A South Grove homeowner has until September 25 to fix a hedge the City of Miami says blocks drivers’ view of a stop sign, one of roughly 20 active tree-removal appeals across Coconut Grove where city officials say sight visibility is emerging as the deciding factor. Michiel Johan van de Kreeke, who lives near Loquat Avenue and Linden Lane, received several city notices in February alleging that his hedge obstructs motorists’ view of the intersection’s stop sign, and he plans to appeal the citation.
Van de Kreeke’s case is detailed in reporting from WLRN Public Media, which republished an original report from Coconut Grove Spotlight. The city’s sight-visibility regulations restrict vegetation, fences, walls and other objects between 2.5 feet and 10 feet high from creating what the code calls a material impediment to visibility, with the protected sight triangles extending from 5 feet to 25 feet along roadway edges. City officials maintain the rules exist to protect drivers, cyclists and pedestrians from traffic hazards.
Van de Kreeke has already trimmed a tunnel through his hedge so drivers can see the stop sign, and the city separately directed him to remove several objects caught in the greenery. He says removing the hedge entirely would undermine South Grove’s neighborhood character. According to van de Kreeke, Javier Gonzalez — who serves as Coconut Grove constituent liaison for District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo — told him the citations stemmed from complaints by nearby residents.
A Pattern Beyond One Hedge
Van de Kreeke isn’t alone. Roy Mathew received a code-enforcement citation covering his fence, gravel pathway, hedges, shrubs and alleged obstruction of motorists’ view, despite having maintained his South Grove property for 26 years without similar scrutiny, per the same account. Roy and Lata Mathew maintain native plants extending toward the street, and a formal notice issued August 26 cited obstructed required visibility along with unpermitted fencing and unpermitted plantings in the public right of way…