JEANNETT’S

405 Biltmore Way | (305) 460-5326 | slesnick@coralgables.com

October 2015

Your Coral Gables City Commissioner

JOURNALThe Coral Gables brainsTorminG session: GreaT ouTCome, GreaTer ideas

Note from Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick at her Community Brainstorming Session on Oct. 7 at the Biltmore Hotel

This month we celebrate our City’s 90th birthday with appropriate celebratory events which focus

on a rich history of one of America’s first “planned communities.” The import-ant word in that phrase is “planned.” George Merrick succeeded in creating a “City Beautiful” for those of us who live and work here some nine decades later. He did not achieve that enviable outcome by letting development hap-pen haphazardly. He achieved his goal by the careful and thoughtful planning of a city with beautiful boulevards, lush vegetation, quiet residential neighborhoods and bustling commer-cial districts. From his very first plans, it is evident that he wished to seg-regate business zones from residen-tial areas in order to allow successful commercial enetrpreise to florurish while pro-tecting the sanctity of a peaceful res ident ia l enironment. Times have c h a n g e d and we have w i t n e s s e d much devel-opement in the name of “progress.” Some of the progress is good, some questionable and some counter-

productive. Since Merrick’s days, there have been certain inevitable changes: more vehicles on our roads lead-ing to in-c r e a e s d c o n g e s -tion; more land and more hous-ing units within our municipal b o u n d a r-ies ; more re s iden t s c h o o s i n g an urban lifestyle in downtown apartments; more demands for public services (e.g.: police, fire,

sanitation and recre-ation); and more in-trusion of c o m m e r-cial devel-o p m e n t into our residential neighbor-h o o d s .Now it’s our turn

to look ahead and to create a de-velopment plan for Coral Gables as we push deeper into the 21st

century. “Visioning” our community’s future is not just for the city planners, the academic experts and the private

developers -- it is a re-sponsibility and an op-p o r t u n i t y that we all share. “We” the home-owners, the renters, the shopkeep-ers, the e lectora te -- we have

an obligation to voice our opinions and our dreams as to the manner in which our community will de-velop in the coming years -- as to how we will remain “The City Beau-tiful” for generations to follow.

• Read more on page 2.

Upcoming Commission and Board Meetings at City Hall

Oct. 22- Special City Commission 0000000Meeting at 9 a.m to review Paseo de la Riviera Project Oct. 27 - City Commission Meeting

000000000 at 9 a.m

Nov. 10- City Commission Meeting

000000000 at 9 a.m.

2

For months, Coral Gables residents have been raising questions and expressing

concerns about the future of their community. On October 7, well over 300 of those resi-dents braved the torrential Mi-ami downpour to express their ideas of what Coral Gables should look like in 2030. The City Beautiful has had a had a track record of upholding its own long-established, Mediter-ranean style and historic, ele-gant ambiance. It is no wonder the city attracts new residents, store owners and developers. With 2030 only fourteen years away, residents were able to put together a vi-sion of their community af-ter browsing the gallery of renderings of potential com-mercial and residential developments of all sizes and uses. Commissioner Slesnick wel-comed the crowd starting promptly at 6 p.m. and set the tone for the evening with her opening statement about the importance of not leaving the visioning of the Coral Gables community to only the private developers but to listen to the citizens who live in the commu-nity. City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark gave an update on city’s progress since her arrival in mid-December and Ron Shuffield, President of EWM Realty International, spoke about residential proper-ty values. Frank Nero of Beacon Global Advisors, was heavily appre-ciated with his remarks that as Coral Gables continues to draw developers, residents have to be involved. “You really need to know where you’ve been and where you want to go and then

chart out, ‘Well, how do we get there?’ The p l a n n i n g and devel-opment of a city ain’t i n s t a n t grits.” School b o a r d m e m b e r , Raquel Re-g a l a d o , talked brief-ly about the latest efforts in expanding West Lab into a kindergarten through

e i g h t h g r a d e school on the Univer-sity of Mi-ami’s cam-pus. This just was approved and will greatly en-hance op-tions for

Gables parents. Finally, Javier Betancourt, the city’s new economic develop-ment director discussed the fi-nancial stability of our city and mentioned new developments being proposed that are making their way through the pipelines at City Hall. “As a government offi-cial...I wanted to get a sense of the community’s feelings on cer-tain subject matters...It’s always great to hear di-rectly from the peo-ple.” The room was then divided up into twen-ty focus groups that covered ar-eas such as: North Ponce, the US1 Corridor, the Downtown Coral Gables Business District, transportation, schools, public

safety, possible annexations of Little Ga-bles and High Pines, green initia-tives, The U n d e r l i n e , M e d i t e r r a -nean design, c h a n g i n g the mas-ter zoning code, histor-ic preserva-tion, cultural

development and other gen-eral matters. Table captains led lively discussions and then each table reported back with their concerns. Citizens were heard and are already request-ing another meeting of similar nature. A two-page survey was distributed and Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick hopes that at least 1,000 of these surveys will be completed and returned as the results will allow her and the commission to have a better idea of what the people want for Coral Gables. Frank Rodriguez, Commis-sioner Slesnick’s newly appoint-ed Planning and Zoning board member, called the meeting very productive. “Commission-er Slesnick took the initiative to have this session and I think the people really appreciate it. Ev-erybody wants to be heard and everybody loves the city.”

