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Post by fiurulez on Sept 12, 2006 9:57:53 GMT -5
Long time Sweethingyer resident and FIU Alumni here: Build the thing down 107th!!!
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Post by FIUFan on Sept 12, 2006 13:38:05 GMT -5
Simple as that huh? Thanks for taking the time to enlighten us.
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Post by fiurulez on Sept 12, 2006 15:54:36 GMT -5
Simple as that huh? Thanks for taking the time to enlighten us. I thought you would like the point of view of someone who owns property next to the proposed line. No more elightening for you.
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Post by FIU4Life on Sept 12, 2006 20:15:55 GMT -5
Simple as that huh? Thanks for taking the time to enlighten us. Looks like somebody has a problem with people disagreeing with him.
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Post by Steve on Sept 12, 2006 23:15:18 GMT -5
Here is my quick opinion on this issue...
When you look at the proposed alignment map, around 8th street the line would run on the campus side of 107th avenue. This is great for riding the train, but effects the university master plan extensively. There are proposed buildings around the corner of 107th and 8th street. Additionally, The location for the station on this map is almost exactly where the land alocated for greek housing is. That being said, is the university giving up more fraternity houses in favor of a metrorail line?
Another issue against it being on the eastern end of the campus is parking. Parking has always been a problem at FIU and in recent years and the addition of housing and other buildings on former parking lots has not made the issue any better. As it is right now it takes forever to find parking. With the county building parking garages on campus for the terminus, that will be a little more helpful, but this is going to be a major station with many riders.
This of course is the least of my concerns. The Mayor of Sweethingyer has already said that he does not want to see metrorail going through sweethingyer and would instead prefer a less obtrusive rail (Light rail or streetcars). However unlikely that may be, it is his community. Additionally, the expandability of the line in the future would be questionable since most all the land along 107th avenue would need to be purchased from private homeowners and businesses, driving the costs up. Following the turnpike alignment, the land need only be procured from the state DOT. Both cost and expandability of the system in the future are in question following 107th avenue.
The advantage is that all the station sites around FIU open up the chance for joint development and other transit oriented development. If that station is on campus, then we pretty much lose the land and would have to pay extra to get it back in the name of joint development or allocate transit oriented space in the projects we plan near the line. I think that if we were to push to have the station on the 117th avenue side next to the turnpike, the joint development land would be a great chance for us to build dorms near transit and basically expand our campus to the south without having to actually procure park land since the county and state would actually go about that process for us through the land procurement for the train station.
On paper, 107th is a great solution... it is closer to the student body, it is closer to retail points... but on the other side of that solution is the other problems of losing campusspace that actually is slated for development, even more parking problems, and lack of the ability to expand the system in the future.
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Post by Steve on Sept 12, 2006 23:19:38 GMT -5
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Post by FIUFan on Sept 13, 2006 8:05:42 GMT -5
Simple as that huh? Thanks for taking the time to enlighten us. Looks like somebody has a problem with people disagreeing with him. Nah, just trying to get a little more out of him on this complex issue.
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Post by fiurulez on Sept 13, 2006 9:48:47 GMT -5
This of course is the least of my concerns. The Mayor of Sweethingyer has already said that he does not want to see metrorail going through sweethingyer and would instead prefer a less obtrusive rail (Light rail or streetcars). However unlikely that may be, it is his community. His city? I big to differ, he's just the mayor. He's also the guy that was involved in the beating of a 19 year man. His opinion is worth no more than the paper i use to wipe my a$$.
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Post by FIUFan on Sept 13, 2006 10:29:52 GMT -5
He's an elected offical. That means that he was the choice of the majority of the residents of Sweethingyer. Until he's voted out, he's their voice, so what he says does matter, no matter how many times he's kicked his cat.
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Post by Xpedition on Sept 13, 2006 12:21:22 GMT -5
Issues like this usually have to be put up to a vote anyway, regadless of what a mayor wants.
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Post by FIU4Life on Sept 13, 2006 12:54:02 GMT -5
After taking a look at some of those maps I am now more on the fence since they are planning a major station at 107 already and going down 107 will only add a stop at Flagler...not to mention Steve's point of taking land away from FIU, although a stop could reside very close to the new med school which if one day the school includes a hospital on-campus that 107 stop would be ideally located. This is a very important and irreversible decision, more thought needs to go into this, that's for sure.
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Post by fiurulez on Sept 13, 2006 14:22:15 GMT -5
He's an elected official. That means that he was the choice of the majority of the residents of Sweethingyer. Until he's voted out, he's their voice, so what he says does matter, no matter how many times he's kicked his cat. The only reason they voted for the loser is because he's Cuban. Typical South Florida crap, vote for the guy that comes from your country. That's how the Cubans ruined Miami. (Before you all jump on me, know that I'm Cuban. Oh and don't start with "Cubans built this city." It was already here before they arrived.)
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Post by TrueBlue on Sept 13, 2006 16:50:42 GMT -5
He's an elected official. That means that he was the choice of the majority of the residents of Sweethingyer. Until he's voted out, he's their voice, so what he says does matter, no matter how many times he's kicked his cat. The only reason they voted for the loser is because he's Cuban. Typical South Florida crap, vote for the guy that comes from your country. That's how the Cubans ruined Miami. (Before you all jump on me, know that I'm Cuban. Oh and don't start with "Cubans built this city." It was already here before they arrived.) lol. Circus Midgets built the city, duh. No honestly, they did I'm not kidding
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Post by TrueBlue on Sept 13, 2006 17:05:36 GMT -5
Just to enlighten you all the proposed building on 107th and 8th is the Med school. I don't remember where I read it but I'm 100% sure that's where its going because its close to the CHUA (College of health and urban affairs) and it's easily accessible from outside the campus. Which will be ideal when they build the 120 bed facility.
As for building down 107th my beef with it is that building on the campus side will make it feel like UM hidden behind all those tracks on US1. That just doesn't rub me the right way. Although, UM should be hidden out of public sight, our entrances are works of art in themselves and they make people feel welcomed to the campus. To hide us behind those huge monstrosities would be less than desirable. And steve also makes a good point about the Greek housing. Not only have those organizations paid upward of a million dollar for the land and the house but greek organizations bring something back to the school that most other organizations cant, ALUMNI. If we could be subsidized for expanding our shuttle system to build along 117th that would be great. Either way I see this as a Win/Lose situation with FIU on the latter side of the deal but if we build on 117th we lose less. We can charge for a garage on our campus that can be used by MetroRail commuters during the week and fans on gameday.
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Post by FIUFan on Sept 14, 2006 7:59:29 GMT -5
Good points qban. Imo, Sweethingyer is a community that is just now overcoming a very difficult past, to put that 'ton of bricks' on its chest right now, just might kill it.
MIA-836-Turnpike/Dolphin Mall-8th Street/FIU hits the key points of interest w/o tearing up communities. I still think people in West Dade will drive cars and take buses to these large stations.
And as qban points out, it's the best way to bring this thing out west and keep our campus beautiful.
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