Depending on who you ask, a new mega mall being planned for Northwest Miami-Dade is either the ‘American dream’ or an American nightmare.
Wednesday, the Miami-Dade Commission made an important decision on the future of that proposed development.
County commissioners voted 10-1 to approved the initial step of a master plan application for the proposed mega mall that promises an amusement park, hotel rooms, and more than six million square feet of shopping and entertainment space.
The proposed site is just off the Turnpike and I-75 and developers say the project would attract 40 million visitors a year.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez supports the project. He said the mall will be a place a tourist attraction that North Dade doesn't have right now.
The preliminary vote now sends the proposal back to the State to approve the change of land use, before returning to the county for a series of public hearings.
"I think that the Commission did the right thing. It should be transmitted. We need more information from the state. It gives more time to look at all the impacts to the community and the county of this project," said Mayor Gimenez.
Critics worry the project would create a traffic nightmare, though developers argue the opposite. The South Florida Taxpayers Alliance released results of a countywide poll they say shows close to 90% of residents oppose taxpayer money going toward the project.
If commissioners pass the plan, the mall's proposed completion date would be 2020.
