let’s take a brief look at what is exists there today.

The Sasaki Plan calls for maintaining the boating services necessary for a vibrant waterfront while increasing public access and views to the water. But as you can see, the current boatyard blocks both views and access.

Working boatyards are by definition messy. But they don’t have to be. And boaters and water enthusiasts can be served by renovating and MOVING the boatyard away from the water so that a cleanup can occur.

Scotty’s and The Chart House – the two restaurants currently operating – haven’t had makeovers in a decade as you can see from their outdated facades and insufficient facilities. Also important: the existing restaurants block water views to a large extent. New options near the water that maintain the mix of low-cost, casual and upscale dining were always part of The Sasaki Plan.

The hangers on the site are historic treasures protected under law. But sadly they are in need of repair and could be better utilized for public space. Adaptive re-use of historic buildings was successfully done with Fresh Market just north of this site. Future plans call for the restoration of these hangers.

The Harbour: The vision for a new waterfront As required by law, a transparent and competitive request for proposal (RFP) process was launched in January 2013, and in May 2013 a plan was chosen to enhance the commercial portion of waterfront.

Grove Bay’s “The Harbour” project (The Harbour, for short) will maintain the historic structures and enhance the boat services that exist there today. The proposed project includes restaurants and retail establishments, consolidate parking and reclaim surface lots for green space.

The following slides show how The Harbour will achieve The Sasaki Plan’s objectives.

This rendering

shows the

proposed

placement of retail

and restaurant

space, parking, and

the relocation of

the boat racks. The

Harbour will

replace the current

failing asphalt lots

and rusted boat

racks.

The net effect is 7

times more green

space than exists

there today plus a

new Banyan Park.

Today: 100% Asphalt

Proposed: Green Space

Residents and visitors will be able to walk or bicycle from the Center Grove and points beyond through the enhanced walkways being proposed. Once on the waterfront, they will be able to enjoy casual dining and spectacular views of the water, as is shown in the rendering below of the proposed Hanger 42 restaurant.

For the first time

in decades, people

will have clear

views to the water

from Bayshore Dr.

and be able to

enjoy green space

leading to the

waterfront.

This rendering shows the new green view from Bayshore Dr. to the water – a view that today is completely obstructed by the boatyard.

The proposed Hangar 42 restaurant will maintain the open-air, casual dining there

now but will also enhance water views, the baywalk and pier. Hanger 42 will sit

slightly higher and will be set back 50 feet to create a new “front yard” to the water’s

edge and allow for better, more dramatic views of the water.

A: Your vote to approve the referendum on November 5 is important for many reasons:

If not approved, the marina, boatyard and restaurants will at least temporarily remain in their dilapidated

state of disrepair.

Tax payers would have to foot the bill for the $2 million - $8 million investment needed to in order to

maintain the operation of the marina.

The restaurants would likely close because without the ability to offer a long-term lease, most restaurant

owners would be reluctant to operate the spaces occupied by Scotty’s and Chart House.

More important is that Regatta Park would be significantly delayed because without the enhancements to

the northern part of the waterfront – especially the parking garage – the City will be unable to reclaim the

asphalt surface lots and turn them into green space.

Ballot Language for the November 5, 2013 election:

A: The citizen-approved Sasaki Plan specifies the need for a modern, efficient parking garage that consolidates

surface parking in order to reclaim green space. The new parking garage adjacent to Bayshore Dr. will be

31 feet high to the roofline plus another 8 feet of green trellis for a total height of 39 feet. To put things

into perspective, the historic hangers already on the site are protected by law and tower at between 41 and

52 feet. The orientation of the garage will allow to create a central promenade and will enhance water views.

41- 42-ft. Historic S. Hangers

39-ft. Parking Garage with Green Trellis

52-ft. Historic N. Hanger

A: The Harbour Plan calls for two new restaurants on roughly the same size footprint as the existing

restaurants: Scotty’s and Chart House. Patrons of both restaurants will also access a brand new public pier.

(left) The low-cost concept known as Hanger 42

will sit slightly higher and will be set back 50 feet

to create a new “front yard” to the water’s edge

and allow for better, more dramatic views of the

water.

