Happy Fourth, y'all!
Let's declare our independence from the developers that are squeezing so much money (and what we love about the Grove) from of our neighborhoods.
John Snider and his friends are doing great work with their SAVE THE GROVE group. Below is their latest newsletter. It explains how developers are destroying the unique nature of Coconut Grove with their charm-less. high density white boxes. Two just went up on my street, Palmetto Avenue. The diagram is a typical footprint of these mega-cubes. Greenspace for these houses -that look more like doctor offices- is minimal.
Working together, we can slow this sad process and eventually stop it. Let's preserve our historic houses, save the trees, and...save the Grove!
G
S A V E T H E G R O V E
We are all
aware of the inroads of overdevelopment in the Grove which we see as a
challenge to the nature and character of our neighborhood. The figure to
the left depicts a 5,000 square foot two story house on a 6,000 square
foot lot.
Similar homes are being built at 4111 Hardie, and 4190 Grove,
They are springing up on Woodridge, Battersea, and Anne Ct. They have 5
bedrooms and 5 baths. As you can see there is no room for mature canopy
trees to grow; not enough room for a standard size septic system.
It is
pretty obvious to those familiar with the neighborhood that a 5000
square foot house with 5 bedrooms does not belong on this size lot. The
City’s required greenspace of 30%, which is reduced to 22.5% by having
grass between the driveway pavers, is not enough to maintain the tree
canopied, highly landscaped natural beauty of our sub-urban environment.
The existing 60 to 70 year old homes have a footprint of about
2,000-2500 square feet with living space around 1600 square feet. A
minimum requirement for 50% greenspace with no reduction, would go a
long way toward insuring the continued park like environment we have
enjoyed. It would still allow a large 2 story replacement home, of say
3200 square feet, to be constructed with a garage, driveway and small
patio.
If we fail to press the city commission to enact greater
greenspace requirements as homes on these smaller lots are replaced the
area around Merrie Christmas park will cease to be sub-urban.
The
City of Miami Historical and Environmental Board meets on Tuesday, July
5 at 3 pm at City Hall (3500 Pan American Drive) 3701 Park Ave. is on
the agenda. The lot contains a two-story Craftsman Style home and a one
story chauffeur quarters, both constructed in 1916.
Regardless
of the outcome of designating this as a historical site, there is no
way the lot should be divided into 3 or 4 home sites as the developer
wants, or the 7 that the City of Miami seems to be willing to permit.
Have a Great 4th of July weekend
BE AWARE OF ZONING NOTICES WHICH MAY GET POSTED &/OR YOU MAY RECEIVE BY MAIL & LET THE GROUP KNOW IMMEDIATELY. Also be on the lookout for APPLICATIONS for waivers or warrants, and questionable building. .
SHARE THE NEWSLETTER; Forward it to a neighbor and ask them to send us an e-mail at savethegrove16@gmail.com so they can be added to the mailing list. Visit our new web site at SAVETHEGROVE.org
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