Many thanks to all of the indiv iduals who came together to make this event hap-pen. Includ-ing LeAnne Tellam, Chel-sea Granell, Gaby Canal, Ramon Trias,

Maria Rosa Higgins, city staff and Commissioner Slesnick’s appointees to city boards.

Coral Gables Brainstorming session about changes happening in the community continued

Huge turnout at Thursday’s Coral Gables Museum book signing

Coral Gables survey

Commissioner Slesnick has continued to send out surveys after the October 7 Brainstorming Session. In order to fill out the Issues and Satisfaction Survey, please visit Commissioner Slesnick’s Facebook page or write to Chelsea Granell Lindsey

at: cgranell@coralgables.com.

or call 305-460-5326

Responding to a troubling pedestrian and bicy-cle crash rate, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Coun-ty Commissioner Dennis C. Moss, District 9, recently kicked off the Miami-Dade Local Action Team for Safer People, Safer Streets. Two Coral Gables residents were appointed Debbie Swain, right, and Jimmy Morales. They will help in re-searching and identifying national best practices to be adopted in Miami-Dade County.

Safer people, safer streets

Thoughts on Annexation from former Coral Gables Commissioner

The annexation of Little Gables is a smart move for Coral Gables and maybe the time has come to make it a reality. At Commissioner Slesnick’s brainstorm-ing session on October 7 at the Biltmore Hotel, both Gables residents and Little Gables neighbors spoke about the benefits of bringing in this area bound-ed most notably by LeJeune Rd to the east and 8th Street to the north. Squaring off the Gables bound-aries makes sense in providing police and fire pro-tection it already helps service, and safe boundaries enhance the quality of life for all residents. This area is also visioned as an “entry point” for younger families who want to live in the City Beau-tiful, but as yet not able to afford the price tags on established areas of the city. Residents of the Little Gables say that over 60% of their residents are in favor of annexation and that positive changes have

occurred in the area such as enforcements of code violations, the upgrading of the sewer connection into the area, and the redevelopment of an unsightly trailer park. Renovations of existing homes and new construction have begun a small renaissance and brought in new families. The annexation would most likely be paired with the High Pines neighborhood in the south, whose tax base might help offset the services and infrastructure needed to properly service the entire Gables com-munity.

CG City Commissioner 2001-2013

Maria Anderson

Javier Betancourt gets book signed by author, Arva Parks Former FL Adele Graham (in red) poses with UM President, Julio Frenk, and Allan Morris at museumher daughter Arva, Jane Moranos stands behind

3

Disclaimer: This was not paid for by public funds and is subject to errors and omissions

Florida’s political landscape changed after judge’s ruling

Florida Circuit Judge Terry Lewis recommend-ed new boundaries for the Florida’s 27 congres-sional districts. Apart from potentially changing the political landscape of the entire state, the 19-page ruling noted the Miami-Dade district of Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a first-term Republican. The series of proposals and changes may make it more difficult for Curbelo to get re-elected.

For more information, visit: http://www.floridatrend.com/article/19086/mon-

days-daily-pulse#link3

Ribbon-cutting of Vixi

The 18th Annual Halloween on the Mile

The Business Improvement District of Coral Ga-bles is hosting the 18th annual Halloween on the Mile on Saturday, Oct. 31. The event starts at 2 p.m. and includes family-friendly events such as Trick-or-Treating, and costume contests, along Miracle Mile. For more information, visit www.

shopcoralgables.com or call 305-569-0311.

4

In memoriam

John Walter Watson, former Police Bu-reau Chief, passed away at 75. Major Wat-son was employed with our City between 1966-1992. William Harper Davidson, past chairman of The Orange Bowl Committee, passed away on October 11 at 81-years-old.

Both were long-time residents of the City of Coral Gables and will be dearly missed.

John Walter Watson William Harper Davidson

“Season of Winners” Opening Concert

The Chopin Foundation Nov. 8, 2015 at 3:00 PM,

Granada Presbyterian Church

Contact: 305-868-0624

Upcoming concerts

City Architect, Carlos Mindreau, purchases gelato at opening

Announcement: It is sad to announce that the Ana Capri Restaurant on Ponce has

recently closed.

Pianist Gonzalo RubalcabaWith Frost Concert Jazz

Band Oct. 22, 2015 8:00 PMLocation: UM Gusman

Concert HallContact: 305-284-4940

Designed and written by Gabriella Canal, senior at the University of Miami

Open now at 374 Miracle Mile