Grove Isle

Grove Isle
Coconut Grove, Miami

Grove Isle lies in Biscayne Bay, Miami, Fl.
Coordinates: 25°44′09″N 80°13′07″W / 25.7359339°N 80.2186599°W / 25.7359339; -80.2186599Coordinates: 25°44′09″N 80°13′07″W / 25.7359339°N 80.2186599°W / 25.7359339; -80.2186599
Country United States
State Florida
County Miami-Dade County
City Miami
Neighborhood Coconut Grove
Area
 • Total 0.03125 sq mi (0.0809 km2)
Time zone EST (UTC-05)
ZIP Code 33133
Area code(s) 305, 786

Grove Isle is a 20-acre island lying off the north-east coast of Miami's Coconut Grove neighborhood. Three waterfront hi-rise residences have been built on the island which are complemented by a resort hotel, restaurants, marina, club amenities and services.

Origins

Fair Isle (now Grove Isle) lying off Miami's Coconut Grove coast in 1928

First known as Fair Isle, its land was dredged out from Biscayne Bay in 1924[1][2] and subsequently subdivided in 1925.[3][4] Fair Isle was then sold to investors at the height of the Florida Land Boom in less than four hours and for over $1.5 million.[5][6]

Development

Miami's Grove Isle Condominium, Club and Marina

The island remained untouched—a large sand bar covered with Australian Pines—until large scale development came to Coconut Grove in the late 1970s and early 1980s.[7][8] The island was purchased for $6 million and restrictions on the island's development were finally agreed after protracted litigation was settled in July 1977.[9][10] Martin Margulies and Sun Bank of Miami subsequently invested $100 million to develop the island.[11][12] Once completed in 1982, the development consisted of three residential towers, a hotel and club,[13] deep-water marina,[14][15] pools, professional tennis club, original art and sculpture gardens.[16][17] The Grove Isle development set the standard for high-end Miami property.[18][19]

Character

The expansive gardens of Grove Isle, Miami

Grove Isle provides one of the most secluded spots to live in Miami and is highly prized "by residents for its tranquility and panoramic bay views".[20] Its residents have included past Heads of State, Senators, judges, lawyers, doctors, corporate leaders, entrepreneurs and philanthropists.[21][22][23]

The Palmeiras Beach Club and Hotel, Spa, Grove Isle Marina and Cliff Drysdale Grove Isle Tennis Club are located on the island.[24][25] The world class, Grove Isle Sculpture Garden, once made part of its landscaped design.[26][27][28]

Controversy

Competing visions for Grove Isle’s future have at times embroiled the island in controversy. Its 1980 development was only permitted under a landmark settlement after the project was significantly scaled back over a decade of litigation and protest.[9][10] A further proposal to develop the island’s yacht club also ended up in court due to concerns about its environmental impact.[3][29][30] Issues regarding membership rights and the quality of amenities on Grove Isle subsequently involved legal action.[31][32] Grove Isle residents were also involved in protecting the neighbourhood's rights regarding a proposed high-rise project on an adjacent Mercy Hospital site.[33][34] More recently, attempts to close the island’s club were halted by court order in August 2015.[22][35][36] This was linked to a developer's efforts, first started in 2013, to build further high-density residential units on the island.[20][37] Residents efforts to retain the island's hotel was being litigated in 2017.[38]

