After sitting shuttered and in shambles on Collins Avenue for five years, the Deauville Beach Resort has entered the final stage of the demolition process and is scheduled for implosion on November 13.
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The remains of the Deauville Beach Resort in April 2022. |
Voters will decide on November 8 to
approve or deny the new structures, which are projected to
be much larger than the historic hotel.
Specifically, the new development would require a 50 percent
increase in density on the 3.8-acre property.
Yes for a Safe and Secure Future, a political action
committee, has delivered a deluge of flyers to the mailboxes
of Miami Beach residents encouraging them to vote yes on
Referendum No. 1.
“Residents rightfully are concerned that once demolition is
completed, the parcel will continue to sit vacant, remaining
an eyesore,” writes the committee. “[The referendum] allows
a well-designed project to come to life with a clear vision
for Miami Beach, and it will enhance and preserve the
historic character of the neighborhood.”
The project would include a five-star Equinox hotel with a
beach club alongside a taller residential condo building,
separated by a 200-foot expansive garden. The buildings
could be as high as 375 feet, which would be 175 feet higher
than the current limit on the property.
“As a native of Miami Beach, this project is personal to
me," wrote Stephen Ross in the project’s announcement. "I
know what this site means to the people of Miami Beach, and
I know the potential to create a truly special development
that honors the history of the Deauville while creating an
iconic place for generations to come.”
Ross has poured $1 million into promoting the referendum,
according to the Miami Herald.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber supports the Deauville
proposal, saying Gehry’s early renderings "are beautiful."
A Deauville site referendum promotion delivered to Miami
Beach resident mailboxes. Flyer produced by Yes for a Safe
and Secure Future
“While losing the Deauville hurt, this plan gives us a
chance to create our own history,” wrote Gelber in an email
sent to Miami Beach residents. “Instead of a hole in the
ground or an empty lot, we will have an iconic development
that will only enhance our city’s cultural profile.”
Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez disagrees,
asserting that if the referendum passes, the onetime owners
of the Deauville would be rewarded for years of attempts to
sidestep fines and city code.
“There has been zero respect for our laws,” wrote Gonzalez
in an email sent to Miami Beach residents. “I understand
that the surrounding neighbors are frustrated and tired of
living next to a derelict building, but are you sure you
want tall towers that shade the beach?”
The Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL), a nonprofit
that started a petition to save the Deauville, opposes the
project.
“Destroying this hotel in Miami Beach is like destroying the
Empire State Building,” said Ila Schulman, a petition
signee, in a Change.org comment. “There is nothing like the
Deauville, nor will there ever be.”
Daniel Ciraldo, MDPL’s executive director, is urging voters
to vote no on the referendum.
“If the Deauville cannot be preserved, we oppose development
incentives that would allow new construction with 250,000
square feet of additional rights than currently allowed on
the land,” Ciraldo says. “We do not believe that rewarding
the demolition by neglect of the Deauville is good public
policy.”
Ciraldo highlights the imbalance between the resources
available to those advocating for the redevelopment and
those who oppose it.
“We are outspent by the developers. They are able to spend
unlimited amounts of money for their ballot question, but
residents don't have unlimited funds to get the word out,”
Ciraldo says.
He claims that allowing redevelopment with greater zoning
allowance is a dangerous precedent for the community.
“The blight created by the neglect of the property under the
current ownership is certainly a threat to the community,”
Ciraldo says. “The community, however, should not have to
pick between a demolished landmark and two massive
high-rises.”
Miami Beach United, another nonprofit community organization
designed to advocate for improved quality of life for Miami
Beach residents, also opposes the redevelopment.
“The owner of the Deauville certainly shouldn’t be rewarded
with additional development rights after they intentionally
neglected to maintain the historic Deauville building until
they were able to force a condemnation of the property,”
says Saul Gross, Miami Beach United treasurer. “The
Deauville should have been restored.”