HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #58 - Discussion ItemMay 29, 1987
R E C
L E G I 'S L A T
94 0 38
Dear Mr. Lugones:
Citizens in the Lummus Park and adjoining areas request
permission to appear before the City of Miami Commission on
June 11, 1987 to discuss the relocation of the Camillus
House to the downtown area.
Respectfully,
Margaret Miller
Phone: 371-3780
87-57461
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D O W N T O W N M I A M! S O C I A T I O N
EXECUTIVE BOARD
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TRUSTEES
Bank of rLar
Burdines
Capital Bank
Cedars Medical Center
Centrust Savings Bank
City National Bank of Miami
Columbus Hotel
Conch4a Llach Inc. Fine Jewels
DKH Properties Limited
Florida Power A Light Co.
Greenberg, Traung, Ashkew, Hoffman,
Lipoff. Rosen & Ouentel, PA.
Miami Hera!a
Miarrll Parking System
One Biscayne Tower
Rol, Enterprises
Rouse Miami Inc
Southeast Bank
Sparber Shevrn, Shapo. Hedbronner
& Book PA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Carlo Batisia
June 11, 1987
The Honorable Xavier Suarez
Mayor of the City of Miami, and
The Hon. City of Miami Commissioners
City Hall - Dinner Key
P.O. Box 330708
Miami - FLA. 33233-0708.
Dear Mayor Suarez and Commissioners:
The homeless represent one of the most critical problems
facing the business community in Downtown Miami today.
Surveys taken of Downtown visitors and workers have always
identified homeless, drifters and street people as a major
concern in the perception of Downtown as an unsafe area.
We were pleased when the Southeast Overtown/Park West Re-
development Plan proposed the relocation of the Miami Rescue
Mission and the Camillus House. Further, we congratulate
the City Commission on their ability to affect the relocation
of the Miami Rescue Mission to an area outside of the Down-
town business core.
What remains, however, is the question of relocating the
Camillus House. The City Commission faces a difficult di-
lemma. On the one hand, the Camillus House must be relo-
cated from its present location in order to make way for
the NBA franchise and S.E. Overtown/Park West Phase I re-
development. On the other hand, the alternative sites sug-
gested to date are unacceptable to Camillus House except for
Lummus Park.
The Lummus Park area residents and Downtown merchants and
business interests are of course concerned that the relo-
cation to Lummus Park does nothing to reduce or eliminate
the nroblem. It only shifts it to another site which will
continue to negatively impact Downtown and close -in residents.
Sw`�•M R
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1818 ONE BISCAYNE TOWER - MIAMI, FLORIDA 33131 (305) 579-6336
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The Honorable Xavier Suarez
and the Non. City of Miami Commissioners
11 June 1987
Page Two
The Board of Directors of the Downtown Miami Business Association at its
June 2, 1987, meeting voted unanimously to oppose the relocation of the
Camillus House to the Lummus Park area and urge Commission to continue
negotiations in an effort to remove from consideration any locations which
would negatively impact Downtown.
While taking this strong position, the DMBA recognizes the difficulty the
Commission faces with respecto to acceptable alternative sites and the urgen-
cy in coming to a solution which would move the facility from its present
location. Consequently, we request the following:
1) If the facility, after exhausting all other possible sites, must be
located in Lummus Park, the City, County, State, and possible Federal
Government should work with the Camillus House to ensure that the best
full service facility possible be built. This facility would include
a waiting area inside and provide access to social workers and social
service agencies who could be on -site and would assist in directing
individuals to the most appropriate avenues of care of job placement.
In other words, let's build a facility that will really deal with the
problem at a one stop location and work to commit the resources neces-
sary to make it happen.
2) Every effort must be made to eliminate those waiting outside the facili-
ty day and night. Street people, drifters and the homeless will only
create more problems as they wander around the neighborhood and Downtown
waiting for the doors to open at Camillus House. Those turned away in
the evening are now left to inhabit the streets.
3) If the City chooses to locate the facility in Lummus Park then it should
increase police activity aimed at cleaning up the streets. When ASTA,
the International Bankers and other important groups are Downtown, the
Police Department "sweeps" the streets to eliminate the problem. This
only happens when the City feels its national image is at stake. That
Image, however, is at stake everyday. If the Camillus House is kept
Downtown and placed even closer to Flagler Street and Government Center,
a commitment should be made by the City to increase police efforts on a
regular basis to tackle the problem. If th s s no done the problem
will only get worse and business and tourism will suffer.
87-571 11, - I
The Honorable Xavier Suarez
and the Hon. City of Miami Commissioners
11 June 1987
Page Three.
