Palau project to move forward

A rendering of Palau at Sunset Harbour.

The developers of the Palau condo — the condo-retailed project that includes the old Mark’s Cleaners site — have made peace with their Sunset Harbour neighbors, The Miami Herald is reporting.

According to an agreement provided last week to the city of Miami Beach, the developers of Palau — which include the Disney family — will position the  project further back from the bridge to Sunset Islands 3 and 4, provide greater setbacks of the retail space. There will be a public plaza near the bridge as well.

Sunset Island residents in March persuaded the Miami Beach Planning Board to reconsider an approval its approval of the project.

The project, designed by Kobi Karp, includes 50 condo units in addition to 11,000 square feet of retail space.

 

Hotel construction, road work, flooding and Sun Pass on Belle Isle residents agenda

Can robotic parking machines change how people feel about parking garages?

Will a new pumping system, almost complete, keep Sunset Harbour dry the next time we have a full moon and high tide at the same time?

When will the city of Miami Beach finish work on the new Collins Canal seawall and adjacent bike path?

Should digital signage — also known as electronic billboards — be allowed as part of Miami Beach bus shelters?

All those issues and more are one the agenda for the Belle Isle Residents Association annual meeting, which happens Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the Belle Plaza meeting room, 20 Island Ave.

The gathering starts social at 6 p.m., and the meeting should begin at 7.

Representatives from the city of Miami Beach will be on hand to discuss a variety of projects, and hear from residents, says association president Scott Diffenderfer.

Here’s a look at the full agenda:

Discussion and updates on the following City, County and developer projects:
– Collins Canal Seawall and Dade Blvd. Bike Path
– Alton Road Construction and traffic detour plans which will affect West Avenue and Venetian Way
– Ongoing Sunset Harbour Flooding and Pump Station Enhancement project
– Venetian Islands construction on side streets
– Proposed expansion and addition of parking at Standard Hotel
– Proposed Hotel on 17th Street and West Avenue
– Introduction of Miami Beach United
– Update on selection of City Manager
- Update on Convention Center Expansion
– Discussion of request to install Electronic Billboards to bus shelters in Miami Beach
– Timeline and info on how to register your SunPass for use on the Venetian Causeway
– Open forum for residents to ask questions and provide comments

Pubbelly team to open steakhouse in old Joe Allen spot

Many of us still miss Joe Allen in Sunset Harbour, even though it’s been almost two years and two unsuccessful restaurants (Morgans on the Beach and Georgia’s Union) since the place closed its doors.

Now, the team that created Pubbelly, Pubbelly Sushi and Barceloneta is getting the white house at 1787 Purdy Ave. prepped for a January opening as PB Steak.

Lesley Abravanel has a preview at Miami.com. Among the menu items: an extensive raw bar, steak tartar sliders, steak entrees from $19 to $60, and a veal porterhouse.

The bar will feature mixologist Ashley Danella, formerly of Hakkasan at the Fontainebleau.

Opening target is the second week of January.

 

 

First stores opening at Sunset Harbour parking garage; construction inside old Joe Allen space

Sunset Clothing Co. owner Juan Plasencia in his new store.

We walked around the neighborhood Saturday and discovered the first stores open at the new parking garage at Sunset Harbour — and construction workers at recently closed Georgia’s Union restaurant, in the old Joe Allen space.

The Sunset Clothing Co. is owned and run by Juan Plasencia, who ran Post Blue Jean Co. on Lincoln Road for more than a decade.

Plasencia, who lives in the neighborhood (down the street, near the corner of Purdy and 17th Street), opened the store at 1895 Purdy Ave. on Friday.

Plasencia made the move from Lincoln Road because rent simply became too high for a boutique retailer competing with the huge chains. Post had a terrific reputation.

Here’s what Yelp’s Maria Argüello wrote about Post a couple years back:

With close to a dozen different denim labels, tees, and even Diesel footware, this store is what American Apparel should have been, a symbol of American purpose and quality. It just doesn’t get more American than jeans and T-shirts.

Plasencia says he’s eager to cater to a neighborhood clientele.

We saw other signs of life in the Sunset shops. Frankie’s Boutique, next door to Sunset Clothing Co., had display cases of sunglasses and jewelry and racks of clothes visible in the windows, so opening seems imminent.

And construction crews worked feverishly Saturday at Panther Coffee, Tequitzlan Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar, and True Loaf Bakery. But from appearances, they still had a lot of work to do.

Interior of Georgia’s Union.

Meanwhile, at the old Joe Allen space, which housed Morgan’s and Georgia’s Union during the last two years, construction crews were working as well. No word on what is next for that space, but renovation is underway — again.

A shame about Georgia’s Union, which closed in early October after a run of less than four months.

Here comes the moon — and tidal flooding in Sunset Harbour, Alton Road

Seawater swamps Purdy across from Maurice Gibb Memorial Park, October 2010

The city of Miami Beach warns that seasonal high tides are expected starting Monday, and with them flooding is likely in Sunset Harbour, along Alton Road and West Avenue and on Palm Island.

The tides aren’t expected to be as bad as in October 2010, when flooding was severe, but salt water problems are likely, interim City Manager Kathie Brooks said in a memo to the mayor and city commissioners.

Areas particularly vulnerable, the city says: Purdy Avenue between Dade Boulevard and 20th Street; Alton Road and West Avenue at Fifth, Sixth, 10th and 14th streets, and the west side of Palm Island.

“It is likely that the city will experience some short-term flooding in its low lying areas,” Brooks wrote. “At this time, staff does not anticipate any driving lanes to be closed unless there is significant rainfall during the peak time frames.”

