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Home My WebLink AboutM-87-00561. Gt1Y OF MIAMI. FLORIDA 73 • INTER -OFFICE MEMORANDUM TO Honorable Mayor and Members of DATE: r ,� ^ FILE: the City Commission SUBJECT Virginia Key FROM: Cesar H. Odi o : �,/� REFERENCES: City Manager ENCLOSURES: We respectfully request your consideration and comments on the proposed development and land management policies for Virginia Key as described in the attachment. We also seek authorization to review and discuss those policies with regulatory and administrative agencies at the local and state level prior to finalizing the plan for adoption. CHO/SR MOTrO11/ 87-56 r W City of Miami Planning Department December, 1986 VIRGINIA KEY PRELIMINARY MASTER PLAN PURPOSE Provide a land use plan and development strategy that can meet the common recreational needs of a diverse population. MASTER PLAN OBJECTIVES Give specific direction to an overall plan for land use. Define a set of principles for guiding public and private development. Assure that use and development of the island is in harmony with public laws and natural conditions. Show how a strategy of joint public and private development can serve public recreational needs. Propose solutions to existing conflicts and anticipated deficiencies. Produce a plan that can build public support for future recreation programs and changes to the island. ;11,01 '1i11 , C Virginia Key is a 1,006 acre barrier island located in Biscayne Bay. Due to the nature of its setting, the island is characterized by sensitive environmental conditions; these being mangroves, tidal flats, coastal hammock, coastal beach, and ponds. The Water and Sewer Authority Sewage Treatment Plant and the former land fill site covering 243 acres also contains certain peculiar environmental conditions; the northernmost tip of the island contains a large area of dredged spoil material which is the the least sensitive environment. The island is largely undeveloped. Approximately 162 acres of the Key is in urban land uses; recreation, marine commercial and recreation, institutional marine research, communications, marine exposition, land fill, and services related to the Sewage Treatment Plant and transportation. The remaining area is undeveloped. Page 1 of 5 0- 87-56 1-, Virginia Key has a number of environmental constraints that affect the use and development of the island. These constraints are restrictive with respect to location of structures, use of certain areas and structural requirements for buildings. Numerous local, state and federal regulatory agencies have jurisdiction over the island. Those regulations primarily concern themselves with how and to what extent, use and development impact the environmental conditions of the island and surrounding waters. Having identified the environmental constraints and jurisdictional parameters on the island - areas suitable for development have been identified in terms of location, area of coverage, degree of developability and use. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS Public policy for the management of Virginia Key is constrained by numerous government regulations and environmental forces peculiar to a barrier island. The essentially raw, open expanses of land that command views of, and access, to the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay are, however, among the last great opportunities in Dade County to meet public recreation needs. GENERAL PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS Mindful of legal and environmental constraints, but responding strongly to unique opportunities for meeting public recreational and education needs, the plan proposes seven basic principles for the use and treatment of the island: 1. All access and use shall serve public recreational -and educational needs. 2. Views to and from water and highway edges should be blue or green. 3. Natural shorelines are to be preserved. 4. Natural forces should be allowed to shape natural edges. 5. Commercial uses should be sited to promote public access to, use, and enjoyment of the water's edge. 6. Commercial uses are to be water dependent or water related. 7. Private uses shall expand public access to recreation programs. These principles translate into several broad land use and development recommendations: A. MARINE STADIUM AREA 'Preserve open basin for spectator/competitive marine events. Page 2 of 5 tl- 87-5 6 .. 'Enhance spectator access with expansion of stadium, addition of entertainment/food services along SW shoreline, improvement of each edge on NE shoreline. 'Concentrate boat storage (racks) area and redesign circulation patterns. 'Concentrate future private marine clubs along south corner of basin with access from Treatment Plant access road. 'Encourage joint promotion of Marine Stadium, Planet Ocean and Seaquarium events and joint utilization of parking for major events. 'Utilize spoil area along north edge of basin for environmental field studies and teaching center; canoe and boardwalk access to selected mangrove areas. B. BEAR CUT OCEANFRONT AREA 'Maintain Dade County lands for Marine Bio-technological research park. 'Utilize old Virginia Key Beach park area for active recreation, natural resource -based park, privately managed. 'Maintain existing oceanfront swimming area and upland hammock as City park, expanded concession areas and parking. 'Relocate treatment plant access road to west in the future to achieve better alignment for extension to north and expansion of beach parking. C. LAGOON AREA 'Maintain channel by dredging. 'Expand sport fishing services and concessions. 'Provide sport fishing club facilities along southeast shore. 'Institute mangrove planting/shoreline stabilization along west shoreline. D. NORTH POINT FILL AREA 'Utilize upland fill area for sports/fitness facilities and programs - international training center. 'Combine hospitality/recreation/resort/marine access facilities along northeast shore as service center for fitness/sports facilities. E. MANGROVES 'Preserve all mangrove/tidal marsh areas intact. Page 3 of 5 1 - 87-5 6 'Restrict shoreline access from land and water. 'Implement mangrove plantings on spoil islands and filled shorelines. F. LAND FILL AREA 'Conserve this area as undeveloped open space for passive recreation. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION Development and funding strategies rely on joint public/private unified development projects to accomplish major improvements. A. Private sector proposals should be requested for: 1. Marine Stadium expansion. 2. Boat storage expansion and redesign. 3. Commercial services along basin shoreline. 4. Marine club facilities adjacent to basin. 5. Recreation feature park adjacent to Bear Cut. 6. Marine services and improvements in Lagoon area. 7. Sport fishing club facilities in Lagoon area. 8. Resort/hospitality facilities and services in north point area. 9. Fitness center and sports club recreation facilities on north point area. B. Lease revenues from unified development projects should be dedicated to a Virginia Key improvement fund that will finance public roads and utilities and educational and environmental protection programs such as: 1. Realignment and extension of the treatment plant access road. 2. Expansion of parking for beach recreation areas. 3. Preservation and enhancement of hardwood hammocks. 4. Preservation and planting of mangrove shorelines. 5. Creation of an environmental studies center with boardwalks and marked canoe trails. Page 4 of 5 M- 87-56 6. Development of landscaped spectator viewing areas along stadium basin shorelines. 7. Construction of sanitary sewer facilities to serve the beachfront and north point areas. 8. Landscaping with native species of roadways, shorelines and land fill area. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FOR MASTER PLAN ADOPTION This brief outline and presentation of maps must be expanded by text, charts and maps and comprised into a report recommending a precise plan for adoption. December, 1986 City Commission - resen a ion and discussion. December 1986 City of Miami - presentation and review January 1987 Building an oning Department Fire and Rescue Services Department Police Department Public Works Department Department of Development Parks and Public Facilities Property and Lease Management Law Department Dade County - presentation and review Capital mprovement Department Building and Zoning Department Fire and Rescue Department Public Works Department Water & Sewer Authority Department of Environmental Resource Management Parks and Recreation Department Planning Department Development Impact Committee Shoreline Development Review Committee January, 1987 South Florida Regional Planning Council February State Department of Environmental Regulations State Department of Natural Resources South Florida Water Management District U. S. Army Corps of Engineers March, 1987 City of Miami Planning Advisory Board Apri•1 Board of County Commissioners City of Miami Commission Page 5 of 5 /1' 8 7 - 5 6