HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-District 212A 1 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER TI, 2013 H1
JOHN S. KNIGHT M94-1951)
n South Florida it's hard to get
people out 9( their ars.id
onto the Ye
the
4ers
even
o feet
ears downtown. It's a
belt hardly new. Miami lea
and urban planners have batted
this idea around before, but the cir-
dum.stances downtown were nev-
quite conducive to meshing all
the necessary elements to get peo-
ple walking more.
Not so today. Downtown devel-
opmenthas attracted 200,000 peo-
(.9
0'7
MlamiHerald.com MIAMIHERALD
OPINION
DAVID LANDSBERG, PUBLISHER I AMINDA MARQUES GONZALEZ, EXECUTIVE EDITOR I MYRIAM MARQUEZ, EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
MIAMI HERALD EDITORIAL
For a better downtown
OUR OPINIONi, 'Hods new: an deserves approvat,
ple who visit, work or live the raph and " t ati ties Union to rhodifya100s court-
.
01eart f the city. Tony new restau,:, illegal to ,h4mv. e pedestrians: ordered agreement that allows
tflts and attractions like events at ty. Street hgh tmg homeless people to cariltent cer-
ican Airlines Arena and "hanced and stop "life -sustaining" activities like
z Art MuseumMiami synchronized, „ sleeping, nudity and biding ed ho people for vagrancy
'an traffic The Port. The boundaries for the des- * yoking fires in public parks Mtn- and Confiscated their meager
11 ease the heavy trian zone would be rou oft being arre-s' ted. ‘k`o'fkproperty,-, which prompted the
. .
' it opens nett -;-the Miami ver north tO o c say that dr eourt-orderect settlement. Miami
;
*troMovermalce,t.eait Ninth treet arid frnin Bis- ces are rntich different t cannot revert to he old days as it
ntovirn and the', cayne Bay est of the 6overr- wif , the agreement was stru
e corridor easy. -.ment Cent ve theCentral The omeless population hat41:. Arresting vagrants diverts po-'
t
w
JAMES L. KNIGHT O'S'09-1991)
individuals into shelters, of which
there are several now, and make
arrests again. This is delicate terri-
tory. The city's police once arrest-
seeks
to spruce updowntown.
called the Downr Business Ditrict. ; „, dropped by 90percent, down from Aieresources that could be better
trian Priority Zone. - The infrastructure part nf this 8,000 to around 800 people. And Used elsewbeft. A humane ap7
ments, making its timing right. , The hardest part is tei.,41Itture pe- p anent residents downtown cour 7 eless from re -
The Miami Commistion should destrianssafety, especially at vit ' , say officials, generate 40 per- main' treets, even as
initially approve it oh Thursday. night, and reckoning with the cent of the city's tar base and make those s i ..s becoine more pedes-
Then, let the work begin. homeless presence that, like Met- up 50 percent of its worlatirce. trian frierfdly for residents and vis,
The plan calls for widening si- roMover, is another long-time To improve these residents' itors. No easy saintions here, bu
devialks, creating tree canopies (a downtown fixture. lives and encouraget more, the goals are worth city leaders'
must during our steamy sum- To that end, the city is negotiat- business downtown, t tt best efforts.
niers. ), slowing vehicle traffic to 25 ing with the American Civil Liber- wants the power to forcehflifs
s these positive develop- 'initiative is, in away, theeady part. e are now more than 70,000 proacb4sMifound that dis
Submitted into the public
record in connection with
item FR.2 on 12/12/13
Todd B. Hannon