Coconut Grove: A State of Mind

STOP Grove Gridlock Campaign

PETITION
STOP GROVE GRIDLOCK!
To:
Historic & Environmental Preservation Board (HEPB), Planning, Zoning & Appeals Board (PZAB) and City of Miami Officials

COCONUT GROVE NEEDS YOU: BE A B.I.G. VOICE advocating for the climate resilience of our coastal community and protect the Historic Preservation Overlay District of the Villa Woodbine site.

Join B.I.G., VOTE NO! DENY approval of Carrollton’s proposed elementary school for 336 boys and 50 faculty at VILLA WOODBINE located at 2167 South Bayshore Drive. The site is located less than 150 yards from Ransom Everglades Middle School and directly across the street from KENNEDY PARK.

STOP Grove Gridlock! This an unnecessary development, since there are 17 schools located in Coconut Grove serving over 6700 students when the Grove has approximately an area that is 5 square miles and 21,000 residents.

The impact to the City of Miami’s neighborhoods is even greater traffic bottlenecks that will impose an immense burden on our quality of life, with gridlock causing increased pollution and toxic traffic fumes, and the loss of our most personal measurable resource, our time and money. Especially for the residents of Coconut Grove – where school traffic congestion is already crippling.

Removing EIGHTY PERCENT (80%) of its existing 220 trees stated in Carrollton’s survey and arborist report will destroy Villa Woodbine’s mature and lush tree canopy, green space and the site’s protected historic and natural resources. The footprint SF of new construction will be 8 times larger than the Villa, and will add over 104,000 SF of non-pervious surface. These factors pose a grave hazard to the resilience of an already delicate coastal corridor area and will likely create flooding of surrounding properties.

Approving a new school at the historic Villa Woodbine property at 2167 S Bayshore Drive poses risks to the City of Miami that we cannot afford!

Comments (556)

Regina Niskar 04.06.2020 at 14:24

Please don’t build anymore in the Grove! Let it be a little green. It has grown so much and enough! Miami was my original home and where my heart is. I worked in the Grove, shopped in the Grove and played in the Grove. My mom also lived in the Grove for many years. Let it be!

David Freed 04.06.2020 at 13:15

I am totally against building a school on that property. Traffic on both Tigertail Ave and Bayshore Drive is bad enough now.

Forrest Hinkel 31.05.2020 at 21:55

I will do what ever it takes to stop that school from going in. It is absolutely ridiculous to have as many schools in one small township all so they can say there kid goes to school in the grove.

Henrietta Schwarz 30.05.2020 at 23:56

Please help our community stay habitable. This school will make an already difficult traffic situation ...unbearable.

Kellie Henley 29.05.2020 at 22:50

They start small then find ways to quietly add property and grow. Enough is enough. I live in south grove and deal with it already.

Maria Reyero 29.05.2020 at 21:40

This does not sound like a sound urban planning project, given how many schools there are in the Grove already, and already difficult traffic conditions.

Stacey Tucker Gumenick 29.05.2020 at 19:26

This proposal is absurd & will lower property values due to the horrible increase in traffic!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kathy Harris 29.05.2020 at 17:44

I live very close to Carrollton and Ransom Schools on Main Highway and know firsthand what school traffic does to a neighborhood. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.
Why destroy a neighborhood for 336 boys ? We all know it will balloon to 500 students eventually. Vote NO !

Janet Reed 29.05.2020 at 17:00

The Grove is already over built; why continue destroying a beautiful area with another out-of-character large structure? I live on a once quiet locals-only street that became a morning bumper-to-bumper thoroughfare when the nearby private school was allowed to expand. Vote no to Carrolton's proposed new school.

Diana Arbelaez 29.05.2020 at 16:20

The amount of traffic would be simply overwhelming. The area would lose its charm. Carrollton's plan is simply egoistic and violates all the community they want "to be part of"

angela cortes 29.05.2020 at 16:03

Carrollton is not about education. It's all about making money. They will run over anything in their way. Please stop the further ruin of my beloved neighborhood!

Lily Blitstein 29.05.2020 at 15:00

Keep the Grove historic buildings intact. Keep the Grove green and pleasant. No need for another massive private school increasing traffic congestion

Nancy lee 29.05.2020 at 12:01

Please do not approve this school. We have more than enough schools in coconut grove. The school would not add to our neighborhood at all. You must keep the Grove a place with character

Connie Sol 29.05.2020 at 09:35

Living in North Grove 30+ years I’ve experienced the increase in gridlock from all the new building. Houses have become huge 0 lot line monsters. Can’t enter or leave North Grove 7-10am and starting 2:30 pm because of schools. No more.

