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01-19-1965 Regular Meeting 4 REGULAR MEETING MIAMI SHORES VILLAGE COUNCIL January 19, 1965 A regular meeting of the Miami Shores Village Council was held at 4:00 o'clock P.M. , January 19, 1965, at the Village Hall, with the following Councilmen present: Mayor Ray L. Clement Elwood Jones Dean R. Claussen John F. Saxon Dale Miller Absent: None Mr. Thomas H. Anderson, Village Attorney, was also present. The meeting was opened by Mayor Clement who gave the invocation. Minutes of the last meeting were approved by motion made by Mr. Jones, seconded by Mr. Claussen and passed unanimously. Mr. Andrew of the travel agency at 8971 N. E. 6th Ave. and his attorney,. Mr. Louis, were present to appeal the Council action denying him a permit to erect a sign on the cantilever of the building in which he is located at the above address. Mr. Louis explained the need for this advertising and presented pictures of various signs in that area. Mr. Claussen moved that the previous action of the Council be set aside and the matter be re-considered for action at the next meeting. Motion was seconded by Mr. Miller and passed unanimously. Mr. William Carpenter, Walter Davidson, John McCoy and a group of citizens appeared at the meeting to discuss the Village acquiring the 119/65 �2- vacant land north of the Country Club. Mr. McCoy presented a statement (copy attached hereto) outlining the reasons why the Village should acquire this land, after which Mr. Davidson added a few remarks. Mr. Jones moved that-the Council instruct the Village Manager to make a study pertaining to the acquisition for municipal purposes only of the 5.42 acre tract north of the Country Club and come back with a feasibility report for the acquiring of this property, particularly with cost and method of financing and list those activities that the land could be used for. Motion was seconded by Mr. Miller and passed unanimously. Mr. Saxon then moved that the remarks of Mr. McCoy be incorporated in the record of the minutes. Motion was seconded by Mr. Miller and passed unanimously. Bids were received for a street drain to be installed at N. E. 100th St. and 2nd Ave. , as follows: O. W. COLLINS 12" Aluminum pipe $1265.00 151' Concrete pipe 1065. 00 BROOKS PAVING 12" Aluminum pipe 1570. 00 1511 Concrete pipe 1320. 00 Mr. Saxon moved that the Village Manager be instructed to award contract to the low bidder, using aluminum pipe. Motion was seconded by Mr. Miller and passed unanimously. The next item was a discussion of the Metro Penal Code ordinance. Mr. Anderson wanted to know if the Council wanted him to work with the other city attorneys in testing this in court. Mr. Saxon moved that the Village Attorney be empowered to take whatever action he deems necessary 1/19/65 -3- to oppose the Metro Penal Code and protect the Village courts and keep the Council informed as to money he expends so he can move at a moment's notice. Motion was seconded by Mr. Jones and passed unanimously. Unfinished Business (a) Adult Recreation Committee - no report. The meeting adjourned at 5:00 P.M. Village Clerk Approved: v 4 Village Stanager APPROVED: z4z Mayo r a Council minutes of 1/19/65 Before the Village of Miami Shores Council January 19, 1965 Mr. Mayor and Members of the Council, my name is John E. McCoy. I have resided at 1020 N. E. 104th Street since November, 1953, and I am Vice President and General Counsel of Storer Broadcasting Company. My appearance here is not as an attorney, but as a resident of Miami Shores Village. The views I will set forth are shared by many other residents of the Village, some of whom have asked me to summarize their position for you. Briefly, this group of residents and citizens of Miami Shores Village axe convinced that the interests of the Village and of all of its residents will be best served: (1) If the Village Council denies any and all requests to rezone the 5. 4 acre tract that lies ori.Biscayne Boulevard between the country club and 104th Street. (2) If the Village Council takes the required steps to purchase this tract of land at this.time. I have lived in four other major cities in my lifetime, and from my personal knowledge know that in our Village we have a unique community, one of which all of us can be very proud. Miami Shores is unique because it is virtually the only country- club oriented residential community located within a major metropolitan area, The wisdom of the founders of Miami Shores, and their successors, has preserved the unique assets of the Village -- its country club and its almost 10076 high quality residential character. By doing so, the best type of men and their families have been drawn to and live in Miami Shores. As a fairly recent arrival, I can assure you that the community spirit in our town is greater than in any other I have ever seen. The opportunities for recreation, dining, entertaining, and joint community acitivity that the country club provides have given Miami Shores a unity of purpose and civic Y activity that are unsurpassed. There is notdoubt in your minds, I feel sure, that the country club must be preserved, not only for our generation, but for our children and for posterity -- in so far as foresight and planning can achieve that objective. The group of men I am speaking for are convinced that the character of