Virginia Key plan sent back to drawing board - Kansas City Business Journal:

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The city's Planning Advisory Board voteed 8-0 this week to reject the proposed master plan thatFort Lauderdale-basef consultant put together. The project has the potential to creatre construction jobs as a result of several buildings plannecd forthe site, including 11 garages and severapl sports facilities tied to baseball and tennis. But the boar d and the city don’t see eye to eye. The planningt board passed a motion to communicatew to the city commission that the master plan does not reflectpublicx input, which focused on passiver uses such as hiking The commission, which has the final word, is to review the masteer plan next week.
The Advisory Board also askefd commissioners to direct staff to take more time and revamop the master plan so that it more closelh aligns withthe public's focus on passives uses. "Nobody is denying there was a publicx process,” said board Chairwoman Janice Tarbert. “Yohu didn’t listen to the residents.” EDSA principakl Paul D. Kissinger, who is overseeingy the VirginiaKey project, and city officiale said both parties worked to preserve the park’sz natural beauty and expand its drawingf potential by adding baseballl fields, tennis courts and other uses.
More than 30 memberse of the public, many of whom had participateed in past masterplan workshops, spoker out against the plan. Many cited concerns over the city' lack of focus on preserving current passive uses aroun the MiamiMarine Stadium. As the Business Journalp reportedlast year, the city's stated through the master plan, is to make the waterfrontr and the land more accessible and But, multiple ownership and leases are limitin factors. But the proposals have prompte some concerns from conservationistsand preservationists. Some have raisede concerns aboutproposed dorms, ball fields, restaurant space, garages and othedr non-natural uses of the 1,000-acre key.
The city had proposesd transforming a landfill into ball fieldsd and otherathletic uses, whicnh would be the basizs for a regional park. Additional possibilities included mountain bike trails anda world-class facilityh for enthusiasts of bicycle motocross, or BMX, which was includefd in Olympic competition for the first time this The city also discussed increasing both its wet slip and dry stacm opportunities on Virginia Key. Currently, it has 2,550 slip s and 2,300 racks.