Miami Herald Logo

North Bay Village discusses bayside parks | Miami Herald

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Site Information
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Herald Store
    • RSS Feeds
    • Special Sections
    • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Media Kit
    • Mobile
    • Mobile Apps & eReaders
    • Newsletters
    • Social
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • YouTube

    • Sections
    • News
    • South Florida
    • Miami-Dade
    • Broward
    • Florida Keys
    • Florida
    • Politics
    • Weird News
    • Weather
    • National & World
    • Colombia
    • National
    • World
    • Americas
    • Cuba
    • Guantánamo
    • Haiti
    • Venezuela
    • Local Issues
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • In Depth
    • Issues & Ideas
    • Traffic
    • Sections
    • Sports
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Pro & College
    • Miami Dolphins
    • Miami Heat
    • Miami Marlins
    • Florida Panthers
    • College Sports
    • University of Miami
    • Florida International
    • University of Florida
    • Florida State University
    • More Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Auto Racing
    • Fighting
    • Golf
    • Horse Racing
    • Outdoors
    • Soccer
    • Tennis
    • Youth Sports
    • Other Sports
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • The Florida Influencer Series
    • Sections
    • Business
    • Business Monday
    • Banking
    • International Business
    • National Business
    • Personal Finance
    • Real Estate News
    • Small Business
    • Technology
    • Tourism & Cruises
    • Workplace
    • Business Plan Challenge
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Cindy Krischer Goodman
    • The Starting Gate
    • Work/Life Balancing Act
    • Movers
    • Sections
    • Living
    • Advice
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Health & Fitness
    • Home & Garden
    • Pets
    • Recipes
    • Travel
    • Wine
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Dave Barry
    • Ana Veciana-Suarez
    • Flashback Miami
    • More Living
    • LGBTQ South Florida
    • Palette Magazine
    • Indulge Magazine
    • South Florida Album
    • Broward Album
    • Sections
    • Entertainment
    • Books
    • Comics
    • Games & Puzzles
    • Horoscopes
    • Movies
    • Music & Nightlife
    • People
    • Performing Arts
    • Restaurants
    • TV
    • Visual Arts
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Jose Lambiet
    • Lesley Abravanel
    • More Entertainment
    • Events Calendar
    • Miami.com
    • Contests & Promotions
    • Sections
    • All Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Op-Ed
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Jim Morin
    • Letters to the Editor
    • From Our Inbox
    • Speak Up
    • Submit a Letter
    • Meet the Editorial Board
    • Influencers Opinion
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Blog Directory
    • Columnist Directory
    • Andres Oppenheimer
    • Carl Hiaasen
    • Leonard Pitts Jr.
    • Fabiola Santiago
    • Obituaries
    • Obituaries in the News
    • Place an Obituary

    • Place an ad
    • All Classifieds
    • Announcements
    • Apartments
    • Auctions/Sales
    • Automotive
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Employment
    • Garage Sales
    • Legals
    • Merchandise
    • Obituaries
    • Pets
    • Public Notices
    • Real Estate
    • Services
  • Public Notices
  • Cars
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Real Estate
  • Mobile & Apps

  • el Nuevo Herald
  • Miami.com
  • Indulge

Miami Beach

North Bay Village discusses bayside parks

BY MELHOR M. LEONOR

    ORDER REPRINT →

July 03, 2014 04:25 PM

Sketches for two small parks on the north and south side of the Kennedy Causeway got mixed responses from North Bay Village residents over the need and feasibility of the project.

Known as Bay Walk Plaza, the proposed project would convert two unused grassy areas on the eastern edge of Treasure Island and connect them with a walkway that would run under the Kennedy Causeway bridge over the water.

“This is going to be a place for families, and it’s going to provide access to the water,” said village Commissioner Jorge Gonzalez. “The concept is something the residents need.”

Manny Cetner, a village resident, said he doesn’t think the village needs it.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

“There is no room for it, and nobody will use it,” he said, adding that he thinks policing the area will be difficult because there is no vehicle access to the walkway.

Others were less critical, but still skeptical.

Two residents asked whether a walkway extending out into the water in a similar way has been built in the county, and if the village was likely to obtain the permits.

