VOLUNTEER BREAKFAST<\/p>\n
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Members of the community turned out for a PTA-sponsored volunteer breakfast and workshop at Key Biscayne K-8 Center. Pictured are Marcela Castiglioni, Malena Legarre and Carmen Gomez-Alzaya.<\/p>\n
Lower Floor Area Ratio doesn’t necessarily mean smaller house<\/p>\n
A Zoning Ordinance Review Committee bus tour last month was meant to show group members how gross Floor Area Ratio (FAR) (a structure’s total lot coverage, not just its air-conditioned “livable” space) impacts the mass of local homes.<\/p>\n
By the time the bus wound its way through local streets and back to Village Hall, committee members weren’t so convinced that gross FAR is the only place they need to focus their attention.<\/p>\n
“I’m reaching the conclusion that controlling gross FAR won’t do diddly-squat,” ZORC Vice Chairman Arturo Aballi said. “From what I saw today, it’s not going to make that much difference.”<\/p>\n
Members of the ZORC’s FAR Subcommittee, of which Aballi is a member, have been discussing the possibility of capping gross FAR, whereas the Village currently only regulates net FAR. Net FAR includes air-conditioned space conies, porches and garages but excludes features like terraces and balconies.<\/p>\n
Before the tour, subcommittee members had suggested that a cap on gross FAR, which includes everything built on a lot, might be the key to helping ease the massiveness of some homes on the island. However, many committee members agreed with Aballi’s comments, leading the group to start looking in additional directions when it comes to controlling mass.<\/p>\n
Their suggestions still have to be formally voted on by the ZORC and then subjected to Council review and likely a voter referendum.<\/p>\n
At last month’s meeting, Committee members did suggest that gross FAR be capped at 65 percent lot coverage but also talked about additional rules they feel are necessary. First off, committee members suggested a two-story maximum for most homes on the Key, though they did agree to allow a third-level architectural feature that can’t be larger than something like 600 square feet. As architect Willy Borroto noted, “A little higher is different than the whole floor higher.”<\/p>\n
BENJAMIN COURTNEY CELEBRATES HIS FIRST<\/p>\n
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Benjamin (Benji) Courtney celebrated his first birthday with his family and many friends. Pictured are Gabriela and Nicola Imery, Amelita Courtney, Ana Maria Rojas and Paulette Schena.<\/p>\n
Smile: You’re on Key TV and you ran a red light<\/p>\n
Red-light-runners could soon be starring in their own reality TV shows, and paying real fines, after the Village Council gave its preliminary OK to install cameras at local intersections.<\/p>\n
The unanimous vote came on the heels of a presentation by a firm that has sold traffic monitoring systems to Pembroke Pines, New York City, Houston and St. Louis. The proposal is up for final approval.<\/p>\n
Elected officials aren’t the only ones who like the idea, proposed by Council member Enrique Garcia. Police Chief Charles Press called it a “great program” that gives his officers valuable extra sets of eyes.<\/p>\n
“We can only cite for the red lights, but it gives my troops an opportunity to observe, from their cars, traffic situations throughout the community,” Chief Press noted. “It’s good for our manpower situation. We don’t have to stick cops at specific intersections, so we can concentrate on other things.”<\/p>\n
When Garcia proposed the program earlier this summer, he said he hoped it would do exactly that but warned his colleagues that other cities have faced invasion-of-privacy arguments from residents. However, no local residents spoke up during the September public hearing. The Council did, however, hear a detailed report from a representative of Arizona- based American Traffic Solutions, a firm that sells, installs and maintains traffic monitoring cameras. ATS Greg Parks described a system that would help prevent accidents at no cost to Village taxpayers.<\/p>\n
“This is mainly a public safety program,\u201d Parks said. \u201cRed light running is prevalent in South Florida.”<\/p>\n
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TASTE OF THE NATION AT THE RITZ<\/p>\n
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Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation, presented by American Express, was held at The Ritz Carlton-Key Biscayne. One hundred percent of the tickets sold benefitted the fight to end childhood hunger. Pictured are Kari Madera, Sergio Garcia-Granados and Michele Estevez-Hayes.<\/p>\n
Village having trouble fixing streetlamps<\/p>\n
Village officials say they’re doing everything they can to speed up the process of lighting Grapetree Drive, but it looks like it will still be mid-October before work gets underway.<\/p>\n
At a Village Council meeting, Village Manager “Chip” Iglesias and Public Works Director Armando Nu\u00f1ez said that’s simply the earliest Florida Power & Light (FPL) can do its part of the project, installing wiring and eight streetlamps along Grapetree.<\/p>\n
Iglesias said he spoke with FPL representative Lou Perez, who told him the power company is moving as fast as it can.<\/p>\n
“I expressed to Mr. Perez the community’s frustration with the timeline on the project, and asked for his involvement to identify any efficiencies that can be found,” Iglesias said.<\/p>\n
Residents of Grapetree are frustrated that work hasn’t started. They recently sent out mini flashlights with a letter that called the darkened street a safety hazard.<\/p>\n
Grapetree has been without lights for more than two years, ever since hurricanes severely damaged a system that homeowners were responsible for and residents successfully petitioned the Council to pay for a new lighting system. Nunez has blamed the delay on the slow pace of working with FPL, a necessary evil in this case\/ The power company’s involvement cuts the Village’s cost in half.<\/p>\n
Mayor Robert Vernon had suggested that the Village could instead look into doing the work in-house or with a contractor other than the power company, and during the discussion again asked Nunez, “Are we committed to FPL?”<\/p>\n
Nunez, who explored the other options, said the Village does indeed have to rely on FPL. for installing the street poles and running wires. However, he and Iglesias noted, Village crews are going to speed things up by running conduit, which will hold the wires.<\/p>\n
KEY’S LATEST SHOPPING CENTER<\/p>\n
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A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Key Colony, 200 Crandon Boulevard, Plaza last week. Upstairs office spaces are occupied and developers are waiting for stores to open downstairs. A grand opening ceremony is set for November. On hand for the ribbon-cutting festivities were, from left, Ron Oprzadek, project manager; Willy Borroto, architect; Robert Vernon, Village of Key Biscayne Mayor; Fritz Scharenberg, Key Colony Plaza developer; and Joe Kiene, project advisor.<\/p>\n
Electric franchise<\/p>\n
The Council ratified an inter-local agreement with Miami-Dade County regarding the Village’s share of franchise fees paid by FPL to the County.<\/p>\n
FPL pays the county 6 percent of the revenue it takes in from Miami-Dade customers in exchange for the use of public rights of way, and from there, Village Attorney David Wolpin explained, the county pays the municipalities within its boundaries. In 2001, Wolpin said, county staffers realized the number of new cities that had incorporated meant if they kept using the same formula for those payments, they would be paying out more than they were receiving. Therefore, they changed the way payments were calculated – but didn’t tell the municipalities.<\/p>\n
When several city governments noticed the change, they immediately set up a meeting with the County. They acknowledged the County’s calculations and new methodology were valid, while County officials agreed to give each municipality a chance to approve the new agreement. “This is a fair resolution of this issue,” Wolpin said. “The County Manager dealt fairly with the cities.” The change does result in a fairly significant drop in the amount of money the Village will receive – 2007 numbers fall from $1.11 million to $774,000. Wolpin said the number will go up and down in the future.<\/p>\n