Panther Coffee in Sunset Harbour

In case you were wondering….both Ice Box Cafe and Panther Coffee were open and doing a nice lunchtime business in Sunset Harbour on Tuesday…..

The neighborhood should be hopping this weekend!

This 1930s postcard shows residences and a hotel on The Herald property

It’s a nostalgic time on the west end of the Venetian Causeway.

The Miami Herald printed its last newspapers  two weeks ago at 1 Herald Plaza, on the mainland between the Venetian and MacArthur causeways.

1939 view of downtown looking west.

Since then, office and news gathering operations have been moving to the news organization’s new home in Doral.

The final newsroom employees — and few from other departments — are scheduled to finish packing this week and all will be working in Doral by Friday afternoon.

Some time after that — it’s not clear when — property owner Genting plans to tear down The Herald building to make way for its planned resort (no, it won’t be a casino — at least not yet).

The Miami Herald in 2006.

The Herald’s been on the property for 50 some years. BelleIsleBlog has been trolling eBay again, finding old postcards that provide a view at the bayside property between the Venetian and MacArthur Causeways before The Herald built its offices and printing plant in the early 1960s. The Herald moved to One Herald Plaza from a location on South Miami Avenue in April 1963.

Another view of the Causeways, circa 1939.

The postcards show another Miami — when the port was off an undeveloped Watson Island, and the shoreline south of the MacArthur Causeway (then the County Causeway) featured huge oil tanks. Biscayne Island, the first on the way east on the Venetian Causeway, was barren, used as a landing strip.

The postcard above shows the Boulevard Shops (originally the Shrine Building when buit in 1930) on Biscayne Boulevard — and the Trinity Cathedral to the west of the Venetian Causeway entrance. Both remain, dwarfed by the city that grew up in the next 80-plus years.

Circus elephants cross the Venetian Causeway drawbridge, in 1960, with  Herald building property in background.

Construction on The Herald building began in 1961, and finished with the building opening on April 5, 1963.

And for just as long, residents from Belle Isle to Biscayne Island have worried that the system — though more efficient — will mean more cars and higher speed on the residential causeway that serves as a haven to runners, cyclists and residents.

In using SunPass instead of the current C-Pass transponders, island residents still would buy a $24 annual pass for the causeway, with a SunPass coded for the use. Other drivers would not longer have to pay by cash.

The most recent prediction from causeway chief Mike Bauman in January was the conversion — once anticipated in fall 2012, will happen at the end of this year.

On Tuesday, May 21, at 7 p.m., county representatives will answer questions at a forum hosted by the Venetian Way Neighborhood Alliance and sponsored jointly with the Belle Island Residents Association and Venetian Island Homeowners Association.

The meeting happens in the community room at 1000 Venetian Way on Biscayne Island, in view of the toll plaza. Among the discussion points on the table:

• Lowering the speed limit on the causeway from 30 miles
• The installation of speed feedback machines along causeway
• Toll lane narrowing
• Maintaining toll “arms”
• Higher tolls for non-residents and/or commuters
• Increased security (cameras, police, etc.)

The city of Miami Beach last week approved tag scanners and cameras for the Miami Beach portion of the causeway. The toll booth is in the city of Miami.

The city also decided to buy a security camera to monitor the drawbridge between Belle Isle and Rivo Alto Island.

It’s something the Venetian Causeway Homeowner Association has been seeking, as Miami Beach police work with the neighborhood to combat home burglaries along the Biscayne Bay islands.

In addition, island residents were concerned about the death of a 65-year-old homeowner  who died after slow emergency response to the islands. At first, an open drawbridge was blamed for the delay, though it was learned the dispatcher took 14 minutes to put through the emergency call.

This week, Veiga reported that the 911 dispatcher who mishandled the call has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Panther Coffee is almost ready to brew in Sunset Harbour.

There was a barista behind the gleaming expresso machine at the new Panther Coffee in Sunset Harbour on Saturday, but the coffee house won’t be open until some time later this week.

Management is waiting on a certificate of occupancy from the city of Miami Beach, and it’s a day-to-day thing.  But the space, facing the Sunset Harbour condos, looks great. They won’t be roasting beans here, as they do in Wynwood, but the space seems bigger, with more seating.

A sneak peak into Ice Box.

A couple of shops down at 1855 Purdy Ave., workers labored Saturday at the new Ice Box Cafe location.

The Miami Beach favorite closed its tiny just-off Lincoln Road (on Michigan Avenue ) location on Sunday, and plans to open in Sunset Harbour as soon as Mother’s Day. The new space dwarfs the tiny Lincoln Road location, and features a full bar and lots of table space.

By the way, while traveling last weekend, Belle Isle Blog stumbled upon an Ice Box that opened in Concourse A at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (near Gate A9, to be specific).

At DFW Airport.

The DFW shop is desserts only, unlike the spot in Miami International, which features a wide range of takeout sandwiches and salads.

Meanwhile, on the Bay Road side of the Shoppes at Sunset Harbour, Tequitzlan Mexican Restaurant and Tequila bar is racing toward an opening day.

Tequitzlan Mexican readies for opening.

The spacious spot features some unique lighting fixtures, and a large bar. The staff on site Saturday said they hope to be open for customers on Thursday.

The restaurants will join the Shoppes pioneers, starting with Juan Plasencia’s Sunset Clothing Co., and Frankie’s Boutique, both of which opened in November.

Last month, ice cream eatery Emack & Bolio opened up, featuring great ice creams and frozen yogurts.

And yes, getting the Florida Department of Transportation to change direction on a plan bid and begun may be impossible.

A quick look at the Coalition plan.

But….a group called the Alton Road Reconstruction Coalition has assembled a thoughtful ploposal for rebuilding Alton Road to accommodate pedestrians, bikers and commuters with a concept that promotes good air and green space.

The folks behind the plan, led by a group of neighborhood associations, advocate for wider sidewalks, a hike and bike trail on the west side of Alton, a lower Alton Road speed limit and narrower lanes to slow traffic, more shade trees and a center median.

The coalition  Facebook page lists a series of public meetings to make the case, including a May 22 Miami Beach Land Use meeting where a lower speed limit (30mph  instead of 35) will be pitched. There’s also a coalition meeting Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Seymour, 945 Pennsylvania.

The coalition website outlines the plan in detail — what looks right in the FDOT plan and what doesn’t.

So yes, construction has begun. Can the course of action be changed?

The meeting happens at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 8 at the Miami Beach Police Department Community Room, 1100 Washington Ave.

Last year, Miami Beach police had officers on nearly every corner of the Venetian Causeway islands, with signs posted warning drivers the causeways was for locals only.

A traffic control strategy squeezed eastbound traffic from Miami to Miami Beach from three lanes to one at certain times on the MacArthur and Julia Tuttle causeways, and license tag scanners were used to check for drivers with outstanding arrest warrants.

Police used DUI checkpoints as well.

We’ll see if the plan for 2013 is as aggressive.

“The primary goal of the Police Department during this weekend is to maintain public safety for residents and visitors and to proactively address issues….to reduce potential future problems,” according to the city email announcing Wednesday’s meeting.

Proposed Residence Inn site north of 17th Street

The Miami Beach Planning Board approved the proposed Marriott Residence Inn at 17th Street and West Avenue on Wednesday night, after more than four-and-one-half hours of discussion.

The project, which includes a sleek 116-room hotel designed by architect Kobi Karp and a 66-space mechanical parking garage, now will go before the Miami Beach Design Review Board.

The 6-1 vote came after board members heard from more than a dozen residents from different neighborhood associations who expressed concerns the hotel would add to traffic woes on 17th Street between Alton Road and Belle Isle.

They also heard from supporters of the project, who said an extended stay hotel in the residential part of Miami Beach would add convenient lodging for family and friends of Miami Beach residents.

The property is bounded by 17th Street, the Collins Canal, the path of the planned West Avenue Bridge and a parking lot that serves Boston Market and a retail and apartment building at the corner of 17th Street and Alton Road.

Rendering of proposed Marriott hotel

Board members praised the design of the hotel project, proposed to be built on land under contract to be purchased for $5 million from the Miami Beach Housing Authority by the Finvarb Group.

Finvarb owns several Marriott properties, including the Courtyard on Washington Avenue.

But most of the debate involved impact on 17th Street traffic from the project.

Henry Stolar, the only board member who voted against the project, did so after asking for the vote to be postponed so the development team and city staff could do more work on the 17th Street issues.

“I can’t imagine a better case for doing the right thing than giving this another month….otherwise we are in a position of just getting this done. I do not like haste in deciding something that has taken seven months while a political process takes its course.”

Board chairman Charles Urstadt said the decision was difficult because he believed the project is a good one, but the concerns about traffic were legitimate.

“We are here to balance the greater good to the public with the rights of the property owner.” he said. “We can’t force this to become a park, we have certain limits on what we can do.”

To try and address traffic, board members asked for a slim median on 17th Street to keep eastbound traffic on 17th Street from attempting left turns into the property, and a requirement that a fourth valet be added during peak business hours at the hotel to prevent cars from backing up from the hotel entrance into the street.

Developer Ron Finvarb told board members the hotel would be something the city will be proud of. “This will be a Residence Inn by Marriott. It must adhere to very high standards,” Finvarb said.

“It will not have any accessory uses that will create additional impact or noise…. With all of the conditions we have offered…the hotel will only benefit the neighborhood. This will not be a party hotel. It will be a state of the art hotel with great design and service.”

Rendering of the hotel from the Collins Canal.

The Miami Beach Planning Board has scheduled a 5 p.m.  hearing on the proposed Marriott Residence Inn on 17th Street and West Avenue.

Expect a big crowd and a lengthy discussion.

The Finvarb Group wants to build a 116-room hotel on the property. It’s a sleek five-story hotel designed by architect Kobi Karp, with 66 parking spaces.

The property, owned by the Miami Beach Housing Authority, is tight, tucked between 17th Street and the Collins Canal, west of the apartment building that houses the Vespa store and other retail, and the Boston Market on Alton Road.

A coalition of neighborhood groups — including the Belle Isle Residents Association, the West Avenue Corridor Neighborhood Association, Venetian Causeway Homeowners Association and six more — are asking the Planning Board to delay approval until the city can better study its impact on traffic. They have also suggested the property should be preserved as green space.

They are urging their members to show up at the meeting wearing red.

In a letter to Planning Board members, BIRA President Scott Diffenderfer said the impact of the planned West Avenue bridge, which will form the west boundary of the hotel property, needs to be considered in the plan, along with the expansion of the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Planning Board members also will hear from supporters of the project, many of whom posted comments during the weekend on BelleIsleBlog. Several praised the design and said a hotel like a Residence Inn — which caters to business travelers and longer stays — would be an amenity to residents who have friends and family visiting. They also argue that the hotel would have less impact on traffic than other businesses that could be built on the property, like a fast food restaurant or a drug store.

In its analysis of the proposal, city of Miami Beach planners recommended approving it, subject to many conditions. The on-site restaurant must be for hotel guests only. The roof-top pool must close by 11 p.m. The hotel has to provide a shuttle for employees who park off-site. And more.

The project still must be scrutinized by the Miami Beach Design Review Board.

Alton roadwork during spring 1013.

Northbound traffic on Alton Road will be detoured at 17 Street east to Meridian Avenue, north to Dade Boulevard and then north on Michigan Avenue before continuing north on Alton.

Southbound traffic on Alton between Michigan and Dade Boulevard will remain open, although one southbound lane may be closed daily, and left turns may be restricted.

The northbound detour is expected to last through September 2013.

According to the Florida Department of Transportation, which is running the project, the detour will enable the contractor to begin excavating the roadway to prepare for the new water main installation.

Rendering of proposed Marriott hotel

The Belle Isle Residents Association asked 10 other neighborhood associations to join them in urging Miami Beach to use Housing Authority land north of 17th Street at West Avenue for green space, rather than sell most of it to a hotel developer.

Proposed Residence Inn site north of 17th Street

The Housing Authority has an agreement to sell about 25,000 square feet of land east of West Avenue between 17th Street and the Collins Canal to the Finvarb Group, which owns and operates several Marriott properties. Finvarb plans to build a 116-room Residence Inn on the property, and the proposal is scheduled to be heard by the Miami Beach Planning Board on April 30.

The Belle Isle Association letter, signed by BIRA president Scott Diffenderfer, argues the property is too small the accommodate the development and is too awkwardly places amid intersections on Alton Road, 17th Street, Dade Boulevard and West Avenue and therefore will result in added traffic congestion.

“Residents of the surrounding neighborhoods need to write to the Planning Board Members and City Commissioners,” Diffenderfer wrote.  “Please circulate the attached “Green Spaces-Not Traffic” document to the residents you represent and ask those who wish to support this position to do so now before the April 30 Planning Board meeting.”

The purchase of the Housing Authority land is contingent on city approval of the hotel.

On March 13, the Miami Beach City Commission relaxed parking requirements for small hotels in the city’s historic district, and added the 17th Street parking to the the more generous rules. That decision was opposed by the Belle Isle Residents Association and the West Avenue Corridor Neighborhood Association.

So far, four neighborhood associations have signed on to the Belle Isle association initiative, according to Belle Isle board member Herb Frank: the West Avenue Corridor Neighborhood Association, the Venetian Island Homeowner Association, Sunset Island homeowners and the Sunset Island 3 and 4 homeowners group.

Interestingly, one member of the Planning Board,  real estate analyst Charles Urstadt, is a Belle Isle association board member, and a second, architecture professor Jean-Francois LeJeune, was on the board until he resigned in March. A third, Frank Kruszewski, is the former manager of the Costa Brava condominium on Belle Isle and  lives in Sunset Harbour. (Note: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said that Kruszewski is currently the manager at Costa Brava; he no longer is).

We think Ruby Foo’s closed back in the 1960s.

We know Ruby Foo’s — the Times Square Chinese restaurant and sushi bar at 49th and Broadway. It’s a Midtown landmark.

The matchbook cover.

