Fire station issue stalls signature Brickell City Centre tower

Miami city commissioners have delayed a final vote on Brickell City Centre’s latest expansion, while directing city staff to get to the bottom of why a promised fire station has not been built as part of the sweeping mixed-use development.

At a rescheduled regular meeting on Tuesday, commissioners were to hold a second and final hearing on two planning and zoning resolutions that would amend the current Special Area Plan, or SAP, for Brickell City Centre.

Instead, Commissioner Joe Carollo asked that the items be deferred, a move approved on unanimous vote.

The commission approved the two items on first reading in August.

The latest proposal, if approved, would allow another amendment to the development’s SAP to provide for the One BCC Signature Office development, an alternate concept for the One BCC parcel, which may utilize design flexibilities that includes larger tower floorplates.

One BCC is to be a 1,000-foot supertower, designed by architectural firm Arquitectonica.

Swire Properties Inc. is the main developer of Brickell City Centre, which began in 2013.

The global development company entered into an agreement with the City of Miami that calls for construction of a temporary and then a permanent fire station.

Construction was expected to begin in March 2020 but the Covid-19 pandemic reportedly stalled the plans.

Work on the fire station still has not begun, a fact brought up by Mr. Carollo in requesting the deferral.

He mentioned his predecessor, his brother Frank Carollo, who years ago pushed for a new fire station in the dense and growing Brickell area.

“My brother wisely thought to the future, that we needed another fire station,” said Mr. Carollo.

“We badly need a second fire station. They’re (Swire) offering a temporary one. I want to talk to the fire chief and fire union (to determine whether) that agreement entered into years back is correct. This is a life and safety issue,” he said.

Mr. Carollo asked the administration to go through the agreement carefully and report back to commissioners.

Like Mr. Carollo, Commissioner Manolo Reyes said he too recently received a bundle of information about Brickell City Centre and the planned fire station.

Mr. Reyes said some of the information implied the city itself is to blame for delays in having the fire station built.

Mr. Reyes agreed with Mr. Carollo’s move to delay the vote on the amended SAP until the matter is clarified.

“I want to find out what is going on, why it has taken so long, and also if we have not done what we should have done as a city administration to correct it,” said Mr. Reyes.

“There is a statement that part of the delay is blamed on the city. I don’t know if it’s true or not true, but I would like to clarify that. We definitely need a fire station in that area,” he said.

Chair Christine King said, “I agree. I received similar communications and I’m very concerned about the issue.”

Commissioner Ken Russell noted the development is a major project in his district that he’s kept a close eye on, and he’s worked closely with Swire.
“You’ll find they have been cooperating in good faith with the fire department and the administration,” he said.

Mr. Russell said Swire representatives have agreed on at least two major issues: “creating the temporary fire station when they knew there was going to be a delay, and that’s an additional million-dollar cost to them, and they’ve already purchased the materials and have been storing them for nearly two years waiting for the permits for that temporary station.

“And two, they’ve now offered continuity of service, between the temporary and the permanent version (of the fire station), which was not in the original agreement,” he said.

Mr. Russell also said as part of a second amendment to the SAP, there was a provision for Swire to pay the city $1 million for affordable housing.

“This is also being delayed by the nonactivation of the north project (One BCC), so in conjunction with this rezoning … they have agreed to front-load that million dollars as soon as they get the demolition permit on this project, the zoning that we’re looking at.

“The sooner they get to demolition, the sooner we get the million for affordable housing, which is divided equally amongst our commission districts, which is a very good thing and much needed.

“I’d just like to put in that they have been a good faith partner in this effort and everything that the fire department required of them they are at the table with,” said Mr. Russell.

Before the vote to defer, Mr. Carollo acknowledged the city has had a good working relationship with Swire, which opened the first piece of the vast mixed-use project in 2016.

The two proposed resolutions for Brickell City Centre were deferred to the commission’s next meeting Sept. 22.

Swire said construction of the temporary fire station would take three to four months from the time the permit is received. It is to have about 7,000 square feet and parking for a small fire-rescue truck and is to be built between Southeast Fifth and Sixth streets, near the Miami River.