Quick! YES, YES, YES!!!!

On Aug 28 Vote YES on #240 

1. Democracy relies on the trust the people place on their elected leaders: the opinions of the majority or in this case, supermajority, is a more democratic alternative to the unanimous vote. Democracy does not work on the basis of 100% agreement.

2. Our downtown needs help. The Shops at Sunset Place, is the unique and one of a kind large parcel in our downtown by the South Miami Metrorail Station. The taller portions of the revitalized Sunset Place are along US1, our urban boulevard. New residents and inhabitants will bring much needed people to support our downtown businesses, and would help with the momentum boosting our city merchants and restaurants., This change, if implemented, will not effect residential areas; South Miami must not pass up on this opportunity

3. But it is not just up to the Shops to carry 100% of the burden for re-energizing our struggling downtown. Here are other ways the City can demonstrate it supports our downtown:

•  Allow portions of our downtown streets to open to pedestrian only traffic at certain times of the week (during the weekend, etc.), allowing businesses to spill onto the sidewalks and streets in a convivial way.

• Our current shuttle has a limited route, and there is no predicting its whereabouts. An expanded route and an app to determine its location will help. Open electric vehicles like the Downtowner with its on-demand free shuttle for South Miami residents will also assist residents to visit our downtown. We can encourage walking and biking to downtown; it’s easy to walk to destinations 15 mins or less away ("Walk 10,000 steps a day for wellness"). It’s easy to bike to destinations 1-2 miles away. Sometimes we forget that South Miami is only 3 square miles!

• Make it easy for small properties to add much needed urban, transit-served apartments, studio apartments, and additional office space. Relax parking requirements in the smaller parcels, or even allow the market to determine how much parking, if at all, to provide. That way, the City can reward property owners, future residents, and future office workers that desire to live a car-optional lifestyle.

4. Let’s ignite the spark and give the love and support for our city’s healthy downtown on August 28th! Voting YES on #240 is the path forward!

--The South Miami Neighbors board

two more opportunities to speak in support of the Ludlam Trail

South Miami neighbors are invited to come speak out in favor of the Ludlam Trail at two upcoming meetings. On Monday, October 20, the county Planning Advisory Board will discuss the value of transforming the old railway right of way into a six-mile linear park. That meeting begins at 2 p.m.

On November 19, the Board of County Commissioners will take up the subject at their meeting. Both events will be held in the County Commission Chamber at 111 NW 1 Street, Miami.

Comment on the South Miami Intermodal Transportation plan tonight!

George Puig and Stewart Robinson of Kimley-Horn will present an update for the South Miami Intermodal Transportation Plan (encompasses bicycle and pedestrian route plans)  this evening for the Green Taskforce Meeting. Please come by to give your comments if you can. This will likely be one of the last chances for public comment. The meeting is at 6pm at City Hall.

Friends of the Ludlam Trail

The Friends of the Ludlam Trail is reaching out to South Miami residents who are interested in environmental conservation and expanding our bicycle and pedestrian networks. A number of South Miami residents serve on the board of the Friends of the Ludlam Trail, and they invite your participation in their efforts. They have a number of ways of getting involved.

As their web site explains, "The Friends of the Ludlam Trail is a non-profit coalition dedicated to the implementation of the Ludlam Trail, a 6.2-mile linear park through the heart of Miami-Dade County within the partially abandoned Florida East Coast railway right-of-way. The park will contain community gardens and a trail that will provide a safe dedicated and direct route for cyclists and pedestrians to schools, parks, work and shopping. The trail will connect more than 34,000 people within a half-mile, walkable service area to five greenways, five schools, four parks and two transit hubs.

"The Friends of the Ludlam Trail represents the thousands of Miami-Dade County residents who want to see the Ludlam trail become an asset for the community as a running, biking, and walking trail. We see the Ludlam Trail project as a way of spurring job creation in our community, realizing immediate value increases for adjacent properties, and achieving a major transportation and recreation connection across the heart of the county. Please join us!"

City aims to build "great streets," invites comments on new plan

The city invites residents to comment on the draft intermodal transportation plan, prepared by planning consultants Kimley-Horn. The plan includes improvements to pedestrian and bicycle access throughout the city, with links to all of our parks and public spaces.

Please take some time to look over the plan and send your thoughts in an email to info@southmiamineighbors.com.

After the jump, the complete text of Kimley-Horn's Vision, Goals and Objectives document, along with drawings of proposed street configurations...