But only recently did we learn that there used to be a Ruby Foo on the Beach — right off the Venetian Causeway, where it meets Dade Boulevard east of  Belle Isle.

First, Nine Island resident Josh Fisher turned up the old black and white photo. And then we found this matchbook cover on eBay — with the old style phone number without area code and location — at Miami Beach and the Venetian Causeway.

According to historian Seth Bramson’s 2005 book, Miami Beach, Ruby Foo’s “was a favorite for Chinese food before Thai, Indian and Vietnamese became popular. Some Beachites vaguely recall the eatery relocating to 41st Street, but in any location it is a happy memory….’

By noon, three to four inches of rain had been recorded along the Tuttle Causeway, and about three inches on Miami Beach.  More thunderstorms are expected this afternoon.

(And thanks to the West Avenue Corridor Neighborhood Association for the heads up).

Touting the Lido as “Miami Beach’s only spa.”

As we wait for updates on the next step for The Standard’s proposed renovation, our crack research team cranked up the Wayback Machine for a look at the Lido Spa in its second coming.

A new way to vacation…

Remember, the Belle Isle motel/spa/hotel launched in 1953 as the Monterrey Hotel, designed by noted Miami Modern architect Norman Giller. Second Gen was the Lido Spa, in 1960, when the new owner added the three-story lobby and spa building with the classic sign and gold grille panels.

Out latest postcard find dates back to the early 1960s. The only high-rises visible on Belle Isle in the postcard are Belle Tower, the island’s first high-rise (1958) at 16 Island Ave., and behind it, Belle Plaza, at 20 Island Ave., Belle Plaza was completed in 1962.

The owner, Mohamed Elgayar, and his family were getting everything ready at the 1915 Purdy Ave. storefront Saturday afternoon, offering visitors tastes of such deliciousness as Grasshopper Pie (creme de menthe with chocolate chips and oreos), Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup and a fabulous Peach.

Elgayar said folks in the neighborhood could stop by Sunday afternoon while he trains his counter staff, and more goodies could be in store.

Emack & Bolio’s started in Boston in 1975 and now has stores in four states, with three locations in Florida — on Vanderbilt Beach near Naples, at Hawks Cay Resort in the Keys, and at Hard Rock in Orlando.

It’s the first Shops at Sunset Harbour storefront to open that offers something to eat. Sunset Clothing Co. was the first store to open, in November. Still to come: Panther Coffee, Ice Box, Tequitzlan Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar, Fratelli In Toufala, True Loaf Bakery and more.

Rendering includes proposed West Ave. bridge.

The developer of the proposed Marriott Residence Inn on 17th Street and West Avenue gave Belle Isle residents a presentation of plans for the 116-room hotel on Thursday.

The project is scheduled for a Planning Board review on April 30.

Here are the vital statistics:

Rendering of the hotel from the Collins Canal.

– It’s a five-story building, the same height as the retail apartment building immediately to the east that houses the Vespa store on the corner of 17th Street and Alton Road. It would have 66 parking spaces in a mechanical lot.

– The development site is tiny, about 25,000 square feet north of 17th Street, east of the planned West Avenue Bridge, and south of the Collins Canal, which parallels Dade Boulevard.

– Residence Inns feature studios and suites with small kitchens tailored toward business travelers and families. It will have a ground floor restaurant for guests only (these hotels provide free breakfasts), a small conference room and a rooftop pool to serve hotel guests only (11 p.m. close). There will be no outdoor bar counter on the roof, and the owner has proposed to agree not to hold any events on the rooftop.

– The developer is the Finvarb Group, headed by Robert Finvarb. The company has a number of Marriott properties in Florida and elsewhere, including the Courtyard Inn on Washington Avenue at 16th Street.  The architect is renowned Kobi Karp.

Belle Isle Residents Association members at Thursday night’s meeting at the Belle Plaza condo had lots of questions about how the hotel would accommodate deliveries, the expected traffic impact, and when employees would come and go.

Traffic planner Richard Garcia said his impact study showed the hotel would generate less than half the traffic of some other uses that could be allowed on the property, such as a pharmacy, dry cleaner or fast food restaurant. He projected the busiest hour for traffic to be 5-6 p.m., when about 33 trips would be made in and out of the property.

The project’s land-use lawyer, Michael Larkin, projected that no more than 12 employees would be working at the hotel at any given time, but that did not include parking valets.

So, what do you think?

Bike and running routes Sunday

The folks behind the Nautica South Beach Triathlon warn that the bike course could cause delays between 7:30 and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.

The bike course starts on Ocean Drive at Fifth Street, goes south to Biscayne Street and north on Alton Road and east across the MacArthur Causeway. It returns to the beach on the Julia Tuttle Causeway before heading south on Alton road to Michigan Avenue and then Dade Boulevard. Then the course heads back up to Alton, west across the Tuttle, south to the MacArthur Causeway and back across the causeway to Miami Beach to finish near the start.

The MacArthur and Tuttle causeways will remain open, but with restricted lanes, so traffic is expected to be slow on both — and with extra pressure on the Venetian Causeway. Traffic also will be detoured around Alton Road at 17th Street.

So be safe out there.

– The proposed apartment and retail complex that includes the old South Shore Hospital building called 600 Alton Road;

– New rules governing that would ban new hotel uses on West Avenue and in the Palm View Neighborhood.

The West Avenue Corridor Neighborhood Association has pushed for the hotel restrictions, driven in large part by issues with the Mondrion Hotel, a luxury property at 1100 West Avenue, and the Bikini Hotel, a party-themed property between 12th and 13th streets and West.

The association is encouraging West Avenue residents to attend the hearing, scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., and has an online petition residents can access to show their support for the restrictions.

The proposal also addresses the Palm View neighborhood, located south of Dade Boulevard and north of 17th Street between Lenox Court and Meridian Avenue.

In the  staff report of the proposal, Miami Beach planners said the Planning Board might want to consider some exceptions to an outright ban. Among them: conditional uses, limits on hours of operations for restaurants, prohibitions on outdoor uses.

FDOT map shows construction schedule.

The long-awaited Alton Road construction project — a $32 million, 28-month effort to reconstruct the key west Miami Beach roadway from Fifth Street to Michigan Avenue — kicks off on Monday.

And the first area where roadwork will happen is the northern section of the project, from Dade Boulevard north to Michigan, according to the construction schedule.

Next week, the Florida Department of Transportation will set up equipment and material and begin removing palms, landscaping and curbing. They may close one northbound or southbound lane.

By the week of April 8,work crews will begin excavating the roadway, installing the new water main and setting up temporary street lighting. One southbound lane may be closed and the southbound left turn lane on Alton Road at Dade Boulevard will be converted to a through travel lane. By the end of April, the excavation work will extend south to 17th Street

Meanwhile, the first work on the south part of the project will involve checking for underground lines on Fifth, 10th and 14th streets in preparation for drainage work. Lanes may be closed between Alton and West Avenue and West and Bay Road.

Ah, the fun begins.

The 116-room hotel is proposed by the Finvarb Group, developer and owner of at least seven Marriott properties across the country, included the Marriott Courtyard on Washington Avenue in South Beach.

The land where the hotel would be built, north of 17th Street between Alton Road and West Avenue, is owned by the Miami Beach Housing Authority. Finvarb has negotiated to buy it, assuming the hotel project is approved by the city.

On March 13, the Miami Beach City Commission relaxed parking requirements for small hotels in the city’s historic district, and added the 17th Street parking to the the more generous rules. That controversial decision was opposed by the Belle Isle Residents Association and the West Avenue Corridor Neighborhood Association.

At the meeting BIRA representatives complained that the city Parking and Transportation Committee was not asked to review the parking policy change, and the hotel project had not been presented to Belle Isle homeowners. Michael Larkin, the lawyer representing Finvarb, said there had been a meeting scheduled with Belle Isle but it was cancelled because of a death in the Finvarb family.

The project still must be approved by the Miami Beach Planning Board.

– An update on the long-awaited (and somewhat dreaded) Alton Road reconstruction project, which is scheduled to start Monday — April Fools Day.

– The status of the 600 Alton Road project, which would put retail, restaurants and a 440-unit apartment complete between West Avenue and Alton Road north of Fifth Street. The project includes the South Shore Hospital site.

– Efforts to combat neighborhood nuisances, including the Bikini Hostel, the party-themed youth hostel at 12th Street and West Avenue.

The Botanical Gardens, 2000 Convention Center Dr., is a cool venue, and the meeting kicks off with a little social. The association would appreciate an RSVP.

The work will happen in phases, starting next month, and will include the construction of new pumping stations at Fifth, 10th and 14th Streets to battle chronic flooding in the Alton Road-West Avenue area. It wil also bring new signage, stoplights and street lights.

It also sure to spill traffic toward West Avenue during the construction, which is supposed to start south and work its way north.

The Florida Department of Transportation has scheduled two public briefings on the project this week, so you can get the lowdown first hand:

– Tuesday, March 19,  at 6 p.m. at Miami Beach Golf Club, 2301 Alton Rd.

– They approved new rules for hotel parking in historic districts, reducing the requirement to a half space for every hotel room — up to 100 rooms. Because commissioners included a proposed hotel development at 17th Street and West Avenue in the area affected by the change, the proposed 116-room Marriott Residence Inn won’t need parking relief. The vote was 6-1, with Mayor Matti Bower opposed.

– After nearly four hours of debate, they asked the city’s Design Review Board to reconsider its approval of a development called the Palau at Sunset Harbour.  Backed by the Roy Disney family, Palau includes 50 condo units and more than 11,000 square feet of retail space designed by local architect Kobi Karp on the site of the old Mark’s Quality Cleaners and stalled Cypress Bay project at the entrance to two of the four the Sunset Islands.

After almost 10 years of planning, delays and funding challenges, Miami Beach voted Wednesday to hire a contractor for the $11.4 million Venetian Island Streetscape project.

The Venetian Island Homeowners Association has pushed for the improvements to Rivo Alto, DiLido and San Marino islands since at least 2003.

Streetscape drawings show great detail

The project includes storm drainage, road construction, sidewalks (on DiLido and Rivo Alto, electrical wiring, lighting and landscaping. The contract — and nearly $11.4 million in work — was awarded to Lanzo Construction Co.

Back in October, VIHA president Jürgen Brendel told homeowners they would see a “spade in the ground” by early this year.

He may be right. Work should start soon. Because the work is focused on the internal island streets, the impact on Venetian Causeway traffic is expected to be minimal.

Update: Here is a note the VIHA president sent to island residents Thursday morning — project roughly 14 months of construction starting in June or July.

Hello Fellow Venetians

The Board of VIHA is pleased to announce that the Miami Beach Commission has today given the go-ahead for the VENETIAN ISLANDS INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.

We were told this is a 14 months construction period (please don’t hold me to that) and it would start in June/July.

To field any questions, we will hold a membership meeting in late April/early May.

After so many years, we are glad this is finally a reality and it was a team effort of the Board consisting of Debbie, Paula, Emmanuel and myself.

With best regards,

Jürgen Brendel
President VIHA

The proposed change, as approved by the city Planning Board, would only apply to the retention of historic buildings — with an exception specifically designed to enable the construction of a new hotel on the north side of 17th Street and West Avenue.

What’s so special about this hotel? A good question for the city commission to answer. Because the parking rules on the agenda for Wednesday seem to be written with that one project in mind.

Proposed Residence Inn site north of 17th Street

Some background: The Miami Beach Housing Authority owns the pie-shaped sliver of land south of the Collins Canal and just east of the proposed West Avenue bridge, which would extend West Avenue north across 17th Street, the canal and  Dade Boulevard, linking with the Sunset Harbour neighborhood.

The Housing Authority has a contract to sell the land to the Finvarb Group — a company headed by Robert Finvarb that owns and operates a slew of Marriotts in South Florida and across the country.

Finvarb has proposed building a five-story Residence Inn by Marriott on the property.  Designed by architect Kobi Karp, it would have five floors, 116 rooms and only 66 parking spaces in a mechanical garage.

The land sale is contingent on the approval of the hotel project.
And the hotel project can’t go forward without the change in the city’s parking rules.

The developers have repeatedly asked the Planning Board to defer consideration of the hotel because the proposed number of parking spaces assumes the city will lessen parking requirements.

And the parking ordinance analysis the city will vote on Wednesday actually singles out the Finvarb project to be exempted from the requirement that the reduction be “only applicable to retention of historic buildings.”

There are areas where the parking reduction won’t apply at all, because of concerns about parking shortages and traffic congestion. One is the neighborhood south of Fifth Street. Another is the West Avenue corridor, which they city contends ends at the doorstep of the Finvarb property — at West Avenue and 17th Street.

The Housing Authority/Finvarb property is across the street from the West Avenue corridor (and you could argue, that when the West Avenue bridge is built, it will be on the corridor.

Nevertheless, specific  language in the staff recommendation to the city commission mentions Finvarb and this exception to the rule: the proposed hotel would get the .5 space per unit break as long as the hotel agrees it will not have a restaurant, pool, bar or special events open to the public.

The Residence Inn’s restaurant and pool will only be used by hotel guests.

The Belle Isle Residents Association, the West Avenue Corridor Neighborhood Association and and Miami Beach United have opposed the new parking rule, and the new hotel. They argue that 17th Street between Alton Road and West Avenue is one of the city’s most congested areas, and adding the hotel — in fact, creating special rules to accommodate the hotel — just makes no sense.

In a letter sent Monday to the Miami Beach mayor and commissioners, Belle Isle Residents Association President Scott Diffenderfer asked that a decision on the parking rule be deferred so the city’s Transportation and Parking Committee could review it.

Diffenderfer is a committee member, and noted that the group typically reviews ordinances that would change parking requirements.

“I have been a member for five years and I am insulted that an amendment as important and controversial as this has not been presented to us,” he wrote. “There is clearly a breakdown in the process.”

The Belle Isle residents group has been seeking a presentation from zoning lawyer Michael Larkin for months. Larkin has met with selected island residents, but not in an open meeting that anyone could attend.

