Business

Village Council discusses Brown House, Glass House, Playhouse

Determined to help beautify historic Charles Avenue, Renita Samuels-Dixon recently told the Coconut Grove Village Council that “the oldest street in Coconut Grove” needs and deserves some attention.

One of two members representing the West Grove on the Village Council, Samuels-Dixon said the street’s historic homes include E.W.F. Stirrup Residence, 3242 Charles Ave., and the Mariah Brown House, 3298 Charles Ave. The Stirrup home was built by one of Miami’s first black millionaires, the Rev. Ebenezer Stirrup, a Bahamian who made his fortune in real estate. The Brown House is a replica of the original house built in 1889 by Mariah Brown, one of the first black Bahamians to settle in Coconut Grove. Plans have been under way to do repairs and enhancements to the Brown House and later open it as a museum.  But the effort needs money, Samuels-Dixon said.
Read the rest of this story »

Posted in Politics | Comments

After school can be a treat
at the Gourmet Cookie Café

After being dropped off by the school bus at the corner of Grand Avenue and Southwest 37th Street, eighth-grader Jerod Mays heads across the street to the Gourmet Cookie Café for a sweet treat from “Ms. Carrie,” also known as “The Cookie Lady”

“She’s got everything,” said Jerod, who typically orders a cookie and a slushy after school and a breakfast sandwich and orange juice combo in the morning. “It’s a nice place to hang out after school,” added Jerod, a student at Ponce de Leon Middle School.
Read the rest of this story »

Posted in Restaurants | Comments

Grove Village Council might get back
City Hall meeting place

The Coconut Grove Village Council still is without a permanent meeting place, but a decision might come as early as this week about whether the group can return to City Hall.

The Village Council was forced to move its monthly meetings from City Hall after Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado, who was elected in November, said he wanted to allow more access to City Hall to non-governmental groups. The council has met at the Abanico Theater at the Academy of Arts & Minds Charter High School and at middle school campus of Ransom Everglades.
Read the rest of this story »

Posted in Politics | Comments

Village Council still without a permanent meeting place

A new policy from Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado has forced the Cocoanut Grove Village Council to change its meeting location from City Hall to Ransom Everglades Middle School, where the council met on Jan. 21 for its first meeting of the year.

“It is unfathomable to me that the Village Council has had our meeting venue taken away with very little notice and no real explanation,” newly elected Village Council member Stephen Murray said on a recent blog post. Murray is one of two councilmen representing the West Grove.

The Village Council had to find a new location after Regalado, who was elected in November, said he wanted to allow more access to City Hall to non-city affiliated meetings, said Village Council Chairman Patrick Sessions.

“The city manager then told us we couldn’t meet there every month. We thought we had approval, but now we have to meet elsewhere,” Sessions said.
Read the rest of this story »

Posted in Politics | Comments

Remaking Grand Avenue: What’s the deal on development?

About two years ago, a group of West Grove leaders viewed sketches of an 800,000-plus square foot shopping center touted by developers as “nothing short of spectacular”.

That project, the “Grove Village on Grand,” was proposed by Pointe Group Advisors, a real estate asset management company based out of Plantation.

“They presented a beautiful plan and a group of us walked with them to see where it would be placed. It looked really nice,” said Lottie Person, a recently retired member of the Coconut Grove Village Council.

“And most of the community was excited about one project,” Person said, referring to a Publix supermarket that developers wanted to build on Grand Avenue.

And then the community waited. For months residents thought it was not going to happen. Many complained that they did not know where the project stood.

“I don’t know what’s going on with Grand Avenue,” Person told a Grand Ave. News reporter in October.

“I’m just as confused as anyone,” Martin Zilber, former chairman of the Coconut Grove Village Council, also said at the time, attributing inaction in part to the downturn in the economy. “I would be surprised if anything in the next three to five years goes up just because of the economy.”

Residents long have been concerned that Grand Avenue was just a street for other South Florida residents and tourists to drive through on their way to CocoWalk and to other shops, restaurants and nightclubs in the Central Grove.