(right) The higher-end diner will be

able to choose between steak and

seafood all under one roof: Shula’s

Steak House and Oceano will occupy

the same footprint as the Chart House

does now. Additional roof-top seating

will give patrons water views not

currently accessible.

A: The Harbour will be a destination site that will draw consumers both to the waterfront and the Center

Grove. The proposed ground-level retail for the garage will be limited to providing goods and services for

marine, outdoor and recreation. Restaurants, too, will be geared toward enjoyment of the water for patrons

who arrive by land or by boat.

One of the goals is to recreate the vibrant waterfront Coconut Grove had in decades past when boaters

could come off the water, enjoy dining and also provision or maintain their boats.

A: The citizen-approved Sasaki Plan does call for a 14-acre park to the southwest of the area where The

Harbour will be built. Known as Regatta Park, it will begin with the reclaiming of the area where the Expo

Center currently stands as well as much of the surrounding asphalt surface lots. The Expo Center, once

demolished and remediated, will yield acres of green parkland. Below is a concept rendering of the park,

which will be completed once the commercial part of the waterfront is redone.

Regatta Park: Aerial comparison of the site The site today shows the Expo Center, which will be reclaimed, along with a significant amount of surface lots, and turned into green park space.

The aerial shot to the right indicates the areas that will be greened first during the building of Regatta Park.

Regatta Park: Features & Amenities

Regatta Park: Placement of existing trees to be saved

Regatta Park: New Dockmaster Facility & Existing Pump Station

Letter from Mark Dawson, Managing Principal - Sasaki Associates

To the Office of Marc D. Sarnoff

It has been brought to my attention by our friends in the Grove there appears to be new opposition for the 2008 Coconut Grove Waterfront Master Plan the community of Coconut Grove and our team developed together over a period 3 years. I am reminded of the three years of countless community meetings, work sessions and simply meetings with all concerned parties and competing interests over that period. All that effort led to an understanding and need for balance within the plan, balance between the competing interests while making the Grove a stronger and more vibrant community and neighborhood. The evidence of that hard work was recognized by and included approvals and adoption of the Waterfront Master Plan from the Planning Advisory Board, Waterfront Advisory Board and City Commission.

'The Harbor' plan the for the former Grove Key Marina site was identified as one of the critical economic opportunities withi n the master plan. In 2008 the economy was in depressed state and its great to see a renewed interest in the waterfront. In my initial review I am encouraged by the proposal, it seems to have evolved the thinking and detail beyond the master plan. It appears to have improved some of the adjacent property relationships, access for both the public and private interests and tried to optimize the restaurant experience on the water balancing public access. The 2008 Master Plan did not have the benefit of real program, nor did we have the time to focus in great detail on anyone site as this proposal has done. We all know the devil is in the detail, and I am in the process of preparing a formal response which I have not had the time to prepare and intend to do so very soon.

On the surface this proposal appears to improve upon 2008 Master Plan as we would expect. We look forward to taking the time to review more thoroughly the plan and details for 'The Harbor'. We are encouraged by the wining proposal and believe overall it respects the 2008 Coconut Grove Waterfront Master Plan's intent and captures the spirit of the waterfront and the Grove and could be an amazing contributor to the community and the City of Miami as a whole.

Congratulations !!!!!

Mark O. Dawson, FASLA Managing Principal Sasaki Associates +1.617.923.7225 (D)

+1.617.620.7831 (C)

+1.617.926.3300 (O) www.sasaki.com

Stakeholders: • Coconut Grove Village Council • Coconut Grove Sailing Club • U.S. Olympic Sailing Center • Miami-Dade County Dept. of Environmental Resources Management • Marine Council • Village Council’s Waterfront Working Committee • Coconut Grove Business Improvement Committee • Shakespeare in the Park • Coconut Grove Hoteliers • Dinner Key Marina and its Tenants • Department of Public Works • Department of Public Facilities • Department of Parks & Recreation • City Staff • The citizens of the City of Miami and residents of Coconut Grove

END OF PRESENTATION