Miami Herald
Posted May. 10, 2005

Hold the (urban development) line
by NANCY LIEBMAN, president, Urban Environment League, Miami

Re the April 30 letter by Toni Hinkley, executive vice president of the Builders Association of South Florida: It seems that the builders association, associated lobbyists and developers have conjured up a red-herring scare tactic against holding the urban- development line in Miami-Dade County.

Miami-Dade residents are working to hold the line against the sprawl that is drying up the Everglades.

Established communities are reworking their zoning master plans to accommodate compatible new growth. The process will stop 50-story high-rises from standing next to single-family homes, a phenomenon caused by overzealous zoning practices, not the lack of buildable land.

Thousands of opportunities exist within the boundary line for creative redevelopment and revitalization of existing building stock. The county must be held responsible to create incentives for affordable, integrated housing. Little red-rooftop developments carved out of the Everglades should not be the only solution for housing.

The consequences of moving the Urban Development Boundary line will drain South Florida's most valuable resource, its water supply. It also will continue to drain the county's financial resources to build roadways, sewer and water lines, schools and amenities, keeping all of us in a constant state of gridlock and leaving older neighborhoods in decay.

Let's capture the moment to build sustainable and well-integrated communities for the future livability of South Florida.

NANCY LIEBMAN, president, Urban Environment League, Miami