New Genting plan smaller — so far

Genting, the Malaysian gaming giant that bought The Miami Herald building and surrounding acreage last year, has a new plan for luxury hotel at the west end of the Venetian Causeway.

The plan, which The Herald covered today, is smaller in scale than the 5,200-hotel room mega resort casino Genting touted last year. And they say this proposal — with a five-star luxury hotel, luxury condominiums, waterfront restaurants,  retail and an 800-foot walkway on Biscayne Bay — will be built whether or not Florida opens up casino gambling.

But the plan only accounts for 5 of the nearly 14 acres Genting bought from Herald corporate parent McClatchy. And it doesn’t include the Omni property also purchased by Genting.

So the impact of the overall development — in fact, even details for the plans for the Herald 5-acre building site — is still quite unclear.

Stay tuned.

 

Miami Beach goes on record against casinos

The Miami Beach City Commission took a formal position against any expansion of casino gambling on Wednesday, and pledged to lobby against legislative changes in Tallahassee.

The discussion and vote came after a protest promoted in part by Belle Isle Residents Association leaders.

The commission resolution said gambling brings “severe and painful economic and social costs,” “promotes corruption of the governmental process,” and would “exacerbate traffic,” The Miami Herald reported.

Miami Beach sets new times for casino discussions; Commission vote expected Dec. 14

With interest growing in the push for casinos in South Florida, the city of Miami Beach now plans to discuss the potential impact and the city’s position at its Wednesday, Dec. 14 meeting. The conversation is supposed to start some time after 5 p.m.

Leading up to that meeting, there are several forums focused on the position Miami Beach takes on casinos.

– Mayor Matti Bower has scheduled a forum with residents at the Botanical Gardens, 2000 Convention Center Dr., on Wednesday, Dec. 7  at 6:30 p.m.

– The Miami Beach City Commission has a workshop scheduled on the matter at 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9.

– The Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce has a forum on gambling planned for Tuesday, Dec. 13, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr., in Hall D.

If you want to attend, you need to RSVP.

Opponents have scheduled a little protest, Belle Isle Residents Association board member Herb Frank tells us, that will start at 5 p.m. outside the convention center.

The feverish discussion takes place as a result of a proposal from Malaysia-based Genting Group to build a $3 billion-plus resort and casino on the site of The Miami Herald and the nearby Omni Center at the west end of the Venetian Causeway.

Genting bought The Herald building and property in May. Other groups also are pushing casino plans for South Florida, from an idea floated by Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn for a gaming mecca at the Miami Beach Convention Center to proposals for downtown Miami, Sunny Isles Beach and at Miami Dolphins Stadium.

Have an opinion on casinos? Some ways to express yourself

How would traffic be managed if mega-casinos are built? What will be the impact on the Venetian Causeway, South Beach, downtown Miami?

Is this a good deal with good jobs? Should the city of Miami Beach back the effort or fight it?

As the casino discussion continues, there are two nearby opportunities to learn more and speak your piece (thanks to Belle Isle Residents Association board member Herb Frank):

– On Dec. 9 at 4 p.m., the Miami Beach City Commission has scheduled a workshop to develop its position and in advance of the Florida Legislature’s 2012 session, which starts in January.

– On Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m., the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce is hosting a forum on gaming at the Miami Beach Convention Center in hall D.

Beach Taxpayer’s Association features forum on casino plan

Rendering of Resorts World Miami proposal.

A group called The Miami Beach Taxpayer’s Association is holding a presentation Wednesday morning from Genting, the Malaysian gaming company that has proposed a huge resort and casino on The Miami Herald property.

It happens at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday at the Shelbourne Hotel, 1801 Collins Ave. The group says it will be “discussing its endorsement of the Genting World Resorts Miami gaming development across the bay. ”

The presentation will be made by Sergio Bakkas, senior architect with Arquitectonica, which designed the Genting complex, Genting general counsel Jessica Hoppe, and Genting’s South Florida lawyer, former Miami Beach Mayor Neisen Kasdin.

Could this be the chance to get some specifics on what Genting plans to do to alleviate traffic impact on the Venetian Causeway?

It’s unclear how open the forum will be, but Venetian Islands Homeowner Association president Greg Carney shared information about the event with its members.

According to the taxpayer’s association, an endorsement from the group is contingent on Genting supporting an extension of the Downtown People Mover from the Genting site to the Miami Beach Convention Center by crossing the MacArthur Causeway and heading north and south along Alton Road.

“This link tying in the Beach hotels must be an integrated part of the plan,”  according to a taxpayer’s association statement.

How will resort on Herald land impact Venetian Causeway, Belle Isle?

Rendering of Resorts World Miami on Miami Herald property.

Lots of neighbors have that question on their minds today, with the reveal yesterday by Malaysian gaming company Genting of its conceptual design for The Miami Herald property at the west end of the Venetian Causeway.

If you haven’t been following this issue: In May, Genting purchased The Miami Herald building and the 14 acres  around it, including the Boulevard Shops. They’ve given the newspaper two years (rent free) to find a new location and move there.

Meanwhile, Genting has purchased more land around The Herald site, most recently adding the Omni tract north of 15th Street on Biscayne Boulevard.

On Wednesday, the company released elaborate — even fanciful — renderings of the plan for The Herald property, revealing the massive scale of the project — 5,200 hotel rooms in four different hotels, 50 restaurants, a massive casino, and more. Completion target: The end of 2014.

The Herald published two stories with renderings of what’s being proposed, including comment from Jack Hertog of the Venetian Islands Neighborhood Alliance: “It is right next to our community and we have real traffic concerns about getting on and off the islands and about the aethetics for Miami as a whole.”

You will want to watch this closely.