Genting Group's $3 Billion Resorts World Miami Includes Public Land

By Francisco Alvarado Tue., Sep. 27 2011 at 12:08 PM

Joe Carollo

In this week's Miami New Times, we take a peek at the brewing battle over the The Genting Group's grandiose plan to redevelop the Miami Herald's storied waterfront home into a gigantic casino resort, Leading the criticism is former Miami Mayor Joe Carollo, who warns the Malaysian gambling conglomerate is trying to take city and county owned land without paying for it.

"If they paid $236 million for the Herald land and $205 million for the Omni Center, it's only fair they pay the same amount per square foot for public land," Carollo notes.

A Genting executive disputed Carollo's claim, noting the company only plans to reconfigure some roads and public transportation facilities. Resorts World Miami Senior Vice-President Christian Goode explains Genting "is prepared to provide capital required to realign the Metromover path" and also "provide capital for improving the Omni Metromover station." He added: "No public land is included in the project's master plan."

But renderings of the $3 billion planned resort show the company will be doing more than realigning Metromover and improving the Omni station.

The area we've circled in the above graphic is the existing site of the station and a Metrobus depot; land that is owned by the county. The image clearly shows both transit structures would no longer be there so "providing capital" is not going to be enough.

Genting better come up with the big bucks to pay the county for prime property located between North Bayshore Drive and Biscayne Boulevard. As Carollo insists, it's only fair.

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Tags:

Christian Goode, Genting, Joe Carollo, Miami Herald, Resorts World Miami

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Leuitenant

Miami Property is extremely overvalued! Paying $200,000+ for one bedroom condo's is stupid economic sense and anyone who says otherwise is a twisted soul!

Roy Wright

Mr. ex Mayor has a poor record about Miami's development. Please shut the f.. up and let the pro's put the plans toghether and submitt them to the state and city/county authorities.

Orange

Lets just call it Holtz Casino and call it a day.

Rfernandez6

How wonderful! Thank you

floridahawk

If Corolla is going to be the (self-appointed) watchdog for Miami, we're all in trouble!

Sir Sausage

Yea... because "renderings" accurately depict how construction projects will look when complete. Why didn't you circle Watson Island and the missing port? According to the rendering, Watson Island is going to be fully developed and the Port of Miami will be sunk into the bay.

Lisa Gellet

Corolla is trying to make it appear as if the resort will be taking city property but in reality they are only going to be taking the alleyways between property plots that are always given to a developer who owns the adjacent parcels, if they intend on developing a property that expands across any alleyway. This is a non-issue that several Miami politicians have been paid to promote. The reporter should do better research, or just tell the truth.