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HomeMy WebLinkAboutM-81-0774STATEMENT OF THE AD HOC BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE ON THE MIAMI CENTER II PROJECT The Blue Ribbon Committee has met to review additional analysis of anticipated pedestrian movement and the recommended ground and second level pedestrian system. While these systems may be adequate to handle the volume of pedestrian movement in and around the project, the Committee remains concerned on the quality o? of the pedestrian environment including movement related to the Southeast Bank development. 4 The Blue Ribbon Committee also met to further discuss the proposed development order on the Miami Center II project. The Committee has three comments on the project at this stage of the design -development process: 1. Because this is a DRI proceeding rather than s a zoning approval process, there is insufficient information to determine if major concerns relating to the project are adequately resolved. 2. The major concerns that the Committee has identified at this point in time include: The scale, design and visual impact of the garage. The absence of a definitive pedestrian circulation plan that overcomes the constraints posed by the bifurcated road system and that provides an enriched pedestrian environment both at ground at second level. - The lack of attention to details that would improve the human scale of the project including landscaping, street furniture and an abundance of ground level retail shops. Page 2 3. - Finally, timidity on the closing of interior streets to facilitate pedestrian movement on streets such as S.E. 3rd Avenue; for example, when the DuPont Plaza Hotel redevelops and Biscayne Boulevard Way becomes three lanes, movement through the four block area should not be permitted to destinations such as One Biscayne Tower and AmeriFirst. Rather, traffic should be routed around Biscayne Boulevard Way and the flow reversed on 1st Street to allow access to those garages from the east. Much work must be done by the project architect before zoning variances should be requested from the City. The Blue Ribbon Committee requests a commitment from both the applicant and the City Commission to resolve the issues listed above. The Blue Ribbon Committee would be happy to review subsequent development plans prior to City Commission zoning approvals and offer such advice as may be appropriate. Wilfredo Barroto Glenn Buff William Kline Xavier Suarez P F Page 3 Committee member Ken Treister offers a separate statement accompanied by the suggestion that the AIA should be requested by the City to appoint an architectural design committee to approve on a continuing basis the design as it related to the criteria enumerated below. Mr. Treister suggests that certain planning criteria for the DuPont Plaza area be established with full knowledge that the criteria can and will be modified on the working level between the committee and the applicants and that final design approval should be reserved to the City Commission - Suggested planning criteria: 1. To continue all of Downtown as a cohesive retail shopping environment, 80% of all the building facades in this area shall be built on the property line with retail stores and restaurants with access directly to the sidewalk. No business, such as real estate, travel and banking shall count as retail space. 2. All sidewalks shall be a minimum of 10' wide and brick -paved with mahogany or oak trees with 25' centers, plus low scale pedestrian lighting to supplement general lighting. 3. All intersections where any pedestrian flow is encountered, shall be served by pedestrian underground tunnels or overhead bridges at the developer's expense. Buildings and tunnels shall be lit, tiled and landscaped, eliminating the need for all traffic lights and conflicts. 4. The facade of the parking building on the I-95 elevation should be designed to minimize its imposing impact on the area. An example might be the slipping back each level (similar to face of pyramid), with continuous landscaped planter on each level, blocking completely the view of cars and with the entire roof landscaped as an urban park so that the entire surface appears green from I-95. 5. All buildings shall have similar architectural design, using common architectural materials with the use of a unified vocabulary of shapes, forms, textures, colors, lighting and surfaces. 6. A comprehensive pedestrian environmental plan shall be presented and approved by -the City.