Little Haiti residents feel bullied in Magic City deal commission set to vote on

[Editor’s Note: As of press time Thursday night, the city of Miami Commission had not yet taken up the Magic City project question.]

Magic City is a mixed-use project on 17.75 acres of land that will forever change the character of the neighborhood and spell Little Haiti’s demise. The process is flawed, and serious defects have not been addressed.

On Thursday, the Miami city commission was set to vote on the project.

Magic City refused to hold bona fide community meetings and allow for open, honest, and transparent discussion. Instead, it organized open houses to collect participants’ names. Many received sponsorships and came to the Miami Commission to express their allegiance. This was a classic divide, bribe and conquer operation.

The Little Haiti residents and businesses who come to FANM daily seeking help from displacement are not part of any negotiations. Magic City told us point blank in a memo that it will only negotiate with Commissioner Keon Hardemon.

FANM has been using its meager resources to reach out to impacted residents and business owners. Even those who live near Magic City have no clue of the impending threat.

The Special Area Plan (SAP) process should be open, transparent, and participatory. Magic City cannot be the precedent for the city of Miami. Notwithstanding the serious concerns and objections presented in this statement regarding the substance and process of the Magic City SAP application.

The $31 million deal that has been negotiated in the revised Development Agreement must be closely scrutinized and assessed for its value to the city. of Miami.

Some specific aspects/questions that must be resolved before moving forward with the project include:

Until the process is fixed, the city should impose a moratorium on SAP. A functioning process wouldn’t just auction off the future of Miami to anyone who can cobble together parcels of land in low-income communities, nor would it reduce what should be community negotiations to last-minute deals. It would weave together the insights of residents and private investors to develop a comprehensive vision on where and how to build a resilient Miami for the next generation.

This story was originally published March 29, 2019 at 12:26 AM.