References

  1. ↑ During the boom years of the early 1920's the spoil bank that would become Fair Isle (now Grove Isle) was created when an "L" shaped canal and channel were dredged in the area. In 1924 a wooden bulkhead was constructed around the spoil bank and the area was filled to a 2 foot elevation (Voss, 1974)
  2. ↑ National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science National Ocean Service (2000) Biscayne Bay: Environmental History and Annotated Bibliography. Maryland: NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, p. 65 & pl. 74 (Fair Isle)
  3. 1 2 Voss G. (1974) Biological survey and development recommendations for Fair Isle, Biscayne Bay, Fla. Unpublished manuscript. University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Miami, FL. 15 pp. and A. Cantillo, K. Hale, E. Collins, L. Pikula and R. Caballero (2000) Biscayne Bay: Environmental History and Annotated Bibliography, NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS CCMA 145, p.65
  4. ↑ Hailey, C. (2013) Spoil island: reading the makeshift archipelago, Lanham, Md: Lexington Books, p.173-229
  5. ↑ Ballinger, J. Kenneth (1936) "Miami millions: the dance of the dollars in the great Florida land boom of 1925, Miami, Fla.: Franklin Press, p. 126
  6. ↑ Turner, G. M. (2015) Florida land boom of the 1920s, Jefferson NC: McFarland & Company, p.22
  7. ↑ A surge of commercial development was driven by three major residential complexes in Coconut Grove during the late 1970s and early 1980s: Yacht Harbour Condominiums in 1975; Grove Isle, a condominium and hotel complex, in 1979; and L'Hermitage in 1980. This was followed with the opening of 2575 S. Bayshore in 1982 and the 1983 opening of Grove Towers. Laurie Baum (1984) The New Face of Coconut Grove, Miami Herald, The (FL) - August 27, 1984, Page number: 1BM Record: 8403030190; Fair (Grove) Isle was expanded in the 1960s [Wanless et al. (1984) Sources and circulation of turbidity, Biscayne Bay, FL. Final report to Sea Grant and Dade County, 499 p]
  8. ↑ Local efforts made to convert the island into a park for $8 million failed at the ballot box in 1970. Source: details provided by Seth Sklarey, Coconut Grove Village Council member, at Miami District 2 Candidate Commissioners Presentations on Grove Isle, April 15, 2015.
  9. 1 2 The local community had been in total opposition to the development and expressly the over-development of the island with a plan to build four 40 story towers with 2000 units and 1500 parking spaces. Further detail regarding these policy and political discussions may be found at GI DOCS Note: large document (accessed Jan 30 2016. See also terms set out in Final Settlement of 27 July 1977, Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit in and for Dade County, Florida, Case No. 73-6449
  10. 1 2 Moore Parks, A. and Bennett, B. (2010) Coconut Grove, Florida: Arcadia Publishing, p. 119-122
  11. ↑ Herald Staff (1982) Grove Isle, Miami Herald, The (FL) - December 12, 1982, Page number: 1G Brian Blanchard (1982) The Grove Steps Up To A New Look, Miami Herald, The (FL) - November 18, 1982, Page number: 14
  12. ↑ Disclosure Documents of Grove Isle, A Condominium. Note: large document
  13. ↑ Ronald John Gee, a London-born Coconut Grove resident of Gee & Martinez Architects, designed many of the buildings on Grove Isle. Fernandez-Rocha, P. (1997) Ronald John Gee, Designed Public Buildings, Miami Herald, The (FL) - March 9, 1997
  14. ↑ Juanita Greene (1984) Private Marinas Wait For Grove Isle Ruling, Miami Herald, The (FL) - August 6, 1984
  15. ↑ U.S. Army Engineers (1978) Grove Isle Marina, Miami: Environmental Impact Statement. Accessed February 2016
  16. ↑ Helen L. Kohen (1994) A Center of Learning and Centre of Sculpture, Miami Herald, The (FL) - March 24, 1994, Record: 9401220979, Page: 1G
  17. ↑ Blumenthal, Ralph (1983-01-09). "Florida Condominiums: A Buyers Market". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  18. ↑ Sandra Evans Teeley (1982) Florida's Upper Classes Escape to Fortified Living, The Washington Post, May 1, 1982, Page number: Real Estate; E21 Laurel Tielis (1982) Just 4 Years Old And Already A Business Showoff, Miami Herald, The (FL) - December 8, 1982, Page number: 4B
  19. ↑ Ian Glass, Martin Margulies; His is the art of living well in a kingdom -- Grove Isle, The Miami News, August 12, 1981, p. C2
  20. 1 2 Andres Viglucci (2015) Developer's plans roil Grove Isle tranquility, Miami Herald, The (FL), August 21, 2015
  21. ↑ Andres Oppenheimer (1989) Panama's Ousted Leader Moves To Miami, Miami Herald, The (FL) - March 22, 1989, Page number: 24A Record: 8901210323
  22. 1 2 Andres Viglucci (2015) Developer's plans roil Grove Isle tranquility, Miami Herald, The (FL), August 21, 2015, p. ?
  23. ↑ Office of the Miami Dade County Property Appraiser's Registers
  24. ↑ Tom Falco (2015) Palmeiras Beach Club opening on Grove Isle, Coconut Grove Grapevine, November 25, 2015
  25. ↑ Menache, J (2011) Grove Isle condo dedicates new dog park, Miami Herald The (FL), December 22, 2011
  26. ↑ "Patronage Under Fire : A Case For Showcasing Living Artists - Art Antiques Design". www.art-antiques-design.com. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  27. ↑ "Developer Shows Heart,". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  28. ↑ Harper, Paula & Katherine Jannach Hinds (1986) Contemporary Sculpture from the Martin Z. Margulies Collection - Grove Isle, Coconut Grove, Florida. Published by Margulies Collection, Coconut Grove, FL, 1986
  29. ↑ "Apathy reigns and Biscayne Bay pays the price". www.grandlifestyle.com. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  30. ↑ "Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve Management Plan". www.gpo.gov. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  31. ↑ "Noble House Grove Isle Hotel & Club Truths". nobletruths.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  32. ↑ "Grove Isle developers settle lawsuit after six years". The Real Deal Miami. 2015-10-21. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  33. ↑ "Coconut Grove, 300 Grove Bay, Jorge Perez, Manny Diaz". www.coconutgrovegrapevine.com. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  34. ↑ "Coconut Grove Grapevine: Zoning Board turns down Mercy request for rezoning". coconutgrovegrapevine.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  35. ↑ "Miami Private Island Developer Ordered To Keep Club Open - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  36. ↑ "Judge Grants Luxury Condo Owners Rights to Miami Club". Daily Business Review. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  37. ↑ "Demolition on the Horizon for Grove Isle Hotel & Palmeiras Beach Club". 2016-08-25. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  38. ↑ PRESERVE GROVE ISLE, LLC VS GROVE ISLE YACHT & TENNIS CLUB, LLC ET AL,  2017-007277-CA-01, 03/27/2017
  39. ↑ Maya Bell, A Gallery Without The Walls; A Miami Developer Turns The Main Campus Of Florida International University Into A Showcase For Prized Sculpture.Orlando Sentinel. Available on http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1994-10-09/entertainment/9410060910_1_modern-sculpture-contemporary-sculptors-borofsky

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