Article Courtesy of The Miami New
Times
By Jessica Weiss
Published January 1, 2016
With their prime location near South Beach and luxe cachet, the four gated
Sunset Islands are home to some of Miami Beach's most rich and famous residents,
from mega-developer Scott Robins to nightclub impresario David Grutman. In a
neighborhood known for its epic sunset views, where homes sell for upward of $26
million, you'd think residents would spend their days happily relaxing in the
lap of luxury.
Think again. In the past few months, one seemingly minor neighborhood proposal
has turned the two southernmost islands, known as Sunset III and IV, into a
full-on neighbor-versus-neighbor war zone. The item of contention: a proposed
sidewalk.
“This whole fight is disgusting,” says
Peter Luria, a former homeowners' association board member who
is in favor of a sidewalk for better access. “There have been
many instances where pedestrians have almost been run over.
We’re talking about safety here.”
Sunset Drive, which spans from Sunset Harbor to the Sunset
Islands, is a busy throughway — and a popular route for
pedestrians traveling to and from the islands. In February 2014,
the City of Miami Beach approved and funded the construction of
a sidewalk along Sunset Drive as part of a large-scale
neighborhood renovation project involving utility, street,
water, and sanitary improvements. According to the city and
experts, the sidewalk was to provide access for people with
disabilities and greater safety to pedestrians and would connect
to the existing sidewalks on two Sunset Island bridges. |
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A
proposed plan would have extended the sidewalk down the west side of
Sunset Drive on Sunset Island IV.
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But almost two years later, there is nary a new sidewalk to be found. And what's
more, Luria was recently ousted from the board.
That's because some residents balked in a big way earlier this year when design
proposals for the sidewalk circulated. The proposed construction was not a
subtle, tasteful path, they said, but a full-on, five-foot raised cement strip,
designed to incorporate recommendations from disability rights groups, including
the city’s Disability Access Committee.
Residents such as Jackie Lalonde, an HOA board member, said the proposed
sidewalk doesn't fit with the feel of the neighborhood and would encroach on
private property. She said it's unnecessary for a small island community with
minimal traffic.
“It’s part of this neighborhood’s historic nature to have grassy knolls and
plants, as it is with virtually every other island on Miami Beach,” Lalonde
says. “This type of sidewalk would completely recharacterize our island and
impede on the historical look and value.”
In August, opposition hit a fever pitch. After receiving a steady stream of
emails from irate residents, Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy Morales wrote to
Mayor Philip Levine and the commission recommending the removal of the sidewalk
from the plan, stating, “The community has requested the elimination of the
proposed sidewalk from the project scope.”
Luria, whose family owned a jewelry and retail chain, says the supposed
“community” Morales referred to was not a full representation of the residents
or board members. Many are in favor, he says, including former HOA President
Terry Bienstock.
Last month, the HOA board voted to oust Luria and Bienstock based on their
“misguided ideas.” Mayor Levine’s friend and developer Scott Robins was added to
the board and put in charge of working with the city on the issue, advocating
for an extended shoulder in place of a sidewalk.
At a December 9 Miami Beach commission meeting, Mayor Levine berated Luria and
reminded him he'd already been kicked off the HOA board in a "Venezuelan
election."
Lalonde says tensions are certainly high in the neighborhood, but she trusts
that the issue will get worked out — and that the community will be happy with
the final result.
“We will create something that fulfills the needs of pedestrians and keeps with
the historic nature of the island,” Lalonde says. “And I think everyone will
eventually get over this because we’ve always been a pretty homogenous, peaceful
community until now.”
Meanwhile, Luria isn't letting up. He says he plans to keep pushing for the
sidewalk.
“Unfortunately, there are now people in the neighborhood who aren’t speaking to
each other over this,” he says. “But this is about safety and our responsibility
to the community. It's just about doing what's right.” |