Quick Update: The Grove Isle Club is set to reopen on May 15 pending further court proceedings.
More news to follow. GI Board Memo now included below.
Legal summary follows below from Glen H. Waldman our attorney who is protecting the rights of Grove Isle residents.
Legal update from The Grove Isle Board – April 29 (click to open)
Grove Isle Elections Underway December 2, 2014
A big thank you goes out to all the residents that participated in the Grove Isle Condominium Board elections last week. These votes have now led to a significant modification of the Board and its elected officers. This Board is well placed to robustly address the challenges being presented to our island community.
Please click on the image below to see the detailed results of the poll.
Grove Isle Votes 2014 – Board Election Results (click image to open)
We are very grateful for the commitment shown by current and past members of the Board to ensure that Grove Isle remains a wonderful place.
Although this PRESERVE GROVE ISLE website was initiated as a response to the potential development of 4 Grove Isle into residential condominiums, one can interpret the goal of preserving Grove Isle more broadly by promoting the participation of the residents of Grove Isle in dealing with some of the major issues before us.
These issues include, but are not limited to, (1) the development of 4 Grove Isle, horizontally, vertically or not at all; (2) the strategy for interacting with the developer (e.g. mediation); (3) rebuilding of the infrastructure of Grove Isle under the control of the Board; (4) assessments for continued improvements; (5) Re-appeal of the Dues suit to force the owners of 4 Grove Isle to participate in maintenance costs on Grove Isle, moving forward and reimbursement for back costs; (6) general housekeeping issues for the buildings and property; (7) development of a strategy for the protection/enhancement of property values on Grove Isle.
Grove Isle Votes
To this end, the Board of the Grove Isle Condominium Association plays a critical decision-making role. The Board is elected annually, and that election is coming up in two weeks. There are nine board members, three from each building. The new board will elect a chairman. It is our understanding that all of those candidates for a Board seat will have a brief description of their background distributed shortly by the Condominium Association. WE ENCOURAGE EVERY CANDIDATE TO PROVIDE, BEYOND THAT BRIEF DESCRIPTION, THEIR APPROACH TO DEALING WITH THE ISSUES LISTED ABOVE. This can be done directly on this website so that the residents, the voters, have the appropriate data to make an informed decision.
Grove Isle Election Second Notice Now Delivered
In the current environment, members of the Board have considerable responsibility, expend considerable effort, and work as unpaid volunteers. In this form of representative governance, we need to all participate and be properly informed.
This is the time to let the Board know how you feel.
It has been a quiet summer on the development front vis a vis Grove Isle—at least on the public side. As a reminder, the developer has taken a three pronged approach to move his agenda forward: (1) Mediation with the Board of Directors. The first (and only) meeting was held in June, with the understanding that the Board requested more detailed plans that have not since been received; (2) the developer’s initiation of litigation against the City of Miami to move his application for an 18 story tower forward; this application is based on one side of an interpretation of the Settlement of 1977 that led to the development of Grove Isle; (3) the developer’s application to have a portion of 4 Grove Isle rezoned from T5 to T6-8, thus allowing for building of a condo tower under current zoning law, Miami 21. In the mix of these activities was also a proposal by the developer to limit the height of the tower to 12 stories and 168 feet. In the meantime, many competing luxury condo tower projects are either in construction or past the permitting phase in Miami, with construction imminent.
Members of the Grove Isle Club—essentially all residents of Grove Isle—have been invited to a informational meeting at the Club on October 10 at 4 pm by the developer. As indicated below in the invitation, among the agenda items included are the timing of demolition of certain club facilities, new club facilities, alternative club facilities during construction. It is unfortunate that the developer has elected a time that makes attendance by members difficult: at 4 pm, members who have their primary residence at Grove Isle are still at work; and the snowbirds are not scheduled to start arriving until the beginning of November.
Developer’s Notice of Meeting & Agenda (click to view)
The Board of Directors of the Grove Isle Condominium Association immediately sent out an announcement to all residents of Grove Isle. This announcement, copied below, specifically emphasizes that the City of Miami has not issued a permit for demolition to the developer. Furthermore, it was confirmed that this informational meeting has been called by the developer and not the Condo Association.
Grove Isle Condo Board’s response to the developer’s notice (click to view)
In our effort to keep everyone abreast of the potential development of 4 Grove Isle with a residential tower of luxury condominiums, we provide this information in the interest of transparency. We thank the Board for their continued vigilance.
Committee to Preserve Grove Isle
Grove Isle, Miami — A proposed high density development risks damaging the neighborhood. The Preserve Grove Isle (PGI) campaign supports residents’ efforts to halt a development project proposed for the Grove Isle Hotel and Resort site. This project involves the demolition of the Grove Isle Hotel and Club and its replacement with a 18 story residential tower or numerous “5” story* residential structures that wrap around the island. This project will destroy Grove Isle’s natural balance and superb amenities that have been enjoyed for many years. The Grove Isle Condominium Association’s attorneys have already noted that the developer’s project marks “a stunning departure from established law in reversing more than 30 years of legislation.” Furthermore, there are also serious concerns about the proposed project’s environmental impact and the damage it would cause to the North Grove neighborhood. Please read on to acquaint yourself with the latest developments and issues regarding this high density development in Grove Isle and North Coconut Grove.
* T5 Zoning may mean the proposed structures are actually equivalent to 8 stories high.
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