“The West Grove has been that way for some time,” said Sebastian Galvez, a West Grove resident who owns SoFlo Skate Shop on Grand Avenue. “The sidewalks don’t get cleaned; homeless people are still around; and there is still a ton of drug activity. Saturdays are great when they liven it up for the farmer’s market, but when they leave, they always leave it a mess. It looks like nobody takes care of the city.”

First signs of a spruce up for the thoroughfare began in 2005.

A $4.2 million facelift included the addition of benches on sidewalks and a narrowing of the roadway from four lanes to two and planting of trees in the median. Two years before that, Coral Gables attorney Julio C. Marrero purchased low-rise apartment buildings with plans of replacing them with mid-rise condominium complexes where units would start at $325,000.

But the beautification efforts and the demolition of buildings on the avenue brought cries of concern from longtime homeowners and renters who were afraid they would be adversely impacted with the influx of new, but not affordable, units. Neighbors who only pay $400 a month in rent in the affordable housing units said they were told that they might have to pack up and find a new place to live on little notice.

The buildings were leveled, leaving lots on six city blocks on Grand Avenue sitting empty, littered with “for sale” signs.

“Three years ago, everything kind of stopped,” said Galvez, who rents his store from Marrero.

“The whole idea has changed,” lamented Thelma Gibson, president emeritus of the Thelma Gibson Health Initiative, which is a subsidiary of the Theodore R. Gibson Memorial Fund Inc. The Rev. Theodore R. Gibson was a local civil rights pioneer who helped improve socio-economic conditions for Miami’s black community

Thelma Gibson had plans to build an educational center in her late husband’s name have been put on the back burner. Also a longtime civic and community leader from the West Grove, she applied for loans with two banks, but never got a response from one and was put on hold by another.

“It would mean everything to me to leave a legacy in my husband’s memory, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen anytime soon,” she also said late last year. “Everything has come to a standstill.”

Posted in Business, Community & Family, Homepage | Comments

Ocean’s Choice hopes becoming a sports bar brings business

Ocean’s Choice Seafood restaurants started the transition from a West Grove seafood spot to sports bar and grill—complete with flat-screen televisions, music, beer and wine—more than a month ago.

Friday night’s fish fry was its official debut of sorts as a place where the community can go to grab a table and watch a game. About 40 people attended the fish fry, which serendipitously began about 90 minutes before the tip off of the Miami Heat and  Dallas Mavericks game.

Read the rest of this story »

Posted in Business, Restaurants, Sports | Comments

3-5AM Bar Closings debate – feedback is requested

December 7, 2009

To:         All Coconut Grove Residents, Residential Associations, Business Owners, Commercial  Associations, and interested individual parties.

From:    Patrick Sessions, Chairman-elect, The Cocoanut Grove Village Council

As you are undoubtedly aware, there is an ongoing debate in Coconut Grove regarding the 3 AM versus 5 AM bar/restaurant closing times.  In June, 2008, a revision to the Miami City Code went into effect which changed the closing times to 3 AM for Coconut Grove. Specifically, the underlined language was added at that time:
Read the rest of this story »

Posted in Business, Politics | Comments

West Grove Home Values

There have been about 14 single family properties to sell this year in the West Grove.  The highest priced home to sell in the West Grove was located at 3143 Ohio Street for $210,000.  The least expensive property that sold in the West Grove this year was on Percival Avenue for $50,000 (for land value).  9 of the 13 properties were either short sales or foreclosures.

Read the rest of this story »

Posted in Real Estate | Comments

Consumer Wise: Avoid Moving Mistakes

Tricks of the Trade

Getting ready to move to a new home can be a stressful experience.  Take the hassle out by knowing your rights and planning your move ahead of time.  The Miami-Dade Consumer Services Department licenses and regulates movers to ensure consumer satisfaction and give consumers confidence that they are dealing with legitimate businesses.

The department advises consumers to be aware of potential rip-offs as well as money-saving tips.
Read the rest of this story »

Posted in Business | Comments

What time should the bars close?

Here is a summary of the discussions about the 3 a.m. versus the 5 a.m. closing times for bars that occurred on the Coconut Grove Village Council meeting on Nov. 18.

Video by Paul Franz and Jesse Swanson – Full video of the meeting coming soon.

Posted in Politics | Comments