Commissioners wary of moving urban boundary
by Susan Stabley

Where there's a will, there's a way.

But the level of political will in Miami-Dade County to move the urban development boundary (UDB) line is uncertain.

The line, established as part of a 1975 county comprehensive growth plan, was intended to slow sprawl while protecting the Everglades.

A pair of proposed developments containing thousands of homes would, if commissioners approve the move, push the boundary out west of Krome Avenue - where only one house is allowed for every five acres - and to the south, where Everglades restoration is under way.

Newly elected Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez has come out as a strong defender of holding the line. Supporting him is arguably the most powerful name in Florida: Gov. Jeb Bush, who told The Miami Herald he has concerns about moving the line.

Next comes Miami-Dade Commis-sioner Katy Sorenson, another advocate for keeping the UDB right where it is.

The current housing supply is enough for another 15 years, she argued. Allowing new developments will only worsen the county's existing congestion problems, plus add the issue of costs for any new
infrastructure required.

Sorenson said most of her constituents tell her to hold the line.

"By now, we should have learned from our mistakes," she said of the county's suburban sprawl.

Annexation anxiety

Only Sorenson, Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz and Commissioner Dennis Moss were present by the time public comments were taken at a Tuesday workshop on the UDB. The commissioners met to discuss the possible Florida City annexation of Atlantic Civil's property, more than 4,000 acres outside the line.

UDB supporters fear the annexation will open the area for a development plan of 6,000 homes, a pair of schools, a movie theater, office space and retail - all next to two Everglades restoration projects.

Few Miami-Dade residents spoke at the afternoon hearing, save one from Kendall who asked for relief for the traffic congestion surrounding his home. A pending request from national homebuilder D.R. Horton proposes building more than 5,000 homes, two schools, two parks, shops and offices to the west of where he lives.

Sorenson said the impact of traffic was one of the reasons she opposed moving the line out west and near Florida City, which is considered an evacuation zone.

Adding as many as 18,000 residents requiring evacuation would impair the efforts of moving out citizens from the Keys, she said.

Infrastructure expenses are another issue, but Moss questioned that argument. He asked county staffers to find out if the developers or the county will be required to pay for roads and water and sewer lines

."I just don't know if the horror stories everyone is talking about are actually real," he said. "What is the county's real cost?"

Undecideds wait on studies

Other commissioners said they were undecided or mixed about moving the line.

"I haven't made a decision," Commissioner Barbara Jordan said. "I need more information."

Jordan said she wants to see the results of the South Florida Watershed Study first. The study will evaluate how to balance population and economic growth with water resources and wildlife.

Commissioner Rebeca Sosa said she strongly opposed moving the line to the south because of the long-term ramifications of development to the county's ecosystem.

"Instead of paying millions, we pay billions and it will never be the same," Sosa said. "We have to be very careful to not damage what we have."

But she said she was still undecided about moving the line to the west.

Diaz said he's opposed to moving the line for now. He wants more data and said a UDB study due in November could sway him to move the line in certain locations and for the right kind of development.

Plus, there's the pressure from those in search of housing, he said.

"Not everybody wants to live in a condo," Diaz said during the workshop. "Not everybody wants to live in an apartment."

Miami's increasing housing crisis isn't far from Jordan's mind.

"We don't want to get in the same situation that Key West is in," she said, noting that housing has become out of reach for so many that workers are bused in from hours away.

"We have interest groups from both sides. We have the environmentalists and the developers," Jordan said. "We really need to look at what's best for Miami-Dade County and the citizens of Miami-Dade County."

E-mail Miami-Dade real estate writer Susan Stabley at
sjstabley@bizjournals.com.

Commissioner Carlos Gimenez also will hold off making a decision until
the study is done, according to Ruben Arias, his director of public
affairs.