Grove Density
High-Rise Projects Near Metro-Rail Stations Can Reduce
Traffic, Study Says 

“The majority of people who ride Metrorail do so by choice…”

Coconut Grove residents demonstrate against a proposed development near the Metrorail Station.

By Ryan Brown

Developers have plans to build two 19-story buildings, a hotel and a parking garage near the Coconut Grove Metrorail Station, a prospect that has many neighbors worried over how that would impact nearby neighborhoods.

However, the future project, which is being constructed on county-owned land at 27^th Avenue and US1 and has yet to be named or approved by the Miami City Commission, may have a wider effect on the entire city. 

Recent Miami 21 studies, Miami-Dade Watershed Studies and Coconut Grove planning studies all encourage increased density along US1 and near Metrorail stations.

Currently at the center of this discussion is the Coconut Grove Rapid Transit Zone at the Coconut Grove Metrorail station and adjacent parking lot where Carlos Rua plans to construct the mixed-use project. 

Possibly the biggest question in regards to this project is whether or not it will increase use of the Metrorail significantly, which is the County’s ultimate goal. Many Coconut Grove residents have voiced concerns that this project could increase traffic if expensive condos are built.

 “Rush hour is already a nightmare; this will make things even worse,” said Kenneth Newman at a recent meeting between the developer and Grove Residents. “A lot of people are saying that it’s not going to work because rich people don’t ride the Metrorail…they have nice cars and they want to drive them,” says one Grove activist who wishes to remain nameless.

However, studies conducted by the transit department reveal a pattern that seems to have less to do with income level and more to do with urban design.

According to the most recent Miami-Dade transit ridership report, the highest average weekly Metrorail boardings in November 2006 were recorded at Government Center, in the heart of downtown Miami.

Dadeland South and Dadeland North, the two southernmost Metrorail stations recorded the seconded highest weekly ridership averages of more than 6,500 boardings each. These two stations are not located in high poverty areas.

The Overtown/Arena station, in an area with one of the highest poverty rates in the city of Miami, recorded, in November 2006, the second lowest average weekly boarders of all the stations at 657, roughly the same as November of 2005.

“The majority of people who ride Metrorail do so by choice…Buses are a different story…But the Metrorail garages are packed with cars everywhere,” says Manny Palmeiro, public information Officer for the Miami-Dade Transit Department.

“Throughout the country,” Palmeiro adds, “anytime you put up a rail station where people live, ridership increases and the area becomes more desirable.”

According to Rua, his lease on the property requires him to build 220 residential units there, 12.5 percent of which must be workforce housing.

In 2003 Miami-Dade County conducted a study, as part of their “strategic plan” in which 74 percent of people surveyed said they use public transportation less than once a month, 53 percent answered “poor” to the question “how do you rate the ease of travel by car (only 23 percent said good and 24 percent said “so-so”), and to the question “how do you rate the congestion on roadways” 28 percent answered “not a problem,” 29 percent said it’s a “minor problem” and 43 percent called it a “major problem.”

The study also noted that “Major roadways are currently approaching or exceeding capacity. Addressing the capacity issues will be a formidable challenge as the County’s population is expected to grow by almost 40 percent by the year 2025.”

One of the strategies suggested by the study is to “develop formalized processes and structures, including development incentives to encourage higher-density, mixed use and transit-oriented development at or near existing or future transit stations and corridors.”

Recent Miami 21 studies, Miami-Dade Watershed Studies, and Coconut Grove planning studies all encourage increased density along US1 and near Metrorail stations.

High density projects built near Metrorail stations, if successful, may act as a model for other rapid transit zones, with the ultimate goal being decreased traffic, pollution, and commute time, the county study said.

Comments? E-mail ryan@miamisunpost.com.