<\/p>\n
A rendering of the linear park Hialeah wants to create called the Hia-Line, modeled after Miami-Dade County\u2019s existing Underline. The Hia-Line wants to use land under the Metrorail that the county wants for a housing project, but the developer says the land can also accommodate the Hia-Line.<\/p>\n
City of Hialeah<\/p>\n
A political fundraising consultant might secure a 99-year county development deal<\/a> for a small plot of land under the Metrorail tracks that\u2019s planned for Hialeah\u2019s version of the Underline park.<\/p>\n Eileen Pi\u00f1eiro, who has worked on multiple campaigns for local Republican candidates, including a current Miami-Dade commissioner, wants to build a 36-unit apartment building on a 1-acre lot bisected by elevated Metrorail tracks in Hialeah off of East Fourth Avenue.<\/p>\n The county lot where Pi\u00f1eiro\u2019s Pine Development LLC wants to build a four-story building and a 46-space parking lot is also supposed to be the start of the Hia-Line<\/a>. That\u2019s a linear park that Hialeah wants to create on the narrow strip of land that runs for nearly a mile under the county\u2019s Metrorail tracks between Fourth Avenue and the Hialeah Tri-Rail Station. A city presentation on the Hia-Line describes the county site as having \u201cmore than enough room for an inner-city park, holding the potential to transform and uplift the surrounding neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n Hia-Line is modeled after the Underline, the 10-mile bike and jogging trail that will connect Metrorail\u2019s Dadeland South and Brickell stations when construction finishes later this year.<\/p>\n The proposed county development agreement with Pine Development LLC requires the housing project to accommodate any future Hia-Line project on the lot.<\/p>\n \u201cTenant shall agree to join in the execution of any documents necessary to accomplish the planning, construction, implementation, operation and maintenance of the HIA-LINE project,\u201d reads the draft lease up for a vote by Miami-Dade\u2019s Housing Committee on Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n A Hialeah spokesperson said Thursday the city hadn\u2019t been briefed on the potential construction on county land slated for the Hia-Line, which remains in the early planning stages.<\/p>\n \u201cAny project of that nature should involve direct coordination with the City, especially if it has implications for the surrounding area or the future of the Hia-Line concept,\u201d said Julio Ligorria, head of communications for Hialeah. \u201cThe City has concerns with any process that moves forward without direct engagement with Hialeah and its residents.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement Thursday afternoon, Pine Development said its plan would keep the bulk of the county site undeveloped and landscaped, allowing plenty of room for the Hia-Line to come through. \u201cThis project is not designed to eliminate green space,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n Pi\u00f1eiro\u2019s Apex Strategies fundraising firm has done campaign work for local political leaders, including the former mayor of Hialeah<\/a>, Esteban \u201cSteve\u201d Bovo, according to campaign-finance records. Bovo, who resigned his post last year to join a lobbying firm, was a political foe of Hialeah\u2019s current mayor, Bryan Calvo<\/a>.<\/p>\n Apex\u2019s client list also includes Miami-Dade Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, who does not sit on the Housing Committee, and Miguel Quintero, a candidate challenging Commissioner Marleine Bastien<\/a>, who chairs the committee.<\/p>\n Quintero said his campaign no longer employs Apex. Gonzalez said Thursday he wasn\u2019t aware of the proposed deal and hadn\u2019t spoken to Pi\u00f1eiro about the project.<\/p>\n A lawyer for Pi\u00f1eiro said Thursday the project is a good way for Miami-Dade to turn barren land into extra housing supply for people who need it. He said that while Pi\u00f1eiro is not a developer, she\u2019s planning on bringing in people with experience building residential projects.<\/p>\n \u201cThe plan is to work with a reputable group \u2014 to partner up in some fashion \u2014 to build what we feel is much needed high-quality affordable and workforce housing in Miami-Dade County,\u201d said Ryan Bailine<\/a>, a land-use lawyer and lobbyist with Greenberg Traurig.<\/p>\n Pi\u00f1eiro\u2019s proposed apartment complex for older renters tries to capitalize on the planned park, naming the project the \u201cHialine Senior Living Center.\u201d<\/p>\n The administration of Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava negotiated the deal with Pine Development and is recommending passage before the full County Commission. The deal lets Miami-Dade collect annual rent from the property starting at $37,000 and increasing 3% every year after that. If construction doesn\u2019t start within five years, the lease is canceled.<\/p>\n While Pi\u00f1eiro is the sole owner of Pine Development, the firm\u2019s proposal cites other senior residential projects linked to what\u2019s described as the development team. The proposal makes the case for Miami-Dade generating some revenue from unused land that\u2019s mostly used by people parking illegally or dumping trash.<\/p>\n \u201cLocated in an underutilized section of the Metro Rail line, the Parcel provides a rare and unique opportunity for development, creating a neighborhood village around the public transport opportunities already in existence,\u201d read the letter from Pi\u00f1eiro that accompanied the June 5, 2023, proposal.<\/p>\n