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07-30-1997 Visioning Session CITY OF A VENTURA PUBLIC NOTICE All interested persons are hereby advised that a meeting of the Aventura City Council will be held on Wednesday, July 30, 1997 beginning at 3:00 p.m. at the Turnbell)' Isle Resort & Club. This meeting is a visioning session to discuss formulation of the City's Comprehensive Development Master Plan. This event is open to the public. Notice pursuant to Section 286.0105, Florida Statutes, if applicable, is hereby incorporated by reference. ~tltO-<JO- ~ Teresa M. Smith, CMC, City Clerk In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, all persons who are disabled and who need special accommodations to participate in this meeting because of that disability should contact the office of the City Clerk, at 466- 8901, not later than two days prior to such proceeding. Anyone wishing to appeal any decision made by the A ventura City COWleil with respect to any matter considered at any such meeting or hearing will need a record of the proceedings and, for such purpose, may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. Agenda items may be viewed at the Govenunent Center offices at 2999 NE 191" Street, Suite 500, Aventura, Florida 33180. Anyone wishing to obtain a copy of any agenda item should contact the Office of the City Clerk at 466-8901. Aventura: The itext Generation What things must we start doing now to remain the City of Excellence in 2017? tqemorie; of the future Unlike other animals, humans have the ability to plan decades ahead, taking into account extraordinary contingencies. In doing so, "stories" of our future may help us recognize and adapt to changing aspects of our present environment. The following three scenarios are presented like a play or movie. You will recognize that the plots, dialogue, and props are fiction, but the stories will provide you with ideas, insights, and reflections that are real. OAventura! The Next Generation ventura! The Ne~[ Ge~neration The Late Uineties Aventura has 17,000 residents and three and one-half square miles of land 741 households report annual income greater than $150,000 Thirty-four percent of the populat, ion is older than 65 Aventura's government, police force and planning advisory board are new The four major areas of discussion within the City are Aventura Park Aventura Mall Expansion Humana Hospital Marine Industrial District Aventura: The Next Generation Scenario One: iVlore of the lame Bur Better OAventura! The Ne~t Generafion The story of Aventura is one of a private country club that grew into an exclusive and prosperous City. During the late nineteen-nineties, the Aventura mall doubled in size, then doubled again the following decade. Six level-high parking garages surround the mall on all sides. A stop for the Metro-Dade transit system exists on the second level between the parking garages and the mall entrance. Aventura mall is an international shopping destination that includes many major designer lines and rivals the shopping districts of New York and Los Angeles. The South American economy is booming, and wealthy residents of these counties fly to Miami and Fort Lauderdale for frequent shopping vacations, spending thousands of dollars each day in Aventura. Mall-related development pressure is enormous on surround- ing parcels. The twenty-four screen theater is a popular private art gallery and museum because technology has made mass theater complexes obsolete. Crime rates have spiked, but due to substantial policy presence and an agreement between mall owners and the City, Aventura's police force provides security inside and outside the mall. '['he City Council responds to public outcry from citizens fearful of the increased crime by buying an Urban Design practice. The mission of this design team is to develop a new design paradigm that ensures maxi- mized security, aesthetics, and functionality for urban environments. The solutions this team provides result in a most advanced urban interface between a mall and the surrounding development, and is a model mimicked world-wide for mega-malls in dense, urban environments. The largest population segment of Aventura's 40,000 residents is between 34 and 54 years old. This group demands development that establishes and supports a strong sense of place with well-defined centers, public spaces, and edges, including amenity-filled and well- staffed parks for children and adults. The combined effects of the mall's growth, the higher-than-expected residential density, and the increased employment demand forces traffic circulation issues to the forefront of public debate. Pedestrian accommodation is a requirement for all major development. Every 10 minutes, City- owned trolleys make a connection between Country Club Drive and William's Island, across the former marine industrial district and around the new perimeter trolley/ bikeway. Traffic signalization is controlled by the City's Geographic Information System. Aventura is considering a ban on automobiles in residential areas and construction of mid-rise storage and valet garages along Biscayne Boulevard. As the Aventura mall increases in size, the quality of Lehman's Mall occupants declines. Discount and outlet stores and second-run movie theaters replace former high-end stores, and contribute to the occurrence of undesirable clientele and increased crime. The City decides to purchase Lehman's Mall and converts it to an upscale office center, consolidating government and cultural facilities in this location. Aventura is not the same city that it was in the nineties. It is a younger, more