Read
the County Planning and Zoning Department’s recommendations
on Parklands
Currently, Miami-Dade County decision makers are experiencing
extreme pressure to move the Urban Development Boundary, and
accommodate new development proposals that harm our diverse
communities.
Miami-Dade county commissioners
must 'hold the line' and fund and implement solutions that
improve our quality of life, our communities, and our environment.
Click image for a larger photo in pdf format.
ALL COUNTY RESIDENTS SHOULD
ATTEND AND VOICE YOUR CONCERNS OVER MOVING THE UDB!!
County Chambers:
111 NW 1st Street
SECOND FLOOR
Miami, FL 33128
Click
Here to See a Map of this location:
(LINK to MAPQUEST)
..................................................................
Hold the Line
believes that moving the UDB at any location, whether for
a large or small development, will only encourage and lead
to truly massive projects (or “Developments of Regional
Impact”) that will add thousands of people onto areas
that are vital for agriculture, are important for replenishing
our drinking water supply, and which help control floods during
major hurricanes like Katrina. Stand up for our quality of
life and our future! Make sure that our existing communities
don’t lose out to the pressures of big developers looking
to make big money.
EMAIL: htl@cleanwater.org
or call (305) 485-5949 to find out more.
A 6,000 home Development of
Regional Impact (DRI) has been submitted to the South Florida
Regional Planning Council in a recently annexed area south
of Florida City. This DRI, not currently before the County
Commission, could load more people (at the intersection of
Card Sound Road and US-1) than all of the current UDB applications
combined.
It is vital for county commissioners
to hear our concerns.
THE
MIAMI HERALD EDITORIAL
Posted on Wed,
Jan. 18, 2006
Straight to the point
BAD TIMING |
 |
Whatever
the motive for removing Miami-Dade County Commissioner
Katy Sorenson from the South Florida Regional Planning
Council, Commission Chairman Joe Martinez's timing was
lousy.
Ms. Sorenson
was one of four county commissioners from Miami-Dade on
the council, a regional advisory group on growth management.
She has served on the council since 1994 and was slated
to become council president next year. That post would
have given Ms. Sorenson leverage to press forward on crucial
county issues such as mass-transit improvements.
The chairman's timing was doubly bad in that his decision
to remove Ms. Sorenson came days after the council recommended
that the county's Urban Development Boundary not be expanded.
Ms. Sorenson, a consistent supporter of sound growth-management
practices, voted with the council majority. Since the
County Commission is under heavy pressure from developers
to expand the UDB, the chairman's abrupt removal of a
commissioner opposed to moving the line has been interpreted
by some as retribution. That perception could backfire
on Mr. Martinez. He would be wise to reappoint Ms. Sorenson
to the council. |
|
| Miami-Dade
County Commission Chairman Joe Martinez removed
Commissioner Katy Sorenson
from the South Florida Regional Planning Council
(SFRPC), where she was a resounding voice for TRUE
smart growth, Everglades defense, mass-transit support,
and a champion for the need to hold the Urban Development
Boundary. |
 |
|
| Commissioner
Sorenson was also the only Commissioner in December
to sustain Mayor Alvarez's veto to stop transmittal of
the applications to move the UDB. |
Katy
Sorenson has wholeheartedly embraced the SFRPC's
mission:
To identify the long-term challenges and opportunities
facing Southeast Florida and assist the Region's leaders
in developing and implementing creative strategies that
result in more prosperous and equitable communities,
a healthier and cleaner environment, and a more vibrant
economy.
Commissioner Sorenson would have been
eligible in the near future for the position of Chair
for the Planning Council before her removal, under questionable
circumstances detailed in the Miami Herald:
http://udbline.com/articles/
miami_herald/01_14_06.htm
Despite nearly perfect attendance Sorenson
was de-appointed, almost immediately after defending
the UDB once again at a recent SFRPC meeting where she
and others from the Council overwhelmingly found inconsistencies
in the proposals to move the UDB. Read more at:
http://udbline.com/articles/miami
herald/01_10_06.htm
Sound Off!
Tell Chairman Martinez that he was wrong to remove
Commissioner Katy Sorenson from the South Florida Regional
Planning Council. We need leaders like
Sorenson who, through years of experience
with growth issues, understands what sound planning
requires; someone who represents County residents' concern
that land-use policies are being driven by developers
and not by the will of the people.
Chairman Joe A. Martinez:
E-mail:
District11@miamidade.gov
Downtown Office
305-375-5511
Fax
305-375-5883
District 11 Office
305-552-1155
Fax
305-552-0577
While you're
at it, send a quick thank you to Commissioner Sorenson
for her steadfast leadership, past and future, and her
willingness to voice the concerns of the majority who
oppose moving the UDB.
Commissioner
Katy Sorenson:
E-mail:District8@miamidade.gov |
|
Posted on
Mon, Dec. 12, 2005
THE MIAMI HERALD
MIAMI-DADE
COMMISSION
Chairman
cuts unusual deal |
 |
|
Miami-Dade
Commission Chairman Joe Martinez bought land from one
of the county'slargest home developers in a deal that
offered the commissioner favorable terms.
BY NOAKI SCHWARTZ AND
MATTHEW HAGGMAN
Miami-Dade Commission
Chairman Joe Martinez bought a residential lot in his
district this year from one of the county's biggest
private home developers in a deal that some real estate
analysts called unusual:
...CLICK
HERE TO READ MORE |
The
Votes Are In
On April 19, the Miami-Dade
County Commission voted on 5 applications to move the UDB line.
The Commission approved one application in recently annexed
land in Hialeah. It was approved by a vote of 13 to 1 (Commissioner
Katy Sorsenson was the lone opposition on this request).
Over the last year
10 applications were put forward to move the line or make
expansion easier in the future. Of the original 10, 5 were
withdrawn before the Commission vote and 4 were denied during
the hearing on April 19. The State Department of Community
Affairs will decide if the movement of the boundary will go
forward for the Hialeah project. Hold the Line retains concerns
over this application and is sending an open letter to the
State with our objections which will be posted shortly.
There are still 2 developments
so large they will have regional impact, affecting three counties:
Monroe, Miami Dade and Broward. They are called DRI’s:
Developments of Regional Impact. These 2 large scale developments
south of Florida City and west of Kendall are cities in themselves,
slated for as many as 18,000 people each, and would have far
bigger impacts to quality of life. Please stay tuned!
See
how the Commissioners voted on the UDB and please acknowledge
those commissioners who Held the Line by email or phone with
your appreciation, just as you may have already urged them
over the year to Hold the Line.
|
