Coconut Grove waterfront plan goes to Miami voters
On Coconut Grove’s picturesque but cluttered waterfront, a ramshackle marina, a seafood restaurant well past its prime and a funky if beloved watering hole known as Scotty’s Landing today occupy seven acres of choice public land next to Miami City Hall.
Now their leases are up and their long run is over. And what’s in the offing to replace them could forever change the spot’s simple, old-Grove vibe, which is sticking in the craw of village denizens with long-held Bohemian views and a default antipathy toward glitz and development.
The city and developers who won a bid to remake the place have ambitious plans for it: The developers would spend $18 million in private money to sweep away much of what’s there now, reconfigure and expand boat racks, and build a Shula’s steakhouse and two other new restaurants. They would also put a marine store in a refurbished hangar dating from the days when Pan Am flew seaplanes out of Dinner Key next door.