At a contentious meeting Wednesday, the Surfside Commission passed a conditional measure regarding the redevelopment plans of 88th Street despite strong opposition from some community members and stakeholders.
Many in the Town of Surfside community are divided over proposed redevelopment plans which would use a portion of 88th Street designated by the previous commission as the future site of a memorial honoring the 98 lives lost in the Champlain Towers South collapse.
On Wednesday inside the Surfside Town Hall Commission Chambers, tensions flared during a meeting discussing the future of the collapse site, and the potential use of 88th Street as a memorial.
"That’s not respect. We’ve spoken with FDOT. We’ve spoken with Miami-Dade County," said Martin Langesfeld, a relative of one of the victims and now an advocate for the victims’ families. "Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava has shown 100% support at doing whatever needs to be done to make sure loading docks go where they can go."
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DAMAC, the developer behind the proposed changes, has put forward plans to use a portion of the previously designated off-property memorial area for trash trucks and loading docks.
During the discussion of the original motion, Commissioner Fred Labdsman motioned to approve the plan with conditions. The conditions would call for the loading docks to be moved to the southwest corner of the building, shifting access to Collins Avenue and away from 88th Street. The conditions also stipulate that the developer must seek approval from FDOT for the amended plans. However, if FDOT doesn’t greenlight the new plans, the original proposal would then be conditionally approved.
Mayor Shlomo Danzinger spoke to NBC6 in an interview before the meeting about the proposition that’s been met with vehement opposition from many in the community.
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Danzinger said he’s done his best to balance families’ expectations with the logistics and possible limitations of installing a memorial.
“I don't want to say it's impossible, but I mean, if this was any other building, this is what would be happening," Danzinger said. "They would be accessing it from the corner. Obviously, this is a special corner and it has special meaning, but this has always been a risk and we've always been open and honest with the families that we may have to wait or coordinate our memorial with the development."
Early in the meeting, heated exchanges took place between Commissioner Nelly Velasquez and Danzinger as they discussed the specifics of the issue at hand in Wednesday’s meeting.
DAMAC representatives argued that the impact of the loading docks and trash pickup would be minimized.
However, their claims did little to ease the concerns of the victims' family members who demanded that 88th Street remain untouched by developers.
Despite vocal opposition from Velasquez and some families and stakeholders in the crowd who walked out of the meeting, the conditional measure passed a commission vote.
The meeting became so charged that two men were removed at the behest of Danzinger: one for allegedly making a threatening gesture toward the mayor, and the other for allegedly being disruptive. The latter was allowed back in after a vote was cast.
In a statement Thursday, DAMAC International said they're pleased with the decision to approve the site plan application.
"We acknowledge the tremendous emotional burden being carried by survivors, relatives and friends of the victims of the collapsed tower and their earnest desire to secure as much of 88th Street as practically possible for the memorial, and we commend the town commission and management for diligently reviewing our submission against such an impassioned set of circumstances," the statement read. "The divisiveness surrounding this submission is unfortunate. We believe the conditional approval of the site plan establishes a new way forward towards better collaboration between all stakeholders."