The Adams estate made way for Belle Towers, Belle Plaza and Costa Brava.

Ever plumb through the historical magazines and newspapers at the Sunday Lincoln Road market?

One of our neighbors from Belle Towers found a gem Sunday.

“I walked up to talk to the magazine lady at the flea market and this guy asked about this house. He lives in Belle Meade and thought this was a mistake! I said no its where I live. He was buying it. I said can I buy it? Lol. He said no. So I took a picture at least.”

You can click on the photo to read the description, but the highlights are: The main house had 11 bedrooms, eight baths, a 75×35 foot music room with a Aeolian pipe organ, and an eight car garage. Oh, and 650 feet of water frontage. All for $350,000. Such as deal!

The Adams estate on the southeast end of Belle Isle.

Joseph Adams owned a big chunk of Belle Isle back in the day. His sprawling estate covered the property where developers built Belle Tower (16 Island Ave., in 1958, Belle Plaza (20 Island Ave., 1962, and Costa Brava (11 Island Ave., 1972).

Adams was a millionaire who came to Florida in 1924. He was an author and inventor who developed something known as the “oil-cracking process,” a way of making larger volumes of gasoline from crude oil by applying continuous heat and pressure. In 1919 and 1920, he obtained patents for the process and machinery that were sold to the Texas Oil Company (which became Texaco) and Standard Oil. He later had a $1 million tax battle with the IRS over income from the patents.

He was one of the founders of the University of Miami, and the boathouse on his Belle Isle estate was the first location of UM’s Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. He willed it to UM in his estate (he died in 1941 at age 74).

This photo shows the Adams and Penney estates

When President-elect Herbert Hoover stayed at the J.C. Penney estate (now 9 Island Avenue) for four weeks starting on Jan. 22, 1929, some 30 staffers and journalists stayed at the adjacent Adams estate, thanks to an agreement between Penney and Adams.

Hoover stayed on Belle Isle before his inauguration (back then, presidential inaugurations were in March), and went fishing on Adams yacht, the Amitie.

The house briefly served as the home of Miami Beach’s first Episcopal Church (All Souls, now on Pine Tree Drive), which was allowed to hold services in the massive music room after Adams death in 1941.

They are active (in their day jobs) in areas from architecture to real estate, and many have key roles in other volunteer quality of life ventures — from Miami Beach committees to civic groups.

The association’s president, Scott Diffenderfer (Belle Plaza), is a local Realtor and a member of Miami Beach’s Transportation Committee.

Vice President Charlie Urstadt lives in Belle Towers, and last month was selected as chair of the city of Miami Beach Planning Board. Urstadt also serves as chair of the Miami Beach Design Preservation League, a director of Friends of Miami Marine Stadium and is managing director of Urstadt Real Estate, a consulting firm.

Jean Francois-Lejeune (Belle Plaza) is a professor of architecture (and director of graduate studies) at the University of Miami, author and a Miami Beach Planning Board member.

Nancy Liebman (9 Island Avenue) is a former Miami Beach City Commissioner, and along with long-time board member Herb Frank, one of the founders  of the activist group Miami Beach United. Frank is active with Scenic Miami.

At the risk of leaving anyone out, here’s a complete list of board members as of the latest Belle Island Association election, from the association website:

• Scott Diffenderfer (20 Island Avenue) [President]
• Josh Fisher (9 Island Avenue)
• Herb Frank (10 Venetian Way) [Treasurer]
• Garry Korr (11 Island Avenue)
• Sandra Money (3 Island Avenue)
• Barbara Frank (10 Venetian Way)
• Nancy Liebman (9 Island Avenue)
• David Leeds (20 Island Avenue)
• Monica Tracy (5 Island Avenue) [Secretary)

Secretary Monica Tracey (5 Island Ave.) is an active area real estate agent.

Collins Canal seawall work at Bay Road (photo by Josh Fisher)

If you live on Belle Isle, in Sunset Harbour or the West Avenue corridor, no one has to tell you about sea rise and flooding — you’ve experienced it first-hand on dry days during high tide.

City engineers are predicting another bout of high water during April, at the same time several projects large and small move ahead to battle the salt water.

Bay Road and Collins Canal in November, 2012 (Josh Fisher).

Along the Collins Canal, work continues on the new seawall and adjacent bike and pedestrian path. Thanks to Belle Isle’s Josh Fisher for these photos of the sea wall work where Bay Road dead-ends on the south side of the canal, from last week and a comparative shot during a high-water period in November 2012.

Construction continues on the pumping stations in Sunset Harbour in an attempt to bring relief in particular to the mess at Purdy and Venetian Way across from Maurice Gibb Park and the corner of Purdy and 20th Street at the Pubbelly curve.

Location of drainage construction corridors.

And April is when construction is supposed to begin on the much talked avout Alton Road reconstruction project, which includes new pumping stations at Fifth, 10th and 14th streets.

The discussion went on from about 4:30 p.m. to nearly 8 p.m., and was tweeted live by The Miami Herald’s Christina Veiga.

In general, the project got a favorable review, with some rough spots. The city planning staff report recommended its approval, with myriad conditions. In Tuesday’s meeting, much of discussion involved the developer’s concerns with the staff report — as well as several areas where residents and the board wanted more information.

But first, here are some vital features and stats on the huge project, which includes property between Alton Road and West Avenue between Fifth and Seventh streets:

– It calls for 60,000 square feet of retail and restaurant uses on the ground floor, 444 apartments, 1,073 parking spaces below ground.

– A new seven-story building will be constructed on the 500 block of Alton Road, and a five-story building on the 600 block.

– The dilapidated South Shore Hospital building, 10 stories, would be rehabbed and included in the project.

– The 60,000 square feet of retail and commercial space on the ground level allow pedestrians to walk open air through the base of the project. Outdoor restaurants on West Avenue side would have to close by midnight.

If the project clears the Planning Board, it would next be reviewed by the Design Review Board.

The developers of a proposed 116-room hotel at 1231 17th St. — planned as a Marriott Residence Inn with a 66-space mechanical parking garage — have asked to defer their project until the board’s April 3 meeting. It’s the second time they have asked the Planning Board to delay considering the project.

As for 600 Alton Road, the city planning staff is recommending approval of the 440-unit apartment and retail complex — with dozens of conditions.

In its 18-page planning staff report on the project — which covers the area between Alton Road and West Avenue and Fifth and Seventh streets — the city recommends several measures to reduce the impact on residential West Avenue.

Among them: allowing no outdoor dining and no bars or restaurants open after midnight.

The proposal from Crescent Heights development (South Beach Heights LLC in the formal application) involves renovation — not demolition — of the old (and hurricane damaged) South Shore Hospital structure as part of the project.

The vital statistics: 60,000 square feet of retail and restaurant uses on the ground floor, 444 apartments, 1,073 parking spaces below ground. A new seven-story building will be constructed on the 500 block of Alton Road, and a five-story building on the 600 block. The South Shore building is 10 stories.

Today’s regular Planning Board meeting starts at 2 p.m. at City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Dr. The project is not the first item on the agenda.

It’s important to note that if the Planning Board approves the project, it next must undergo scrutiny by the city’s Design Review Board.

The meeting happens Thursday, Feb. 21, at 6 p.m. at the Miami Beach Golf Course clubhouse. The West Avenue Neighborhood Association asks that you RSVP if you plan to attend.

At a meeting in January, Crescent Heights showed a proposal for a sleek complex that included 440 rental apartments above 60,000-square feet of retail space and parking for 1073 cars.

The configuration of the retail at street level included open air walkways under the building, and green space (described as a mini-park) facing Fifth Street. Parking was underground, an interesting challenge given the frequency of street flooding in the area.

There were many questions about traffic impact during that meeting, and Crescent Heights promised to follow up with a session with the traffic plan — and this is it.

Meanwhile, Crescent Heights is scheduled to appear at the Planning Board on Feb. 26 and the Design Review Board on March 5.

Daybreak at the Belle Isle bus shelter. Video, anyone?

Can you picture Miami Beach’s bus shelters featuring a big flat screen TV that changes that change images every eight seconds?

That’s what Clear Channel sought permission to do in Miami Beach with digital outdoor signs, a proposal the Design Review Board voted down last week. But the proposal is expected to resurface — perhaps at the City Commission — as Miami Beach continues to wrestle with proposals to put more advertising messages on public spaces.

The folks from DecoBikes started with no ads on their kiosks, then asked for ads and were turned down. A year later, they came back and received approval. Of course, the DecoBike ads spaces are smaller — and static.

Digital shelter in London.

The digital screen bus shelter idea has been done in some transit-intensive cities, such as San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C. and London. There, the digital displays feature advertising, but also are used to tell commuters when they can expect different buses or trains to arrive.

San Francisco began experimenting with digital screens in bus shelters in November 2010; they even allow people waiting for buses to play interactive games. The system architecture that supports the bus shelters links them together to allow touch-enabled social gaming possible across neighborhoods.

In Chicago, the shelters that house the screens also have LED boards that update bus riders with information on when buses will arrive. It’s the same situation in Washington D.C., where the city is replacing all its shelters with units that include digital screens under a 20-year agreement with Clear Channel.

Miami Beach’s bus shelters, carefully designed to fit with the city’s Art Deco and MIMO architecture, already include advertising from Clear Channel; that helped pay for the shelters city-wide.

In its new request, Clear Channel has asked “to replace the existing advertising panels with digital panels in order to show advertising which would change every eight seconds,” according to a Miami Beach staff report.

Clear Channel contends that the digital displays can provide a public good by providing commuter and tourist information, in addition to advertising. And they say it won’t be distracting to motorists passing by.

A company selling the ads on the panels, MatrixMedia services, describes them this way on its website:

Digital Bus Shelters or digital transit shelters offer 24-hour visibility to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. These displays are perfect for a street level marketing campaign since they are typically placed at high circulation locations. Digital transit displays hold multiple advertisers and rotates through messages throughout the day. The movement between advertisers will catch the eye of consumers as they are approaching the digital bus shelters.

The proposal will contribute to visual pollution and distract drivers, Peter Ehrlich told Belle Isle residents at a meeting last month. Ehrlich is part of Scenic Miami, a civic group that has been battling digital billboards and other sign proliferation around Miami-Dade County.

In its analysis of the request, Miami Beach planning staff found lots to quarrel with — the signs would require electrical power to the shelters, not just solar; they would not be restricted to residential neighborhoods; the possibility of driver distraction; the potential of the screens displaying full video.The staff recommended the requested be rejected.

On Nov. 20, Miami Beach’s Historic Preservation Board reviewed Clear Channel’s  and denied it. In addition, it passed a resolution opposing any form of digital advertising.

The Design Review Board’s denial came Feb. 6. But Clear Channel indicated they would be back. A push to the City Commission could be the next step.

With leadership from co-chairs Christine Florez and Gayle Durham, the WAVNA community group has drawn serious attention from Miami Beach officials and developers who want to do business in the area. Florez, by the way, recently filed papers to run for the Miami Beach City Commission.

Key items on the West Avenue agenda this year:

–How the city and the Florida Department of Transportation handle the reconstruction of Alton Road and new pumping stations to reduce flooding;

– The proposal from Crescent Heights to replace South Shore Hospital with a large new rental/retail complex called 600 Alton Road. The proposal goes to the Miami Beach Planning Board on Feb. 26, and the Design Review Board on March 6.

– How Miami Beach deals with valet parking and neighborhood concerns associated with the renovation of Southgate Towers on the east side of West Avenue and 10th Street and plans to open a 200-seat restaurant with outdoor seating and valet parking on that property.

– The efforts of the Bikini Hostel, 1255 West Ave., to acquire a liquor license. The association launched a petition drive to try and block the granting of the liquor license.

It’s a fun event for participants — and a wise thing to plan around for errand-running South Beach residents.

For Belle Isle and other Venetian Causeway dwellers, it’s important to know that the last leg of the ride takes riders down Alton Road from Middle Beach and then east at 20th Street to Dade Boulevard and the Convention Center area.

The ride starts at Fifth Street and Washington Avenue. Here’s the general route, for planning purposes:

• Fifth Street from Washington Avenue to Ocean Drive
• Ocean Drive from Fifth to 15 streets
• 15 Street from Ocean Drive to Collins Avenue
• Collins Avenue from 15 Street to 87 Street
• 87 Terrace between Collins Avenue and Harding Avenue
• Harding Avenue from 87 Terrace (to Indian Creek) to 63 Street
• 63 Street from Indian Creek to North Bay Road
• North Bay Road south from 63 Street to 45 Street/Alton Road
• Alton Road from 45 Street to 20 Street
• Dade Boulevard from 20 Street to Convention Center Drive
• Convention Center Drive
• 17 Street from Convention Center Drive to Washington Avenue
• Washington Avenue south from 17 Street back to Fifth Street

It’s a fun event for participants — and a wise thing to plan around for errand-running South Beach residents.

For Belle Isle and other Venetian Causeway dwellers, it’s important to know that the last leg of the ride takes riders down Alton Road from Middle Beach and then east at 20th Street to Dade Boulevard and the Convention Center area.

The ride starts at Fifth Street and Washington Avenue. Here’s the general route, for planning purposes:

• Fifth Street from Washington Avenue to Ocean Drive
• Ocean Drive from Fifth to 15 streets
• 15 Street from Ocean Drive to Collins Avenue
• Collins Avenue from 15 Street to 87 Street
• 87 Terrace between Collins Avenue and Harding Avenue
• Harding Avenue from 87 Terrace (to Indian Creek) to 63 Street
• 63 Street from Indian Creek to North Bay Road
• North Bay Road south from 63 Street to 45 Street/Alton Road
• Alton Road from 45 Street to 20 Street
• Dade Boulevard from 20 Street to Convention Center Drive
• Convention Center Drive
• 17 Street from Convention Center Drive to Washington Avenue
• Washington Avenue south from 17 Street back to Fifth Street

A 1959 postcard from the Monterey Motel on Belle Isle.

As The Standard (formerly Lido Spa) unveils plans for its third major renovation, it’s a good opportunity to review the architectural lineage of a property that includes work by luminaries in South Florida design history.

