Moving Forward on #NBV100

The Special Meeting at 6 PM Tuesday October 15 

This was the high level overview of the work done during the #NBV100 Planning Workshops,  was a summary of the concepts for the short term, medium term and long term to develop a plan with concrete actions.   

The plan roughly breaks down into three areas:

1. Resiliency
2. Quality of Life
3. Economic Growth

For a detailed view of the presentation, go to the Village website at https://northbayvillage-fl.gov/nbv100  and click on the presentation entitled "Nbv100 Master Plan Design: Charrette Progress Summary"   It lays out a vision of the projects and this is part of a continuing and evolving study to get to a plan that North Bay Village can work.  

It's All Set Then, Right?

The plan is a series of stated goals and models that could achieve those goals.   In the plan, there are short term (starting now), medium term (3-5 years) and long term (more than 5 years) tactics.   They range from the very simple short term - fix the walk timers on the traffic lights, put proper signs in the right places and remove useless ones, build a dog park - to the grand scale of creating new construction on flood resistant raised landscapes and seeking energy independence.   

There will be further meetings with the residents, including one to be scheduled in November for the commission to review and start budgeting and planning for the goals.  First up is to fix the current coding.  

Residents can participate, if not in person, then through one on one conversations.  There is even an email set up by the Village.  Click here to send an email.   The team will discuss this one on one with residents who are not able to attend the meetings.   It will be early next year before full action starts.  

It Mostly Looks Good But Is It Realistic?

Each of the major impacts must be questioned but they have to be questioned at the right time.  

For example, there is an idea that the Causeway could become a two lane road as it passes into North Bay Village.   Doing that would allow room for the sidewalks, the bike paths and increase the parking.   

The big question is what the impact on traffic would be and that question needs to be asked.  But already there are people rejecting it out of hand before the math and the routing are done.  I've noted personally that the Causeway at rush hour seems to have a math problem of time and space rather than an inevitable bottleneck.  The lights are not timed optimally.  The left turn to Harbor Island line exceeds the lane allotted and the variable speed limits mean large open spaces in the traffic flow.  Getting this right while slowing the traffic could flow the traffic humanely through the Village.   It's a bad idea to dismiss this out of hand.  

I am also concerned about people demanding "How much?" and "How will it be funded?"   

These are important questions but like so much in life, timing is critical and the time to ask these questions is when you know what "it" is.   It's impossible to answer without the actual information.   

The phrase "Stop Stopping" was brought up by Jack Rattner and it is so good that I am coming to believe I said it.   (Note I did not say "Stop stopping".  Jack owns it.)   

In our last attempts to redevelop the village, each project died from a thousand cuts.   And it shows.  

Our then BayWalk requirements were ignored with impunity because it was not profitable.  A storage facility was seen as the best and highest purpose for our causeway.  Our sidewalks remain unsafe.   Traffic continues to flow as though on a highway.   All of this happened because any sacrifice was not weighed against the benefit and individual profit was put above community development.   

Then It Was On To The Regular Meeting.  

After some histrionics by the owner of a salvage company operating without a license, the people who actually live here spoke about their concerns.

The Hornsby Matter is nearing a conclusion.  The court found that the Hornsby removal was illegal.  Now the question is how the village will settle with Dr. Hornsby.  Several residents spoke about the need to find the solution quickly so the village can move on.   There will be a "shade" session for the commission to consider their options and it looks like they are on track to do it.  It's very important.  

I brought up a specific piece of legislation that I admire greatly.  Commissioner Julianna Strout proposed a deal with Citibike/Deco Bike to create stations in North Bay Village for Bike Rentals.  This is and always should have been the approach as it give us natural places to go in Miami and Miami Beach.   I'm glad it was passed and see this as exactly the small and transformative type of action needed to move the Village forward.   We are the sum of our small choices.   

On the agenda, there was really little of note but in the reports, the new North Bay Village is streaming along.   

One important discussion item was deliver the budget with more transparency, specifying that money spent be focused on what the outcome is.   It was uncontroversial and adopted unanimously.  

The Village is actively seeking the collaboration and money from outside sources including $11 million from FEMA to harden our utilities, there was a presentation of a grant for the dog park, money has come in for sidewalk improvements from grants, and the Green Space award from the Miami Foundation.   It's not raining money.  This is money carefully and fully sought and it is what will allow us to build the foundation we need.   

Special Note:  The Village Manager commented that the Green Space project received more votes in the Miami Foundation's contest than any other project and then thanked everyone but the people who actually publicized the need to vote at the Facebook Group North Bay Village Residents Speak.  It would be nice to thanked.  

Overall, North Bay Village seems to be on course but it will require open resident participation and strong leadership to achieve the vision.  

Kevin Vericker

October 16, 2019