1. The Urban Forum
Newsletter of The Urban Environment League
Website: www.uel.org
Issue No. 15 Email: uelmiami@bellsouth.net May 2005
A Message from Nancy Liebman - President of the UEL:
The Urban Environment League 3. Took constituents on bus tours affordable for the workforce in the
has spent much of the past few to the Everglades and to see the Ur- County.
months involved with activities to ban Development Boundary Line. 8. Advocated for communities to
support The Hold the Line Cam- 4. Generated press reports on ra- reevaluate their master plans before
paign. The Campaign is composed dio, TV and newsprint, including 37 (according to Andres Viglucci and
of a group of grass roots letters to Editor, Edi- Matthew Haggman, Miami Herald
people who care about torials and Editorial 4/24: City aims to put lid on zoning
the future of Miami Cartoons. To date anarchy) their neighborhoods “be-
Dade County, includ- there has not been come eviscerated by a troop of im-
ing neighborhood orga- one letter or spoken pertinent high-rise invaders” and de-
nizations, not-for- word in favor of velopments destroy their
profit groups, moving the UDB, neighborhood character.
affordable housing except by paid lob- 9. Rallied to insure that traffic
groups, individuals who byists and anxious gridlock stops and mass transporta-
want a livable commu- land owners. tion system takes priority.
nity and municipalities 5. Spread the 10. Connected the school issue
who understand the word far and wide. where precious school funds will be
threat to their citizens if Hold the Line has siphoned off to new schools outside
the line is moved. become a household the UDB.
Hold The Line was formed in word in Miami. 11. Visited with hands-on farm-
January. So far 50 groups have signed 6. Held a Developer’s Forum, at- ers to support their effort to main-
on and many municipalities. There tended by over 100 people that pro- tain the land for growing crops in
is a website at UDBLine.com. The moted public and private reinvest- Miami Dade County.
purpose of the campaign is to con- ment where infrastructure already These are the reasons Hold was
vince elected leaders to make wise exists. organized. We hope our elected lead-
land-use decisions. The Everglades 7. Joined with housing groups to ers will support our message.
and this community will not survive encourage infill housing that is really Other accomplishments of UEL
if critical growth management issues
are not addressed now.
The UEL and the Hold Cam-
paign have done the following based
on current threats to Move the Line:
1. Poled constituents about traffic
in Dade County. The result was not
complimentary to the County’s lead-
ers.
2. Advised community groups
about impending impacts to their
neighborhoods.

2. since the last newsletter include no- ing built environment and the sur- Fortunately, our trip was on Sat-
tice that the League will have a rep- rounding natural environment. urday, so we missed the real traffic
resentative on the City of Miami Bi- County Commission Dennis gridlock that exists during the week.
centennial Park Working Group. I Moss has proposed that the County Traveling south on Krome Avenue,
have asked board member Sage Commission organize a bus tour of we passed the UDB line and noted
Hoffman to represent UEL. UEL has their own to clearly see the areas and the proposed developments being
also been invited to suggest names to issues surrounding Urban Develop- advanced in West Kendall. The new
serve on the Miami Dade GO Bond ment Boundary policies. As one of dense town of Providence proposed
Committee and will be part of Mi- our Board Members, Denis Russ, re- by Texas Developer, D.R. Horton,
ami 21, the working group to rede- cently noted: “When you see it, you outside the boundary line is a plan
sign Miami’s zoning code. These are get it.” for 10,000 unit of mostly multiple
exciting and changing times in the The issues that arose during the dwellings -- 35,000 people on 960
County and UEL is proud to partici- drive to the UDB and at strategic acres according to the Herald. Addi-
pate in these public processes. stops along the way included: tional development pressures to ex-
I look forward to seeing you at 1. The form and pace of existing pand the UDB include a proposal by
our our final dinner in May and at residential and commercial develop- Atlantic Civil/Lennar Homes to
subsequent events next year. Please ment. 2. The quality and character build 6,000 homes east of Card
send us your comments and sugges- of urban, suburban, rural, agricul- Sound Road.
tions for the future. - Nancy tural and natural lands. 3. The Wa- Members of the Redland commu-
tershed Study (regarding water sup- nity gave us a tour of the historic
ply analysis and growth patterns). 4. community where we saw working
Traffic congestion, longer commutes farms, row crops, groves and nurser-
and overcrowded schools. 5. Water ies as well as agricultural accessory
quality and quantity. 6. The impor- uses. The persons who guided the
tance of supporting increased density tour of Redland included: Charlie
along transportation corridors. 7. McGarey, Pat Wade and George
Handling projected growth within Grunwell. They spoke about the im-
“When you see it, the UDB. 8. Affordable housing cost portance of preserving the agricul-
comparisons: redevelopment and tural industry and the industry’s con-
you get it!” infill vs. sprawl. 9. Compatibility tribution to the economy. Grunwell
by Nancy Liebman with the Comprehensive Everglades gave a beautifully narrated guided
On April 22, the Urban Environ- Restoration Plan. 10. Hurricane tour of historic sites in Redland. The
ment League organized a Mobile evacuation and safety. 11. The future speakers made us very aware of the
Workshop to discuss and visually of the Farming industry in S. Florida. dangers posed by moving the UDB,
present the complicated issues that The bus left downtown Miami incompatible uses harming the farm-
underlie the League’s support for the and traveled west on 836 to the Turn- ing industry and the harm of frag-
Hold the Line Campaign. pike, exiting at Kendall Drive. Rod menting the farm lands.
Earlier this year, UEL joined with Jude - Chair of the Miami Group of We stopped at the Fruit and Spice
the South Florida National Parks Sierra Club, narrated the route, not- Park to hear a panel of Redlanders
Trust in hosting a trip to the Ever- ing the form and character of the further elaborate on their future as
glades. Fifty members traveled fifteen sprawling suburban development and farmers. Panelists included:
miles into the vastness of the Ever- how the county’s plan was to com- McGarey and Grunwell, and Dewey
glades on the Shark Valley tram tour pliment public transportation routes Steele, Pam Gray, Paul Mulhern and
narrated by park rangers. As we trav- and not to develop urban sprawl. moderator Pat Wade. We traveled
eled from Miami, we saw the bur- Although the vision was there, the south on Krome Avenue toward
geoning subdivisions, marked the political will in the 1980’s was not Homestead and Florida City, that leg
current development boundary line strong enough to stop the draining of the trip was narrated by Paul
and gained a greater understanding of the Everglades. The result is the Mulhern owner of the Grove Inn
of the interrelationship of the exist- endless urban sprawl we see today. Country Guesthouse. He noted the

