'Big-box' retailers not a fit in Sunset Harbour

Soapbox / Letters From Readers

Regarding a ''big-box'' retailer in Sunset Harbour, the residents of this area, together with Sunset Islands, Venetian Islands and the Bay Road area, have great concern for the impact this project will bring.

In 1989, the city allowed residential development surrounding the bay in what was a light industrial area. To create a buffer, the block immediately adjacent to the bay was zoned commercial, so only the center of the area remained light industrial.

Now, only 14 percent of the Sunset Harbour neighborhood is used for light industrial, while 16 percent is retail, 7 percent restaurants, 27 percent commercial and 36 percent offices.

Of the 41 existing buildings, 38 are less than 20,000 square feet and only three buildings are more than 20,000 square feet (Publix and two storage facilities). Sixty-five businesses (88 percent) close by 6 or 7 p.m. Office Depot closes at 9, restaurants close at 11, and Purdy Lounge at 5 a.m. Two tow truck companies are open 24 hours.

The two ''big boxes'' that developers Zalman and Solomon Felligs are proposing to build, canyon-style, will be 78,377 and 81,084 square feet, respectively, with 600 parking spaces that will generate over 6,000 trips in 10 hours every day. Sunset Harbour has one way in and one way out: Purdy Avenue (20th Street) and Dade Boulevard. West Avenue and Bay Road both end up in either one of these two ways in and out. All the proposed vehicle and loading entrances to big boxes are on West Avenue, where Publix already has its entrances and where buses have their stops.

One can only imagine the traffic, congestion and noise pollution this project will bring to Sunset Harbour and the adjacent neighborhoods. They might as well add a helipad, because we will need a helicopter to transport an emergency victim out of this gridlock.

The residents of these neighborhoods feel the Felligs are more than entitled to develop their land, but not to the detriment of entire neighborhoods and thousands of residents. We would like to see pedestrian-friendly development with restaurants, shops, office and live-work spaces. We are more than willing to help lobby the city for a change in zoning to residential if developers were to decide to build residential. Picture all those beautiful three- and four-story buildings on West Avenue south of Fifth Street.

South Beach has many mechanics, gas stations, hardware stores and other light industrial facilities already. We do not need a Home Depot, Kmart or Target.

I have traveled the world, and when I tell people I live in South Beach, they all know where it is and say what a wonderful place it is. Nobody ever tells me they want to come here to go to Home Depot.

MARILYN FREUNDLICH

SUNSET HARBOUR

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