{"id":25416,"date":"2015-05-04T07:00:48","date_gmt":"2015-05-04T11:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/?p=25416"},"modified":"2016-05-19T08:13:46","modified_gmt":"2016-05-19T12:13:46","slug":"miami-beach-officials-offer-hollo-school-students-a-close-up-look-at-an-iconic-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/2015\/05\/miami-beach-officials-offer-hollo-school-students-a-close-up-look-at-an-iconic-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami Beach officials offer Hollo School students a close-up look at an iconic city."},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Left
Left to Right: Suzanne Hollander, Jimmy Morales \u2013 Miami Beach City Manager, Maria Hernandez \u2013 Director of Miami Beach Convention Center, Thomas Mooney\u00a0 \u2013 Director of Planning City of Miami Beach, Jeff Oris \u2013 Director of Economic Development City of Miami Beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Celebrating its 100th<\/sup> Anniversary, today\u2019s Miami Beach is hot, a global iconic luxury real estate destination and a city working to resolve urban issues\u2014lack of affordable housing, traffic and aging infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Learning a full picture of Miami Beach directly from its senior development officials was the highlight of the Hollo School of Real Estate\u2019s 2015 Spring Developers Luncheon, held April 10 at the Rusty Pelican on Key Biscayne.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the 80s and 90s, we were the gateway. Now, we\u2019re the meeting place,\u201d Jimmy Morales, Miami Beach city manager, told the audience of 100 Hollo School of Real Estate students, alumni and faculty.<\/p>\n

Three Miami Beach officials joined Morales on the panel introduced by William Hardin, Hollo School director and moderated and organized by Suzanne Hollander, faculty member, attorney & real estate broker. \u00a0The Honorable Pedro Garcia, Miami Dade Property Appraiser also spoke to the students, joined by Lazaro Solis, Deputy Property Appraiser.<\/p>\n

Convention Center overhaul: major upgrades, new capabilities.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Miami Beach Convention Center\u2019s $592 million renovation will be \u201cthe most important project in the history of Miami Beach,\u201d said Maria Hernandez, project director for the Convention Center. Built in 1957 and last renovated in the 1980s, the center will undergo a complete overhaul.<\/p>\n

\"realestate\"<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to connect the building to as much as the neighborhood as possible,\u201d Hernandez said. A plan for an adjacent 800-room business hotel will go before Miami Beach voters. The three-phase project is scheduled to be completed in 2017, with two Art Basel Miami Beach events to take place as renovations move throughout the facility.<\/p>\n

Part of the city\u2019s economic development plan calls for increasing the employment base and supply of affordable housing. FIU\u2019s Hollander is vice chair of the city\u2019s Affordable Housing Advisor Board.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be your job in the real estate industry to help build those spaces for potential clients,\u201d said Planning Director Thomas Mooney, an FIU alumnus. With very little vacant land remaining, the city is looking to work creatively with existing structures.<\/p>\n

With sixteen percent of the population of Miami Beach living below the poverty line, working in hotels and restaurants, and many affordable housing options in North Beach, the city invested in a revitalization program for the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re starting to see developers watch what we\u2019re doing in North Beach,\u201d he said. \u201cThey haven\u2019t pulled the trigger yet, but they\u2019re watching.\u201d<\/p>\n

Illustrating Miami Beach\u2019s unique real estate dynamic, Economic Development Director Jeff Oris noted in the early 1980s, South Pointe was \u201cthe most dangerous part of the city, and it\u2019s now the most expensive.\u201d Height restrictions imposed in 1997 helped drive prices up.<\/p>\n

Students learn from a first-hand look at development challenges.<\/em><\/p>\n

At the conclusion of the presentation, officials answered students\u2019 questions on public transportation, jobs and the impact of the Convention Center investment.<\/p>\n

Edward Lee, a student in the online Masters of Science in Real Estate Program who lives in Panama, made the trip to Miami for the event, calling it \u201ca once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the people who are making the plans for Miami Beach.\u201d Working with real estate in Panama, he sees many models and lessons in Miami\u2019s history and development.<\/p>\n

Alex Algarin, a student in FIU\u2019s Masters program in downtown Miami shared: \u201cEvents like this teach you what a textbook never can.\u201d<\/p>\n