The DMBA urges you to continue your efforts to find an acceptable location
for the Camillus House outside of Downtown Miami. If, in the end, you can-
not, we trust that you will address our three requests detailed above. We
share your concern and applaud your continuing support in addressing what
has become a national social problem.
Sincerely,
1ames E. McDonald, C ai an
fanning Committee
Downtown Miami Business Association
Car os Batista
Executive Director
Downtown Miami Business Association
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8 7-574.1
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DMM MIAMI BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
SURVEY REPORT 6/2/87
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BENCH MARK SURVEY APRIL 6. 1987
The following '190 Survey' was conducted by the students of Miami
Dade Community College Downtown School, under the supervision of
Barbara Itothenthal from the Department of Marketing, at the request of
the one year planning sub -Committee for the tWA.
Four corners were selected:
Flagler and Biscayne
Miami Avenue and S. 2nd. Street
2nd. Avenue and N. 4th. Street
Biscayne and N. 14th. Street
The students would notate date, hour, and gender. The respondant would
fill in the answers him or herself. Random selection of pedestrian on
a Monday noon, between the hours of 12:00 and 2:00 P.M. approximately.
Instructions were given to avid discriminatory selection by age, gender,
or appearance. 200 responses is an acceptable statistical sample figure.
Questionaire sample included.
Tabulation of responses included.
Short: SunTary included. General Analisis. Critical analisis is not
available yet.
87--574 . I
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3
W
I
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BENCH MARK SURVEY - APRIL 6 & 7, 1987
The survev contained three open-ended questions, 9, 10, and 11. Each re-
spondent would freely include items of support or concern. Upon counting
the number of times in which an item was mentioned, in questions #10 and
#11, "what things do you like the least about Downtown?, and "what two
changes would you like to see in Downtown?, out of 190 total responses,
the followina number of responses were recorded on each of the subjects
listed below:
Parking ----------------- 103
Bums -------------------- 60*
Traffic ----------------- 35
Cleaner Downtown--------- 32
Lack of night activity--- 30
Police/Crime------------- 27
Stones ------------------ 9
* Of the 60 responses, nine of them indicated in similar ways what they
did not like was that there was not enough being done for the homeless.
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BENCHMARK SURVEY - APRIL 6 & 7, 1787
#1
31
18
24
15
9
1
23
27
15
15
i8
3
25
18
3
1
2
12
18
0
12
25
8
6
28
16
12
8
33
10
0
17
21
4
4
25
7
14
6
25
39
171
35
25
34
14
4
6
2
43
15
20
14
14
5
23
30
1
3
36
10
4
6
29
23
5
1
18
21
14
20
53
6
1
30
21
4
4
30
49
16
2
12
24
49
#3
14
16
16
7
3
2
23
8
18
1
4
12
8
1
6
25
0
0
13
11
4
1
1
7
3
16
24
3
2
13
12
e
4
24
0
10
6
2
13
11
17
#4
total
25
105
Male
25
84
Female
22
96
18 - 25 Age
12
48
26 - 35
9
25
36 - 45
7
16
; 46 - 55
2
55 - over
28
117
Single
Marital status.
22
72
Married
18
I 66
Up to $15,000
Household yearly income.
22
59
$15 - $30,000
6
31
$30 - $45,000
2
15
$45 - $60,000
1
i 13
i
$60,000 - over
22
82
City of Miami
1.
Where do I live?
18
74
Dade County
6
14
Broward County
2
5
USA
4
I� 15
Other
24
, 91
Daily for work
2.
How often do you come
8
35
Once a week
Downtown?
1
i 35
Once a month
3
f 11
Once a year
2
8
First time
8
63
0
3.
How many people are with you?
23
82
1 - 2
6
22
3-4
1
9
4 dr more
15
52
Shop
4.
Why did you come Downtown?
7
24
Bank
15
59
Business
13
42
Entertainment
8
55
Employed Downtown
40
147
Car
5.
How did you come?
3
13
Bus
7
26
Metrorail
1
4
Other
6.
How many stores have you
18
78
0
entered today?
20
74
1 - 3
1
14
4 - 6
3
15
4 or more
8
67
Breakfast
7.
Did you (will you) eat in
21
110
Lunch
Downtown today?
1
' 17
Dinner
11
{ 51
Downtown
8.
Where do you prefer to shop?
2
22
Westland
14
28
163rd St.
7
31
Bal Harbor
15
! 74
Other
10
38
Yes
12.
Did you know that Downtown
39
�144
No
Miami is one of the safest
retail areas in South Florida?
9. What things do you like the most about Downtown?
10. What things do you like the least about Downtown?
11, What two changes would you like to see in Downtown?