3. great opportunity this area has to de-
velop agricultural tourism based on the
farming industry and the ecology of the
area. He urged the county to consider
seizing on South Dade as a tourism at-
traction and developing an appreciation
for the existing environment. As we trav-
eled on Krome, we learned about the
battle to maintain Krome Avenue as a
two-lane road, an issue that is in the
courts. UEL supports maintaining
Krome Avenue as a two-lane county
road to protect against further sprawl-
ing development.
As we approached Florida City, Denis
Russ, organizer of the bus trip and UEL
board member narrated the tour of af-
fordable migrant housing communities.
Jaime Furgang, Audubon Everglades
Policy Associate, took the lead as we ap-
proached Card Sound Road to look at The Art of Developing
the environmentally sensitive lands pro- Within The Urban
posed for annexation by Florida City
(East of the intersection of US 1 and Development
Card Sound Road). The property has Boundary
been slated to be purchased as part of
the County Endangered Land Program. On April 11th, UEL hosted
We stopped for lunch in Florida City a Forum called:The Art Of
where our panelist, Tonette Collier,
member of the County’s Empowerment Developing Within The
Zone Committee and Director of the Urban Development Bound-
Homestead Community Development ary The Speakers included:
Agency, discussed the S. West Neighbor- Armando Codina,
hood Redevelopment Plan for Home- The Codina Group
stead which will provide well-planned
affordable housing opportunities. Matt Greer,
The finale of the trip was a tour given The Carlisle Group, and
by County Commissioner Katy Bernard Zyscovich,
Sorenson to the Naranja, Princeton and Zyscovich, Inc.
Cutler Ridge communities. Sorenson They discussed develop-
described the charettes organized by the ment opportunities in Miami
community to develop a plan for hous-
ing and commercial redevelopment in Dade County within the
each of those areas where development Urban Development Bound-
will be coupled with the lands surround- ary line and why they be-
ing the bus transit way. The UEL lieved it wasn’t necessary to
strongly supports developments that are move it. About 150 people
connected to transportation lines as a attended the Forum.
method of stopping the traffic gridlock.

4. We Need You Tuesday, May 17th at 9AM!!
It is important that Hold the Line organizations and individual supporters make their
presence known at the crucial County Commission meeting on MAY 17th at 9 AM
where the UDB will be threatened.
The first decision will be Florida City’s request to annex over 1,728 acres of agricultural
and environmentally sensitive lands in South Dade. However, results of the South Dade
Watershed Study, a multi-million dollar taxpayer investment called by one expert “The
most comprehensive watershed study assembled anywhere in the United States” are not
expected until later this year. This annexation land is in that study area.
As a Miami Herald editorial states:
“The momentum for expanding the UDB in Miami-Dade derives
primarily from Florida City’s request to annex 4,292 acres, of which
1,465 acres are part of a proposed development of regional impact
submitted by Atlantic Civil, Inc.”
(Lennar has an option to buy the Atlantic Civil property. Atlantic Civil has a request at the State
level for a development so large --- it is of regional impact, meaning that it impacts more than just
Miami-Dade County)
We need you to say to
Commissioners:
Let’s wait till the facts are
in. It is premature.
There are studies going on
regarding the Urban De-
velopment Boundary. Let’s
wait to see the results and
look at all of our options.
Call May 16th or check our
website for a time and any
changes:
www.UDBLINE.com
Car Pools are available.
305-213-4348 (Cell)
786-524-2286 (Fax)
Voice Mail: 305 576-2553

