Staff To Recommend that Historic Preservation Board Deny the Request to Expand the Tennis Facilities by 5 Additional Courts into the Great Lawn

The Historic Preservation Board will meet at 9am on Tuesday, March 9th, in the City Commission Chambers, at City Hall.    About an hour into the Agenda, at HPB File No. 6088, the City of Miami Beach (as applicant) will request to expand the area of tennis courts northward into the park with the construction of five additional tennis courts.

Historic Preservation / Planning staff recommends that the application be DENIED. The staff report can be accessed at

http://flamingomb.org/1Q2010/FlamingoPkTennis_HPB_Mar9_2010.pdf

The Staff analysis finds that the application is not in compliance with required criteria. The Staff reports notes --

The proposed tennis court expansion will substantially encroach upon the green open lawn area that was recently restored to its near original condition after the Holtz Tennis Stadium was demolished, reducing the transparency and cross circulation into and through the park.

The position of the Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association is Seventeen is Enough! We fully support the Staff analysis and recommendation which also goes on to note --

Clearly, the proposed tennis court expansion to 22 courts will substantially encroach upon the open green lawn area…..

The proposal will also significantly reduce the original transparency…and curtail the larger public use of the open green space for neighborhood activities.

Additionally, cross circulation through the park…by neighborhood residents will be entirely blocked.

All of the activities currently supported by this restored historic open green space…make for a safer, greener, and more neighborhood-friendly public Flamingo Park.

Please join us at the Historic Preservation Board Meeting on Tuesday, March 9th, at 9:00 am to preserve open green space for multiple recreational and open space activities and uses in Flamingo Park.