the country club and the Village depends in large part on the appearance that its two main avenues present to the public. Ninety-sixth Street and Biscayne Boulevard are the public image of Miami Shores. They are the face that the Village shows to all who use these thoroughfares. We are fortunate that on both sides of Biscayne Boulevard from 104th Street to 91st Street, the boulevard is purely residential in character. It is the only beautiful main thoroughfare that I know of in the entire metropolitan area. If we permit the beauty of Biscayne Boulevard to be whittled away by destroy- ing its residential character, we will take the first step towards destroying the image of Miami Shores -- and when its image has been destroyed, it won't be long before the entire character.of the residents and their activities will go.down hill. It will take only a few years for rezoning to have its ill effects -- just look at the area on Collins Avenue that once was filled with fine, palatial residences. It is our joint view that the recurring efforts on the part of some business interests to rezone the 5.4 acre tract of land on Biscayne Boulevard between 104th and 102nd Streets are a constant threat to the continued existence of the Village of Miami Shores as the unique country-club oriented community that it is today and has been from its foundation. We believe that any rezoning and commercial use of this tract must be prevented with all the determination that the Village Council can muster. Let me give you some of the reasons that have occurred to us: -3- 1. Any commercial use of that tract will cause an immediate deterioration of the country club. The club now uses the southeast section of that tract for essential parking. It uses this area for parking every day in the week. It is used for parking the cars of the golfers, the swimmers, the club men and women, attending luncheons and dinners, the people attending the civic activities such as the barbecues and high school football rallies. Without this additional parking space that is now available, it seems clear that the present activities of the country club and civic clubs using its facilities cannot continue. As the number of automobiles increase this problem is going to get more acute;. it is not going to get any easier. Moreover, the mere existence of a business office or multiple-family dwellings in this.tract of land will not only increase the parking problem, but will change the character of the traffic that uses the area adjacent to the club. Business traffic goes in and out 8 hours.a day, 5 or 6 days a week. The constant flow of business traffic that can be expected from a rezoning of the 5-acre tract can only have one effect -- it will destroy the residential character of this 'area. This can result only �n deterioration of the country club itself. What attraction would the club have if it were located adjacent to the Gulf American office building on 79th Street? 2. We think that foresight demands that provision be made by the Village for expanding the country club f acilities -- to take care of its future needs -- and that the only possible area of expansion is the 5-acre tract now under discussion. None of us can foresee the future, but it certainly is a reasonable assumption that as the population of Miami Shores grows, and as leisure time expands and permits greater use of recreation facilities, the Village and the club are going to require more land for recreational and civic purposes. Our group believes that the present governors of the Village owe it to the future residents of Miami Shores to preserve this one 1 -4- large area adjacent to the club that can be used for improvement and expansion of its facilities. 3. Another factor we believe requires your consideration is the possibility that some time in the future the Metro Government may expand its functions and take out of the hands of the Village of Miami Shores jurisdiction to control the zoning of its own land. Last week a move was made to take over the local police courts. Next year, or sometime in the future,. the handling of zoning problems may be taken from the city and village governments within the metropolitan area. You can protect the residents of Miami Shores against this possibility by taking steps to acquire the 5-acre tract we are discussing. 4. The country club as it now exists is a financial asset to the community. Walter Davidson tells me that in the last three months of 1964, the club showed a net profit of about $26, 359. From its profits, the club not only makes an annual payment to the Village, but it finances its own maintenance and improvement. Any deterioration in the club, such as curtailing the golf practice range, or reducing the use of the club for civic and social functions, could only result in weakening the financial status of the club, and possibly in making it a financial drain on the Village and its taxpayers. 5. I have not mentioned the effect on property values of permitting a commercial use of the 5-acre tract. Obviously, the homes on 102nd, 103rd and 104th Streets, east and west of the Boulevard will be adversely affected. While the vacant land on Biscayne Boulevard might well increase in value, since all of it would be open to rezoning for commercial purposes, such rezoning and increase in value would be at the expense of all home owners whose residences are on or near Biscayne Boulevard from 104th to 91st Street. These people, including me -5- incidentally, bought their homes in the expectation that the Village Council would not change the zoning of the vacant land on Biscayne Boulevard. They would hardly consider it good faith on the part of the Council, if these vacant lots were rezoned and the value of the residential property reduced. 