City asks for exception to allow boat ramp

Written by John Charles Robbins on September 6, 2022

A controversial plan by the City of Miami to build a boat ramp and boat trailer parking near historic Miami Marine Stadium is on the Wednesday, Sept. 7, agenda of the city’s Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board.

The board meets at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive.

Agenda item number 5 deals with the plan, advanced by the city administration over the concerns and objections of the city’s Virginia Key Advisory Board.

The city owns most of Virginia Key including the famous concrete waterfront stadium on the historic basin.

Plans for a multi-million-dollar restoration of the idled stadium are on hold while further cost assessments are calculated.

The resolution before the board, if approved, would allow construction of “a boat ramp and two fixed docks, two floating docks, and two new boat trailer parking areas on real property designated ‘CS’ Civic Space transect zone, generally located at 3501 Rickenbacker Causeway.”

The resolution asks for approval of an exception and associated waiver “to allow structures that are clearly designed or arranged specifically for a use or uses that are no longer in conformity with the regulations of the transect zone in which they are located to be permitted to reestablish the non-conforming use or uses upon demonstrating said nonconforming use or uses can be rendered compatible with their present context and provided that the structure is locally designated as a historic site or is a contributing structure in a historic district.”

The applicant is listed as City Manager Art Noriega.