Road War
Neighbor Tries to Fight Expansion of Car Dealership
By
Gillian Boyce
Miami Shores Village Council members
debated for more than an hour at Tuesday’s council meeting
whether portions of NE Fifth Court and 89th Street should be
vacated by the city and awarded to Tropical Chevrolet.
The
prize for Tropical Chevrolet’s owners: more than an acre of
public roadway owned by Miami Shores Village, which would be
used to expand the Chevrolet and Chrysler dealerships.
Representing Tropical Chevrolet was Ian Wildstein, one of
the owners, who told the council that his family as well as
the community would benefit immensely from the closure of
the road which, according to a surveying company hired by
Tropical Chevrolet, was underutilized.
“With the expansion of our dealership business come an
increase of jobs and taxes for the city,” said Wildstein.
“I’m not looking to cut off access to anything — it’s really
about parking. Right now I have close to 1,000 parking spots
that I have to account for.”
Wildstein said the business expansion was needed to comply
with his franchise agreement with General Motors not to have
a Chevrolet and Chrysler dealership in the same building.
On
hand to oppose the measure was Jaime Perez of Pajovi
Holdings LLC, an adjacent business located on the corner of
NE Fifth Court and 87th Street. Perez told the Village
Council he had not had enough time to review the application
submitted by Tropical Chevrolet since it was sent to him
last Thursday.
“I
think I have the right to know beforehand what was going on
behind my back,” Perez told the council. “If you grant what
Tropical Chevrolet wants, my property will diminish in
value.”
Mayor Al Davis said he failed to see what effect vacating
the road would have on Perez’s business since data collected
by a survey done by Miami Shores’ Building Department shows
traffic has decreased on the road in question over the past
few years, much to the consternation of Perez and his
attorney. Davis assured Perez that the city was not taking
any access away from his property.
Several council members expressed their agreement with
allowing Tropical Chevrolet’s application, providing the
city is paid a fair price for the land once a mutually
acceptable appraiser evaluates it.
Over
repeated objections by Perez to postpone the meeting to give
him adequate time to review the proposal, the Village
Council unanimously approved Tropical Chevrolet’s
application to vacate the property.
Perez plans to appeal the ruling.
Comments? E-mail
letters@miamisunpost.com
