WEEK OF THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2015 A Singular Voice in an Evolving City WWW.MIAMITODAYNEWS.COM $4.00 HEALTH UPDATE Jackson team reviews spending GE’s CT scanner at forefront plan above $100 million, pg. 13 in broad clinical range, pg. 15 FP&L SELLS RIVER LAND: Ytech Interna- tional, a Miami-based development and real estate investment firm, and Carlos Mattos, an Wynwood investor/developer, paid Florida Power & Light THE ACHIEVER $21 million for 2.24 acres just north of the Miami River and east of Southeast Second Avenue. hotel OK’d Asked where FP&L will re-locate its equipment on the site and how long it will take, a spokes- man could not provide information Tuesday to check in evening. The land, in Miami’s central business district, is almost a full city block with entitlements to build 2.15 million BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS square feet, according to Colliers International spokespeople. Brokers Larry Stockton of Colliers International and Michael Fay, Jay Ziv and New York developer Sonny Xavier Cossard of Avison Young teamed up on the transaction. Mr. Bazbaz wants to build a hotel in Stockton, who was not available Tuesday evening, said in a written Wynwood. Miami’s Urban De- release the property was essentially an off-market transaction. Colliers spokespeople report Ytech International, led by Yamal Yidios Char, has velopment Review Board last redeveloped more than 3,000 multi-family units in South Florida and week recommended approval of currently owns a $300 million real estate portfolio in Florida and Texas; his mixed-use project at 2110 N and Mr. Mattos has assembled a number of high-profile Miami proper- Miami Ave. ties. The two Colombian investors are partnering for the first time. His attorney, Iris Escarra, told the board it will be a “gateway” to ALL ABOARD: Plans for a nearly 7-acre train station to rise downtown got final administrative approval last week. All Aboard Florida, a subsid- the booming Wynwood Arts Dis- iary of Coral Gables-based Florida East Coast Industries, plans passen- trict. A rezoning and alley closure ger rail to link Orlando and Miami with stops in Fort Lauderdale and West last year allow this “signature” Palm Beach. Downtown Miami’s stop, known as Miami Central, is to project to rise, she said. stretch along Northeast First Avenue near County Hall and is to feature A 3-to-2 board vote recom- a viaduct through which trains will enter the station. The county mended approval, with Neil Hall commission approved the station’s overall look months ago. But All and Anthony Tzamtzis against. Aboard Florida still faced administrative scrutiny from county and City The project is to have 163 stu- of Miami staffers on details of the site plan – from what materials are to dio and 1-bedroom apartments, be used for the viaduct to where to build an overpass connecting the 79 hotel rooms, 12,407 square station to nearby developments. On Thursday, the staff committee gave feet of retail and parking for 315 final approval to the site plan. Service linking Miami and West Palm Beach cars in an L-shape building of is expected to start in 2016. eight and 12 stories. BOTTOM PRICE: The City of Miami is renewing its lease of submerged Both interior and exterior are lands near Monty’s, on the waterfront in Coconut Grove. The city owns Photo by Marlene Quaroni described as industrial, made of the uplands at 2550 S Bayshore Drive. The state leases the submerged concrete, untreated wood and lands adjacent to the city-owned uplands. Commissioners authorized the Carlos Fausto Miranda exposed infrastructure. Said ar- city manager to renew the lease of the bottomlands for 10 years at Pushing Little Havana business improvement district chitect Jonathan Cardello of de- $2,487.17 a year, subject to annual increases according to the Florida sign firm ADD Inc., now with Administrative Code and a $619 state lease processing fee. The profile is on Page 4 Stantec, “It’s industrial in nature. Clean and simple.” “I am not feeling it – at all,” said Marlins, county to arbitrate final ballpark costs Mr. Hall. Wynwood has become unique, he said, and “I’m not BY LIDIA DINKOVA and the Marlins for about $126.2 million. from the expenses the Marlins say should sure you reinforce [that] with That’s excluding the issuance of $35 mil- be counted toward their share of the cost. sameness.” Wynwood generates The Miami Marlins have given the county lion in additional bonds as well as about Among these disputed costs: excitement because street art has their final expense claims for building the $4.5 million designated for making the sta- About $207,300 the Marlins paid to made a hip space from old ware- baseball team’s Little Havana home – after dium a ‘green’ structure built and operated Levy Restaurants, a Chicago-based com- houses, he said, calling the three full seasons in the stadium. according to environmentally sustainable pany that serves food at Marlins Park. project’s design “stark.” The Marlins say $110.9 million should be standards set by