5. Update on Bay Harbor Islands: May 17th - 6pm
Since the Bay Harbor The Long & Narrow:
Islands Citizens Coaliton was Get the Skinny on the
founded in March, 2002 to
voice the community's opposi- Struggle in the Keys
tion to uncontrolled high rise Richard Grosso,
development, the BHICC has
ensured government account- Executive Director -
ability through the election of Environmental and Land
a Town Council that reflects Use Law Center
the citizens vision for main- &
taining the quality of life that Joan Borel of “Last Stand”
became the mission of our Moderator: Alan Farago
community and to insure
planned and controlled
development. All of our Monthly Dinner Meetings are held at the historic
Miami River Inn, 118 SW South River Drive, Miami. They begin
Currently, four of seven
at 6:00 pm with a wine and cheese reception, 6:45 pm is the actual
council members were also
dinner and then the program begins at 7:30 pm. The cost for
members of the Coalition and
UEL members is $25 per dinner meeting and for non-members it
listen to the voice and con-
is $30. Programs are free without dinner. You must reserve for the
cerns of it's citizenry.
dinner and the program: 305 325-0045
The current Vice Mayor,
We will be wrapping our most successful monthly dinner meeting sea-
Peter Lynch was a founding
son on May 17th when we will have noted environmental and growth
Coalition member and the
management attorney Richard Grosso and Joan Borel, Board of Director,
first coalition endorsed of the Keys Environmental Organization, Last Stand.
candidate. Both Albert Ruder They will speak on the topic “The long and narrow/get the skinny on
and Ken Weinstien served on the struggle in the Keys.” We can learn from this nearby struggle with
the Coalition's Board of development and sustainability, as population burgeons in Miami-Dade
Directors before being County.
elected to the Town Council. The Dinner Meeting Committee is busy working on next season’s din-
Eileen Wallace, was active an ner meeting series which begins in September, 2005 and concludes in
active coalition member since May, 2006.
it's inception. We will kick-off the season on September 20, 2005 with the honorable
Today, this community has Mayor of Miami, Manuel A. Diaz discussing all the exciting happenings
an elected leadership who in the City of Miami.
informs and involves the The second dinner meeting, scheduled for October 18, 2005 will deal
community in the decision with the status, from Miami Dade County officials, of the recently ap-
making process through proved General Obligation Bonds.
citizen committees and Other topics currently being considered for next season include an
outreach working together. update on the Miami River and an evening with Professor Marvin Dunn
This is a unique community on race relations and how community gardens bring people and neigh-
model that demonstrates the borhoods together.
power of community when We will inform you of all dinner meeting topics as soon as possible.
they have a collective voice Should you have any suggestions for topics, please be kind enough to
and a vision. - Susan Luck send an e-mail to: Dinner Committee Meeting Chairman, Albert Ruder
at albomart823@msn.com. - Thank you, Albert Ruder

6. Miami Dade: Boom or Bust?
The following is the text of a presentation by UEL President Nancy
Liebman as a member of a panel sponsored by FIU’s Metropolitan Center.
We are in a building boom, but Within a for rehabilitation
we will surely go bust if our product few years, the within the existing in-
is not sustainable for the future and city of Miami frastructure, provide
we leave out the qualities that give Beach, the effective transportation
dignity to a person’s life. County and and promote housing
I am not a developer, lobbyists, Florida Power developments that are
housing expert, designer, architect. I and Light desirable and afford-
am just a devotee of ideas that make were forced able for all residents.
communities great places to be. I be- to improve The challenge is to
came involved with housing issues 25 the existing, offer residents a quality
years ago while advocating for the neglected in- of life without a two
preservation of the art deco district. frastructure. hour daily drive to
We were a group of passionate The devel- work on gridlocked
preservationists in the early 1980’s. opers took a roads.
We knew we wanted to save a won- risk that paid The challenge is to build infill
derful, neglected neighborhood of off. They restored a neighborhood within existing communities that
mixed uses – hotels, apartments and through adaptive reuse. The end have defined their master plans with
commercial space. product is a unique community with development standards and design
We were novices, but as we used a livable lifestyle and urban ameni- guidelines. The challenge is to de-
our energy to motivate our elected ties. There are many more opportu- velop a blueprint compatible with the
body to save the neighborhood, bril- nities to do this type of infill devel- human being.
liant young creative developers opment. A great quote I just read from a
emerged from areas outside Miami The challenge is the use of exist- consultant who is assisting Broward
Beach. These developers began the ing infrastructure, rather than drain- County with affordable housing is:
renaissance by redeveloping and re- ing the Everglades to create large fresh “Density is not a four-letter word.
storing existing building stock. tracts of land. Ugly is.”
It was the incentives for housing Another challenge is to convince Residents have awakened to over-
that jump started the big housing the county commission to have the zealous developments in their com-
boom in the art deco district. will to put incentives in place in the munities. Municipalities are re-
The run-down drug havens be- master plan to create affordable hous- sponding by re-planning their land
came residences for a downtown ing. The success of what the Miami uses. Even the City of Miami is re-
workforce and attracted creative beach housing developers did was to vamping its zoning code. People de-
people who loved the pedestrian recreate a place that had some char- serve some dignity in the places where
qualities the city offered and the prox- acter. They added infill according to they live. There are a variety of ex-
imity to their downtown jobs. a master plan. They resisted cookie amples of neglected neighborhoods
cutter sub-divisions where people begging for redevelopment such as:
Developers took advantage of the
can’t find their way on mundane, Overtown, Narranga, Princeton,
tax credits and preservation incen-
identical streets. Homestead, Wynwood, 79th Street
tives. They did not fall into the nega-
tive patterns of creating sprawl and Those art deco developers and the Corridor, Cutler Ridge. According
the relentless movement to the Ever- city of Miami beach offered ameni- to a recent review of Dade County
glades. These developers worked to ties to make a comfortable life style. records, there are 17,141.44 acres of
energize a critical mass of new resi- The hold the line campaign, group vacant land within the UDB.
dents to live, work and play in a ne- of 50 organizations, is encouraging There is a 8.9% vacancy rate with
glected place in this county. elected officials to create incentives 75,504 vacant homes. Continued...