Most folks who consider themselves Miami Beach old timers associate The Standard with the Lido Spa — for years a destination for a certain generation, more blue hair than purple streaks, less hip than hip replacement.

Ah, uncongested Belle Isle.

But the Lido was the second incarnation of  hotel/motel at 40 Island Ave.

It started in 1953, and was known as the Monterrey Motel. Architect Norman Giller originally designed the Monterrey with a glass gable facade. It had two wings of rooms, two floors on the west and one floor on the east.

Giller’s hotel designs are considered groundbreaking works of Miami Modern architecture. His other work includes the Ocean Palm and Thunderbird Motels in Sunny Isles Beach, and the Carillon Hotel and the North Shore Bandshell in North Beach.

The original Monterrey became the Lido Spa in 1960. The new owner added the three-story lobby and spa building with the classic sign and gold grille panels. Here’s where the architectural history becomes more murky.

Many publications have attributed that work  to architectural legend Morris Lapidus.

Among them: Travel and Leisure magazine in a much repeated piece from 2005, and the city of Miami Beach in it’s own MiMoTutorial

But the authoritative book MIMO: Miami Modern Revealed, by Eric Nash and Randall Robinson, credits  A. Herbert Mathes  for the entry building design. So does Miami Architecture, an American Institute of Architects guide to South Florida’s design treasures.

The Lapidus anthology Morris Lapidus: The Architecture of Joy, which lists all of Lapidus buildings, does not mention the Lido at all.

Tom Mooney, the city of Miami Beach preservation officer and planner, says the city of Miami Beach building card for 40 Island Ave. does not name Lapidus, though it does name Norman Giller for the original design. It’s worth a look, to see that the original Monterrey building cost was estimated at $200,000. You can see renovation details from air conditioning upgrades to pool construction.

3 Island Ave.

5 Island Ave.

(It’s worth mentioning that Lapidus did make his mark on Belle Isle. Two other Belle Isle buildings are Lapidus designs: Terrace Tower (1962) at 3 Island Ave. and Island Terrace (1967), 5 Island Ave.)

The 2005 renovation of The Standard was done by Alison Spear, one of the founders of the groundbreaking Miami architectural firm Arquitectonica.

In 1962, Belle Isle with Monterrey/Lido in the foreground, slightly left.

Runners in high spirits crossing Belle Isle

They wore running gear and wedding gowns, kooky headgear and Kinesio tape, their own names (Go, Charles!) and the names of honored loved ones on their shirts and hats and shorts.

And on their faces, the 25,000 or so runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes who crossed Belle Isle in Sunday’s ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon wore the look of pride you get from working hard and achieving  a personal goal.

Wheelchair athletes started before runners.

The first wheelchair competitor crossed the island at 6:34 a.m. (after a 6:05 a.m. start). Our first runner crossed at 6:58 a.m., following a Nissan Leaf pace car. And the rest of the field streamed over bridge from Sunset Harbour headed west across Rivo Alto, DiLido, San Marino, San Marco and Biscayne islands on their way to the mainland.

First runner to Belle Isle

They were cheered on by a smattering of family, friends and Belle Isle residents,  along with the water-and-Gatorade crew from Baptist Health, If you were running in Sunday’s ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon, you might have wished it was a little cooler. But the overcast skies kept the heat down as the sun rose in the early morning.

The volunteer crew from Baptist Health (station G) filled paper cups in the darkness before 6 a.m. By 7:30, they were awash in Gatorade and up to their ankles in crushed cups.

But the story of the day was the runners — fast, slow, elite athlete and weekend warrior. Here’s a look at the rest of the runners (click on any photo to enlarge and get a better view. Maybe you are in there!)

Dennis “Coatman” Marsala

Plans involve removing the east wing (on right), to make way for parking, 2-story wing.

Belle Isle residents gave a The Standard hotel an uneven reception to its proposal to tear down its east wing to make room for a 160-space mechanical parking structure and a new, two- story building.

Attorney Monica Entin and architect Arthur Marcus at The Standard.

In a presentation Wednesday night at the hotel, 40 Island Ave., the lawyer for The Standard’s development team,  Monica Entin, said the expansion “will benefit the neighborhood.”

She said it would  reduce traffic, won’t add any hotel rooms, and will enclose the kitchen for the hotel and therefore reduce noise.

“We aren’t seeking any additional uses or hours of operations,” she told residents.

But residents who attended the meeting from the north side of Belle Isle — where The Standard is located — expressed concern that the increased scale from the expansion would have a negative impact on their quality of life.

The Standard team, which included architect Arnold Marcus and specialists in traffic, acoustics and landscaping, outlined a construction plan that begins with demolishing the one-story wing of rooms at the hotel.

A robotic parking structure would rise just behind the three story lobby/spa building that would be roughly 45 feet high — about the same height at the building in front of it.

Behind the parking structure, The Standard would build a two-story wing of rooms.

If the project moves forward,  it would take about eight months to a year to get city approval for the changes design, and the demolition and construction process would take more than a year, after that developer representatives said.

But nothing happens unless the Miami Beach City Commission okays the demolition of the original wing. If that is approved, the city planning and design boards would be next in the process to evaluate the garage design and the new two-story wing.

The Standard team emphasized how aspects of their plan could lessen impact on Belle Isle residents.

– While the 160-space garage would mean cars could park on site, they said it would actually decrease Belle Isle traffic. Because the hotel and spa has no on-site parking, each visitor to the hotel, spa or restaurant who arrives in their own car generates multiple trips at the hotel, traffic engineer Joaquin Vargas said — one into the hotel, then two more as a valet and trailing shuttle bus drive to a rented parking lot in Sunset Harbour, and then a trip back.

The process of parking that single car takes time, and as a result, cars often back up at the porte-cochère at The Standard front door — and so taxis sometimes stop on Island Avenue to drop off hotel guests.

“If we have a garage on site, it will alleviate” much of the traffic and congestion, Vargas said.

– The parking garage walls would be clad with landscaping — “a living wall of plants,” the landscape architect said — to lessen its visual impact.

– The new two-story wing of rooms will have interior hallways, and all the balconies would face the hotel’s center courtyard, rather than the bungalows on Farrey Lane. That will decrease noise affecting residents east of the hotel, they said.

– The Standard will install acoustical panels on the east side of the complex, and well as panels around the air conditioning chillers, said Don Washburn, a sound expert hired by The Standard.

But residents — especially those on Farrey Lane — were not pleased. They said the new garage will tower over their small homes, and change their quality of life.

Farrey Lane resident Frank Scottoline said he now looks out from his kitchen to trees and blue skies. If the garage is built, he said, all he will see is a big wall, blocking any view and light.

The shift of auto activity from the front of the hotel on Island Avenue to the east side of the property also will impact the Farrey Lane residents, they said. At one point, the homeowners were asked if they would prefer if the traffic would stay as it is.

“Yes,” they answered emphatically.

Belle Isle residents learned of the proposal last week  during the Belle Isle Residents Association meeting.

According to BIRA President Scott Diffenderfer, The Standard plans to raze the one-story east wing of the hotel. In its place it would build a robotic parking garage no taller than the three-story spa and lobby building that provides entry to the hotel. Behind that, plans include a new, two-story wing with interior hallways.

We’ll share more details — and hopefully some renderings — after tonight’s meeting at the hotel, 40 Island Ave.

The 2013 ING Marathon path across our islands.

The 2013 ING Marathon and half-marathon — the huge community event that brings 25,000 runners across the Belle Isle and the Venetian Causeway — returns in one week, on Sunday, Jan. 27.

Ask the runners, and most will tell you that the Venetian Causeway crossing is the most beautiful stretch of the race.

The organizers delivered marathon hangers to Venetian Isle homeowners earlier this week, to make sure we’re prepared for the Sunday morning traffic disruptions and know when to get out and cheer. Later this week, we’ll see portable toilets and other necessities moved into place.

The marathon brings money and visitors to the community, and the group that runs it works hard to ensure it isn’t too disruptive on Sunday morning. Event manager Whitney Murphy promises all you’ll hear are the footfalls of runners, and our islands will be cleaned up by afternoon.

Here’s some Belle Isle Blog advice on how to make the best of the event:

– Get out and cheer the runners. The race starts at 6:05 a.m. for wheelchair competitors and 6:15 a.m. for runners. We’ll see the leaders pass Belle Isle (mile 8)  around 6:30 a.m., and we’ll see people who have trained for months crossing until 9:30 or 10 a.m. They range from elite athletes to average folks who committed to goal and are on their way to achieving it. Make signs to motivate the runners. Your enthusiasm will help lift them to success.

Lady Liberty?

– Plan your morning around the race. From about 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., you’ll only be able to go east on Venetian Way by car, and quite slowly. If you want to go to breakfast, you might want to walk. That way, you can cheer the runners as you go along. IF you HAVE to go to the mainland in the morning, plan to ease your way east on Venetian Way, then south on West Avenue, and east on the MacArthur Causeway, where westbound lanes will be open.

There are several key water stations on the Venetian Causeway leg of the route, one on Belle Isle (mile 8),  San Marco Island (mile 9) and Biscayne Island (Mile 10)

Enjoy the race . Belle Isle Blog will be taking photos of the runners from our island, and promises to post them on the site as early as possible Sunday morning. Here’s a look at last year’s coverage.

Bike path and seawall work between Alton Road and Michigan.

Stalled work on the Collins Canal seawall and bike path has resumed, and the project should be complete in late April, Belle Isle residents were told this week.

Construction on the seawall and bike path was halted last fall after Miami-Dade prosecutors arrested former Miami Beach procurement director Gus Lopez on  63 charges including racketeering, bid-tampering and illegal compensation in connection with a dozen different city contracts. The bike path contract, with Harbour Construction, is one of the projects tied to that investigation.

The city has decided to move forward with the work, said Rick Saltrick, chief capital projects engineer for the city.

“We stopped work for a while because of procurement issues,” he told a gathering of the Belle Isle Residents Association on Wednesday night. ” We decided to go ahead and let him finish….We shouldn’t punish the rest of the city” with an unfinished project.

Harbour Construction had already been been paid more than $3.6 million on the $4 million project. The Miami Herald reported that police said company employees admitted to falsifying a letter of credit and receiving leaked information about other companies’ bids.

The project extends the existing bike path from where Dade Boulevard splits off of 17th Street at the Collins Canal bridge to Convention Center Drive.  In all, it’s 2,900 long, and will enable bikers, runners and parents pushing strollers to get from Belle Isle to the beach on a nice sidewalk all the way.

The improvements include raising the existing seawall to address times of high water. Completed, the path will feature a wider concrete path, landscaping and improved lighting using LED fixtures.

The Standard on Belle Isle is valet only — today.

The Standard, the hip hotel and spa in the renovated Lido Spa on Belle Isle, is planning an ambitious reconstruction that includes rebuilding a wing of rooms and constructing a mechanical on-site parking structure.

“The Standard is looking at an expansion,” Belle Isle Residents Association president Scott Diffenderfer told island residents at a community meeting Wednesday night.

The Standard has scheduled a meeting to give Belle Isle residents an overview of the plans at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23 at the hotel, 40 Island Ave.

Diffenderfer said The Standard has said the project will add only a few rooms to the property. It involves knocking down the one-story eastern wing of rooms. The garage would go behind the main, three-story lobby and spa structure. A new, two-story east wing of rooms would be built — with larger rooms and interior hallways.

Cars entering the robotic garage on Collins Avenue.

The parking structure would work like an automated garage that opened earlier this year at 1826 Collins Ave, billed as he first of its kind in South Florida.  Built by Stellar Construction, the Collins garage looks like a retail space, with a wide entrance where cars drive in. Once inside, robotic platforms slide underneath, lift them up and put them in a parking spot.

The old Lido Spa was renovated and reopened by hotelier Andre Balazs in 2005. Parking always posed a problem, with a valet-only policy and a rented lot in Sunset Harbour.

In renovating the Lido — a 1950s vintage hotel that was renovated in 1960 with the MIMO Three-story lobby and spa building in the early 1960s– Balazs brought quiet hip to sleepy Belle Isle. Neighbors always worried the party might get too wild.

Restrictions on the property due to its residential surroundings — they can’t serve liquor after midnight and music can’t be so loud that it will disturb neighboring properties — were in place before the 2005 renovation.

Diffenderfer said the Belle Isle association has not taken a position on the proposal — and don’t until they see it in its final form and get neighborhood feedback. “We need to see what shape it will ultimately take.”

Lozman

Fane Lozman, former Marine, commodities trader and civic activist, won his case before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. He’s on the front page of The Miami Herald today.

In a 7-2 decision, the Supremes decided the city of Riviera Beach, where Lozman used to live, could not regulate Lozman’s former home as a maritime vessel.

The court concluded that Riviera Beach went too far when it used maritime law to seize and eventually destroy Lozman’s houseboat.

Congrats to our Belle Isle neighbor, who spends a lot of time at Nine Island Avenue.

You may remember that Lozman got into a dust-up last year with KW Property Management at Nine Island, when his Ducati motorcycle disappeared from the parking garage. When he brought up the theft at a condo board meeting, he said the building management tried to shut him up and called Miami Beach police.

As we blogged back then — Lozman isn’t a guy to be taken lightly.

Crescent Heights presents 600 Alton Road to West Avenue residents.

The project that developer Russell Galbut wants to build to replace the crumbling South Shore Hospital building will house 440 rental apartments above 60,000-square feet of retail space with a swath of green space facing Fifth Street and underground parking for 1073 cars.

Rendering of proposed rental/retail at South Shore.

Known as 600 Alton Road, the sleek glass and silver project would include two main buildings between Fifth to Eighth streets and Alton Road and West Avenue.

There would be 440 apartment units with an average size of 850 square feet — and they would range from one bedrooms to three bedrooms.

An alley running east-west between Alton and West would divide the two main buildings between Sixth and Seventh streets. At the street level, pedestrians would be able to walk corridors under the main buildings to the various retail shops and restaurants.

