HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #51 - Discussion ItemCITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA 33
INTER -OFFICE MEMORANDUM
TO: The Honorable Mayor and Members
of the City Commission
FROM: �°'�CarIO Gimenez
City Manager
DATE: OCT 17 2001 FILE:
SUBJECT: Coconut Grove Playhouse
REFERENCES:
ENCLOSURES:
As directed at the City Commission meeting of October 11, this memorandum serves as the
requested written report concerning the Coconut Grove Playhouse (Playhouse) and the
potential lease and redevelopment of appropriate areas of the site.
A few months ago, State Representative Manuel Prieguez suggested to me that the City should
consider the surface parking lots adjacent to the Coconut Grove Playhouse for potential
redevelopment. The parking lots are part of the larger Playhouse property that is owned by the
State of Florida, and is administered by the Governor and Cabinet, sitting as the Board od
Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund (IITF), through the Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP). The entire site is leased by IITF to the Department of State,
then subleased to the Players State Theater, Inc. the non-profit manager and operator of the
professional performance venue. The City of Miami's Off -Street Parking Authority currently has
a license agreement to operate a parking concession on the surface lots. Several years ago,
the Off -Street Parking Authority was under contract with the State to redevelop the site, but the
effort wound up in litigation that was ultimately settled around 1999. Given the expressed need
of Center Grove merchants for improvements and activities to serve as catalysts for business in
the area, I agreed to consider Representative Prieguez's request.
For further information, I was referred to DEP, which gave the City an application for the lease
of State land and a "boilerplate" lease agreement. The legislator had also contacted this agency
and advised it of the City's interest. DEP, in responding to the wishes of an elected official,
understood this to be a priority matter and arranged to schedule, if needed, an item for an
October meeting of the IITF. In making those arrangements, the DEP issued a legally required
notice to surrounding property owners, informing them of a potential lease with the City.
In fact, the City has not, as yet, made application for such lease, but has only begun to study the
matter to see if it makes sense. We are first examining pertinent documents (deeds, a property
survey, leases, subleases and settlement agreements) received from the State. We've asked
our real estate consultant, Barry Abramson, to give us a rough sketch of potential obligations
and benefits if the City were to lease the property and then have a private sector develop it
under the Unified Developmgnt Project process. As we review the matter, we clearly see the
need for a joint effort by the City, the Playhouse and the State to ensure success. We are in
touch with representatives of the Playhouse Board and are scheduled to meet during the week
of October 15, 2001. Representative Prieguez is aware of the meeting being scheduled with
Playhouse Board members and we will continue to keep him informed as discussions proceed.
When more comprehensive input is in hand, we will make a recommendation to the City
Commission as to whether the City should apply for such a lease and what terms are
appropriate.
CAG/DB/ I r"