If you lived on Belle Isle during the persistent flooding before the drainage project was completed, you know its important to avoid submerging your car in the salt water. Many residents later had serious issues with rust damaging their brake lines and other parts.

Miami Beach approves new mixed use development on Mark’s Cleaners site

The latest development news in Sunset Harbour, our oh-so-hot neighboring neighborhood:

Miami Beach’s Design Review Board approved the Palau at Sunset Harbour, a sleek glass and steel mixed use project on the old Mark’s Cleaners property and a neighboring site at the entrance to Sunset Islands, where the Cypress Bay  condo started and stalled.

The Palau is to include 50 condo units and 11,000 square feet of retail space. It’s bankrolled by the Disney family, according The Miami Herald. The developers paid $8.2 million for the site a year ago; Mark’s moved from the site in January.

Some Sunset Harbour residents battled the five-story project, saying it was too big for such a small site.

 

Sunset Harbour garage is open for parking

Rendering of the Shops at Sunset Harbour.

Rates at the Sunset Harbour garage start at $1 an hour

Some construction projects seem to take forever — some, but not all.

The new city of Miami Beach parking garage at Sunset Harbour quietly opened this week ($1 an hour up to six hours), and work moves forward on the ground level retail spaces that will house Ice Box Cafe, Panther Coffee and other attractions.

The garage, designed by Architectonica, has 450 spaces and 30,000 square feet of retail on the sidewalk level.

It should make access a heck of a lot easier for one of Miami Beach’s hottest neighborhoods.

Boil water advisory ends Wednesday afternoon

The precautionary boil water advisory for Belle Isle, the result of a water main break on Saturday as Tropical Storm Isaac approached, officially lifts at 2 p.m. today.

Meanwhile, the water line break, one of four that occurred Saturday (two 20-inch mains in Sunset Harbour, one on Rivo Alto and one on Belle Isle) apparently left some debris in water lines that on Tuesday forced Nine Island Avenue to partially curtail some of its water service and building-wide air conditioning for several hours.

In a Tuesday afternoon note to condo owners, Nine Island management said “debris from the main water line has caused a blockage in both our domestic water pump system and the pump system that controls our air conditioning for the hallways.

“We will need to shut down the air conditioning in the hallways for two hours this afternoon so we may remove the debris from the pump system. We may also experience low pressure in the apartments due to our pumps being worked on for the domestic water system.”

The lifting of boil water advisory ends another inconvenience for Belle Isle residents. But the experience of the weekend is a cautionary tale of Miami Beach’s aging infrastructure.

The water main breaks weren’t caused by an oncoming storm. They were the result of an aging system. In the last year, Miami Beach has had a series of water main failures, including several in North and Middle Beach.

Water service restored on Belle Isle; residents advised to boil water as precaution

City workers repairing water main break on Belle Isle early Sunday.

Miami Beach Public Works employees battled wind and rain from Tropical Storm Isaac to patch the last of four broken water mains and restored water service to Belle Isle at roughly 2:50 p.m.

The final fix was made in an 8-inch pipe under Venetian Way just east of the bridge to Rivo Alto Isle.

Miami Beach is advising Belle Isle resident to boil water as a precaution until the water can be tested to determine it is safe. That is likely to take two days.

The same is true for residents of Sunset Harbour and Alton Road and West Avenue who received a similar advisory on Saturday.

The fix in the Belle Isle main marked the end of a 36-hour period when four city water lines failed – two 20-inch mains in Sunset Harbour, a smaller line on Rivo Alto and the Belle Isle water line.

Water service still out on Belle Isle; boil water advisory in place

City workers repairing small water main break on Belle Isle

Miami Beach public works crews continue to try and restore water service to Belle Isle  on Sunday.

In an update from the city at 11:37 a.m., spokeswoman Nannette Rodriguez said “crews continue to work on repairs to the water break on Belle Isle… Water service has been shut off to all customers on the island. Service is expected to the restored by 6 p.m. today.

Residents on Belle Isle have been issued precautionary boil water advisories.”

Service to Rivo Alto was restored about 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

Some Belle Isle residents reported having water service briefly — between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, long enough to shower and flush toilets. But it was gone soon after.

Cleaning up after the 20-inch main break at Purdy and Venetian Way.

For now, the tap is dry and the boil water order will be in effect once water returns.

In several buildings, residents are being advised to turn off their air conditioning because the building cooling towers must be shut down due to the lack of water.

There also is a boil water advisory for six buildings in the Sunset Harbour/Alton Road corridor, in addition to all of the condo towers on Belle Isle and single-family homes on Rivo Alto.

The water problem started with a main break at Sunset Harbour on Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon, a small main ruptured on Rivo Alto. Later Saturday evening, a small main burst on Belle Isle, and another section of water main — a large one — failed Maurice Gibb Park in Sunset Harbour.

Here is the latest news release from the city of Miami Beach:

Miami Beach Water Break Update

Sunday, August 26, 10:00 a.m.

Currently, crews are still working on making repairs on the 8-inch water line on Belle Isle.

At 3:30 a.m., the Purdy Avenue 20-inch water main break was fixed and back in service (a 2-inch hole and crack was found).

At 6:30 a.m., Rivo Alto 6-inch water line leak was repaired.

Street restoration in the work areas is scheduled after the storm clears on Monday.

There are no mandatory boil water advisories, only the precautionary advisory issued yesterday to the following addresses: 1701 Purdy Avenue, 1771  West Avenue, 1333 Dade Blvd, 1800 Alton Rd, 1828 Alton Road, 1840 Alton Road and 1850 Alton Road.

Public works crews in Sunset Harbour

We’ll post more updates as we get them.