6. If this 5-acre tract is rezoned for commercial, business, or multiple- dwelling use, this will constitute a precedent that will make it virtually impossible for the Council to resist further demands for rezoning all of the vacant land on Biscayne Boulevard within Miami Shores. By.taking this one action, we submit that the Council will be taking an irrevocable step towards the ultimate destruction of the beauty of Biscayne Boulevard within the Miami Shores limits, and the ultimate destruction of the value of residential properties in all of the adjacent areas. 7. Finally, we believe that the Village of Miami Shores needs this additional land for expansion of its civic, cultural and recreational activities. By using the 5 acres for worthwhile activities of this type, the face of the Village on Biscayne Boulevard can be improved, rather than deteriorated, and the facilities furnished by the Village to its residents can be expanded in areas where additional community facilities will be needed.in the new age of leisure that seems to be almost upon us. More planning and study may well be needed before any final determination is reached by the Village. Council and Planning Board, but it is clear to our group that there are numerous areas in which the 5 acres could be put to good use for the benefit of the entire community. For example: (1) A cultural or art center could be constructed; (2) a community theatre and auditorium could be built; (3) the clubhouse of the country club could be expanded into the area now occupied by the golf carts, which would necessitate use of the 5 acres for parking and golf cart facilities; (4) a park or horti- cultural gardens could be established on this land; (5) a 9-hole par three, or a pitch and put golf course could be put into operation; (6) the existing tennis and basketball -6- facilities could expand into this area; and (7) a community center for the youth of the community could be constructed. In our opinion, the continued attractiveness of Miami Shores as one of the few prime residential areas in the county depends in large part on providing for the community activities of this type that other cities and communities now are starting to provide. For these main reasons, we are convinced that the Village Council would be. serving the best interests of the Village and its residents if it decided now to purchase the 5. 4 acre tract from Bessemer Properties, Inc. We understand that in 1946, this tract was offered to the Village for $15, 000, but the offer was not accepted. Now we are informed that it could be purchased by the Village for about $200, 000. In less than 20 years, it is reasonable to expect a similar increase in value. Accordingly, we think that this land is not only necessary to preserve the value of the country club to the Village, but that it would be a sound.investment--one which could not result in a loss to the Village, and one which could well result in a substantial gain, if the Village Council 15 or 20 years from now should determine that the land was not needed and should be disposed.of. The terms of purchase of this land, of course, are up to the good judgment of the Village,Council and.the owner of the land. We understand that Bessemer Properties, Inc. would give the Village the opportunity to buy the land for $200, 000 on a long- term basis at reasonable interest--say, 20 years and 4%. If our understanding is correct, this would mean that the land could be purchased for an annual outlay of $10, 000 for principal amortization, plus less than $8, 000 a year for interest (reducing, of course, as the principal is paid off). On these terms, the present revenues of the country club are more than adequate to finance the purchase. Accordingly, we respectfully submit to the Village Council that it would serve 0 -7- the interest of the Village and its residents by immediately initiating steps to purchase the land in question. We so recommend. Council minutes of 1/19/65 Mr. Chairman, members of the Miami Shores Village Council: My name is Walter P. Davidson and I have resided with my family at 1075 N. E. 99th Street for more than a decade . I am a CPA and a partner of Haskins and Sells with local offices at 1701 duPont Building. You have heard the lucid presentation of Mr. John McCoy, a man of prudent business judgment, and comments of others explaining why the acquisition of this property is imperative if our Country Club is to prosper in the future. The residents of Miami Shores and members of the Miami Shores Country Club that we represent by our presence here today endorse this action without reservation. As a CPA, based on thirty years of experience, I firmly believe this to be a superior medium and long-term investment. We .urge you today to vote affirmatively to negotiate terms and conditions incident to the acquisition- of this property. Do it now before it is too late l Thank you, gentlemen, for your kind attention.