7. Rethink the American dream.
Not everyone can live in a red roof-
top single family house if land is no
longer available.
Smart Growth development op-
portunities need to be promoted. It
is no longer acceptable for Dade
County to allow sprawl. Let’s develop
communities, not just buildings.
Let’s demand a respectful planning
effort for all of our communities:
• Improved mass transportation
• Improved infrastructure
• Improved roadways
• Improved water quality
• Integrated housing in well UEL Retreat, February 19, 2005
planned diverse neighborhoods
Prepared by Janice M. Fleischer, J.D., Facilitator
• Parks and open spaces
• Viable schools
• Walkable sidewalks There were twelve members of the The Vision of the Urban Environ-
• Groceries, drug stores, cleaners, Board in attendance. The meeting ment League (UEL) for Miami Dade
and other commercial necessities took place at the Miami River Inn. County is a safe, clean, vibrant, sus-
• Preservation of historic structures As an introduction to Vision draft- tainable community guided by the
and cultural resources by amend ing, the Facilitator, Janice Fleischer, public’s interest and governed by a
ing the building codes – to make proposed the following six (6) items Master Plan.
it desirable to restore existing liv- as potential core values for the group We see preserved natural resources,
able places. to use as a basis when drafting increased density in urban areas with
We can do this within the UDB! their Vision Statement. These six sufficient existing infrastructure and
items were identified by Ms. Fleischer along mass transportation corridors
Bicentennial Park Update from the UEL’s Core Principles. within the urban development
Last month, the City of Miami 1. Concern for community boundary. There are more greenways,
had a kick-off ceremony to complete water access, pedestrian friendly
2. Smart growth principles
the master plan for Bicentennial Park. parks, improved historic neighbor-
3. Dynamic neighborhoods hoods and landmarks still recogniz-
Over 250 people attended the
4. Public space and public access able and protected.
event with both City of Miami and
preservation and enhancement Our richly diverse community has
County Commissioners present.
The master planning process 5. Public review of development unique neighborhoods that have
should take about 11 months to com- 6. Coordination with other orga- South Florida-sensitive architecture
plete. A working committee has been nizations. with quality housing affordable to all.
formed consisting of the city and The group decided to just use these Improved public communication
county staff, Cooper, Robertson & as a guideline, there was some con- is encouraging a better educated citi-
Partners, a member of the Waterfront cern that using these items alone zenry and democratic processes
Advisory Board and a member of the would not accurately reflect what the which has led to greater political in-
UEL. Nancy Liebman has appointed organization does or wants to do. tegrity practiced by accountable poli-
Board Member Sage Hoffman to rep- The group then drafted a Vision ticians who enforce zoning and build-
resent the UEL. There will be a se- Statement and adopted it: ing codes.
ries of public meetings to give updates Final Vision Statement of the The UEL works with others to
and receive feedback from the pub- Urban Environment League achieve our Vision.
lic during the process.

