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Miami group will devise plan for waterfront future
BY TIMOTHY O'HARA
Citizen Staff Writer
KEY WEST — The
city commission chose a firm Tuesday to come up with a plan for 33 acres
of prime waterfront real estate, but postponed picking a contractor to
study annexing Stock Island and Key Haven.
City Manager
Julio Avael will have to negotiate with DMJM and Harris, Inc. and Sasaki
of Miami on a price for creating a master plan for the Truman
Waterfront, city clerk's office officials said.
Commissioners
ranked DMJM and Harris, Inc. and Sasaki as the top bidder among four
that had submitted proposals. The local firm of Bender and Associates
was ranked second, EDAW, Inc. was third and Bruno-Elias & Associates was
fourth.
DMJM and
Sasaki have completed many waterfront projects in Florida, including
work at Port Everglades, Port Miami, Key Biscayne and Naples. The firm
has also worked on ports in Jamaica and Puerto Rico.
A major
selling point for commissioners was the group's history of helping
cities obtain grant funding for projects, they said during Tuesday's
special meeting.
The city still
is struggling to find money for upgrades and capital projects on the
property, which the Navy turned over to the city as part of the Base
Realignment and Closure Act to downsize military bases across the
country.
Representatives from DMJM and Harris, Inc. and Sasaki said that one of
its clients, the city of Indianapolis, started with $250,000 in seed
money for a riverfront project. When the project was completed, the city
had obtained $119 million in funding, with the help of the engineering
firm, said Varoujan Hagopian, a planner with the Sasaki.
"There is
money at the federal government level," Hagopian said, adding that the
group has lobbyists in Washington to help get funding. "It's there and
you can access it. This is serious stuff."
Commissioners
stressed the importance of maintaining the property as a place for the
residents to enjoy.
"This is the
last land in this community. It's prime," Commissioner Harry Bethel
said. "The intent is to preserve it for the people who live in this
community."
There also was
discussion of pulling Bahama Village businesses into the project and
opening up parts of Truman Waterfront to make the neighborhood more
accessible from the waterfront. Large sections of fencing separate the
former Navy property from Bahama Village.
As part of the
city's agreement with the Navy, 60 percent of the land must remain
undeveloped or be used as park space.
Also Tuesday,
commissioners said that they were concerned about the cost of studying
the annexation of Stock Island. The lowest bid came in at $119,000 and
the highest was $262,000. The city planning department does not have the
manpower to conduct the study, commissioners said, and staff members
said other projects would have to be put on hold to perform the study.
Mayor Jimmy
Weekley was the lone vote in favor of going forward with the study.
tohara@keysnews.com |
