HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-Cindy Snyder-Temporary Plat-Battersea Woods letter to CommissionersCindy Snyder
South Grove Neighborhood Association
Coconut Grove FI 33133
Dec. 14, 2017
City Commission
The City of Miami
City Hall, Coconut Grove, 331333
tki Re: Temporary Plat 4384 Ingraham Hwy. 6011
Dear New Commissioners and ones remaining,
Submitted into the public M.
record fq r ite (s) H
on 17.1 N /jr7 . City Clerk
We, the members of the South Grove Neighborhood Assoc. share a concern with many
neighbors for the pattern of over -development which is taking place in our community.
Single-family building sites have been becoming subdivisions in our midst, comprised of
multiple over -sized houses crammed onto tightly spaced lots where canopy trees will
never be able to grow again due to absence of adequate space for their roots. This
formula has been crowding out canopy trees as well as the dense tropical foliage for
which Coconut Grove is known.... This errant development is taking place via various
efforts to circumvent, weaken & destroy the protective Neighborhood Conservation
District Zoning contained in Miami-21. The single family residential district is INTENDED
to protect the low density residential and dominant tree canopy characteristics of
Coconut Grove and prevent the intrusion of additional density, accompanying soil
erosion, excessive run-off and flooding.
This is justified by the fragile nature of our infrastructure; as Miami Celebrates its' 120th
year we celebrate and also need to remember that Cocoanut Grove's first post office
was opened in Jan. 1873, and the Grove is arguably the oldest community in Miami. Our
lane- like roads and historic community were laid out more than 100 years ago, before
automobiles were omnipresent. There are no sanitary sewers in the South Grove, little
or no storm water controls; canopy trees over arch the narrow roads and right of ways.
This is a place where neighbors enjoy their regular walks, where they run, bike and visit.
Visitors often bike and stroll on these roads as well, while they "take in" the ambiance of
this magical place. Many visitors are so enchanted with the Grove that they decide to
move to Miami, many claim that they would not have moved to Miami had Coconut
Grove not become known to them. Many will leave Miami, if the Grove's character and
canopy disappear.
We are a true community, we want to remain so, not be fractured & segmented into
separate districts, those dominated by huge out of scale "monster homes" devoid of
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canopy in juxtaposition to the homes where the vanishing species of "Grovites" reside.
We cherish and seek to preserve this lovely environment & community while we
attempt to hang on to what vestiges of the vanishing "Grove" remain. Most residents
simply want to be able to enjoy their lives in this historic community they work hard to
be able to reside in, without having to continually visit city hall.
We ask that the Commission assist us in stopping this destruction of the nature and
character of our neighborhood by simply enforcing the letter and intent of the Miami-21
zoning code and in particular the tenets of Appendix A3. NCD-3. It is a model code, well
thought out and written; it reflects what our time honored leaders considered in the
community's best interests. In Appendix A, Sect. 3.6 Single -Family Residential District
found on D. A.17 it states: "All T3, Single -Family Residential zoning regulations shall
apply within the Coconut Grove NCD-3 Single- Family Residential District, hereafter
referred to as NCD-3, except as modified below. If any such requirements CONFLICT,
NCD- 3 requirements shall apply. That means Neighborhood Conservation District code
is a code which supersedes other aspects of Miami-21.
If we do not protect our Neighborhood Conservation Districts it will ultimately lead to
the demise of established communities and may even "kill the goose that laid the
golden egg."
We respectfully request that this re -plat be considered to allow for BUILDING of only
ONE additional HOME in excess of the first additional HOME which has already been
built. And to do so upon the 3 remaining lots. We make this request not because we
want more density, but because we wish to limit any additional problems related to this
overall site. We want the INTENT of code to be followed in as much as possible at this
point, that the 3 lots become ONE SITE for a SINGLE FAMILY to be built in such a way as
to allow the CANOPY to be RE-ESTABLISHED and the south most entrance into the
Grove off of Ingraham to be re-established in a fashion most comparable to how it had
been prior to all the "ERRORS" which have unfortunately occurred concerning what had
been a Single family site for in excess of 70 Years.
We need to MAKE THIS AS RIGHT AS POSSIBLE, to do otherwise, is an insincere attempt
to do the right thing & is to make a MOCKERY of our code and to cast a cloud over our
supposed endeavors to enforce our code.
Any questions? Thank you for your attention and thoughtful consideration of this
matter.