8. Holding the Line: A by the Everglades on one side and en- Matt Greer) systematically refuted
croaching development on the other. the claim that there is no more land.
Report from the Field
. It was a painful visual reminder that Urging Public Servants to
By Gilberto Osorio every inch of agriculture and open
space lost is an inch lost forever. Consider the Public
As Nancy Liebman explained on While it is true that grassroots and
Page 1, the UEL has been extremely There is only one thing the UEL
does better than deliver a well- community outreach is vital, we also
active in the fight to protect the Ur- understand that elected officials need
ban Development Boundary (UDB). planned bus tour: deliver a well-
timed public forum. As you know, to hear from us directly. Representa-
Led by our fearless leader, Nancy tives from Hold the Line are meeting
Liebman, the UEL has taken every one lobbyist after another has
marched to the podium in the Com- with all County Commissioners who
possible opportunity to exclaim: Hold will answer our call - and all do pay
the Line! From the depths of Shark mission Chambers and declared the
following declaration: “There is no attention to what we have to say. It
Valley in the Everglades, to Fla. City’s is often difficult to know what they
Boardroom, to the pages of the Mi- more land in Miami-Dade County.
That’s right, we have simply run out are thinking or how they will vote,
ami Herald – the past three months but one thing remains certain: Com-
have seen a torrent of activity. As of developable land.” Granted, there
is one very loud and authoritative missioner Katy Sorenson is a true
someone lucky enough to have had a champion of this cause, like every
front row seat, here is a report from voice that counters this claim every
single time: the County’s own De- other cause vital to the quality of life
the field of what’s been happening. for Miami-Dade residents. In addi-
partment of Planning and Zoning.
Community Outreach In 2003, this department performed tion to meeting with Commission-
For an issue with a lot of history the same analysis that it does every ers individually, Hold the Line de-
like the Urban Development Bound- seven years, as required by State law, livered a presentation at the last UDB
ary, we knew that community out- the Evaluation and Appraisal Report workshop. The stated purpose of
reach was going to be vitally impor- (EAR). In this study they concluded these workshops, initiated by Com-
tant to our success. In an effort to that there was no need to move the missioner Moss, is to gain public in-
build this necessary awareness, the boundary until the 2020s. In other put and devise a strategy for the cre-
UEL organized several major events. words, there was enough developable ation of a county-wide UDB study.
The three most notable include the land within the UDB to accommo- And to be fair, we have also met
Everglades Bus Tour, the Urban De- date projected growth patterns until with elected officials that we knew
velopment Boundary Bus Tour, and that time. would hardly agree with our position.
the forum, The Art of Developing However, since that is not enough Most notably, we recently visited with
Within the UDB. to convince the antsy developers, Mayor Otis Wallace in Florida City.
On our first trip, we braved a Nancy Liebman thought it might By the end of a very long conversa-
windy day in February to see what sink in if they heard it from other tion, he understood that we had no
was at stake in the Everglades. After members of the development com- choice but to vociferously oppose his
a long trek, we came away with a new munity. After all, there are numer- attempt to annex pristine wetlands
found awe for something ancient, ous examples of successful infill and beyond the UDB. But at the end of
powerful, and very much alive – yet redevelopment projects within the the day, at least we all agreed to dis-
very much at risk. UDB that provide affordable hous- agree and had a civilized discussion
For the next bus ride, we deter- ing and improve existing infrastruc- before entering into public debate.
mined to see what this imaginary line ture. With that in mind, in mid- It also goes without saying that we
on a map looked like in reality. Our April Nancy Liebman organized the are very grateful to have received the
drive, which was constantly narrated UEL sponsored forum called The Art strong support of Mayor Carlos
by one very knowledgeable tour of Developing Within the Urban Alvarez.
guide after another, took us west Development Boundary. At this fo- Friends Indeed
along Kendall Drive to Krome Av- rum, three heavyweights in the de- The UEL is a leader in this cam-
enue and down to The Redland. velopment community (Armando paign, but we are not alone – we have
Once there we saw farms bordered Codina, Bernard Zyscovich, and been joined by over fifty partner or-

