CEOs favor ‘Dream’ retail park in Northwest Miami-Dade
The question: If you were given a vote on the American Dream Miami retail theme park, would you approve it or reject it?
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Approve it.
Daniel Ades, managing partner, Kawa Capital Management
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Approve. Major investment that adds jobs should be supported and can serve as an opportunity to enhance our infrastructure in that area.
Christine Barney, CEO, RBB Communications
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If I were to vote on the American Dream Miami Retail Theme Park I would definitely approve it. Miami could boast on having the largest mall in the U.S. with a theme park. This would be a major tourist destination and a boom for the area with all that comes with it like hotels built around it and, very importantly, the amount of jobs this would create. It's a win-win for Miami.
Richard Behar, founder and president, Capital Clothing Corp
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I would vote for immediate approval. It’s a tremendous idea – the second largest retail space in the U.S. after Minnesota’s Mall of America. It would bring thousands of job opportunities, retail space for businesses of all sizes, and attract more tourism to the region. It’s a no-brainer.
Carmen Castillo, president and CEO, SDI International
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As the population continues to grow we are going to need shopping and entertainment options that are not all centralized in one area. I support it.
Alice Cervera Lamadrid, managing partner, Cervera Real Estate
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I’d approve it. I think it would ultimately be beneficial to the economy and our community. It will be very attractive to the Latin American market, which will help tourism and the economy. It promises to turn that corner of Miami-Dade into a thriving entertainment and shopping destination as well as stimulate the local job market with more than 25,000 employment opportunities.
Jonathan Chariff, CEO, South Motors
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My first thought is yes because I believe every idea deserves a chance to thrive. However, I would have a few stipulations that would be deal-breakers if not answered favorably: How many local jobs could we guarantee above $14 an hour? How many local businesses would be housed in the facility? How much importance would be placed on not just selling carbon-neutral products but on carbon neutral/green development and construction, and environmental mitigation? If the answer to these questions is over 50% I would vote yes. Unfortunately, I doubt that a retail theme park could make such promises; thus I would implore the developers/investor to consider diversifying Miami’s future planning to include local, sustainable, growth sectors like manufacturing and product-based development which would create a less bifurcated Miami.
Pandwe Gibson, executive director, EcoTech Visions
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The American Dream Miami retail theme park represents a major investment which will not only attract visitors and residents, but will create thousands of jobs, generate significant tax revenues, and create more buzz about Miami as a fabulous destination. I would vote to approve it.
Julie Grimes, managing partner, Hilton Bentley Hotel
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I'm still in the middle on this project, I'm very optimistic and hopeful that the promises are true construction jobs, permanent jobs, a boost in property value for the surrounding residents etc., but those are often times promises we hear that don't often come true. My biggest concern is that we do not contribute to the cycle of low wage jobs for our residents that add no real value to increasing their quality of life.
Felecia Hatcher, co-founder of Feverish Gourmet Pops
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Approve it with strict conditions on traffic, capacity, water, waste and environmental management (including heavy landscaping).
Victor Mendelson, co-president, HEICO
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Yes, I would approve it. Hard as it is to believe, in many ways, Miami is under-retailed. This development would bring much-needed entertainment, retail and food options to a distinct pocket in the Miami metro area. American Dream Miami would boost job creation and be yet another economic stimulus. Plus, being able to ski in Miami would be pretty fantastic – wouldn’t it?
Abe Ng, founder and CEO of Sushi Maki
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Yes. A project led by seasoned developers who are putting significant private capital makes business sense. Determining the demand for a project this size is a decision that the local government has to consider before approving the project.
Todd Oretsky, co-founder, Pipeline Brickell
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Only if it comes with an investment in higher education and a higher education component, and only if truly independent traffic and environmental impact studies show it is sustainable.
Eduardo Padrón, president, Miami Dade College
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At this point, I’m in favor of the project so long as it meets all environmental and regulatory requirements. It sounds incredible! I agree with some of the skeptics that we already have a lot of retail shopping in Miami, but the uniqueness of the project is quite appealing.
Joanna Schwartz, CEO and co-founder, EarlyShares
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I would vote for it.
Dave Seleski, president and CEO, Stonegate Bank
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Approve the project. We need a shopping/entertainment experience that reflects our stature in the world.
Darryl K. Sharpton, president and CEO, The Sharpton Group
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We are still quite a modest urban conglomeration, so if we want Miami to continue to raise its profile as a major international business destination, we need to develop the necessary facilities. But here again, it’s not just any office facilities, we need the best, high-standard, green, well-designed buildings that you can imagine.
Gillian Thomas, president and CEO, Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science
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South Florida definitely needs to create more opportunities for employment; however, I’m not sure that we want to continue creating low-wage jobs that will continue to widen the wealth gap. In order to cultivate a community of higher wage-earning residents, we must continue to invest in basic services that help promote success: health, safety & protection, affordable housing, food and education.
Paco Velez, CEO, Feeding South Florida
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I would approve. Retail is an essential industry in South Florida and key to attracting revenue from residents and visitors alike and I’m proud to be a member of that industry in my home city.
Alina Villasante, founder, Peace Love World clothing
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Approve.
Marlon Williams, founder and CEO, Fenero
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I would approve it. It plans to bring 25,000 new jobs to the northwest area of Miami-Dade County.
John Wood, president, Amicon Construction
This story was originally published April 12, 2015 at 3:00 PM with the headline "CEOs favor ‘Dream’ retail park in Northwest Miami-Dade."