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o o o Aquarium pian cxcnes ~ullny ISIt:S 1.:0lllllllSSIUllt:rs - V",I..cVI':'V1U - lVlIUlIunt:ri.lllU;VllI I-agt: L. 01 .) '. "It will make the city a destination," said Vice Mayor Lewis Thaler. Added Commissioner Jerry Goodman: 'This proposal is our crowning glory," St. Tropez opened last year on waterfront land just south of the proposed park, and about 40 percent of the 286 luxury units remain unsold, Milton said. Instead of the aging shopping center across the busy highway, St. Tropez residents would be steps away from a lush park elevated high enough to afford water views. An open-air movie theater would mark the western end of the complex, with broad steps resembling a Mayan temple leading to the glass-walled aquarium and retail center. Plans call for street-level shops and two restaurants. A three-story reef tank would be the main attraction inside. The two upper floors would house enough banquet space for 1,000 people, said architect Eduardo Castii'\eira of Miami's Axioma3. J. Milton wants to serve as developer and contractor for the project, collecting fees from Sunny Isles and Wometco, city attorney Hans Ottinot said. Joseph Milton said his company expected to compete for the construction contract in a bidding process. Milton said he wanted the park to resemble other great urban gathering spots, including Chicago's Millennium Park, "I fell in love with how active that park is," Milton said. "I wanted something like that." Ottinot, the city attorney, said J. Milton also offered to donate a second walkway to connect the St. Tropez area directly to the park. But Milton said Friday Ottinot was mistaken, given the short walk across the street from the condos to the park. J. Milton did offer to build a small walkway to connect the northern side of the park to a residential area near where the company owns an apartment tower. Ottinot, the city attorney, described the venture as benefiting the public and J. Milton, with both sides investing in the project. "The developer is willing to put cash behind his words and make a substantial donation," Ottinot said, adding the Sunny Isles master plan calls for transforming the land into public space. "We were going to build a park there anyway." The commission has not voted to officially approve the project, but at a Thursday night meeting, the panel embraced the concept. "These types of ideas are a great starting point, but I think there's a lot of details," Commissioner George" Bud" Scholl said. "We're talking about a huge project that's the cornerstone of our city and the entrance to our city. There's a lot of logistics to be worked out." Resident Katy Steiger questioned why the city was so quick to embrace a project without knowing what it will cost to operate, "I feel like there's a ribbon-cutting ceremony," she said. "Where is the master plan?" http://www.miamihcrald.com/20 I O/02/20/v-printl1 490069/aquarium-plan-excites-sunny-is... 2/22/2010