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I
I.,
Doral, its strategic location is synonym
of a promising economic future
by Cindy Rodriguez-Pereira
- cindy®ciu.daddoraJ.com
The City of Doral has always been
an important commercial
and industrial hub with a thriving economy. Even
before incorporating,
Doral was considered to be a "donor" municipality,
which meant it contributed
more in
taxes than what it received in services
from Miami-Dade County - one of the
arguments used in favor of the incorporation movement.
Once the first council
was formed. they kept this economic vision in perspective and continued to
work hard to foment the economy and
make this a premier city for investors
·and business
owners,
which
has
earned
the city some recognition.
Forbes magazine, CNNMoney
and
News & World Report have recognized
Doral as a top place to invest and open
up a business. Although the local government has to enforce rules and regulations in regard to code compliance
and zoning, Doral continues to offer a
busi~ess-friendly
environment
for all
types of industries
- from national
chains to morn-and-pop
shops every-
one seems to have found a niche.
Although the city has a population
of almost 50,000, more than 150,000
come to do business at Doral on a daily
basis making it a very busy city during
the workday. Many Fortune 500 companies and government agencies have
established headquarters or branches
at Doral, which has served as a strong
economic foundation for the city. Some
renowned companies that have made
Doral their home are Pepsi, Southern
Command (SOUTHCOM), the Federal
Reserve, Univision,
Carnival Cruise
Lines and Wal-Mart, amongst others.
In addition to that, there are hundreds
of retail.stores,
including two malls,
and a great selection of restaurants - it
is estimated that more than 12,000 occupationallicenses
have been granted
and over 9,000 businesses are registered.
CIUDAD
DORAL
NEWSPAPER
But Doral's economic growth has
not happened overnight or by chance.
What makes Doral a flourishing community is its strategic location within the
county - very close to major highways
and, most importantly, Miami International Airport (MIA), which has been
ranked number one in the country on international cargo. Despite the budget
cuts in all spheres of government and
the current economic crisis: MIA has
been doing well so Iarano it.is well on
its way to becoming one of the most efficient airports not only in the country,
but worldwide,
according
to Jose
Abreu, Miami-Dade Aviation director.
MIA is one of the most important
economic
engines
in
Miami-Dade
County as one in out
of four jobs in Miami
is associated
with
the airport.
Doral,
due to its proximity
to the airport, is directly impacted and
dependant on its operations, especially
because many in-'
dustries have chosen to be here precisely because
of
the unique accessi-
I April 21 - May 5, 2010 I www.ciudaddoral.com
, '
bility to what is a major gateway to markets in Latin America and the Caribbean.
"Our city exists, in part, because
of MIA For us, as a city, the success of
MIA is critical," said Mayor Juan Carlos
Bermudez during a meeting about the
state of the airport. ''A large percentage
of our businesses are affiliated, in one
way or another, with the airport."
MIA offers more· international
flights to Latin America and the Caribbean than any other airport in the coun- ,
try_ Also, it is American Airlines' (AA)
second busiest hub. More than 34 million passengers go through MIA every
year which is a top reason for the ambitious expansion-project that is currently
underway - an initiative that is expected
to have a positive impact on Doral's
economy.
Top goals of the expansion project include increasing capacity, while
still improving
and maintaining
efficiency and security. Although some
phases of the expansion have been
successfully
completed,
airport authorities are eagerly looking forward to
one of the most important projects, the creation of the Miami Intermodal
Center
(MIC), which
promises
to
change the public transportation
system of this county as we know it. The
MIC is expected to be the first massive
transportation hub in the county and is
currently being developed across MIA
by the Florida.Pepartment
ofTransportation (FOOD with two top objectives·in
mind: connectivity and decongestion.
The MIC is composed
of four major
phases to include a car rental center,
the Miami Grand Station, MIA Mover,
and major roadway
improvements.
The roadway improvements
have already been completed
and are expected to alleviate the traffic situation.
Once the MIC is completed,
which is expected to occur by 2012, residents and airport passengers will be
able to access public transportation to
and from the MIC - which will provide
connectivity
between
all forms of
ground transportation in the county including Tri-Rail, Metrorail, Metro bus,
city buses, airport buses and Amtralk.
The idea is to create a hub similar to
that in New York's Grand Central Station.
Rie Katz, public affairs manager
for MIC, said the existing car rental market at MIA has been less than perfect
and unfriendly for thousands of visitors. So the MIC will be beneficial in attracting more of the corporate visitors
to the area, many of who will make
stops at DoraL
E:conomic
It is estimated that the MIC will
have a significant
impact
on the
county's economy with the creation of
more than 20,000 permanent jobs that
will be needed to operate the facilities.
Another organization that has had
a continuous presence in our city has
been
the
Southern
Command
(SOUTHCOM),
which established
its
headquarters
here more than a decade ago when they left their previous
home in Panama.
Jose Huiz, spokesperson for SOUTHCOM, explained that
Doral was chosen amongst 100 proposed locations because of its strategic proximity to the airport which facilitates operations to the Caribbean and
South America. "This South Florida region is the right place for Southern
Command:
said USSOUTHCOM's
Commander
Navy
Adm.
James
Stavridis, during the 10-year anniversary ceremony held at the command
headquarters in 2007.
