The Miami Herald Editorial

Posted on Sunday, April. 17, 2006

Now isn't the time to expand the UDB

OUR OPINION: MAKE ROADS, SCHOOLS, WATER SUPPLY TOP PRIORITIES

Tomorrow the Miami-Dade County Commission begins considering applications to amend the county's comprehensive development plan and map. The atmosphere will be less charged this time compared to last winter when commissioners said yes to all but one proposal and sent the lot to the state for review.

What has changed in the interim? Now there is overwhelming opposition by regional and state officials to new growth until the county gains better control of water-supply sources, traffic gridlock, school overcrowding and other basic services.

Caution flags by these agencies have put a chill on the drive to expand the Urban Development Boundary, a shift in priorities that commissioners should reflect by rejecting all applications that would move the UDB.

Three applicants who sought to move the line have withdrawn. That leaves six UDB-expansion proposals on the table and several small-scale requests, mostly urban infill projects. The state Department of Community Affairs recommended denial of all the applications, even in the infill areas. The agency said the new projects would put demands on roads, schools, emergency services, drinking water and sewer lines that the county hasn't shown it can deliver.

The South Florida Water Management District and the state Department of Environmental Protection bluntly told the county that they would put a stop to growth here until the county finds alternative water sources. Miami-Dade gets its water from the Biscayne Aquifer, which taps into the Everglades. The county has hit its limit for using 'Glades water and must develop other sources to support future growth.

Nevertheless, six applicants are still seeking to move the UDB. The county planning department recommends denial for all but one, a 15-acre tract where developers propose a medical park to serve the Baptist-Homestead Hospital under construction nearby. For many of the same reasons that the other five should be denied, so, too, should this one be rejected. It is located in the watershed area, and the watershed study isn't finished. It would also impact emergency services and nearby roads.

The other applications face similar obstacles. For example, Hialeah's UDB expansion request for an industrial park would have an unknown traffic impact on Florida's Turnpike. Lowe's Home Center's UDB expansion request makes no sense, since Lowe's already has approval to build a store on 22 acres inside the UDB -- more than ample space for a mega-box store and parking. Other UDB-related requests would impact the county's wellfields, are in the watershed study area or are far from connecting roads.

All are sound reasons to deny each request to push the development line westward.