Miami City Commission Meeting of April 6, 2006

Proposed Submerged Lands Easements to Yacht Clubs

PH-4 and PH-5

The Proposed Easements Involve the Disposition of Land Included in

the Waterfront Master Plan

• The Coconut Grove Waterfront Master Plan is to consider long and short term possibilities for all the City owned lands from Peacock Park to Kennedy Park

We need to consider the Baywalk

Is the valuation fair? We have hired ERA to help us with those issues as part of the

Sasaki plan scope of work.

• Right now, Coral Reef Yacht Club pays the City $26,938 per year for 4.21 acres, Biscayne Bay Yacht Club pays $5,069 per acre for 3.085 acres of bottomland.

• Meanwhile, as a resident of the City of Miami, the owner of a 30’ boat pays $359 per month ($4,308/year) for the annual rental of ONE BOAT SLIP! A non-resident pays $16 per foot.

• Do we want to give away the value of our bottomland at a time when we are looking at ways to make our waterfront better?

Is this legal?

• The City Code requires a referendum for the sale or lease of waterfront land.

• This is the sale of a perpetual PRIVATE use of the City owned bay bottom.

• The State gave the City the bay bottom for PUBLIC use with a reverter clause. Leased, the bay bottom is generating income for the public; sold, the easement is nothing but a private use. The State could take back the land.

The Coconut Grove Waterfront Working Committee respectfully requests that you put these easements and the purchase of land from Biscayne Bay Yacht Club on hold and allow ERA to consider whether the valuation is fair as well as allow Sasaki to consider as part of the planning process whether the purchase of land from Biscayne Bay Yacht Club is necessary to the plan.