urban, and better defined City. Its government has ma~l~l~h each crisis. Every new exposure and experience has changed who the City is, and is a sustainable as a result of a series of c~=~_.g~=~,'~ompromises and negotiated responses to critical quality-of-life issues. · Aventura The NeXt:Genera.t on .:: :::: Scenario Two: Decay, Depression, Destruction The story of Aventura is one of a wealthy city destroyed by storms, economic decline, and negative demographic changes. The effects of Hurricane Andrew are still felt five years after it destroyed south Florida. [n addition, two Category 2 storms wreaked havoc on the once-wealthy City of Aventura. The first storm caused severe flooding and erosion, and damaged infrastructure so severely that water supply was contaminated for 60 days. The second storm had high winds that devastated most of the high-rise condominiums built prior to 1989. The resulting economic loss from the storm, combined with a loss of tourist income due to a Caribbean and Soutt~ American reces- sion, causes the housing market to plummet. Most upper-income residents of the Miami area migrate to more prosperous areas of the country, resulting in a less-skilled, lower-income population. Aventura's population is 20,000 residents. Its prime location and government structure attracts the new upper class who demand Iow-rise, less expensive housing that is under construction on former high-rise sites. Two vacant high-rise buildings are attracting a small group of homeless people. Aventura Mall is oversized for the current market of economic decline. Half of its available occupancy is vacant, and its future as a viable mall is in question. Crime is so bad that Condominium Associations request the City's permission to include provisions for small-scale retail businesses within the confines of their property. The former exclusivity of Aventura, combined with severe crime increases in the surrounding cities, prompts the City to install security gates manned by guards at Country Club Drive, and at 183rd, 191~, and 207"' streets. The City's revenues are substantially down. City residents have little confidence in the ability of their elected and appointed officials since there is a general perception that down-sizing did not occur quickly enough when economic conditions changed, and there were inadequate preparations for surviving catastrophic occurrences. In addition, city staff suffers daily from assault by the new owners of the Turnberry Country Club, who are demanding zoning changes that will allow conversion of the golf course acreage to Iow-rise, medium-density residential. The greatest loss is for those residents who are forced to forfeit their investment in Aventura along with their hopes and dreams, all due to external forces acting on the City. Scenario Three: Different, Better, Fundamentally Changed The story of Aventura is one of a city that started with many advantages. These were used to launch the community beyond its initial weaknesses to gradually become one of the most desirable urban places to live. Aventura rides the crest of the "Baby Boomer's" best and brightest. No-nonsense decision-making, collaboration with the Marketing Council and other groups, strong environmental sustainability values, and a continuing quest for excellence leads the City in redefin- ing the standards of high-quality urban life. The city continues to listen to the expectations and desires of its residents and provides high quality recreational and cultural ameni- ties. This mission started in the nineteen-nineties when Aventura built the Central Recreation Complex, a state-of-the-art facility rivaling any private spa. The new cabana beach club on ocean-front acreage is accessed almost exclusively by residents via an internal water taxi system. The water taxi system is interconnected to three other modal systems within Aventura, facilitating ease of movement within the city limits. These systems include Jitney bus routes, new walking, jogging, and bicycling paths, and redesigned, beautifully landscaped roads that provide an internal circulation system to complement limited and contro[led connections to regional facilities. The water of the Intracoastal Waterway is more clear and clean than it has been since the 1950's, and an extensive stormwater infrastructure system easily accommodates tropical rainfall volumes. Realizing that the City's economic base is too dependent on the Aventura Mall, the city plans and supports development of a high- quality regional medical complex that surrounds the existing hospital. For further economic diversification, the City is a collaborat- ing partner in redeveloping the Lehman's Mall property as an entertainment district that connects the new waterfront park at the former industrial marine district. The waterfront includes upscale clubs and businesses catering to nighttime entertainment, adding another vibrant component to Aventura's urban mix. Country Club Drive along the east side of the Mall is the central visual and transportation axis of Aventura. It is a pedestrian-scaled main street and north-south spine accessing the government center, the Centra[ Recreation Complex, the waterfront park and enter- tainment district, and William's Island. Aventura utilizes leaders acting on their values. They implement the concept of a five-minute-walk-sized neighborhood as the basic unit of planning. They allow mixed use land development, implement well-defined corridors and districts, and create human-scaled public spaces surrounded by elegant City buildings along richly landscaped streets. Sometimes a generation comes along that changes the world.