| Nancy Liebman |
A Letter from the MBA President
The saga of Biscayne Boulevard becoming a pedestrian-friendly street continues at a snail’s pace, making progress step by step. At a summit meeting in July attended by Robert John and Jorge Planas representing MBA; Joseph Eisenberg, City of Miami Planning Staff; FDOT Planning staff; and chaired by Jesus Guerra, Interim Director of the MPO, there were no disagreements with the design of the MiMo Association’s Boulevard Plan.
According to FDOT, there will be a study done that will encompass the entire Boulevard corridor from NE 8th Street to Aventura. The pedestrian enhancements, as outlined in the MiMo Boulevard Plan will be identified as distinctive and included in the broader plan. The study will take 2 years.
“Imagine, it has taken the MiMo Association 8 years to get to this point”, responded Nancy Liebman, president of the MiMo Biscayne Association, “but this is a major step in the right direction thanks to the due diligence of Miami Commissioner, Frances Suarez vice chair of the MPO; County Commissioner Audrey Edmonson, member of the MPO Committee; Miami Mayor, Tomas Regalado; the County’s CTAC Committee and the MiMo Planning Committee”.
According to the City of Miami Planning Staff, the most important part of being included in the broader Boulevard plan is that there will be funding included with the study. Following the July summit meeting, MiMo Board Member Robert John said, “The best result of the summit meeting is that all the powers that be are sitting at the same table and future work will be coordinated”.
The MiMo Association will continue to work at maintaining the coordination between FDOT and the City of Miami during the 2-year planning period. Our immediate next step is to invite the MiMo Business and Property Owners and the Upper East Side Residents to an October MiMo Association cocktail party to update everyone about the concepts for a pedestrian-friendly historic Boulevard.
In the meantime, MBA will continue to work with the Upper East Side neighborhood’s Parking Committee to advocate for enhanced trolley service in the MiMo District, new bus stations at 62nd and 76th streets, and shared parking arrangements with local businesses until long-term parking solutions kicks in.