City’s oldest structure, Collins Canal, may get historic label

Miami Beach’s oldest manmade structure, the Collins Canal, is flowing slowly toward historic designation. The flow of state grants could follow.

The Miami Beach City Commission referred historic branding to a May 1 meeting of the Land Use and Sustainability Committee.

The Historic Preservation Board initiated the designation talks, said Deborah Tacket, chief historic preservation and architecture officer for Miami Beach.

“They were presented the designation report and unanimously recommended adoption of this to the planning board and to the city commission,” said Ms. Tacket. “The planning board also reviewed the designation and unanimously recommended in favor. Staff is supportive of the designation. The Collins Canal is really a historical element of our city that has quite a history. It is the oldest manmade structure in the history.”

“I think it’s important to note that this particular historic site designation does not include any privately-owned property,” she said. “It also does not include the sea walls or the bridges. There are two existing sections of the Collins Canal in this section: in Palm View and the section north of 23rd Street that are already located within a local historic district. Those sections already have oversight by the historic preservation ordinance.”

The Palm View neighborhood voted against it, said Commissioner Laura Dominguez, but it sounded as though the other places supported it.

“This was initiated by the Historic Preservation Board who … wanted to really just celebrate the canal and potentially open up some enhanced funding options that may be available,” Ms. Tacket said. “We do know historic sites throughout the city do have typically a higher degree of funding available to them since there are State Historic Preservation grants that are mandated by the state to allocate every year. It’s really a celebration of the oldest manmade structure in the city and in our rich history.”

Commissioner David Suarez suggested deferring the item in order to allow the Palm View neighborhood to present its concerns about the historic designation, but he removed his deferral aim following Commissioner Alex J. Fernandez’s suggestion to refer the item.

Commissioner Fernandez noted the item had not been to the Land Use and Sustainability Committee. “Why don’t we discuss it at land use, have a proper analysis vetting of it. If the residents want to come express their positions on it, I would want to give the historic preservation stakeholders an opportunity to do.”

Ms. Tacket seemed to have addressed many concerns that were raised, said Commissioner Tanya Bhatt.

“I’m very respectful of neighborhood resident input,” Ms. Bhatt said, “so I’m not going to derail a referral to land use, but I am just really disappointed frankly … that we’re … five seconds away from passing something on second reading that has had ample time to be vetted and for neighborhoods to speak out about this…. But if it in the long run gets us to where we want to be, I’m very willing to move this.”