Friday, June 4, 2010

REDEVELOPMENT 101: IF YOU WANT JOBS, HELP NEW BUSINESSES, NOT HARASS THEM!

After the failure of Urbanite Bistro, job creation in the downtown redevelopment area is severely at risk.  With the bistro's failure primarily due to customers' fear of the blighted neighborhood, other new businesses need to learn from Urbanite's misfortune.  Grand Central, a recently opened event venue located at 697 N. Miami Ave (http://www.grandcentralmiami.com/), is determined to succeed despite the inability of the City of Miami Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) to redevelop the surrounding neighborhood.  In order to support the recently opened business, Bradley Knoefler, owner of 697 Lofts  and Aramis Lorie, owner of Grand Central, decided to spruce up the surrounding streets to support the business and improve patrons' safety and security.  As recently reported in the Miami Herald (activists take matters (and bulldozers) into own hands), the duo fixed up the surrounding neighborhood by using local residents to support the Grand Opening, which occurred on May 13th to great success. The party was successful, drawing rave reviews and hosting over 700 people from a diverse cross section of Miami, with the Spam All Stars performing live.  

However, the road to the opening was fraught with roadblocks and rogue elements in the City and the neighborhood seemingly determined to harass the new business at almost any cost.  Several hours before the opening on May 13th numerous City of Miami vehicles repeatedly drove past the venue and later a code enforcement official arrived with several reported violations, including operating a nighclub without a permit and other alleged illegal acts.  Sources within the City reported that the Overtown NET office and the CRA had called in these violations, surprisingly not just once but numerous times during the day to ensure that Code Enforcement hit the venue.  This is despite a cease and desist letter to Mr. Loren Daniel, Overtown NET administrator, who has previously harassed and threatened the parties involved.  At approximately 7:30 PM, three police cruisers blocked the entrance to the parking lot on the Old Miami Arena site and threatened Brad Knoefler with arrest for tresspassing on private property. "I asked them if the owner had called them," said Knoefler, "they said no but the had 'reason to believe' that I was trespassing." Luckily Commander Sanchez of the City of Miami Police Department stepped in to diffuse the matter after speaking to the owner by telephone and the lot was allowed to open provided that the parking was offered at no charge.  Satruday night at 1:30 AM, Andrew Mermelli of M&M Parking, incensed at the free parking being offered across the street, drove up and placed the "free parking' sign in his car.  When security confronted him for stealing the sign, he attempted to run him down with his Porche Cayenne. A police report was filed and the sign was quietly returned at 3:30 AM.   No arrest was made.