9. ganizations and eleven municipali- UDB this year appeared in the “Hold the Line on Rural, Open
ties. The unique nature of our part- Herald’s Business Monday on Feb- Lands: Protect the Everglades,
ner organizations reflects the fact that ruary 14th. Reporter Matthew Biscayne Bay and Resident’s Quality
this is not a single-issue campaign. Haggman said: of Life.” In the last month, NPR’s
It is not just about fighting for our “Now as developers eye the wide Topical Currents ran a piece about
environment, or for better schools, open spaces beyond the boundary, Hold the Line and the UDB, NBC
or less traffic, or affordable housing, opponents are girding to save the Six aired a story called: “The Battle
or clean water, or better planned current configuration at all costs.” for South Dade,” and last week this
communities; it is about all those On February 27th, Jim Defede issue made National news when the
things and more. introduced us to Miami-Dade resi- Associated Press ran a story called:
Consider some of the groups. dents in the following way: “Developers Eye Miami-Dade Buffer
There is the Carlisle Development “Hold the line. Three simple Land Along Everglades.”
Group, the state’s largest builder of words with enormous meaning for The stories have continued to
affordable housing; the Gold Coast the future of Miami-Dade County.” amass because this issue is vitally im-
Section of the American Planning That same day, Carl Hiaasen lam- portant to the future of Miami-Dade
Association; Haitian Women of Mi- pooned the developers who wish to County.
ami, concerned that the westward extend the boundary, writing: Next Steps
bound movement would fly in the “If they have their way, west Mi-
I hope you will agree that our cam-
face of efforts to revive existing com- ami-Dade will eventually look as
paign has garnered important sup-
munities; Miami Neighborhoods ghastly as west Broward, where vir-
port and made significant progress so
United, a coalition of nineteen ho- tually every wetland has been drained
far, however, the other side has no
meowner associations; and Neigh- and developed.”
lack of resources, and our greatest
borhood Housing Services, surprised Several weeks later, Curtis Morgan
challenges remain in the weeks and
that developers would claim a UDB wrote a detailed piece about our cam-
months ahead.
extension would create workforce paign and its evolution. The early
In particular, our biggest challenge
housing. results were in: Hold the Line was
is fast approaching. On May 17th,
Of course, municipal governments standing firm. Morgan wrote: “While
the Board of County Commission-
also realize that extending the bound- the fight is only beginning and likely
ers will be voting on Florida City’s
ary would adversely affect the lives to last for years, a campaign [Hold
proposal to annex lands that include
of their constituents. Included in the Line] formally launched only two
a proposed 6,000 home development
their resolutions were clauses like: weeks ago already has proved
outside the UDB. Our position is
“Calling on the Miami-Dade County effective…The development indus-
simple: Any decision regarding the
Commissioners to oppose any exten- try, which wields significant political
annexation of land outside of the
sion to the Urban Development clout of its own in Miami-Dade, is
UDB should be delayed until all the
Boundary at the present time, to en- paying close attention and planning
facts are in, including studies cur-
courage infill and redevelopment and strategies to counter what some ac-
rently underway of this environmen-
adherence to the County Develop- knowledge has been a surprisingly
tally sensitive land.
ment Master Plan…” sophisticated offensive. ‘They’re out
If you agree with this statement,
City after city has adopted its own in front,’ said Jeff Bercow, a veteran
we would urge you to write a letter
version of a resolution to oppose any land-use attorney with clients hop-
to your commissioner and express
UDB extension. From Aventura in ing to develop property currently
your thoughts. You can find your
the North, South Miami to the south, outside the UDB. ‘I don’t agree with
commissioner at www.udbline.com
Miami Beach to the east, and the their position, but they have gotten
and click “Get Involved”). And most
Kendall Community Council 12 in their stories out effectively so far.’”
importantly, we hope that you will
the west – the message remains the Since, our message has continued
attend the May 17th meeting at 9:00
same: Hold the Line. to intrigue the press. On March 27th,
AM. As always, for more informa-
A Good Story Goes a the Miami Herald delivered a strong
tion please email me at:
Long Way message of support in an editorial
Gil.Osorio@gmail.com
The first major story about the entitled:

10. Agriculture: Ten Good Reasons
To Not Move The Urban Development Boundary
The Urban Development Bound- past five years agriculture jobs have
ary (UDB) is an arbitrary boundary changed from seasonal to more full-
stretching along west Miami-Dade time.
from Broward County south past 3. Agriculture land provides open
Homestead/Florida City. space for recharge of the aquifer and
The UDB separates areas where flood control. The agriculture area of
development is allowed from areas Redland has the best water in the
where development is discouraged. County and major wellfields to sup-
It separates development from rock ply future drinking water to all
mining, environmental lands and County residents have been stud-
wellfields in the north and ied/planned for several
from agriculture in the years. As salt-water in-
south. trusion and urban run-
County ser- off pollute other
vices are mini- Prepared for the Florida Earth Project by Ken
wellfields, agricul- Shuler, Agricultural EA IV
mal and zoning ture land will be
restrictions are 9. Moving the UDB jeopardizes
critical to maintain
tough on the agriculture because it decreases the
clean water supplies.
‘non-develop- critical mass of farmland to where it
4. Agriculture is not feasible to farm. A minimum
ment’ side which
land provides a protec- amount of commercial farmland is
makes it difficult to
tive buffer from develop- necessary to maintain support ser-
build large-scale
ment for Everglades Na- vices; trucking and fertilizer sales, for
projects.
tional Park on the west and Biscayne example. In the past, when the UDB
Periodically, the construction in-
National Park on the east. was moved farmers moved west into
dustry gets hungry for vacant land
and the political pressure mounts on 5. Agriculture provides fresh, safe, the Everglades. Everglades restora-
the County Commission to move the local produce for residents. tion will not allow that to happen
line. 6. Agriculture offers tourism op- anymore. Today, every move of the
Today, the area most desired by the portunities for local residents and visi- UDB is a net loss of agriculture land.
construction industry is South Mi- tors. 10. Moving the UDB causes frag-
ami-Dade which means the agricul- 7. South Miami-Dade agriculture mentation of farmland. As the land
tural area will be sacrificed. The losses products are unique because it is the close to the UDB becomes ‘popular’,
to County residents, their quality-of- only place in the continental U.S. non-farm development penetrates
life and their future will be many. where sub-tropical and tropical fruits into farmland and farming opera-
Below are ten reasons why the line and vegetables can be grown. Many tions are brought into contact with
should not be moved into agriculture of the tropical fruits and vegetables non-farm neighbors who often com-
lands. provide our diverse community with plain about noise, dust, and odors
1. Agriculture is the second larg- ethnic food choices. South Florida is from farms.
est industry in the County, provid- a major source of winter vegetables Urban/farm conflicts and theft of
ing one billion dollars to the to the rest of the country. Agriculture products from the field
economy. The total market value of 8. Redland is fast becoming the (people driving by a field and filling
agriculture products increased 39% orchid capital of the world. Horticul- up a plastic bag with farm produce)
(24% adjusted for inflation) be- ture in Redland has the largest sales discourage farming and induce
tween 1997 and 2002. in the State. Our unique climate and farmers to sell for development, fur-
2. Agriculture provides over clean water are perfect for aquacul- ther increasing fragmentation.
20,000 jobs in the county. Over the ture. - Pat Wade