At a meeting organized by the West Avenue Corridor Neighborhood Association, Crescent Heights project manager Chaim Elkoby said no more than 30 percent of the retail space would be restaurants, and the restaurants on the West Avenue side of the complex would have to close by midnight.

WAVNA posted YouTube videos and photos from the presentation on its Facebook page.

He said he is trying to be sensitive to noise concerns on West Avenue and “we will have residents on our own site to worry about.”

All the parking would be “below grade,” and that means underground. So the city project to renovate Alton Road and add pumping stations for drainage in the Alton-West Corridor is pretty important to the plan.

Elkoby said that if the project moves forward as planned, it will go before the Miami Beach Planning Board, the Design Review Board and then the construction document phase would take four to six months. Based on that scenario, the target is to begin construction in November 2013, and construction would take 24 months “from groundbreaking to opening.”

About 60 residents attended the presentation at the Miami Beach Golf Course. Several had questions about the traffic impact from the project, and were told there could be another meeting with the traffic engineer “in a couple of weeks.”

This week, Belle Isle residents will learn why that hasn’t happened — along with a new goal of making the switch by the end of 2013.

Bauman, whose responsibilities include overseeing the Venetian and Rickenbacker causeways, said In January 2012 that he expected the Rickenbacker to convert to SunPass by June or July 2012, and that the Venetian would convert in the fall.

But he tells El Nuevo Herald’s Alfonso Chardy that contractor issues and efforts by Florida’s toll agencies to centralize back office billing operations caused the delays.

There are other details to be worked out. The county has said it wants to convert the Rickenbacker to an all-electronic toll system; on the Venetian, island residents have been told a cash lane will remain even after the switch to SunPass.

When the Venetian opened, tolls cost a dime.

Island residents will still be able to buy an annual $24 pass to use the causeway (it will be part of the SunPass programming), and commuters can pay $90 for annual use. But there is concern on the Venetian Islands that allowing everyone to pass through the toll with an electronic device would lead to more speeding on the residential causeway.

Bicycle activists also oppose removing the toll booths, which they said help hold down speeds on the causeways.

At a Venetian Islands Homeowner Association meeting last month, VIHA president Juergen Brendel asked Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Gongora if tolls for non-residents should be raised to $3 to discourage traffic. Gongora said that was a Miami-Dade County decision. The current cash toll is $1.50.

It’s a long way from the days when the causeway opened, and the privately-owned bridge actually advertised to attract drivers to pay the toll for a shorter crossing to Miami Beach.

The SunPass issue is among the items to be discussed at Wednesday’s Belle Isle Residents Association meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. (Jan. 16) at Belle Plaza, 20 Island Ave.

Rendering of proposed rental/retail at South Shore.

The owners of South Shore Hospital, the gutted structure at the foot of the MacArthur Causeway that’s been an eyesore since Hurricane Wilma in October 2005, will present plans for a new development on the property at a community meeting on Tuesday at the Miami Beach Golf Course.

The meeting, which starts at 6 p.m., is a preview for the West Avenue Corridor Neighborhood Association. WAVNA asks residents who plan to attend to RSVP.

South Shore, at 630 Alton Rd, had closed well before before Wilma blew out about 100 windows from the structure on Oct. 24, 2005. In the years since, it has deteriorated further, and owner Crescent Heights has proposed several different plans for development, including a big mall and residential tower.

That controversial plan drew opposition from neighborhood associations on West Avenue and South of Fifth. It also created a controversy when Crescent Heights owner Russell Galbut sought to hold a design charrette at Miami Beach City Hall for the development. He ultimately moved that meeting to the Shelbourne Hotel, which Crescent Heights owns.

The latest plan, is believed to be a simpler proposal with street-level retail and rental apartments above.

On its website, Bikini Hostel sells skin.

You may not know it, but there’s a youth hostel down the street on West Avenue with a name you might expect more for a soft-core movie than a lodging residence: Bikini Hostel.

If it sounds a little scandalous, here’s a snippet from the About section of the Bikini Hostel website:

Party! Party! Party! You will be able to party all night long and then sleep any time in quiet and comfort…Staying at the Bikini Hostel Resort, you are across the street from the intra-coastal water way views of Miami Beach—tropical palm tree islands, downtown Miami— nightly lit up skyline and the weekend DJ pool parties at the Mondrian Hotel – where the hottest beautiful bodies groove to the sexiest music and play in the sun all day long!

Well, then.

The Bikini Hostel is comprised of an apartment building at 1247 West Ave., and two adjacent homes, at 1255 West Ave and 1234 13 St.

More from bikinihostel.com

The West Avenue Corridor Neighborhood Association isn’t exactly thrilled to have the hostel in their hood. And even less thrilled with the prospect of the place getting a liquor license.  What to do?

They are petitioning to block the request. The petition says, in part:

The Bikini Hostel is a nuisance as it is but adding a license to alcohol will only make it worse. The hostel is incompatible with this highly residential and stable community. We oppose the Bikini Hostel’s application for a liquor license.

Of course, there are several places to buy beer, wine or hard liquor near the hostel — certainly within a three block walk.

Will a new pumping system, almost complete, keep Sunset Harbour dry the next time we have a full moon and high tide at the same time?

When will the city of Miami Beach finish work on the new Collins Canal seawall and adjacent bike path?

Should digital signage — also known as electronic billboards — be allowed as part of Miami Beach bus shelters?

All those issues and more are one the agenda for the Belle Isle Residents Association annual meeting, which happens Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the Belle Plaza meeting room, 20 Island Ave.

The gathering starts social at 6 p.m., and the meeting should begin at 7.

Representatives from the city of Miami Beach will be on hand to discuss a variety of projects, and hear from residents, says association president Scott Diffenderfer.

Here’s a look at the full agenda:

Discussion and updates on the following City, County and developer projects:
– Collins Canal Seawall and Dade Blvd. Bike Path
– Alton Road Construction and traffic detour plans which will affect West Avenue and Venetian Way
– Ongoing Sunset Harbour Flooding and Pump Station Enhancement project
– Venetian Islands construction on side streets
– Proposed expansion and addition of parking at Standard Hotel
– Proposed Hotel on 17th Street and West Avenue
– Introduction of Miami Beach United
– Update on selection of City Manager
- Update on Convention Center Expansion
– Discussion of request to install Electronic Billboards to bus shelters in Miami Beach
– Timeline and info on how to register your SunPass for use on the Venetian Causeway
– Open forum for residents to ask questions and provide comments

In 2012, we survived the trauma of Venetian Causeway construction, frequent flooding in Sunset Harbour and and along West Avenue and Alton Road, sidewalks lost to work on the new parking garage and shops and the new bikeway along the Collins Canal.

We saw Miami Beach and the Florida Department of Transportation push forward plans for a bridge over the canal at West Avenue.

Our culinary options expanded with the rise of the Pubbelly empire on Sunset Harbour. We’ll have PB Steak in mid-January 2013.

And what else will the new year bring?

New road projects that will create short-term inconvenience, and hopefully long-term benefit. More development pressure. And discussion of how to resolve the flooding headaches caused by rising sea level. Some key issues:

Location of drainage construction corridors.

– Alton Road Construction. The city of Miami Beach will take on a major road improvement and drainage project, starting in April, along Alton Road. The work will extend from Fifth Street to Michigan Avenue, working from south to north, and it’s expected to last two-and-one-half years.

The $27.5 million project will include the installation of a new drainage system, with new pumping stations at Fifth, 10th and 14th streets. It also will include new signage, stoplights and street lights. There will be road closings and detours for the pumping stations (on 10th and 14th streets) and the diversion of traffic to West Avenue.

– Streetscape on Venetian Isles. Work will begin on the long-awaited streetscape project that will bring new landscaping, lighting, sidewalks and drainage to Rivo Alton, DiLido and San Marino Islands. It should have little impact on Venetian Way, and will greatly prettify the islands themselves.

– The Sunset Harbour boom. We’ve only seen two stores open in Sunset Harbour shops, but in the first quarter of 2013, we’ll see more stores and restaurants and the area turning into an even more attractive destination. How will it accommodate the traffic? And what happens when the streets flood. It’s great to see all the activity, but a little worrisome at the same time.

– Sunpass on the Venetian. By May 2013, the Venetian Causeway toll system is supposed to switch to Sunpass, though the county is far behind schedule in converting the Rickenbacker Causeway away from C-Pass and there’s been slippage for the Venetian as well. Many worry the change will encourage more traffic on the Venetian. We’ll keep you posted on the timeline for this change.

Rendering of proposed rental/retail at South Shore.

– West Avenue development. There are a number of important development proposals on the table for 2013 on West Avenue: a renovation of Southgate Towers, including a 200-seat restaurant; replacing the old South Shore Hospital with a rental project with street-level retail, and a Marriott Residence Inn north 17th Street off Alton Road. There’s a Jan. 15 presentation on the South Shore Hospital plan.

The pool and deck at 9 Island Avenue finally open.

After 19 months of construction, the pool and deck at 9 Island Avenue reopened on Christmas Day.

A gorgeous day at the pool.

Surrounded by brand new white patio lounges and chairs, with blue cushions, the sparkling water was a huge hit with residents, who began gathering poolside after 9 a.m.

The pool closed in May 2011 for a massive deck and parking garage construction project. There’s still some work to be done — the pool landscaping isn’t finished, nor is is all the work on the two garage levels — what’s complete looks great.

Now, the team that created Pubbelly, Pubbelly Sushi and Barceloneta is getting the white house at 1787 Purdy Ave. prepped for a January opening as PB Steak.

Lesley Abravanel has a preview at Miami.com. Among the menu items: an extensive raw bar, steak tartar sliders, steak entrees from $19 to $60, and a veal porterhouse.

The bar will feature mixologist Ashley Danella, formerly of Hakkasan at the Fontainebleau.

Opening target is the second week of January.

Circus elephants cross the Venetian Causeway west drawbridge.

On Jan. 9, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus makes its annual trek to Miami. It will play at American Airlines Arena downtown.

Back in the day, the circus played on Miami Beach, and its annual visit began with an elephant walk from the train tracks downtown east across the Venetian Causeway to the Miami Beach Convention Hall.

This 1960 photograph shows the elephant walk on Jan. 23, 1960. The elephants are heading east, past the drawbridge, where cars are backed up. Causeway emblems are advertised for sale at the causeway office on Biscayne Island.

Near the west shore of Biscayne Bay, you can see a radio tower and turned dirt and buildings. What’s missing? The Miami Herald building. Construction officially began on The Herald building in August 1960, and it opened in March 1963.

IN this photo, you can see the Boulevard Shops, which are still on the Herald property at 14th Street and Biscayne Boulevard, and some other structures.

Proposed Residence Inn site north of 17th Street

Homeowners along the Venetian Causeway and West Avenue fear a proposal to build a hotel off 17^th Street near Alton Road will create congestion and parking problems.

The hotel, proposed to be a 116-room Marriott Residence Inn, would be built on a pie-shaped tract of land between 17^th Street and Dade Boulevard west of Alton Road.  Picture it behind Boston Market.  Designed by Kobi Karp, it would be five floors high.

“We’re not against hotels,’’ West Avenue Corridor Neighborhood Association co-chair Christina Florez said at Thursday’s meeting of the Venetian Islands Homeowners Association. “We’re concerned about incompatible development in a residential community.’’

Miami Beach zoning rules allow the hotel in the location, but the developers have asked to reduce the parking requirement, Florez said. The developers, SOBE17 LLC, have asked the Miami Beach Planning Board for permission to use a parking garage with mechanical lifts to provide 66 spaces on the site.

A hearing had been scheduled for Dec. 18, but the developer has asked to delay the hearing until Jan. 22.

The parking request for the Residence Inn is part of a broader proposal Miami Beach is considering that would lower the number of parking spaces required for hotels. Miami Beach United and several neighborhood associations have come out against the parking proposal, in the belief it will lead to greater congestion in largely residential areas like West Avenue.

The meeting happens at 6:30 p.m. at 250 East San Marino Dr., on San Marino Island.

Among the items on the agenda:

– A report from the Miami Beach police department on island burglaries and efforts to blunt them

– The possibility of a hotel development on 17th Street and Alton Road

– A report on the Genting Project on the Miami Herald property

– Plans to switch Venetian Causeway toll collection to SunPass

And you have to believe the issue of house knockdowns and mega-mansions will arise as well.

Beyonce and Jay-Z at The Standard.

Art Basel-related madness goes on all around us, the Belle Isle’s own spa and hotel at The Standard is a focal point for collectors and celebs.

So who hit the island last night? None other than Beyonce and hubby Jay-Z, as you can see from this screen shot on Twitter.  The full tweet? Now that’s a BUN! RT @Refinery29: Dying over @Beyonce hair

Others there during the last few days: Photographer Bruce Weber, rapper and singer Azealia Banks, photographer Terry Richardson, actress Demi Moore, actress/model Stacy Keibler and rocker Lenny Kravitz.

Latin American cable executive Ahmad Lee Khamsi on Tuesday withdrew his proposal to build a 12,000-square-foot home on two lots he owns on West DiLido Dr. before Miami Beach’s Design Review Board could vote on the plans.

The address of the existing homes are 206 and 212 W. DiLido Dr. Each lot is 10,500 square feet, and according to the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser website, Khamsi bought 212 W. DiLido in May 2011 (for $2.6 million) and 206 W. DiLido in June 2012 (for $2.28 million).

Some Venetian homeowners opposed the plans as out of scale for the neighborhood, though Venetian Island Homeowner Association president Juergen Brendel had urged neighbors not to sign a petition against it.

The withdrawal by Khamsi came after the Design Review Board delayed for six months a controversial request to tear down a 1924 Star Island home that had been designed by famed architect Walter DeGarmo. That request came from Real Housewife of Miami Lisa Hochstein and her husband, plastic surgeon Leonard Hochstein.

Front view of proposed home at 206/212 W. DiLido Dr.