George Burgos 29.05.2020 at 08:40

I am a native Miamian, and have been a Coconut Grove Resident since 1988 (33133). I frequently travel throughout the Grove each day. I agree with this petition's campaign to restrict the expansion of such a large project which, if allowed to move forward, will prove devastating, impacting local residents, as well as those who simply access the Grove daily, providing no added benefit to the community.

Anyltha Muench 29.05.2020 at 04:24

Please protect this land for the benefit of Miami residents. We do NOT need another school in the north grove.

Sandra Madjdi 28.05.2020 at 02:22

Please I mean please stop this project , we don’t need anymore schools . There are 18 schools already in such a small community. We have plenty of land else where . Please don’t bring this project here . Thank you

Stephanie Altman2 27.05.2020 at 16:31

Please. Do NOT continue to destroy the historical beauty of our neighborhood.
and, the traffic is already unbearable.

Stephanie Altman

Deborah Dolson 27.05.2020 at 09:48

We must protect the historic and environmental treasures in the Grove for the next generation. This development would destroy this delicate corridor.

Angel Martin 27.05.2020 at 05:27

Miami may wish another school but should not be in the middle of Coconut Grove. The great majority of students now attending Ransom, middle and high schools, as well as Carrollton high school in the Grove are not even residents of the Grove.

Ton Roelandse 26.05.2020 at 21:58

Absurd- impact to residents - canopy and quality of living - this is not the right place for this ——————————————////////———————-

Kate Carrick 26.05.2020 at 21:41

Traffic & Gridlock especially for our 1st responders. The Grove has TOO many schools! There is NO reason for the Grove to have another Private school.

Francisco R. Diaz 26.05.2020 at 20:48

I am totally against Carrolton's proposed elementary school at Villa Woodbine. We have plenty of other schools in Coconut Grove to serve Pre Kinder to 8th Grade. No more schools and no more gridlock!!!

Karen Bonvecchio 26.05.2020 at 18:57

I am opposed to plans for a new all boys’ private school in Coconut Grove. There is already too much school-related congestion in our neighborhood. Consider the number of schools that are already located within our small borders. We bear far more that a fair share of the burden of traffic during school rush hours times. There are times during the school year when it is even difficult to exit my driveway due to the heavy and often stand still traffic! Please: we already have plenty. No more schools - especially overpriced private schools. Local parochial elementary schools and high schools, as well as Belen and Columbus have worked nicely for decades to educate our boys. The proposed school is unnecessary and constitutes an undue burden on the residents here.

Sparkie Folkers 26.05.2020 at 16:55

Please don't allow this development to continue. The site and neighborhood is inappropriate for the plans for the school.

rafael torrens 26.05.2020 at 16:41

There is OVERBUILDING and extraordinarily excessive outside traffic, and The City seems to constantly and consistently IGNORE the Zoning and Building code with regards to the Grove. Please STOP.

Linda Sestrick 26.05.2020 at 16:29

As a property owner in Coconut Grove, I oppose this development in a residential area.
Traffic along these roads is already heavy, and the area cannot support a large influx of school traffic without burden to an already stressed traffic system during peak hours. I would not support the environmental impact from large scale development in this area.

Stephen Kellogg 26.05.2020 at 14:51

This would be a traffic causing nightmare! This is not the location for a school.

When there was an event at The Villa, the traffic was ridiculous! Imaging that every day, twice a day, during the peak of both morning and afternoon rush hours. Nope...

Elizabeth Balbin 26.05.2020 at 14:45

I’m incredibly saddened that we continue to destroy this small enclave and bit of nature in Miami for continued greed and economic gain. I am hopeful that there are individuals out there and community leaders who strive to do the right thing. Please stop the needles destruction of the Grove.

Diane Davis 26.05.2020 at 11:28

The Villa Woodbine estate should be transformed into a museum filled with Artifacts from the community’s’ rich history, where many students from our
Public Schools can visit and learn!

Annabeth Peterson 19.05.2020 at 17:21

We absolutely do not need another exclusive private school in Coconut Grove. Our local infrastructure simple cannot handle it,

Dayana Muzinek 18.05.2020 at 21:17

Just no! Not ideal or necessary.
Traffic would be impossible.
Are there enough families to economically support a new school?

Zuleika Almanzar 18.05.2020 at 20:03

It’s hard enough to navigate from my home it o any errand any day of the week, the residents of the north grove face mutiple traffic jams between schools, the new development planned at Grove Isle and the vrazy dribers who cut down through bayshore to avoid US1.

kris copeland 18.05.2020 at 18:43

We do not need yet another private school. This proposal detracts from the beauty of the Grove and quality of life for residents.

