Two weeks ago, seventy members of South Miami’s business community came to City Hall to their view of the local economic climate to the City Commission. Local merchants noted that the internet has changed retailing forever, but they asked for two things: a friendlier parking environment and more residential housing in the downtown. No disagreement on parking. Can we add more residential and preserve our “small town character”?
I’ve asked South Miami residents what “small town character” means to them. They’ve told me it means being able to walk to the stores where they shop. It means being comfortable and safe walking or biking around town. Shade trees should line the streets, and the downtown streetscape should have a human scale. It means bumping into people you know when you shop or dine out, and having the staff at your favorite store or restaurant recognize you when you enter. It’s a good place to raise kids and walk your dog. You can get to know your elected officials.
The new economy has not been kind to small towns in America. Those that have not become bedroom communities to larger cities have seen their downtown streets wither while the new Walmart at the edge of town provides minimum wage jobs without benefits. In this challenging climate, South Miami stands to lose its small town commercial district, character and all, unless we draw more patrons to our downtown. South Miami has entered a zero sum competition with Miracle Mile, Coconut Grove, Merrick Park, Dadeland, and even Wynwood – it’s a jungle out there. A walk around our downtown reveals some changes. South Miami’s patrons are becoming younger, hipper, and less car oriented. Shops that sell home decorations are not their thing, but they are flocking to shops like Tea and Poets. Sidewalk eateries that serve food by the piece on chunks of wood are packed. Some restaurants in the white tablecloth tradition are thriving, but not all. We will not turn the clock back to the days before internet and Uber but we can encourage development of more residential units downtown that will bring more foot traffic to our downtown.
Apartments near Metrorail are in high demand. I hear the new building on the Metrorail site will include some residential units. Shops at Sunset will be reworked to create human scale facades on Sunset and Red, the barren side of Red Road will be redone to include shade trees, bike lanes, and shop windows, and the perennially vacant north end will include apartments and a hotel. Reconfigured, the City Hall site could include residential as could the blocks of asphalt surface lots south of SW 73rd Street. When it comes to small town character, “mixed use” beats the strip mall every time. If we go back to the definitions of “small town character,” we will find the needed transformation consistent with those qualities, and able to provide the injection of life that our downtown merchants need.
For more information, contact me at 305-342-0161 or send emails to MayorStoddard@gmail.com.
….and what are the solutions for the “friendly parking” issue? Proposals? Dadeland Mall and even The Falls will ALWAYS be better options for any kind of shopper with the FREE PARKING they provide. The parking issue can be solved right away, building new apartment/condo buildings will take years and the merchants can’t wait that long.
I live in South Miami and was not aware of this meeting. How are you promoting these type of meetings in the area. I would love to be involved.
Coni
South Miami resident for over 25 years
I attended this meeting. It was quite the boost to see so many commercial property owners, merchants, and interested residents. It is important to emphasize that 62 percent of South Miami’s property tax revenues are derived from commercial real estate. The health of the city’s commercial market should be a priority for all who reside and earn a living in the city. I would like to encourage residents to support the Town Center, Uptown, or Downtown (whatever term you prefer) by shopping and dining there. Despite the Mayor’s observations about what the younger and hipper folks would like to see in South Miami, here is what one older person would support: rentals in the Town Center. I would like an affordable home that is within walking distance of all that the Town Center has to offer. As one who has studied the history of South Miami, I know that there were once many places for rent in the downtown. It is not a new idea and it certainly isn’t at odds with “small town character.”
Well said, Mayor. It is a challenging climate and indeed we must draw more patrons to our downtown. The good news is that there is a younger market in the evening something we aren’t fully capitalizing on, but let’s not through the baby out with the bathwater. There are 24 hours in a day. I’d like to see an Uptown that appealed to home decor shoppers in the day and a younger, hipper crowd in the evening. Or the same person coming back for more reasons.