Most of the attention at Tuesday’s Miami Beach Design Review Board meeting will be focused on the request from Real Housewife 0f Miami’s Lisa Hochstein and plastic surgeon hubby Leonard to knock down a 1925 Walter DeGarmo house on Star Island — replacing it with a mega-mansion.

But at the same meeting, the design board will consider another proposal — to knock down two homes (on two lots) on DiLido Island on the Venetian Causeway and replace them with one huge house.

The address of the existing homes are 206 and 212 W. DiLido Dr. Each lot is 10,500 square feet, and according to the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser website, both homes were purchased by Ahmad Lee Khamsi — 212 W. DiLido in May 2011 (for $2.6 million) and 206 W. DiLido in June 2012 (for $2.28 million).

Khamsi is a telecom and cable executive who heads Supercable, which provides digital cable service in Venezuela and Colombia. He lived in the Boca Raton area for more than a decade.

Both existing homes were built in the 1950s, and are just under 3,600 square feet each.

The new home design is just under 12,000 square feet, plus a large roof deck. It was designed by architects Choeff+Levy. Miami Beach Design Review staff called it “very handsomely designed.”

Petitioners against it say it’s out of scale for the island.

But in an email to Venetian homeowners, Venetian Island Homeowners Association president Juergen Brendel wrote:

These larger new high end homes will sell for much more per sq ft and enhance the value of all the nearby houses and lots. Opposing such development would be scaring all the ones that are currently paying high $$$ for our members. We should not do this.

He has also hired one of the best architect firm in the world from South Africa and is paying millions in design fees. We should encourage this it will raise the caliber of the neighborhood!

In any case, the 2 houses being replaced are really ugly and in disrepair. They need to be changed!

LeBron James’ Twitter pic from the Critical Mass ride.

Friday’s night’s Critical Mass Miami bicycle ride generated some traffic slowdowns, but no major incidents as 1,000-plus riders cruised from downtown Miami through the Upper East Side and across North Bay Village, down Collins Avenue and back through the Venetian Islands to downtown.

Among the riders was LeBron James of the Miami Heat, who sometimes bikes to work at the American Airlines Arena. His Twitter photo post from the Friday’s ride was shared hundreds of times. Dwyane Wade participated in the September ride.

Most surprising about the ride, at least to your Belle Isle Blog, is the heat is generated from both commuters and and bicycle community.

Critical Mass holds a ride the last Friday of every month. We reported the ride in advance of this one because we figured non-riders in the Belle Isle area would want a chance to change their driving routes on Friday to avoid delays. We thought the city of Miami Beach was responsible in warning of possible disruptions – just as they do for road races, parades, and when a presidential motorcade is expected to travel through town.

We’re surprised the warnings from the city seemed to annoy some Critical Mass participants.

Likewise, the anger from commuters seems misplaced. There are a lot of ways to get from point A to point B in our crowded town. Miami Beach’s DecoBike service is an acknowledgement of that.

Respecting the rights of bikers and runners — and yes, they have rights on the on the roads — is important anywhere, and especially in an urban environment such as ours.

We heard complaints from drivers that some cyclists don’t obey traffic laws, as they are required to do. We’ve all seen it happen. It’s worth knowing that Critical Mass promotes rules for safe biking, both in practice and on its website and Facebook page.

Here’s the path of Friday’s ride.

An organized bike ride Friday night could cause serious traffic disruption on Miami Beach, particularly on the Venetian Islands.

The group Critical Mass has planned the ride — with between 1,000 and 2,00 participants — for 7:15 p.m. Friday.

According to a memo from Miami Beach Police Chief Ray Martinez to Acting City Manager Kathie Brooks, the group plans to ride from downtown Miami north on Biscayne Boulevard, across the 79th Street Causeway, south through Miami Beach, south on Collins Avenue to 17th Street, and then across the Venetian Causeway to downtown Miami.

On its website, Critical Mass advises participants to expect to ride about 12 mph and cautions them to ride safely.

Miami Critical Mass is not an “us vs. them” ride, it is not anti-car, it is not a protest ride, this is a ride that celebrates bicycles, encourages cycling & reminds drivers that they must share the road. There are a lot of new riders who just recently joined the group and we need to remind them of this. This is supposed to be a fun ride, you’re encouraged to smile, wave at passersby, ring your bells & have a good time.

But given the scale of the ride, it’s certain to slow traffic in the areas surrounding it. Traffic laws do provide bicycle riders with the right to share the road, and drivers will need to be patient as the group — which could stretch a good distance — moves through our neighborhood.

Police will be providing traffic control.

In an e-mail to residents warning of the ride, Commissioner Deede Weithorn said “please know this is NOT a city sponsored event and we cannot prevent it from taking place. ”

New sidewalks and landscaping grace Rivo Alto

We can all be thankful that the construction and beautification of the Venetian Causeway is all but done, and the road is smooth and pretty much looks beautiful.

We still don’t understand why own new “historic” streetlights are in the middle of the new wide sidewalks (defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?), but we’ll learn to live with it.

And so now the Venetian Isles of Rivo Alto, DiLido and San Marino prepare for the sidewalk, lighting, landscaping and paving improvements on their local streets.

Island residents will get a briefing on how that construction will roll out and cover a range of other topics at the Dec. 13 meeting of the Venetian Island Homeowner Association.

The meeting happens at 6:30 at 250 East San Marino Dr., on San Marino Island.

Among the topics on a long agenda in addition to the Streetscape update: A report from the Miami Beach police department on island burglaries and efforts to blunt them; the possibility of a hotel development on 17th Street and Alton Road; a report on the Genting Project on the Miami Herald property, and plans to changing how tolls are handled on the Venetian Causeway and other causeway issues.

This follows a difficult week for the Miami Beach sharing company, which has 100 bike sharing stations across Miami Beach. Problems with wireless connections with vendor T-Mobile left many stations inoperable; customers couldn’t check out bikes, or in some cases, couldn’t return them.

But all has been fixed as of 10:30 Saturday morning.

Since early this week, wireless connection from have made it difficult for DecoBikes customers to check out and return bicycles. Twice this week, DecoBikes recommended that customers who depend on the service for transportation temporarily find other ways to get around.

But the news is better on Friday evening. In an email, DecoBikes reports:

“At this time service has been restored to most stations except for the following few:

124 – Lennox & 6th St.
149 – Meridian & 17th St.
208 – 35th St. & Collins
306 – 69th St. & Collins
317 – Hawthorne Ave & Crespi
401 – 93rd St. & Collins

If you do encounter a station that says ”Reporting to Bike Server” or “No Service” please send us an email with the station number (at the top of each station on the sides) and the approximate date and time that you saw the message. The best email to report an issue with the system is: info@decobike.com  This is also the best email to report a billing issue to if you incurred one.”

On Thursday,  the kiosks on Belle Isle and around Sunset Harbour — on Purdy and in front of Publix on 20th Street– appeared to be working fine, but on Friday, they advised customers to use other transportation until problems are fixed.

“We apologize for this inconvenience and we suggest you do not use DecoBike stations in Miami Beach today.”

According to an update from DecoBikes, they are having specific problems at the following stations:

108 – Michigan Ave & 3rd Street

116 – Ocean Dr & 14th Street

117 – Ocean Dr & 14th Place

118 – 13th Street & Washington Ave

119 – 11th Street & Washington Ave

121 – 7th Street & Collins Ave

128 – Pennsylvania Ave & 13th Street

140 – Pennsylvania Ave & 15th Street

143 – 15 Street & Collins Ave

147 – Pennsylvania Ave & Lincoln Rd

149 – Meridian Ave & 17th Street

208 – 35th Street & Collins Ave

306 – 69th Street & Collins Ave

DecoBikes is working with its wireless provider, T-Mobile, to work out the rest of the kinks. In an email to customers, they advise “while many stations are functioning, we caution riders that service could be interemittent and result in delays in their travel times.  If you have any questions regarding this issue, please send us an email:  info@decobike.com.”   

The problem is that the wireless connection between the kiosks and DecoBikes  HQ– the connection that enables users to pay either by credit card or their DecoBikes subscription card — hasn’t been working.

And the problem persists.

In an email to DecoBikes customers tonight, the bike rental service says it’s due to a problem with their wireless provider, T-Mobile.

We continue to experience intermittent communication at our kiosks due to an issue with our wireless data provider, T-Mobile.  Recent network changes/updates at T-Mobile have caused this issue, which we have been dealing with for several days.

We have been working around the clock with them for a resolution and tomorrow they are taking additional measures by sending staff to assist us on-site. Unfortunately, we must be patient while they try to remedy the situation as they process the data for transactions generated by our bike stations.

For those of you who use DecoBike for daily transportation, we advise you to seek alternative forms of transportation for the next 24-48 hours while we work with T-Mobile to get the issue resolved.

Sunset Clothing Co. owner Juan Plasencia in his new store.

We walked around the neighborhood Saturday and discovered the first stores open at the new parking garage at Sunset Harbour — and construction workers at recently closed Georgia’s Union restaurant, in the old Joe Allen space.

The Sunset Clothing Co. is owned and run by Juan Plasencia, who ran Post Blue Jean Co. on Lincoln Road for more than a decade.

Plasencia, who lives in the neighborhood (down the street, near the corner of Purdy and 17th Street), opened the store at 1895 Purdy Ave. on Friday.

Plasencia made the move from Lincoln Road because rent simply became too high for a boutique retailer competing with the huge chains. Post had a terrific reputation.

Here’s what Yelp’s Maria Argüello wrote about Post a couple years back:

With close to a dozen different denim labels, tees, and even Diesel footware, this store is what American Apparel should have been, a symbol of American purpose and quality. It just doesn’t get more American than jeans and T-shirts.

Plasencia says he’s eager to cater to a neighborhood clientele.

We saw other signs of life in the Sunset shops. Frankie’s Boutique, next door to Sunset Clothing Co., had display cases of sunglasses and jewelry and racks of clothes visible in the windows, so opening seems imminent.

And construction crews worked feverishly Saturday at Panther Coffee, Tequitzlan Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar, and True Loaf Bakery. But from appearances, they still had a lot of work to do.

Interior of Georgia’s Union.

Meanwhile, at the old Joe Allen space, which housed Morgan’s and Georgia’s Union during the last two years, construction crews were working as well. No word on what is next for that space, but renovation is underway — again.

A shame about Georgia’s Union, which closed in early October after a run of less than four months.

You really do have to love our neighborhood.

The first forum focuses on street design, and how to coordinate cars and bicycles. The speakers include Belle Isle Residents Association president Scott Diffenderfer, Lower North Bay Road Homeowners Association president Mike Hammon, architect and community activist Mihaly Lenart, and city of Miami Beach traffic coordinator Jose Gonzalez.

On Nov. 20 at 6 p.m., architect and urban planner Jaime Correa will present on sustainable development at Miami Beach Golf Club.

Freshly planted palms toppled on Biscayne Island

Winds from the fringes of Hurricane Sandy knocked down four freshly planted palm trees overnight on Biscayne Island.

For part of Thursday night and Friday morning, the palms blocked lanes on the Venetian Causeway.  By 7:20 a.m., workers had moved all of them into the new median, part of the Venetian improvements.

Meanwhile, high tides and rain from Sandy made West Avenue impassible between Fifth and 10th streets early Friday, and flooded the easternmost lane of Alton Road.

Cars parked on curbs had water above their doors, and drivers heading south toward the MacArthur Causeway had to turn around at about Eighth Street.

Seawater swamps Purdy across from Maurice Gibb Memorial Park, October 2010

The city of Miami Beach warns that seasonal high tides are expected starting Monday, and with them flooding is likely in Sunset Harbour, along Alton Road and West Avenue and on Palm Island.

The tides aren’t expected to be as bad as in October 2010, when flooding was severe, but salt water problems are likely, interim City Manager Kathie Brooks said in a memo to the mayor and city commissioners.

Areas particularly vulnerable, the city says: Purdy Avenue between Dade Boulevard and 20th Street; Alton Road and West Avenue at Fifth, Sixth, 10th and 14th streets, and the west side of Palm Island.

“It is likely that the city will experience some short-term flooding in its low lying areas,” Brooks wrote. “At this time, staff does not anticipate any driving lanes to be closed unless there is significant rainfall during the peak time frames.”

If you lived on Belle Isle during the persistent flooding before the drainage project was completed, you know its important to avoid submerging your car in the salt water. Many residents later had serious issues with rust damaging their brake lines and other parts.

There is detail work to finish — medians aren’t done, not all the lights work, etc…. — but you can drive the road without wrecking your car suspension and jog the causeway without risking your life. You can tell that when it’s all complete, it’s going to look good.

And with that project reaching conclusion, the Streetscape work on Rivo Alto, DiLido and San Marino islands comes next. The good news — really good news — is the money is in place.

When the city of Miami Beach passed its budget on Sept. 27, it included $2.1 million to cover a shortfall in the Streetscape project.n  As a result, the project is expected to move forward. Bids are due on Oct. 31.

“Finally, it looks like the end of this year or early next year will see a ‘spade in the ground’ for a long-awaited Venetian Islands Streetscape Project,” Venetian Islands Homeowner Association president Jürgen Brendel said in an email to homeowners this week.

City Commissioner Deede Weithorn told homeowners during a meeting in June that she would get the additional $2.1 million included in the Miami Beach budget.

After the Sept. 27 vote, she told homeowners: “we are one step closer to bringing these much needed improvements to fruition.”

Richardson will be at Mayor Mattie Bower’s next “Mayor on the Move” event Thursday, from 6- p.m. at Miami Beach Golf Course, 2301 Alton Rd.

It will be a chance to bend the ear of Richardson, and share your thoughts on everything from casino gambling (there will be another run by the gaming industry in the 2013 legislative session) to Citizens Insurance.

Richardson won the Democratic primary for state House seat 113 on Aug. 14, defeating Mark Weithorn, Adam Kravitz and Waldo Faura. There is no Republican opponent in the general election on Nov. 6.

Kim, Kourtney and kids at Miami Children’s Museum

You may see Kim and Kourtney Kardashian playing on Miami Beach in the new season of their reality show, but they won’t be living here.

