Killian homeowners fight proposed ALF at County Hall — again

DEVELOPING STORY: For a second time in a month, a group of Killian residents will go to County Hall Tuesday morning to try to fight the proposed development of a two- and three-story, 216-bed assisted living facility with a 126-space underground parking garage in their mostly residential neighborhood.

Miami-Dade Commissioners will consider changing the Comprehensive Development Master Plan and zoning for the vacant 1.6-acre lot on Southwest 122nd Street, just off the South Dade busway, and near Vineland Elementary School, from residential to commercial.

More than 800 nearby residents have signed a petition saying please don’t. More than 50 of them spoke at the CDMP meeting last month that ended with no vote for lack of quorum. They brought a power point presentation with slides that show the current traffic issues and how narrow the street is. One after one, they told the commissioners that this project would destroy their quiet neighborhood. One by one they all said that the property should be developed into 12 homes, as approved already.

One by one they called the owner and applicant a “speculator” and, in a very organized manner, went through the different reasons that the change in zoning should be denied:

• Increased traffic on an already problematic street, including “huge, noisy trucks delivering food, medical supplies and maintenance supplies,” said Steven Hagwell. “Even more trucks will be carting away trash and hazardous medical waste. Ambulances will be coming at all hours of the day and night.”
• Safety for neighborhood children in an area with two schools. “A huge risk to our children walking home from school and playing in the playground thats adjacent to the property,” said Vanessa Contreras.
• The proposed height, at three stories on the U.S. 1 side, is incompatible with the neighborhood.
• ALF residents will not be using the transitway, which is one of the reasons why the applicant says the project should move forward.

Michael Garcia-Castillo, CEO of GC3 Group developers — which has built a lot of homes in Miami-Dade — purchased the property in 2014 for $500,000. That’s foresight. Today, the assessed value is $1.5 million, but the market value must be way higher. He didn’t speak at the meeting. His lobbyist, Melissa Tapanes, did.

This story is developing.