Community Background Report

Cutler Bay

County

Miami-Dade

Boundaries

North: Southwest 184 Street
South: Southwest 232 Street
West: South Dixie Highway
East: Biscayne National Park

Community Type

Municipality

History

In the early 1900s the Florida East Coast Railway was extended south to an area then known as Cutler, which was located near what is now the Charles Deering Estate. Cutler then served as the place where people settling in the undeveloped Homestead, Florida area went to get their supplies.

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew made landfall near Cutler Ridge.The storm left the area in "almost total destruction".

In May 2002, the Cutler Bay Steering Committee company met to discuss the formation of a municipal advisory committee, where the committee would advise on the incorporation of the Cutler Ridge area into the city of Cutler Ridge.The decision to incorporate was spurred in part by the efforts to recover from Hurricane Andrew.The proposed incorporation boundaries included Southwest 184th Street on the north and Southwest 216th and 224th streets on the south.[16] In addition, the west boundary would include the Turnpike, U.S. 1 and Southwest 112th Avenue and Biscayne Bay would serve as the east boundary.

The Charles Deering Estate, located in nearby Palmetto Bay, contains the Cutler Fossil Site where mammoths, sabre-toothed tigers and California condors are among the many fossil records. The park holds archeological evidence of Native American habitation of the land 10,000 years ago.[10] Tequesta burial mounds are also found there.

Cutler Bay, incorporated in 2005, is Miami-Dade County’s youngest city.

Community Dynamics

Cutler Bay has a population of 44,002 people with a median age of 36.1 and a median household income of $66,929. Between 2015 and 2016 the population of Cutler Bay, FL grew from 43,474 to 44,002, a 1.21% increase and its median household income grew from $61,847 to $66,929, a 8.22% increase. The population of Cutler Bay is 56.1% Hispanic, 29.9% White, and 9.7% Black. 54.9% of the people in Cutler Bay speak a non-English language, and 86% are U.S. citizens. The most common foreign languages in Cutler Bay, FL are Spanish (19,560speakers), French Creole (472 speakers), and Portuguese (402 speakers).

The economy of Cutler Bay employs 21,396 people. The median property value in Cutler Bay is $216,500, and the homeownership rate is 71.3%.

Community Dynamics

Single family residential development is the predominant land use, with commercial development concentrated along US-1 and Old Cutler Road. The guiding principles of the town’s planning program are preservation and enhancement of existing residential neighborhoods, resource protection and enhancement, and redevelopment of commercial areas as mixed-use activity centers in accordance with adopted charrettes and special area plans. Recent residential developments are attracting a diverse population that includes young families and seniors that will continue to enrich the quality of life of the Town.

In FY 2014-15, the Town’s economic development effort was one of the most successful in Miami-Dade County. Several commercial projects totaling more than $20 million in capital investment and contributing over 150 new permanent jobs to the local economy were either in the approval phase or constructed. These commercial developments were located along the commercial corridor on US 1 and Old Cutler Road. The Town’s economic development also include a “green initiative” that continues to have much success. The green initiative success includes the LEED (Leadership in Energy, and Environmental Design) or Green Globes certification of several commercial buildings, close-out of an energy grant, and continue implementation of the PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) Program. The South Dade Performing Arts Center, continued to be a major attraction for residents and visitors to south Miami- Dade County, and a corner stone of the Town’s cultural venue.

Transportation Characteristics

According to the 2014 Transportation Master Plan of Culter Bay, currently 16% of the Towns total acreage is consumed by rights of way. The traffic movements happen on 14 primary roads. The five principle arterial roads, including US-1, the Turnpike, Old Cutler Road, SW 216th Street and SW 184th Street/Eureka Drive, carry the bulk of Cutler Bay’s traffic, providing access to other regional urban centers. Average Annual Daily Traffic Volumes range from 1,907 to 120,144 vehicles per day. US-1 carries the bulk of the non-Turnpike traffic in the community with volumes approaching 55,000 vehicles per day.

Cutler Bay is an automobile dominated area. However, uniquely situated within the Town of Cutler Bay are three regionally significant private and public structures, all of which serve as a catalyst for regional development and vital transportation links. The Southland Mall, South-Dade Government Center, and South-Dade Performing Arts Complex comprise the dense nucleus or regional activity that requires adequate public transportation connectivity in order to minimize regional traffic. The Town of Cutler Bay benefits greatly from these regional centers, bringing ten bus routes into the area.

There is a high presence of sidewalks and areas for bike facilities. Generally, pavement conditions are adequate.