Their efforts to get homeowner approval in three Beach neighborhoods were dashed (sorry!) — on the Sunset Islands, DiLido Island and on North Bay Road, according to Raul Gonzalez of Miami Beach’s Office of Film and Print.

In each case, they needed signatures from the immediate neighbors of the home they wanted to use for three months of non-stop filming, and well as support from 90 percent of homeowners within 500 feet. Residents complained the film crews and paparazzi would disrupt their quiet neighborhoods.

So, where will Kim and Kourtney be? “They found a place  in a gated community in North Miami Beach,” just north of Oleta River State Park, Gonzalez said.

And filming has begun. Only Wednesday, Kim and Kourtney and Kourtney’s two children, Mason and Penelope, visited the Wizard of Oz interactive exhibit at the Miami Children’s museum.

On Oct. 16 at 9:30 a.m., Miami Beach Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and developer Scott Robins will hold a ceremonial opening.

Among the restaurants and stores under construction: Panther Coffee, Ice Box Cafe, Emack & Bolio’s Ice Cream, Eberjey Lingerie, Tequitzlan Restaurant and Tequila Bar, Lucali Pizza from Brooklyn, Splendor Restaurant, Sunset Clothing Co., and True Loaf Artisanal Bakery.

The four-level garage above the retail shops has 460 spaces that cost $1 an hour. The location is between 18th and 20th streets between Bay Road and Purdy Avenue.

The garage and retail space is a joint venture between the city of Miami Beach and developer Scott Robins and partner Philip Levine. It was designed by Arquitectonica.

Miami Beach’s Design Review Board approved the Palau at Sunset Harbour, a sleek glass and steel mixed use project on the old Mark’s Cleaners property and a neighboring site at the entrance to Sunset Islands, where the Cypress Bay  condo started and stalled.

The Palau is to include 50 condo units and 11,000 square feet of retail space. It’s bankrolled by the Disney family, according The Miami Herald. The developers paid $8.2 million for the site a year ago; Mark’s moved from the site in January.

Some Sunset Harbour residents battled the five-story project, saying it was too big for such a small site.

Police believe some of the burglaries were done by high-end jewel thieves The Miami Herald wrote about this week, led by two men who drove a Porsche SUV and traveled with children to fit as they cased houses on the Venetian Islands as well as homes on Star and Palm Island and the Sunset Islands.

In a letter to homeowners, association officer Paula Faisal Jimenez told of three incidents (she said robberies, but they were burglaries) during the week of Sept. 10.

Dear Neighbors,

Last week the Venetian Home Owners Association was informed of 3 robberies that happened in our islands during the week of September 10th. The association’s President, Jürgen Brendeland other members contacted the police department and city commissioners to bring their attention to the matter and to ask for some solution to the increment on criminal activity in the area.

Police and city commissioners responded immediately and on that same week members of the Home Owners Association and them where able to meet and discus some ideas and strategies to increase security on the islands and add police presence. Some of these are:

• To provide long-term, stable police coverage for our islands.
• To have Captain Doce and a team of six Sergeants accountable for overseeing an on-going police presence in the areas of Venetian, Purdy, Sunsets and West Avenue.
• To post new Crime Watch signs along the Causeway.
• To install LPR cameras on the Causeway in the near future.

We are confident that all of these factors will hopefully help to deter future crime in the area.

We kindly remind you to please make sure you lock doors and windows when you leave your home, use your alarm system if you have one and report any suspicious activity to the non emergency police Number 305-373-7776.

Rendering of the Shops at Sunset Harbour.

Rates at the Sunset Harbour garage start at $1 an hour

Some construction projects seem to take forever — some, but not all.

The new city of Miami Beach parking garage at Sunset Harbour quietly opened this week ($1 an hour up to six hours), and work moves forward on the ground level retail spaces that will house Ice Box Cafe, Panther Coffee and other attractions.

The garage, designed by Architectonica, has 450 spaces and 30,000 square feet of retail on the sidewalk level.

It should make access a heck of a lot easier for one of Miami Beach’s hottest neighborhoods.

The county now says the likely completion date is late October.

Why more delay in a project already nine months behind schedule?

Tropical Storm (and later hurricane) Isaac brought work to a halt. There were more suprises with underground utilities. We’ll let Miami-Dade spokeswoman Gayle Love give details:

“The Contractor has experienced further weather-related delays, as well as delays caused by the installation of the outfalls on Rivo Alto and San Marco, where unforeseen conflicts found during excavation led to the redesign of the configuration for the outfalls.  Additional delays were experienced during coordination with the City of Miami Beach for the connection of the irrigation meters to the water distribution lines in Belle Island, Rivo Alto, Di Lido and San Marino.”

Remember that workers spent days clearing equipment and debris just before Isaac moved through. Then Miami Beach Public Works had to deal with the water main break on Belle Isle on Venetian Way just west of Island Avenue.

Of course, once the main causeway work is done, construction will continue on the individual islands. And the city of Miami is building a storm-water pump stations and piping on San Marco Island, and Miami-Dade Water and Sewer is installing water mains on Biscayne Island.

Seems like it never ends.

714 W DiLido, proposed home base for Kardashian reality show

If you haven’t been keeping up with the Kardashians — the reality show family featuring Kim and Khloe and Kourtney and sporty spouses and significant others– then you don’t live on DiLido Isle on the Venetian Causeway.

Or one of the Sunset Islands. Or North Bay Road.

DiLido residents were buzzing Thursday morning after learning that representatives of the Karadashian’s reality venture were going door-to-door near 714 W. DiLido Dr. seeking signatures in support of allowing the property to be used as the Kardashian’s home in an upcoming season of reality installments.

The property, according to Miami-Dade property records, is a six-bedroom, five-bath bayfront home on northeast portion of DiLido, owned by lawyer Dale Hightower.

The Kardashians are seeking a Miami Beach home they can use for three months of continuous filming. That is far beyond any use allowed in Miami Beach’s code, said Graham Winick, film and event production manager for the city of Miami Beach.

To get permission to use a single-family home in that way, Winick said, a production company must first get permission from all adjacent property owners (in this case there are two), and then 90 percent of the homeowners within a 500 foot radius of the house.

If that happens — a big if — then the city would convene a review board to evaluate the filming request. But that process wouldn’t even get to that stage without the okay of the neighbors.

“We are very industry friendly, but not at the expense of residential needs,” Winick said.

Many Miami Beach homes have been featured in television series and films. Magic City and Burn Notice, as well as telenovelas, frequently use Beach venues. Filming is supposed to begin in a few weeks at a home on Pine Tree Drive for the movie Iron Man 3.

But because the filming is usually for only a day or  two, or a period of days, Winick said.

The survey by the Kardashian crew alarmed DiLido residents, who alerted each other through a Venetian Isle e-mail group and urged residents to call Winick’s office.

DiLido resident Marc Cooper framed it this way in an email to his neighbors:

“They are seeking a permit to film the Kardashian reality TV show at 714 W. Dilido. They propose to have the Kardashian group live in that house and film continuously for three months, with a constant film crew and supporting people following the Kardashian’s coming and going, as well as their daily life.

“This seems outrageous for a residential neighborhood…. Although they promise that their impact will be minimal, my guess is that it will not be.”

In a previous season of Kourtney and Khloe take Miami, the Kardashians used the penthouse of the Bentley Bay Hotel on Ocean Drive as their home. Because it was in a commercial building, a hotel, no special permissions were required. But this year, because older sister Kourtney has had a baby, they are looking for a single-family home environment, Winick said.

The DiLido house isn’t the first place they sought, Winick said. And the DiLido neighbors haven’t been the only onse to call and complain.

First, they attempted to get the okay from neighbors for use of a home on one of the Sunset Islands. They failed.

Now they are looking at the DiLido house and another home on North Bay Road between 46th and 47th Street, Winick said. Neighbors of that home have been calling as well.

Meanwhile, the water line break, one of four that occurred Saturday (two 20-inch mains in Sunset Harbour, one on Rivo Alto and one on Belle Isle) apparently left some debris in water lines that on Tuesday forced Nine Island Avenue to partially curtail some of its water service and building-wide air conditioning for several hours.

In a Tuesday afternoon note to condo owners, Nine Island management said “debris from the main water line has caused a blockage in both our domestic water pump system and the pump system that controls our air conditioning for the hallways.

“We will need to shut down the air conditioning in the hallways for two hours this afternoon so we may remove the debris from the pump system. We may also experience low pressure in the apartments due to our pumps being worked on for the domestic water system.”

The lifting of boil water advisory ends another inconvenience for Belle Isle residents. But the experience of the weekend is a cautionary tale of Miami Beach’s aging infrastructure.

The water main breaks weren’t caused by an oncoming storm. They were the result of an aging system. In the last year, Miami Beach has had a series of water main failures, including several in North and Middle Beach.

The city of Miami Beach is advising that you boil water as a precaution until Wednesday afternoon on Belle Isle.

The same goes for the buildings that lost water during the first water main break in Sunset Harbour. Those addresses are 1701 Purdy Ave., 1771  West Ave., 1333 Dade Blvd, 1800 Alton Rd, 1828 Alton Rd., 1840 Alton Rd. and 1850 Alton Rd.

City workers repairing water main break on Belle Isle early Sunday.

Miami Beach Public Works employees battled wind and rain from Tropical Storm Isaac to patch the last of four broken water mains and restored water service to Belle Isle at roughly 2:50 p.m.

The final fix was made in an 8-inch pipe under Venetian Way just east of the bridge to Rivo Alto Isle.

Miami Beach is advising Belle Isle resident to boil water as a precaution until the water can be tested to determine it is safe. That is likely to take two days.

The same is true for residents of Sunset Harbour and Alton Road and West Avenue who received a similar advisory on Saturday.

The fix in the Belle Isle main marked the end of a 36-hour period when four city water lines failed – two 20-inch mains in Sunset Harbour, a smaller line on Rivo Alto and the Belle Isle water line.

Once service is restored, Belle Isle will be under a boil water advisory. There is more information here.

City workers repairing small water main break on Belle Isle

Miami Beach public works crews continue to try and restore water service to Belle Isle  on Sunday.

In an update from the city at 11:37 a.m., spokeswoman Nannette Rodriguez said “crews continue to work on repairs to the water break on Belle Isle… Water service has been shut off to all customers on the island. Service is expected to the restored by 6 p.m. today.

Residents on Belle Isle have been issued precautionary boil water advisories.”

Service to Rivo Alto was restored about 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

Some Belle Isle residents reported having water service briefly — between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, long enough to shower and flush toilets. But it was gone soon after.

Cleaning up after the 20-inch main break at Purdy and Venetian Way.

For now, the tap is dry and the boil water order will be in effect once water returns.

In several buildings, residents are being advised to turn off their air conditioning because the building cooling towers must be shut down due to the lack of water.

There also is a boil water advisory for six buildings in the Sunset Harbour/Alton Road corridor, in addition to all of the condo towers on Belle Isle and single-family homes on Rivo Alto.

The water problem started with a main break at Sunset Harbour on Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon, a small main ruptured on Rivo Alto. Later Saturday evening, a small main burst on Belle Isle, and another section of water main — a large one — failed Maurice Gibb Park in Sunset Harbour.

Here is the latest news release from the city of Miami Beach:

Miami Beach Water Break Update

Sunday, August 26, 10:00 a.m.

Currently, crews are still working on making repairs on the 8-inch water line on Belle Isle.

At 3:30 a.m., the Purdy Avenue 20-inch water main break was fixed and back in service (a 2-inch hole and crack was found).

At 6:30 a.m., Rivo Alto 6-inch water line leak was repaired.

Street restoration in the work areas is scheduled after the storm clears on Monday.

There are no mandatory boil water advisories, only the precautionary advisory issued yesterday to the following addresses: 1701 Purdy Avenue, 1771  West Avenue, 1333 Dade Blvd, 1800 Alton Rd, 1828 Alton Road, 1840 Alton Road and 1850 Alton Road.

Public works crews in Sunset Harbour

We’ll post more updates as we get them.

On Belle Isle, service was restored at about 7:20 a.m. The water is fine for a shower, but requires a one minute boil before drinking or cooking.

The service disruption was the result of a series of water main breaks in Sunset Harbour and on Rivo Alto and Belle Isle.

Many Belle Isle residents woke up to blue notices hanging on their doors warning of the boil water order.

Saturday morning’s water main break in Sunset Harbour triggered additional nearby breaks in the water line — first in a small line on Rivo Alto, and then in one on Belle Isle.

Then, late Saturday, the city discovered another leak in a major water main in Sunset Harbour.

Miami Beach public works crews spent Saturday night and early Sunday morning trying to repair the breaks in the midst of the oncoming Tropical Storm Isaac. But as of early Sunday, most if not all homeowners on Belle Isle and Rivo Alto have no water.

Many condo residents are waking up with blue notices hanging from their doorknobs informing them of a boil water order –  once water service is restored. It advises a minute of “roiling boil” before using water for cooking or drinking.

The city imposed boil water orders to six residential buildings in the Sunset Harbour-Alton Road corridor Saturday as a result of the first water line break.

Here is a news release from the city late last night:

Miami Beach Public Works crews are working overnight to repair a 20-inch water main transmission break just east of the repaired line at Purdy Avenue and Dade Boulevard and two smaller leaks on Venetian Islands (east of Belle Isle and West Rivo Alto).

The closure of water valves connecting other lines to the 20-inch water transmission main may reduce water pressure to South Beach area customers while repairs are made.

The smaller leaks (8” and 6” pipes) on Venetian Island may have been a direct result of the earlier 20-inch break on Purdy Avenue, which was repaired around 8:00 p.m. tonight.

No cause of the new 20-inch break has been determined.

Meanwhile, a small main burst on Rivo Alto Island, disrupting water service to homeowners. The city believes the other main break may have contributed to the Rivo Alto break.

At the moment, there is a boil water order at the following addresses, according to city spokeswoman Nannette Rodriguez:

– 1701 Purdy Avenue

– 1771  West Avenue

–1333 Dade Blvd.

