Homestead Council approves restaurant and warehouse projects

At the May 17th City of Homestead Council Meeting and Presentation Ceremony, Council approved some major projects that will mean more businesses for the City.

It agreed to a resolution to approve a special exception for the development of a 5,700 square foot restaurant building on a 1.89 acre parcel of land within the Homestead Park of Commerce located north of Alex Muxo, Jr. Boulevard. It has not been determined which restaurant will be placed there but there is demand for higher-end restaurants in the area.

“I would like to see a good restaurant there. It would be nice to have a restaurant with roof top dining that would overlook the whole area,” said Councilwoman Erica Avila. “I would compliment the vision for a family friendly park of commerce.”

Mayor Steven Losner also said he would like to see a good restaurant on this site. “This restaurant will provide an amenity for those working in the park and those who live close by,” he said.

A resolution was granted for the development of a 109,000 square foot self-storage facility, two separate warehouse facilities each consisting of 89,000 square feet, and a 87,577 square foot office building on the nearly 19 acre parcel of land within the Homestead Park of Commerce.

“We need a warehouse on this property for the surrounding area. We need to have a building for storage. The storage areas will support other businesses. The architectural drawings look impressive and are of high quality,” said Avila.

Losner said, “There is a need for a self-storage facility in this area.”

Losner believes the buildings could have a large area to store raw materials and inventory and then have a showroom and office space in the front. He also believes there will be a need for more professional office space in the area.

“The market for office space is uncertain but there is not much office space in South Dade,” said Losner.

The Council agreed to a resolution to approve an amendment to a previously approved site plan for the redevelopment of a 14-screen movie theater to a 48,999 square foot medical office building on an approximately 6.41 acre parcel of land, located a 2250 NE 8th Street.

The building will be redeveloped to house Leon Medical Center. Members of the Leon organization were present at the meeting. There were comments that people would miss having a movie theater on the site, but that Leon would provide good career opportunities for people and offer good medical care.

“This building was difficult to reuse, and it was for sale for years,” said Losner.

He believes the new Leon Medical Center will create many new jobs and offer high quality medical services. “There is plenty of parking on this site and that will be good,” said Losner.

“Leon will provide high quality jobs and state of the art facilities. They are a proven company with an excellent track record of providing excellent customer service,” said Avila.

The Council agreed to a resolution approving the identification of a children’s initiative zone in the City of Homestead within the boundaries of NW Ninth Court on the North, South Dixie Highway on the East, SW 187 Avenue on the West and Southwest Eighth Street on the South.

“This will create a platform for us to apply for grants and community development and educational opportunities.

The certification of this area by virtue of demographics will qualify it for government money for a better community,” said Losner.

A group of nurses from Baptist Health Homestead Hospital were honored before the meeting. They were praised for their work ethic, care and professionalism.

Ana Cabrera, Chief Nursing Officer at Baptist Health Homestead said in a statement, “Nurses are the core of what healthcare and Baptist Health are all about: providing high-quality, compassionate care to communities we serve. Using our knowledge, skills, empathy and kindness, we advocate for the needs of anyone in our care by working to improve their health and well-being. Here at Baptist Health Homestead Hospital, we are proud to be a Magnet-designated hospital, joining other organizations across the world that have demonstrated nursing excellence, superior patient outcomes and a collaborative work environment. This recognition from the American Nurses

Credentialing Center is the highest and most prestigious honor a healthcare organization can receive for nursing excellence. We were also recently recognized by the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program as a Gold Safe Sleep facility for our commitment to best practices and education on infant safe sleep.”