Head of the class: Aventura Mayor Susan Gottlieb talks schools and managing development

South Florida CEO, July, 2005

What issues dominated this election? I think that unquestionably it was overbuilding and traffic as a result of the overbuilding .... [Now we are] addressing the issue openly for the first time, and letting people digest what has happened. [Voters were saying] that we really need to take a step back.

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Why is overbuilding a major concern at this particular point in time?

All of a sudden all of these cranes are coming. You're beginning to visualize that NE 188th Street and Loehmann's Plaza are going to have all of this building. The traffic that is going to be a result of that is all going to be happening at the same time, and this doesn't give the city a chance to absorb it. It's just sudden impact.

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Most other cities would be absolutely thrilled at the growth, and I think Aventura will be thrilled at the growth. I think we would have liked more of a phased-in development so that we had a chance to absorb the impact. That's what I'm hoping for in the future.

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Plans for charter schools only go as far as eighth grade. What happens after that?

There's been some conversation as to what will happen ... at the end of middle school. Where will all these children go? And that's an issue that the new commission is going to have to deal with .... At the present time it would be [Dr. Michael M. Krop High School], which is over crowded, so we have to deal with the school board or make some other plan.

Aventura has one of the most celebrated shopping malls in the nation, but as far as cultural offerings, it seems to be lacking. Do you have any plans to address that?

That's really a big issue for me. I was instrumental in keeping the Miami City Ballet in Miami-Dade County. Is there a future for a small black box theater? I certainly hope so. And when I say small black box, I'm talking about a 100- to 200-seat theater like they have in other parts of the county.

How is the huge renovation of Aventura Hospital affecting the city?

The hospital is going to be a major part of our growth over the next several years .... Having Aventura Hospital as a quality medical center will be a tremendous asset to this community. There will be a marketplace over there for medical office space, to make it more convenient for the doctors to be able to go to the hospital, and that's a great symbiotic relationship for the hospital and it's certainly something that we need in Aventura.

How do you address the issue of overbuilding in the surrounding municipalities that are also affecting Aventura?

We are part of a greater community than just Aventura, and we need to be able to work with our neighbors to the east in Sunny Isles Beach, because their growth definitely impacts us. We need to be able to work with our government and neighbors in North Miami, because what they do on Biscayne Corridor and Biscayne Landings will definitely affect us.

THE CITY OF AVENTURA gears up for major renovations and beautifying as it prepares to welcome new visitors and mega investors into its cradle. Stay tuned for the next round of changes and additions.