11. MIAMI21 Uel Traffic Poll conducted January, 2005
Miami’s current renaissance moves by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc.
into high gear with the Mayor’s ma- Suburban Voters Spending More Time in
jor master-planning effort, MI-
AMI21, unveiled on April 16, 2005 Traffic, Feel It is Hurting Their Quality of Life
at Miami Dade College. A majority of Suburban Miami-Dade County voters say they are
The keynote speaker was Mayor spending more time in traffic than they were a year ago, say it is a
Joe Riley, mayor of Charleston, SC major factor in their day-to-day time management choices and feel it
for almost 30 years, He stated that, is hurting their family life. Voters also feel that elected officials are
“We are an Urban nation”, and that not giving enough consideration to area traffic problems.
“Great cities are not afraid to give the Overall, 55% of suburban voters indicated they were spending
public the best spaces on the water- more time in traffic, 31% said it was “about the same”, and just 11%
front. It’s all about beauty.” “Why not said they were spending less time in traffic. An even larger majority
the best.” (77%) say that traffic has gotten “a lot worse” since they first moved
He noted New York City’s master to the area, while just 15% said it was only “a little worse” and 6%
planning effort of 1811 and to said it was “the same.” Among those who commute to work, 54%
Chicago’s 1906 planning effort that said they spend at least 30 minutes each day driving one-way to
resulted in the “Burnham Plan”. The their job.
Burnham Plan is used to this day to
chart Chicago’s future. It is not a Asked how much traffic affected the choices they made each day
mistake that Chicago has ended up on how to spend their time, 63% said it was a “major factor”, 16%
as one of the most attractive, livable indicated it was only a “minor factor” and 19% stated it was “not a
cities in the US with a great economy factor.” An overwhelming 76% said they believe the increased
and with world-class architecture. amount of time spent in traffic is harmful to their family life. A
Commissioner Johnny Winton majority (63%) also thinks the traffic situation is harmful to the local
stated that, “The backbone of our economy and economic development efforts.
city are our single-family neighbor- Voters are also frustrated with local government’s efforts to
hoods, and they are the centerpiece control traffic. Overall, 63% said elected officials are not giving
of our planning effort.” enough consideration to area traffic problems and 56% do not
MIAMI21 planning effort has believe existing regulations protect their quality of life and the
four different parts: environment. Less than half (44%) feel county government is trying
1. Rewriting the building code- to protect their quality of life.
(Duany-Plater Zyberk & Company) This poll was commissioned by the Urban Environment League of
2. A study and a plan for transporta- Greater Miami. It was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Re-
tion- (Gannett Fleming, Inc.) 3. A search, Inc. of Washington, D.C. from January 17 through January 20,
study and an economic plan- (Eco- 2005. A total of 400 registered voters in suburban areas of Miami-
nomics Research Associates) 4. A Dade County were interviewed by telephone. Interviews were
study and a plan for the public realm conducted in both English and Spanish. The margin for error is plus
– (Goody, Clancy & Associates) or minus 5%.
Mayor Manny Diaz stated, “MI-
AMI21 will give us a tremendous ity 3. Celebrate diversity 4. Provide The Miami21 planning effort di-
opportunity to correct past evils and housing for everyone. 5. Long last- vides the city into four parts – plan-
to provide a sustainable basis for the ing public participation. 6. Good ning and implementing one part at a
future.” transportation infrastructure. 7. Pre- time – Part One, which includes the
Mayor Joe Riley finished by nam- serve land for parks and open spaces. Upper Eastside – will be the Petri dish
ing eight items crucial to making 8. Dedication to high quality urban for the city’s entire planning effort.
Miami21 a success: design. Notes by Robert Flanders, at the
1. Strong political leadership 2. An This will result in pride in your Miami21 Kickoff Program, 4/16
environment of intellectual creativ- city. Info: www.miamigov.com/miami21

