Katy Sorenson: I backed smart growth
The Nov. 19 story Daniella Levine Cava to be on dais for Ludlam vote discusses the pending Ludlam Trail project, which includes a bike/pedestrian trail and some higher density infill development.
It also refers to me, during my time on the Miami-Dade County Commission, as “an environmentalist and reliable anti-developer vote.” The environmentalist part is right; the anti-developer part is not.
My record shows that I was a reliable smart-growth vote. From the time I was first elected in 1994 until I left in 2010, I led the effort to create higher density nodes of development along the South Dade Busway; I participated in the creation of downtown Dadeland, a mixed-use high-density zone; and I voted for numerous projects that created opportunities for infill and transit-oriented development.
However, if a project was proposed outside the Urban Development Boundary, I could be relied upon to oppose it.
The Ludlam Trail has the potential to be an excellent smart-growth project that creates density in appropriate locations and preserves green space that can be used for the benefit of the community.
I hope the trail advocates, the developer and the County Commission will come up with a solution agreeable to most, if not all.
Katy Sorenson, Miami
This story was originally published November 19, 2014 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Katy Sorenson: I backed smart growth."