George Puig, a landscape architect with Kimley-Horn and Associates, said he doesn’t know of a similar project, but that the firm would accommodate the design to what the village wanted.

“We are here to get public input,” Puig said. The walkway “doesn’t make or break the project.”

Approved about two years ago by the Village Commission, the project has sat mostly dormant. A grant obtained by the village to cover the design phase expires in September, and while the village is applying for a one-year extension, it is also rushing to meet the deadline.

The grant is coming from the Florida Inland Navigation District, and will match the village’s $50,000 allocation for the design of the project.

During the public-input meeting, residents pressed for an approximate cost of building Bay Walk Plaza, but neither the design firm nor village staff were able to provide it.

Village Manager Frank Rollason said that once the project is designed, staff will work on determining a cost and bring it up to the village commission for a vote.

Gonzalez said uncertainty over the cost shouldn’t deter the village from exploring the project.

“We are at a point that where if we don’t move forward, that question is going to be moot and we will never get the answer,” Gonzalez said.

Rollson said that despite some negative feedback, for now the village is planning to move ahead with the project.

He said the land was given to the village by the Florida Department of Transportation. “They gave us the land to do something with it, and if we don’t, we are going to lose it,” Rollson said.

Al Colleta, who owns property in North Bay Village, said he supports the project and thinks it would enhance a side of the village that gets a lot of traffic.

“We are already behind other cities. The more people you can get in here, the larger the tax base,” Coletta said. “We have to go forward, not put our foot down on every plan.”

  Comments  

Videos

Kevin Tomlinson, the broker convicted of extorting two prominent rivals in South Beach’s high-end real estate market is sentenced to 364 days in jail

Fatal car crash on 71st Street in Miami Beach leaves 1 dead, injured

View More Video

Trending Stories

Here are some of the worst mistakes immigrants make applying for legal papers

February 15, 2019 11:26 AM

Dolphins sign former second-round defensive end and a young cornerback

February 15, 2019 03:30 PM

U.S. looks to send food aid to Haiti as violence brews humanitarian crisis

February 15, 2019 06:27 PM

Author of homophobic slur among 8 ousted in new Broward sheriff’s ongoing purge

February 15, 2019 03:26 PM

‘Crazy chick’ didn’t want to sit next to a toddler on a plane. Then came the outburst.

February 15, 2019 03:28 PM

Read Next

Miami Beach elections heat up as Mayor Dan Gelber announces he’ll run for re-election

Miami Beach

Miami Beach elections heat up as Mayor Dan Gelber announces he’ll run for re-election

By Kyra Gurney

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 14, 2019 01:49 PM

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber filed paperwork to run for re-election on Thursday. Former Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez said she may challenge Commissioner Ricky Arriola for his seat.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE MIAMI BEACH

South Beach was a radically different place in the 1970s. This new film takes you there

Movie News & Reviews

South Beach was a radically different place in the 1970s. This new film takes you there

February 14, 2019 10:00 AM
Beach hotel workers will get a parking discount. But their employer isn’t chipping in

Tourism & Cruises

Beach hotel workers will get a parking discount. But their employer isn’t chipping in

February 13, 2019 07:36 PM
Miami Beach passes new restrictions for medical marijuana dispensaries

Miami Beach

Miami Beach passes new restrictions for medical marijuana dispensaries

February 13, 2019 07:18 PM
A fashion designer just sold a Beach hotel for $103M — almost double what he got it for

Tourism & Cruises

A fashion designer just sold a Beach hotel for $103M — almost double what he got it for

February 13, 2019 07:35 PM
With overwhelming support from voters, Miami Beach creates a watchdog for City Hall

Miami Beach

With overwhelming support from voters, Miami Beach creates a watchdog for City Hall

February 13, 2019 12:36 PM
Miami Beach Commissioner John Elizabeth Alemán will not seek re-election

Miami Beach

Miami Beach Commissioner John Elizabeth Alemán will not seek re-election

February 13, 2019 03:19 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Miami Herald App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Public Insight Network
  • Reader Panel
Advertising
  • Place a Classified
  • Media Kit
  • Commercial Printing
  • Public Notices
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story