12. The Orchid Awards are presented to Individuals and Organizations for:
Preserving greenspace, sustaining liveable communities and protecting the environment.
Photos of Award Recipients (see next page): 11
Alan Farago, Hold the Line Campaign (4)
Jay Beskin & The Northeast Dade Coalition-California Club
Associations (8, 9)
Mabel Miller, Veteran Environmentalist (not pictured)
South Florida Community Development Training Institute at FIU
Annetta Jenkins, Senior Program Director, South Florida LISC
Dario Moreno, Director, The Metropolitan Center, FIU
Thomas Zuniga, Training Director, S. FL LISC, Training
Institute at FIU (6,11) 12
Bryan K. Finnie, Director, Office of Community & Economic
Development (6,11)
Dr. James and Sallye Jude for Historic Preservation (7 Jane
Caporelli Accepting)
Dade Heritage Trust (5)
M. Athalie Range for Preservation Of Virginia Key (not pictured)
Bay Harbor Islands Citizens Coalition (1,2,3,12)
Nancy Lee, UEL’s First President’s Award (10)
Urban Environment League
2005 Officers, Board Members, and Advisors
Officers:
President Nancy Liebman
Vice-President Ernie Martin
Treasurer Kay Hancock Apfel
Secretary Richard Korman
Past President Gregory Bush
Board of Directors: Board of Advisors:
Kay Hancock-Apfel Susan Luck Gregory Bush, Chair
Alan Bisno Ernest Martin Amy Paige Condon
Gregory Bush Robert McCabe Sallye Jude
Michael Cox Dan McCrea Dorothy Jenkins-Fields
John DeLeon Arsenio Milian Dr. Paul George
Richard Donovan Jimmy Morales Joe Kohl
Robert Flanders Enid Pinkney Dan Paul
Matthew Greer Alberto Ruder Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk
Albert Harum-Alvarez Denis Russ Brenda McClymonds
Sage Hoffman Paul Schwiep Arva Moore Parks McCabe
Maria Ines Castro Howard Slotnick Gene Tinnie
Ruth Jacobs Fortuna Smukler M. Athalie Range
James Jude Max Strang Mitchell Wolfson, Jr.
Richard Korman David Turner George Knox
Nancy Lee Jason Uyeda
Judith Berson-Levinson John Van Leer
Nancy Liebman

13. 1 2 4
3
5 6
9
7 8
10
The Urban Environment League thanks the Miami
Dade Public Library System for hosting the Annual Meet-
ing at the new Miami Beach Regional Library designed by
Robert A.M. Stern. The library is a beautiful new addi-
tion to the historic Collins Park neighborhood in a setting
with the expanded Bass Museum of Art by Irata Isosaki
and the Miami City Ballet headquarters designed by
Architectonica.
The League is also grateful to Talulah's Restaurant and
2005 Recipients of the Bar for hosting the garden patio reception following the
Annual meeting. The beautiful orchids received by each
Orchid Award award recipient are a product of Miami Beach's Lincoln
Photos by Ernie Martin/Robert Weinreb Road Street Market.

14. 1
3
2
4
5
6

15. Everglades Restoration Tour
The second half of our two-part hotel. Fish check in during the dry Dade County for providing a bus for
program on Everglades Restoration season to swim at the spa, but the the tour. Finally, thanks to Nancy
played to rave reviews on Saturday rent can be steep. Every so often the Liebman, Nancy Lee and Denis Russ
February 5. resident landlord eats one of her of the Urban Environment League
Forty-five people joined us for a guests. How’s that for a business for helping to organize the outing.
bus tour to Shark Valley sponsored strategy! The first part of the program
by the South Florida National Parks The tour concluded with lunch took place on January 18 with a din-
Trust and the Urban Environment at the Miccosukee Casino on Krome ner discussion at the Miami River
League. Avenue. No word on whether any- Inn. Alan Farago and Rock Salt were
Bob Johnson, chief scientist at one in the group had an encounter the featured speakers. Former Her-
Everglades National Park, enter- with Lady Luck. ald editorial writer Martha Musgrove
tained the crowd with tales of hy- Special thanks to Bob Johnson, moderated the discussion.
drology and an explanation of Ever- Cherry Payne, Dick Konicek Moran -Don Finefrock
glades Restoration as the bus rolled and Rachel Shull of Everglades Na- Learn more about the South
west from downtown Miami. tional Park for making the trip a suc- Florida National Parks Trust by con-
The group then boarded a tram cess (Rachel drove the tram; Cherry tacting the Trust at:
for a tour of the park led by volun- welcomed the group to Everglades South Florida National Parks Trust
teer Dick Konicek Moran. NP). 1390 South Dixie Highway
Dick described alligator holes as Also, special thanks to Commis- Coral Gables, Fla. 33146
nature’s equivalent of a South Beach sioner Katy Sorenson and Miami- 305.665.4769
www.nationalparks.org/southflorida
7
Photos:
1. Cherry Paine
2. Angelique and Jacalyn Giraud
3. Gil Osorio and Adrienne Chiron
4. Leonard Kantrowitz
5. Sage Hoffman
6. Howard Slotnick and (?)
7. Nancy Liebman and Jim Jude

16. NOTICE:
The UEL accepts articles/letters
from its members and members of
the public. These articles/letters do
not always reflect the views of the
Members of the UEL, or its Board,
or the views UEL Advisors.
To submit articles/letters, contact:
nancy88@ bellsouth.net
The editor takes full responsibility
for botching articles during cuts.
URBAN ENVIRONMENT LEAGUE OF GREATER MIAMI MEMBERSHIP & RENEWAL APPLICATION
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Urban Environment
League
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Greater Miami
212 N.E. 24 Street
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