By Wayne Brody and Dany Garcia
The American Dream Mega Mall, the proposed shopping and entertainment behemoth at the edge of the Everglades, will exacerbate every one of the region’s environmental threats. It could have nightmarish impacts on South Florida’s water, energy, air quality, transit, traffic, resilience, and Everglades restoration. (read the full letter by the Caucus to the commission here)
The project’s proximity to existing water and wildlife management areas and its location far from existing transit lines and public services are certain to expand rapid, westward growth.
The Miami Dade County Commission will hold a final public meeting on the future of the mega mall tomorrow. The Miami-Dade Democratic Environmental Caucus is asking the commission to reject the application for the benefit of the public.
As the Caucus points out, based on the developers’ own analysis, building and operating the mega mall would involve:
- Paving more than one square mile of land that now serves to recharge the imperiled Biscayne Aquifer.
- Drawing as much as two million gallons per day of potable water and more than 100,000 additional gallons of non-potable water. This is more than 20% of the current output of the Hialeah water treatment plant, the only water source for the proposed mall. It will substantially increase the plant’s energy requirements and waste output. Though the water is to be drawn from the Upper Floridan Aquifer, drawdown in that source is a matter of continuing concern.
- Consuming upwards of 1400 megawatt hours of daily electric power, resulting in a significant increase in carbon dioxide emissions unless the mall contracts for power from a renewable energy facility.
- Promoting sprawl and threatening the existing Urban Development Boundary, with siting and design contrary to our existing Comprehensive Development Master Plan.
- Adding at least 80,000 automobile trips per day to existing traffic in the area, exacerbating the county’s already acute traffic problems.
- Complicating disaster recovery and resiliency planning by bringing more than 100,000 visitors per day and thousands of new residences to one of the lowest-lying and flood-prone areas of the county.
Make your voice heard. You can do your part to keep the commissioners from making a mistake that will harm our future by calling or emailing them today.
Suggested tweet:
Miami's "American Dream" Mega Mall would be an actual nightmare for our environment. Please vote against it. @barbarajordan1 @jeanmonestime @audreymedmonson @RebecaSosaMiami @XavierLSuarez1 @DLCAVA @JoeMartinez4026 @commishdiaz @CommBovo http://www.miamidadedems.org/megamall
District 1 - Barbara J. Jordan
305-375-5694
https://twitter.com/barbarajordan1
bjordan@miamidade.gov
Miami Gardens, Opa Locka
District 2 - Jean Monestime
305-375-4833
https://twitter.com/jeanmonestime
district2@miamidade.gov
North Miami Beach, North Miami, Liberty City, Opa Locka, Hialeah
District 3 - Audrey M. Edmonson
305-375-5393
https://twitter.com/audreymedmonson
district3@miamidade.gov
Liberty City, Little Haiti, Overtown, the Upper East Side, Edgewater, Buena Vista, Allapattah, Wynwood, Venetian Causeway and Watson Island, all located in the City of Miami; Brownsville, Biscayne Shores and Gardens Park area, the Village of El Portal and the Village of Miami Shores.
District 4 - Sally A. Heyman
305-375-5128
district4@miamidade.gov
Golden Beach, Aventura, North Miami Beach, North Miami, Sunny Isles Beach, Surfside, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Biscayne Park, Indian Creek, Miami Beach, Miami Shores and North Bay Village.
District 5 - Vacant
ELECTION ON MAY 22, 2018
Downtown, Brickell, The Roads, Little Havana, South Beach
District 6 - Rebeca Sosa
305-375-5696
https://twitter.com/RebecaSosaMiami
district6@miamidade.gov
Miami Springs, Coral Gables
District 7 - Xavier L. Suarez
305-669-4003
https://twitter.com/XavierLSuarez1
district7@miamidade.gov
Pinecrest, Coral Gables, South Miami, Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne
District 8 - Daniella Levine Cava
305-375-5218
https://twitter.com/DLCAVA
district8@miamidade.gov
South Dade. Cutler Bay, Homestead, South Kendall.
District 9 - Dennis C. Moss
305-375-4832
DennisMoss@miamidade.gov
Homestead, Florida City
District 10 - Javier D. Souto
305-375-4835
district10@miamidade.gov
Kendall, Westchester, and Fontainebleau
District 11 - Joe A. Martinez
305-375-5511
https://twitter.com/JoeMartinez4026
district11@miamidade.gov
West Kendall, FIU
District 12 - José "Pepe" Diaz
305-375-4343
https://twitter.com/commishdiaz
district12@miamidade.gov
City of Doral, Hialeah, Hialeah Gardens, Medley, Sweetwater, and Virginia Gardens
District 13 - Esteban L. Bovo, Jr.
305-375-4831
https://twitter.com/CommBovo
district13@miamidade.gov
Hialeah, Miami Lakes, Palm Springs North
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