the US Green Building About $221,400 in expenses the Mar- Mr. Tzamtzis agreed, noting counted toward their share of the stadium’s Council, a private non-profit organization lins list for retail technology experts. “this is a very special area of the total construction cost, said Jose Galan, that advocates for sustainability in building. About $92,500 the Marlins paid to city, it’s an artistic neighbor- director of the Real Estate Development Also not included are interest payments on The Parker Co., a Miami-based company hood.” Division at the county’s Internal Services county-issued stadium bonds that will cost for global hospitality procurement and Renderings show greenery Department. about $2.4 billion in all to repay. consulting. wrapping the first floor. Mr. But the county’s auditors say that part of At the close of the final bid package, About $386,700 the Marlins paid to Cardello said the trellis will create that amount doesn’t qualify as stadium about $504 million from the budgeted $519.5 Atlas Sign Industries, a West Palm Beach- a canopy and shade, with plants spending and shouldn’t be counted as part million was spent on stadium-related costs. based sign manufacturing, design and in- attached to wire and screen in of the Marlins’ share of construction. The remaining $15 million falls within the stallation company. front of the retail, making the Specifically, the auditors are disputing Marlins’ share of the cost. About $36,380 in legal fees the Mar- building as green as possible at 3.8%, or $4.2 million, from the $110.9 Since the final bid package has closed, lins paid to law firm Holland & Knight. the ground level. million the Marlins say should be counted. that remaining $15 million is to go into a tri- Aside from the $4.2 million the county Mr. Bazbaz said they looked at The heavily scrutinized deal to finance the party reserve account that is to later fund is contesting, the Marlins have already Wynwood’s “sea of 25-foot-high building of a baseball stadium with features stadium capital improvements, such as fix- agreed to remove from their claim concrete boxes” and designed such as a retractable roof is a tri-party ing the retractable roof. $812,000 the team previously listed as the green curtains as a buffer for agreement among the City of Miami, Miami- In addition, any expenses the Marlins part of its construction costs. pedestrians. Dade County and the Miami Marlins. have claimed but the county successfully As for the $4.2 million the county’s “I will remain skeptical,” said About $519.5 million was budgeted for disputes in the future are to also go into that auditors are contesting, that issue is to be board member Gerald C. Marston. the stadium, with the city responsible for capital improvements account. resolved in arbitration. Mr. Galan said “It will require a high degree of $13.5 million, the county for $341.3 million So far the county disputes $4.2 million arbitration hasn’t yet been scheduled. maintenance to keep it growing.” BIG-BOX BAYVIEW MARKET SITE FETCHES $64 MILLION ... 2 MIAMI’S GLOBAL TRADE SEEN ON THE ROAD TO GAINS ... 10 MONESTIME REVAMPS COUNTY’S COMMITTEE SYSTEM ... 3 LOCAL FIRMS TAP MIDDLE EAST AT ARAB HEALTH 2015 ... 13 AGENDA VIEWPOINT: A SPATE OF UNHERALDED ACHIEVEMENTS ... 6 OBAMACARE COULD END PRIMARY CARE SHORTAGES ... 14 836 EXPRESS BUS SERVICE NOW DUE TO START IN 2019 ... 8 INDUSTRIAL MARKET IS AMONG NATION’S STRONGEST ... 18 4 MIAMI TODAY PROFILE WEEK OF THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2015 Commercial realtor Carlos Fausto Miranda envisions net... Carlos Fausto Miranda does not dis- posed to allowing a situation of stagna- tinguish between his commercial real tion to occur. estate brokerage and civic involvement. We suffer from a lack of high-quality He considers his business a platform for middle- and lower-income housing in social change. this neighborhood and this amendment Mr. Miranda is on a quest to build for will increase the economic incentive in Miami what he describes as an interest- order to allow entrepreneurs and small ing patchwork of socially and culturally property owners to develop high-qual- vibrant, sustainable, unique signature ity housing stock for those populations. neighborhoods that can assert interna- Public transportation is all about rider- tional recognition. ship. Increasing the density in this area In that pursuit, he has helped organize will increase ridership and the need for grassroots efforts to support amending public transportation and reduce the per the city parking requirement for small capita cost of that public transportation, new buildings within walking distance which in turn will lead us to a situation of corridors like Calle Ocho that are where we are incentivizing the use of the near public transit, push for the upzon- public transport and at the same time ing of East Little Havana along with a working towards the possibility of being designation of historical preservation, able to live a completely non-automobile- launch a Little Havana Business Im- dependent urban lifestyle.