Ana M palacio 18.05.2020 at 01:36

We do not need another private school in the Grove. Traffic is already extremely bad and commuting will be a nightmare.

Jasmin Silva 15.05.2020 at 18:04

Stop building schools and hire more special education teachers downsize the classrooms expand the schools we have but stop building more schools fix the ones we have

Susanne Ragnarsson 15.05.2020 at 17:22

We do not need another school in the Grove. Traffic is already extremely bad. This would be a disaster. Thank you.

Catherine Moghari 15.05.2020 at 17:03

I’m tired of being held prisoner in our own neighborhood. Tigertail becomes a parking lot and it’s impossible to go anywhere. Many parents from Ransom carelessly race through our streets and block our side streets. It is unfair to ask the residents to deal with any more. The Grove is turning into Brickell. It’s overbuilt. Enough is enough. Our city needs to quit selling us out and listen to the residents. This isn’t about education, it’s a money grab. Let’s see who in the city is on their payroll. Vote!

Eddie Garcia 15.05.2020 at 15:40

STOP OVER DEVELOPMENT OF COCONUT GROVE ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. There are plenty of acres in West Kendall for these developers and schools. Develop out there!

Karen Davis 15.05.2020 at 14:13

While I am an advocate of great schools, I am not in favor of building another in the middle of what is already an overcrowded area, with plenty of schools. How about helping make our public elementary schools even greater?

Brett Sherman 15.05.2020 at 13:41

The traffic is out of control.
If proper traffic studies are carried out and Policies on Spatial Distribution and Urbanization are respected and no one is PAID OFF in the city. The city will conclude the serious traffic problem that this school will create for the home owners of The Grove.

Franc Pigna 13.05.2020 at 03:36

Please vote no to another school. It’s in the worst possible location and will result in chaos. There are more than enough schools in the Grove already.

Sophia Aitken 05.05.2020 at 20:11

Coconut Grove's main priority should be the protection of it's tree canopy. If Carrollton would like to build a new school in Coconut Grove they should do so across US1. The proposed area is saturated with traffic as it is.

vicki 04.05.2020 at 21:20

PLEASE VOTE NO! This will only intensify traffic, benefit a few, change the character of our neighborhood for all and remove lovely trees unnecessarily. Makes NO sense!

jose caruci 26.04.2020 at 19:55

I strongly oppose the construction of this infamy that will cause more gridlock than we already have!
Besides, the environmental impact is yet another reason to stop this nonsense.
Coconut Grove is a historic little city, that everyone loves! Let's not let it be destroyed! The energy the trees provide is an essential part of our living.

Ligia Munoz 24.04.2020 at 22:18

Stop the gridlock!
I am respectfully requesting that you defer this matter until we resume normal in-chamber meetings, when our community can fully participate and not during a time when we are addressing the ongoing catastrophic Covid-19 heath care crisis that has crippled the economy.

Ligia Munoz 24.04.2020 at 22:16

Stop the gridlock!
I am respectfully requesting that you defer this matter until we resume normal in-chamber meetings, when our community can fully participate and not during a time when we are addressing the ongoing catastrophic Covid-19 heath care crisis that has crippled the economy.

R Rodney Howell, M. D. 24.04.2020 at 16:24

I have lived on South Bayshore Drive, directly opposite of Ransom Everglades School and just a few hundred years from Villa Woodbine for over 30 years, and have seen the traffic grow enormously, making it very difficult to exit or enter my property. Traffic to Mercy Hospital, and ambulances are big issue. The planned destruction of a historic property with removal of most trees, paving more than 2 acres of the small 3.7 acre property is simply appalling. This must be stopped. A new school of any size is unacceptable, of this size is simply absurd.

Robert 24.04.2020 at 00:23

I visit this area at least once a month. Please stop overwhelming this beautiful neighborhood. Thank you.

Spirit Douglass 23.04.2020 at 19:41

We a respectfully requesting that you defer this matter until we resume normal in-chamber meetings, when our community can fully participate and not during a time when we are addressing the ongoing catastrophic Covid-19 heath care crisis that has crippled the economy.

In less than 5 months, almost 1,000 people have signed a petition on https://bayshoreingrove.org/
that you were sent via email. Pressing forward with this matter when so many who have voiced opposition will not be able to effectively participate in a virtual meeting, is simply unwarranted and fundamentally wrong. Hearing this matter NOW, a time when your leadership has such a critical impact on our lives, would be a grave disservice to residents of the City of Miami, as it diminishes your focus on prioritizing the severe life threatening needs of our community during this pandemic.

Please defer this matter to September when we should have all resumed our normal lives and you are back to holding in-chamber Commission meetings.

Thank you.

Thank you all for helping out. Stay safe and healthy.