In the 1946 movie “It's a Wonderful Life” there are two visions of the future: charming small town of shade trees and friendly neighbors or the reviled Pottersville of drunkards and gamblers where garishness and poverty predominate.
Likewise - there are competing visions in Virginia Key’s future: public park greenery, preservation of cultural and historic sites and structures, harmony with nature. Or, marine industrial buildings, mega-marinas, commercial development of the public waterfront.
Or can both visions co-exist?
Absent clear design principles, core values or even a designated “program,” planning proposals unveiled for Virginia Key so far have attempted to mix it up, managing to satisfy no one in the process.
A fishing pier that looks like a Hollywood premiere. A marine-themed shopping center. An “organized” boat storage facility that rises five stories high and stretches the length of four-five football fields. And parking garages, lots of them and various stories high.
The public park amenities are vague and lacking in dedicated funding or management.
The commitment to restore, preserve and interpret the cultural and historic sites are tenuous, seemingly tied to extensive commercial development of surrounding public properties.
What should be so hard about creating a master plan for Virginia Key? The hard part is hard-wired and has been taken care of by mother nature: aqua-marine waters, sandy beaches, green forests filled with rare songbirds.
There’s even a model to go by: Cape Florida State Park. At the far end of Key Biscayne is one of the state’s most beautiful and popular state parks. Nature trails, fishing platforms, bike and boat rentals, a historic site, group campgrounds, excellent restaurants, a waterfront promenade and accessibility by land or water.
Now that’s a vision that would be truly wonderful.
Photos: Cape Florida State Park entrance to one of several nature trails, fishing platform overlooking Biscayne Bay, waterfront boardwalk and bicycle trail.
Resources:
More on “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the 1946 Frank Capra movie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_a_Wonderful_Life
Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne: http://www.floridastateparks.org/capeflorida/
photo gallery: http://www.floridastateparks.org/capeflorida/PhotoGallery.cfm
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Yes! Great way to put it. Cape Florida's look is exactly what you would want for a 'developed' Virginia Key.
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