May 24, 2007 1:40 pm US/Eastern
Group Sues To Stop Luxury Condo Project In Miami
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MIAMI (CBS4) ―
A community group has filed a suit to stop a controversial condo development from being built in Overtown.
"This lawsuit is about the City of Miami breaking its own rules to help out a developer. It's against the law and it's wrong," said Charles Elsesser, attorney for Power U.
The group claims the city failed to follow procedure and granted favorable treatment to a politically powerful developer to build the Crosswinds condominiums at 16th Street and Northwest 3rd Avenue in Miami.
Under terms of the deal, the developer would receive tens of millions of dollars in subsidies from local governments to help build luxury condos.
In their complaint, Power U said the city failed to submit the required environmental impact report with the permit application, and denied the public an opportunity to review and comment on it before the commission approved the proposal.
The lawsuit also claims commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones failed to disclose a trip to the Crosswinds headquarters in Detroit where she may have been lobbied on the project.
The Crosswinds development has been controversial since Miami Mayor Manny Diaz struck a closed door deal with the developer.
"This project is about pushing Overtown residents out, not serving our needs," said Overtown resident Beatrice Gilber. "We demand the city use this public land to build housing that we can afford."
Overtown residents oppose the Crosswinds project, which would build over 1,200 luxury condos in the middle of a community with an average income of under $14-thousand per year.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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