Trees or Housing

Sally B. Philips
Jun 17
2 min read

Vol. 5, No. 6 17 June 2025

EXPRESS AN OPINION

On Wednesday, June 18 (TOMORROW) the third and last public meeting about the fate of the Mango Lots will be discussed.

I attended the meeting on May 18, and was disappointed by the turn-out, the small number of opinions that were expressed, and the Commission's representation. More about that meeting was posted in the Notice of June 3 (Vol. 5, No.4).

Part of the Mango Lots area has already been designated as a park: Dr. Anna Price Park.

Now the question is: what is going to become of the remainder of those lots?

There are some very good reasons why the rest of that lucious area should stay as green park space. One is that South Miami is way under the amount of green space per resident that it - by its own ordinances - is supposed to have. Other superb reasons for creating and maintaining green space can be found here.

Anyone who has been by or on my property knows that I love trees. However, there are some very good reasons for extremely low income, very low income, and low income housing to be built in South Miami. (Please see the lengthy list of income definitions in the above-referenced notice of June 3.) As a reference point, someone earning the minimum wage in Florida is between the very-low and low income bracket. If less traffic is desirable, then build housing that South Miami's restaurant, hospital and municipal workers can afford, and they will be able to walk to work.

Please let your opinon be known. Even if you are at the meeting tomorrow, email your Commission members. It is very doubtful that all of them will be there.

Keep safe, stay healthy!

2 Comments

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Guest

Jun 18

There are enough empty lot properties to build low income housing, rather than cutting down shaded tree property. In today's estimates low income is not really LOW. They are very slow in

re-building the low income housing near the community center. WHY?

Ellen D. Coulton

Jun 17

Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Without a doubt, trees are vital to a thriving environment. Science already has proven the benefits of trees to humans, mentally, emotionally, & physically, & to animals. A recent MiamiHerald Letter

.to the Editor blamed cats for the decline in birds; however, research by National Geographic

revealed that the reduction in green areas is a major cause for the decline in bird populations. While adequate housing is important, such housing can be found in other parts of

Florida & other states. Once green spaces with its trees are removed or not protected or not

made available, we as humans suffer as do nature's creatures. Ellen D. Coulton