Three Cheers for Meg
THE FRIENDS OF THE UNDERLINE BREAK GROUND
Meg Daley
It has been four years since Coral Gables native and civic activist Meg Daley decided to launch a non-profit called Friends of the Underline. The goal: To transform the 10-mile pathway under the Metrorail as it moves south from downtown Miami through Coral Gables and South Miami into a functioning greenspace and public park.
Those efforts have finally come to fruition, as the new park breaks ground this month at its start in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood. Besides raising some $4 million from private sources to fund the design and engineering of the master plan, and to pay for “our skinny little staff,” as Daley calls it, another $90 million has been pledged from state, county and municipal (i.e. Miami and Coral Gables) sources, largely from impact fees for any new development within 1,000 feet of the new park.
About three miles of the future green space runs through the Gables; the city has pledged up to $15 million from various municipal fees.
