Angry Grove Isle residents sue city, saying Miami broke its laws to let condo rise
One of the serene pleasures of Wendy Gordon’s daily routine was sitting on her Grove Isle balcony and watching the sun rise over Biscayne Bay, framed by Key Biscayne and the downtown skyline.
No more. The sun is blotted out by a new 91foot tall, stadium-like condominium that curves around the north end of the island and shrouds Gordon’s Building 3 in shadow part of the day.
Nor can she step foot on her balcony, unless she clutches the railing. The crescent shape of the new condo tower and its jarring proximity, combined with the formerly soothing prevailing breeze, creates a wind tunnel that rakes across the north side of Building 3 and the driveway entrance, knocking down patio furniture, annihilating hairdos and slamming car doors.
Gordon’s view, and that of her neighbors, was once unobstructed, but the other day, when she got out of the shower and wandered toward her living room, she realized the construction workers at the new building could see her through her sliding glass doors.
“Thank God I was wearing a towel,” she said. “When residents move in over there, they’ll be close enough to see what I’m watching on TV. Or what I’m reading. I’ll be able to see into their bathrooms.
“We bought a peaceful island lifestyle. It was heaven. It’s gone.”
Reality is setting in for Grove Isle residents who for 10 years fought the new condo on their private island. But they still find it hard to believe that what is, by city code, an illegal building is rising rapidly in the same place where the community’s clubhouse, swimming pool, Tiki hut bar and waterfront restaurant Baleen used to be.
Not just any building. A seven-story, 440,000square-foot, 65-unit “exclusive luxurious sanctuary” with a “thoughtfully curated collection of indoor and outdoor amenities,” including private elevators, “residents-only poolside bar” and “panoramic views” from “wrapped terraces.” It’s called Vita. Units are sell
A 65-unit condo building going up on Grove Isle has angered some residents, who’ve sued the city of Miami alleging it broke its own laws to let the condo be built
ing for $2.7 million to $22 million. Penthouse residents will have rooftop patios with pools for lounging, tanning, cooking and “entertaining.
Vita owners will snatch the bay vistas away from Grove Isle owners like Gordon, who has lived there for 40 years.
The disgruntled residents have sued the city of Miami, hoping to halt construction, downsize Vita and create greater separation from Building 3.
The lawsuit alleges the city, upon the recommendation of recently fired City Attorney Victoria Mendez, broke its own laws by granting building permits to Vita developer Eduardo Avila even though the property was never platted, or mapped and subdivided in accordance with city code.
“I don’t see how a judge can do anything other than revoke permits that should never have been issued,” said attorney David Winker, who is representing a
group of Grove Isle homeowners and mainland residents. “Platting prevents inappropriate development. What’s happened on Grove Isle would be like me selling you my backyard casita and then you tear it down and build a big single-family home that doesn’t belong. Or, instead of properly subdividing my land, I could chop it into 10 lots and sell it to people who put up shacks. Platting prevents favelas, too.”
‘NOW EVERYBODY HATES EACH OTHER’
Building 3 is the northernmost of three 18-story towers built by developer Marty Margulies in 1979, when Grove Isle was sold as a convenient retreat from the mainland, connected by bridge to North Coconut Grove and Bayshore Drive. It was one of the most distinctive enclaves in Miami.
“You came across the bridge and you felt a sigh of relief,” said Bob Denholtz, who lived in Building 3 for 25 years. He couldn’t stand butting up next to the new building, so he recently moved out and paid the price. “Building 3 used to be the most valuable because we had the clear view. Now it’s the least valuable because of that monstrosity. I did not want to be looking straight into my neighbor’s bedroom. I took about a 30percent haircut on what I could have sold for before this building went up.”
David Schaecter, 94, is an original Grove Isle resident. He and wife Sydney live in a west-facing unit on the third floor. They used to overlook the marina and tennis courts.
“Now we’re staring at a wall of condo units,” said