By Coral Gables Gazette staff
The construction of the controversial Mobility Hub championed by the majority of the Coral Gables Commission as the first and perhaps most important step to upgrading the city’s downtown parking inventory is about two months from getting started, with demolition of the dilapidated Parking Garage No. 1 tentatively scheduled to begin in October.
Economic Development Director Belkys Perez gave an update on the project last week, saying that although no definitive construction timeline has been established, demolition is fast approaching.
“We had our first meeting with the businesses and contractor on June 24 – and told them about the scope of the project and what the limitations might be,” Perez told members of the Economic Development Board on August 5.
Utility work begins ahead of demolition
Florida Power & Light is currently working in the alleyway, where utility vaults must be created because power lines serving surrounding businesses run into or beneath the existing garage, Perez said.
“The contractor’s working on a mobility plan right now … they should have it within the next two weeks, and demolition is tentatively scheduled for October,” she said. “So it should take 18 months.”
City prepares businesses for 18 months of disruption
Once the contractor completes the plan for demolition and construction, Perez said the city will again meet with property and business owners along Andalusia Avenue and Miracle Mile. She said the city faces a major communication effort similar to the one undertaken during the Miracle Mile streetscape project, with the disruption from construction needing to be balanced against the promise of additional parking and improved retail opportunities downtown.
Why drivers keep circling for street parking
The city is also trying to understand how people currently use downtown parking and what might persuade them to change those habits once the Mobility Hub opens.
Perez said the city has been working on a parking campaign and recently redid its parking map to better show the amount of parking available throughout downtown. It also surveyed businesses, people in the Central Business District and residents about their perceptions of parking. She plans to present the survey results to the board at its next meeting.
Perez offered one early takeaway: “There’s nothing shocking, it’s just everyone has that habit of wanting to park on the street, and it’ll circle around until they can find it,” even when a parking garage is nearby.
The director and board members agreed that the new Mobility Hub could help change that behavior, in part because its design is intended to address some of the concerns people have about parking garages. The new facility will be open and well-lit, while smart-garage technology and wayfinding could allow drivers to see where spaces are available and reduce the amount of traffic generated by drivers circling downtown looking for parking.
Downtown businesses get an Aug. 19 mobility roundtable
The question of parking behavior comes as the city considers broader changes to its mobility system. Assistant Director of Mobility and Sustainability Matt Anderson said the city will hold an Aug. 19 roundtable with downtown businesses at the Coral Gables Museum to gather feedback on traffic, parking and other mobility problems. Two teams of consultants are studying the city’s overall mobility options, while another is examining transportation-management issues with neighboring South Miami and Miami-Dade County. Feedback from businesses will help inform the city’s Mobility Master Plan and other studies.
The Mobility Hub remains a source of frustration for members of the Parking Advisory Board, several of whom expressed a sense that residents’ objections to development and parking changes rarely affect the final outcome.
PRAISE THE LORD !!!
THIS PROJECT — A BUSINESS SURVIVAL LIFELINE, BECAUSE WITHOUT ADEQUATE PARKING, THERE IS NO INCOME FOR RETAIL BUSINESSES !!! — IS FINALLY ARRIVING !!!!!!!
The Parking Advisory Board literally has no idea what it is doing !!! Objecting to providing adequate parking for the downtown is SABOTAGE OF MIRACLE MILE’S SURVIVAL !!!!!!! Commissioners should seriously consider replacing any members of the Parking Board objecting to The Mobility Hub !!!!!!!
Sincerely,
Jackson Rip Holmes
Miracle Mile property owner
As a proud member of the Parking Advisory Board (PAB) for the last 3 years, I must say that Mr. Holmes has never once joined any of our meetings either in person or by Zoom. In fact, most of the time Mr. Holmes opines about anything related the downtown area is simply a self-serving diatribe since he owns a tiny property along The Mile. Instead of insulting the PAB, made up of 5 volunteer CG residents concerned with ALL parking issues within the entire city, perhaps Mr. Holmes should consider the overall good that what we try to do rather than making insensitive and selfish comments such as stated above.
Ms DeTournay, like former Parking Board Member Gordon Sokoloff, and like Coral Gables Neighbors Association President Sue Kawalerski, does not care whether Miracle Mile lives or dies.
I stand behind my criticisms of the Parking Board.
Jackson Rip Holmes
Extra parking will not save retailers on Miracle Mile. Miracle Mile retailers are competing with (A) the Shops at Merrick Park and the Plaza Coral Gables, (B) a changing demographic in which residents with discretionary dollars do not live in Coral Gables 4 months of the year, (C) post-COVID Uber eats options and (D) a tightening economy with reduced discretionary spending for many customers. Also, Miracle Mile retailers will soon be competing with the $1 billion mixed-use development that will include 1 million square feet of retail and office space at Miami Freedom Park that is less than 4 miles from Miracle Mile. Before spending $70M on a parking garage, business-savvy leaders consider the demand for such parking in light of alternative retail options. A better use of City money is to support the Coral Gables Art Cinema, the Sanctuary of the Arts and the Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theater. Remember that Lago and his pocket votes (Anderson and Lara) were against spending $41,000 to upgrade a lift at the theater so that handicapped patrons could access the second floor. Like the World Cup watch parties in front of Fritz & Franz that the City allowed for the prior 24 years before Lago ended it this year as part of his Carollo-like political retribution, these things make Coral Gables unique and attract retail customers. Instead of supporting small businesses in downtown Coral Gables, Lago is building a personal monument – a 10-story garage with his name on it that is incompatible with the look and feel of Coral Gables! He is doing the same thing by destroying the Garden of our Lord with an incompatible development by a major campaign contributor. We need elected officials more focused on residents than themselves.
I agree completely with your assessment.
This proposed parking garage is an atrocity and won’t help the mile a bit. I have no problem parking in the existing garage when I go to the Mile.
It’s one more example of the corruption and self interest of the government we have in place. It’s sad because the Gables used to be an incredibly well run City
For retail businesses, adequate parking is a matter of SURVIVAL! In your law practice, I think it can be said legal research is essential. Without legal research, you would lose cases, and lose clients.
We need a department store to anchor Miracle Mile, on the ground floor at a future redeveloped parking garage at 385 Andalusia. I have been working on this for the past 28 years, and I continue to work on it.
What a complete waste of money being built only to appease Lago’s developer buddies.
This is an abomination. We don’t need this monstrosity which is astronomically expensive and totally out of proportion with its surroundings, “Mobility Hub”. All we need is an adequate garage.
But the majority on the commission, aided and abetted by the city manager don’t listen to the residents.
The worst thing they ever did on Miracle Mile was the “Streetscape” which was shoved down our throats.
With the removal of easy angled parking, we not only lost parking spaces but it has contributed to the constant logjams on Miracle Mile by either a driver backing up trying to parallel park, or the inconsiderate valets blocking the inside lane.
I won’t even mention the awful pavers and light poles.
Revert miracle mile back to pinkish sidewalks with angled parking please.