–1800 Alton Rd.

–1828 Alton Rd.

– 1840 Alton Rd.

– 1850 Alton Rd.

The Sunset Harbour condominiums and the Venetian Isles, including Belle Isle, are not part of the boil water order. But the break on Rivo Alto may change that.

When the water main broke early Saturday, it flooded Sunset Harbour and the bridge to Belle Isle.

Here is the city’s latest update:

MIAMI BEACH WATER MAIN BREAK UPDATE

Saturday, August 25, 2012, 8:00 p.m.

Full water service has been restored to Miami Beach neighborhoods serviced by the 20-inch water main that broke and caused some street flooding on Purdy Avenue. At around 9 a.m. this morning, Miami Beach Public Works responded to a water main break at Purdy Avenue, near Dade Boulevard, in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood. Repairs took longer than expected due to weather conditions.

A four-inch diameter hole and an eight-foot crack was found on the bottom side of a 20-inch transmission water main.

Residents in the general South Beach area experienced low water pressure during most of the day.

A precautionary boil water advisory has been issued to the following affected addresses:

1701 Purdy Avenue, 1771  West Avenue, 1333 Dade Blvd, 1800 Alton Rd, 1828 Alton Road, 1840 Alton Road and 1850 Alton Road.

A small water break has just been discovered at 320 West Rivo Alto, Venetian Island, which may have been caused by an effect when the 20-inch line broke at Purdy Avenue. Water on the island may have to be shut off temporarily. Crews on the scene. More later.

Here’s the latest from the city of Miami Beach:

MIAMI BEACH WATER MAIN BREAK ADVISORY #2

Saturday, August 25, 2012, 1:00 p.m.

Repairs are taking longer than expected. Restoration expected by approximately 6PM.

Many parts of South Beach have been affected with low water pressure while crews attend to the repairs.

The City has turned on a water booster pump station at MacArthur Cswy and water tanks at 25th Street to improve water pressure to the area.

Miami Beach Public Works responded to a water main break at Purdy Avenue & 18 Street, near Dade Boulevard, in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood at around 9AM.

The cause of the break is still undetermined.

A precautionary boil water advisory will be issued to affected area residents and businesses.

 

Pre-Isaac flooding Saturday morning in Sunset Harbour.

It’s going to be tough to get across the bridge to Sunset Harbour and the rest of Miami Beach for Belle Isle and Venetians Isles residents.

The city of Miami Beach says it is the result of a water main break in Sunset Harbour at about 9 a.m. (Update: Miami Beach now says repairs should be done by 3 p.m.).

The bridge is almost knee deep in sea water, and Sunset Harbour is badly flooded.

Here is the press release from Miami Beach:

Miami Beach Public Works responded to a water main break at Purdy Avenue, near Dade Boulevard, in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood at around 9AM. Repairs are expected to take approximately four to six hours.

Residents in the general area may experience low water pressure during this time. We’re asking area residents to please be patient as we work on the repairs.

A precautionary boil water advisory will be issued to affected area residents and businesses.

Belle Isle Blog knows this is a little outside our neighborhood, and the connection is a tiny reach — but it’s too interesting to resist.

There is a legend we’ve previously reported — unproven, but in the history books — that when Herbert Hoover was president, he pointed the Internal Revenue Service at gangster Al Capone because Capone upstaged him when Hoover visited Belle Isle in 1929.

There are two different versions of the story, neither confirmed, both delicious:

From the Mafia Encyclopedia:

It was now a matter of folklore inside the underworld that the president railroaded Scarface Al to prison because of a personal vendetta. One allegedly dates to shortly after Hoover won the 1928 contest against Al Smith and vacationed at the J.C. Penney estate on Belle Isle in Florida, not far from the Capone compound on Palm Island. The tale goes that there was so much shouting, females crying, and shooting during the night from the Capone retreat that Hoover could not sleep. His puritanical ire aroused, Hoover decided then and there to destroy the famous gangster when he took office.

And there is this account on About. com:

Herbert Hoover vacationed at the J.C. Penney estate on Belle Isle in 1928. It is rumored that Hoover’s grudge with Al Capone started in Florida. There are two versions of the story circulating. First, the Capone compound was not far away from the Penney estate and the tale goes that there was so much shouting and shooting during the night from the Capone retreat that Hoover couldn’t sleep. His ire aroused, Hoover decided then and there to destroy the famous gangster when he took office. The second tale describes an enraged Herbert Hoover. The president-elect watched in dismay as a drove of reporters suddenly abandoned him in a Miami lobby when a more important person strolled in. That person? Al Capone.

All of that is an excuse to share this video by Chuck Farris, which takes you inside the Capone compound as it looks today. Awesome.

Oh, and the house is for sale for $9.95 million.

The Adams estate on the southeast end of Belle Isle.

Belle Isle Blog readers have unearthed the background of another major estate owner in the early days of Belle Isle, Joseph H. Adams.

New details on Adams, a millionaire from New York who came to Belle Isle in the 1920s, were provided by reader and postcard collector Larry Wiggins, who found Adams 1941 obituary in the New York Times, and Rosemary Ravinal, who tracked a 1933 story in the Sarasota Herald.

Adams owned the land adjacent to the J.C. Penney estate on the south side of Belle Isle Park, with the addresses 18 and 21 Belle Isle (J.C. Penney’s estate was No. 8 Belle Isle). The Adams property included the land area where Costa Brava (10 Island Ave.), Belle Towers (16 Island Ave.) and Belle Plaza (20 Island Ave.) were eventually built.

On the land was Adams’ sprawling home and adjacent structures that housed the Adams Foundation for Sun Ray Research.

Joseph H. Adams

So who was Joseph Adams? According to his New York Times obit, he was an author and inventor who developed something known as the “oil-cracking process,” a way of making larger volumes of gasoline from crude oil by applying continuous heat and pressure. In 1919 and 1920, he obtained patents for the process and machinery that were sold to the Texas Oil Company (which became Texaco) and Standard Oil. He later had a $1 million tax battle with the IRS over income from the patents.

Adams boathouse that housed Rosentiel School

Adams came to Florida in 1924, and became interested in the University of Miami, which gave him an honorary doctorate in 1928. He joined the UM board of trustees, and after his death, he willed part of his Belle Isle Property for a marine sciences program that became the Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. Rosentiel later moved, first to Coral Gables and then to its current campus on Virgina Key.

He was active in a variety of civic organizations, and helped lead a fight against gambling in Miami and Miami Beach.

When President-elect Herbert Hoover stayed at the J.C. Penney estate for four weeks starting on Jan. 22, 1929, some 30 staffers and journalists stayed at the adjacent Adams estate, thanks to an agreement between Penney and Adams.

Hoover stayed on Belle Isle before his inauguration (back then, presidential inaugurations were in March), and went fishing on Adams yacht, the Amitie.

Adams died in his home town of Brooklyn, NY, at age 74.

A 1920s view of Belle Isle facing east.

Belle Isle is the only “natural” island on the Venetian Causeway. We know the other Venetian Islands — Rivo Alto, DiLido, San Marino, San Marco and Biscayne — were dredged, filled and linked with the roadway between 1923 and 1926.

Our latest postcard find (thanks, eBay!) shows Rivo Alto in the foreground, Belle Isle, and the western edge of Miami Beach with Carl Fisher’s classic Flamingo Hotel.

You can see that most of Rivo Alto is open space, though the streets and a couple of homes have been built.

This photo shows the Joseph Adams and J.C. Penney estates.

Compare the postcard view to the above early 1930s photo of Belle Isle, taken from the north facing south, which also shows the Flamingo.  This is from the Florida Memory Project, subject of an earlier blog post.

Finally, here’s a 1923 photo from east to west that shows Miami Beach, Belle Isle, and a sandy and vacant Rivo Alto as the only island along the Venetian Causeway path.

!923 photograph shows view to Miami across Venetian Causeway.

The so-called Streetscape project has been in the talking and planning stage for more than a decade, and has been on hold pending the completion of the improvements on the actual causeway, which are expected to finally be done in September, about nine months behind schedule.

Venetian Islands resident Debra Leibowitz, who writes the Beach Buzz column for The Miami Herald’s Neighbors section, updated the delay.

There is a pre-bid conference today at 3 p.m. 1755 Meridian Avenue, third floor.

“Although the actual filming and road closure will take place for less than 10 minutes, the coordinating agencies and Fox US Productions 21 have blocked out the two-hour span on Sunday night,” the city says in a press release.

The filming involves helicopter and a single car, the city says, as well and coordination from the cities of Miami and Miami Beach, the Florida Department of Transportation, the Coast Guard and the FAA.

The movie, expected to be released in summer 2013, is a fantasy about the son of Poseidon, and is the sequel to Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. It stars Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario and Brandon T. Jackson. The cast includes Stanley Tucci.

Some interesting scenes were shot in Vancouver and captured on YouTube.

Vintage postcard shows pre-highrise Belle Isle

Belle Isle Blog found another historic postcard depicting the era of blatant discrimination on Belle Isle, again for the Belle Isle Court apartments, now known as Belle Isle Key.

The postcard, purchased on eBay, shows Belle Isle in the 1940s. It refers to “Gentile Clientele” in “quiet, exclusive surroundings.”

The postcard shows a Belle Isle entirely made up of  estates, except for the one apartment complex. It’s worth a closer look. The view is facing west.

Postcard depicts Belle Isle in the 1940s, “restricted clientele” only.

A post card acquired previously with the same image, which appears to be of a slightly later vintage (and with a more professional font) advertised “restricted clientele” at Belle Isle Court.

Both harken back to the era on Miami Beach during which Jews were banned from housing, an time that ended in 1947 when the Miami Beach City Commission passed an ordinance banning the practice.

That action happened after the end of World War II, when many Jewish servicemen who trained here returned to live. It capped a period during the 1930s and 1940s when such restrictions and signs were common on the beach.

Gas has spilled on the roadway. A hazmat team is there, sponging up the gasoline, and traffic was detoured where the Venetian Causeway turns into Dade Boulevard. Part of Alton Road was closed as well.

The entire area around Dade Boulevard, 18th Street and Alton Road is affected, and police are urging drivers to avoid the area.

The Miami Herald is updating this incident.

Think about that as you navigate around the short-term inconvience of road closures and lane shifts on Dade Boulevard.

The activity today involves shifting eastbound and westbound lanes on Dade between Michigan and Meridian avenues to the north, leaving one lane in each direction.  This is the area between the Dade Boulevard Publix (the old Publix) and Miami Beach High School.

Crews will be working on the Collins Avenue seawall. The regular traffic pattern should be restored on Friday. Eastbound detours at the 17th Street/Dade Boulevard bridge (Between the split and Alton Road) continue.

Work undone includes leveling pavement with sidewalks and curbs and finishing medians.

The reconstruction of the historic Venetian Causeway — with wider sidewalks, pink crosswalks, vintage light posts, better drainage and repaving — is eight months behind schedule, and counting.

If you live on the Venetian, you know the route between mainland Miami and Miami Beach has been an obstacle course of lane changes and uneven pavement. You’ve cringed as your car shuddered over uneven crosswalks and elevated manhole covers.

When Venetian homeowners met with the Miami-Dade Public Works officials in late May, the official word was that work would be done by late July, barring surprises and bad weather.

Now, the timetable is mid-September, Miami-Dade County says.

“Weather delays and unexpected conflicts have pushed the substantial completion of the project,” said Francisco Calderon, communications manager for the Miami-Dade Public Works and Waste Management Division.

There is some progress. Landscaping is being installed in some median areas (on Belle Isle, for instance), Calderon said.

“Additionally, some concrete islands and sidewalks are currently under construction, and streetlight activities (installation of conduit and pull boxes) are in progress.”

But there is a fairly substantial list of items to be completed in the next six weeks, the county says, including:

– The irrigation system for the landscaping.

– Final sidewalk and concrete island work.

– Removal of the tall, old metal street lights that are being replaced by the new (old-looking) lights.

– Final layers of asphalt and pavement marking and signs.

– Odds and ends.

Calderon said people should know that some of the ongoing work on Biscayne and San Marco islands in Miami is not being done by the county and is on a different timeline.

“The city of Miami is currently constructing a stormwater pump station and related piping on San Marco Island. Additionally, the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department is installing water piping and street lights on North Venetian Dr. in Biscayne Island.”

It’s part of the continuing construction of the Collins Canal bikeway, and will continue for much of the next week.

Rendering of the Shops at Sunset Harbour.

If you’ve driven down Purdy lately, you’ve noticed that the Sunset Harbour parking garage and shops look nearly finished. The city of Miami Beach says the garage could open within the next week or two.

What you can’t see is the list of retail tenants. Til now.

Floor plan with tenants at Shops at Sunset Harbour.

So far, they include Ice Box Cafe (trying to find out if it is a new location or a move from off Lincoln Road), Panther Coffee (a great spot in Midtown),  Emack and Boilio’s (a New England-based high-end ice cream shop), Tequitzlan Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar, Fratelli In Toufala, True Loaf Bakery, Frankie Boutique, Sunset Clothing Co and Thread Count.

In filling the remaining spaces,  “we will continue to cherry-pick each tenant, so that the area continues to develop as an authentic, interesting, trendy, mix of boutiques, shops and restaurants for locals to live, play, shop and dine,” said Melissa Dunn, the broker with Scott Robins Companies.

Ice Box has been a fixture on Michigan Avenue off Lincoln Road for nearly a decade, and opened a branch at Miami International Airport last year.

Emack & Bolio’s started in Boston in 1975 and now has stores in four states, with three locations in Florida — on Vanderbilt Beach near Naples, at Hawks Cay Resort in the Keys, and at Hard Rock in Orlando.

The multi-level garage has 450 parking spaces and 30,000 square feet of retail on the sidewalk level. The garage should have a temporary certificate of occupancy in the next week or so, accounting to city spokeswoman Nannette Rodriguez.

Work on the retail spaces has began on an individual tenant basis, Dunn says.