Donald Shoup to speak April 21

Donald Shoup, author of The High Cost of Free Parking and distinguished professor of urban planning at UCLA, will give a talk on Monday, April 21 from 8 to 10 AM at AIA's Miami Center for Architecture & Design, 100 NE 1 Ave, Miami, FL 33132.

Shoup is the godfather of the scientific study of parking, and has spoken widely about the benefits of eliminating required parking for mobility and urbanism.  Shoup writes: "This doesn’t mean, however, that developers won’t provide off-street parking. It simply means that urban planners won’t tell developers exactly how many parking spaces they must provide before they can get a building permit. Developers will provide the parking spaces they think buyers demand."

Capacity is limited, RSVP at shoupmiami.eventbrite.com.  Continental breakfast will be served.  Supported by the Knight Foundation, AIA Miami, APA Gold Coast Section, and Townhouse Center.

Green South Miami

Take a look at the Green South Miami web site for information on sustainability initiatives in the City of Pleasant Living. It is the official blog of the city's Green Task Force.

The Public Space Challenge: Imagine SoMi as the best hometown along the M Path!

During the past summer thru September, the Miami Foundation held a Facebook open

competition called "The Open Space Challenge," with hundreds of entries

submitted.  Lee and I attended the kickoff celebration at the Design District,

where many attended and mingled for drinks at the open bar and nibbled on pulled

pork sandwiches and the likes from the nearby food trucks.  During cocktails,

huge plasma screens displayed live Twitter feeds of ideas.  Check out the write

up from The Miami New Times, ttp://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/cultist/2013/08/draft_our_miami_launch.php.

A panel of judges will soon decide which projects will be awarded a share of

the $120,000 for actual project implementation.

Submissions came from folks living in neighborhoods all over Miami wanting to

create a better sense of place for people to gather, and identifying places in

dire need of makeovers. Check out the map dotted with all kinds of suggestions!

http://ideas.ourmiami.org/place/48640.

Our public libraries have been on the news lately.  Here is one idea for making

our downtown library better.  This idea too can be transferred to our own SoMi

public library.http://ideas.ourmiami.org/place/45409

Closer to home in SoMi, we have heard many times before how our parks and trees

make our lives better.  We are again a Tree City, we have committed to planting

trees in our streets, and even have a  commissioner, Bob Welsh, volunteering to

plant trees at our homes.  But what about the public patches of communal spaces

that can stand a makeover?  Here is an idea for Paciencia Park, adjacent to our

South Miami Metrorail Station,  http://ideas.ourmiami.org/place/45387.

--Others have creative ideas for public spaces along the M Path--check out this

idea for student start-up shops at the University of Miami (just minutes north

of us along the M Path),http://ideas.ourmiami.org/place/46220.

--Check out this idea for a park at the Downtown Dadeland area (just minutes

south of us along the M Path),http://ideas.ourmiami.org/place/47187.

--And how about a unifying idea of a linear park along the M Path?  Here's one:

http://ideas.ourmiami.org/place/48640.

The M Path, is our urban bike trail, but on a larger scale functions as an

important element along the East Coast Greenway, spanning from the Florida Keys

to Canada!  Check out,  http://www.greenway.org/about.aspx.

How do I get to the beach from here?

Do you hate fighting traffic?
Don't want to hassle for a parking place on south beach? But you love the beach once you are there?

Why not try public transportation? It is much easier than you think! Take the metro rail from South Miami station to government center, from there go to people mover and take the outer loop which is the omni loop. From the omni station wait for the 101 route A bus (faster than the s bus) which will take you to 5th and washington, or points north of there. A link for the route map is here http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/library/routes/101.pdf
There you go, you are hassle free and at the beach.

If you want a bus that will take you to various place around south beach like the Fillmore or convention center, you can use the south beach local 123 http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/library/routes/123.pdf

Always check the miamidade.gov/transit site for any changes.

New crosswalks to be installed on US-1

Mayor Philip Stoddard reports that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) plan to create new pedestrian crosswalks on US-1 in downtown South Miami have hit a snag, as county engineers voice opposition to any changes that impede vehicular traffic on the highway. The mayor is working with FDOT and the county to resolve the situation and, hopefully, have new crosswalks installed on SW 70 Street, SW 67 Avenue and other major crossings downtown.

Bike racks installed at local schools

Teacher [insert name] and students at South Miami Middle School

News item about bike racks installed at local school and downtown with the help of South Miami Neighbors. Many SMN members attended the ribbon cutting ceremony.