Doral is also conveniently located
close
to 'consulates and other resources that are utilized frequently by
the organization.
More than 2,400 civilians are associated
directly
or indirectly
with
SOUTH COM's operations and about
21 % of these have made Doral their permanent home. "We estimate that we
contribute approximately
$300 million
annually to the local economy, not just
as a result of our organizational and operational expenses, but also as a result
of the goods and services our personnel and their families purchase while living and interacting with the Doral and
South Florida communities," said Ruiz.
This number includes the purchase of
more than 15,000 hotel nights and
10,000 airline tickets.
SOUTH COM has a close relationship with the community and the local·
government and seem to be here to
stay. "The city and its citizens have embraced our organization,
and we feel
very much a part ot this community,"
said Ruiz. This is wihy the command will
Atthough
the
airport
and
SOUTHCOM
have had a traditional
presence in Doral, there are other projects underway that promise to continue to stimulate the economy of this
thriving city - even with the economic
crisis that is affecting the nation. And it
seems like Doral is recession-proof
in
this sense.
A very ambitious and promising
project is the Downtown Doral, which
seeks to develop a mix-use area featuring residential, retail and office
space that some people are already
calling "the heart of Dora!." Unlike other
great cities, Doral does not have a center of gravity, as promoters of the project call it. and this is what Flagler Development
Group is trying to cook here
- something very similar to Barcelona's
Las Rarnblas.u boulevard in wihich the
City will come alive.
The project calls for a pedestrianfriendly setting and will provide for an
additional 400;000 square ft of class A
office spaca'This is..p1;irticularly important because Doral does not have an
abundance
of luxury offices at this
point - the initiative ts expected to attract top companies that are currently
contemplating
other prominent cities,
such as Coral Gables, said Juan Ruiz;
vice-president
of Flagler Real Estate
Services. Armando Codina, president
soon be opening their new state-ofthe-art headquarters adjacent to their
current location, a $237 billion building.
Ruiz said, "The move will mark a new
chapter in our history as members of
the Doral community, and we look forward to strengthening
our existing
bond with the city and its residents."
rentals, retail stores, restaurants,
a
park and one school. Although some
. people feel there's too much density at
Doral and no rental apartments
are
needed, they have been renting well,
said Ruiz, because people enjoy living
in a brand new place. The mix use '1~1I
help alleviate the traffic situation, pro-
and CEO of Flagler Development
Group
explains
on the
projects
website that when asked wihere the largest concentration
of offices is, most
people will immediately think of Brickell
or Coral Gables. This clearly shows
that Doral still has work to do as th-e largest concentration is found here, but for
some reason the city has yet to earn the
reputation.
Possible tenants
will soon be
lured to Doral because the prices are
cheaper and the parking situation is
not as tedious as in other cities, explained Ruiz.
The project. also includes hundreds of residential units, including
CIUDAD
f"u"ture
The Downtown Doral,
which some people
are already calling
"The Heart of Doral"
ponents say. The final result is expected to be a luxurious downtown,
Coral Gables
style, because
every
great city should have a "center of gravity" that will bring some prestige.
Although the plan is very expensive and a lot is at risk, especially in a
troubled economy as we are experiencing now, Ruiz said the owners are
committed to its completion which is expected within a decade. He said the
magnitude
of the project allows for
the nation's largest network of BIDs,
but locally an example is Miracle Mile in
Coral Gables. Nothing is yet set in
stone as the city is only exploring different ways to keep the economy going.
Other options include participation in the Brown fields Program, which
is a federal program created by Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)
providing funds to municipalities
that
decide to clean up and redevelop vacant or unused land that could be a haz-
some flexibility - when the residential
market is down,
the
commercial
might not necessarily be, so in this
way, an economic
balance could be
kept.
ard to the community
due to pollutants
While such a
large-scale
project is being carried out by the private sector, Doral
elected
officials
are also putting
forth their own efforts in continuing
_ or the presence of' hazardous subto foment the city's economy. As part of
stances. In addition, local authorities
their economic development plan, staff
are studying the possibility of giving
is currently studying the possibility of
Doral its own convention
center, which
establishing a design district in wihat is
will definitely be a major economic imcurrently known as the Tile & Marble .
pact for the area. City staff is stUdying
District, an area of the city
the market and assessing if
that is mostly populated by
there is a real need for such fagranite, tile, and kitchen
cilities.
results are in, the
cabinet stores. Director of
idea could be brought to counPlanning and Zoning Nacil for discussion.
than Kogan said the idea is
Although Doral is at the
to revitalize this area by
forefront of other communities
bringing a mix-use model,
in many aspects, especially in
which will provide for resiits economy, the local governdential units and restaument understands the imporrants, attracting more elltance of continuing to look for
entshere.
better and unique ways to foment the loCity staff is also looking at the idea
cal economy and establish a solid fiof creating a business improvement
nancial base - it is all part of the plan
district (BID) which is a public-private
and the vision' the community had at
partnership
through wihich the busithe time of incorporation. Many are the
nesses levy an addiiional tax which
projects that are underway, and many
doesnt go to the city government but
more are being planned for the future in
back to their district itself for any
order to make Doral a world-class city.
needed improvements.
New York has
Once
DORAL
NEWSPAPE'R
I April
21 - May
5, 2010 I www.ciudaddoral,com
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