WEEK OF THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015
A Singular Voice in an Evolving City
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RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE
Younger residents accept less space to get downtown, pg. 15 CARGO SURGE: PortMiami container volume grew in double digits in March and 12% for the first six months of fiscal 2015. Port officials cited 84,000 units equivalent to a 20-foot container in March, compared to 73,000 in March 2014, and for the first six months 477,400 units compared to 426,000 a year earlier. In a written release, County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said industry leaders in November 2014 ranked PortMiami number 1 on the US East Coast for port productivity and performance for the first six calendar months of last year. Officials said more than $1 billion in capital infrastructure work is transforming the port. The release points to a July completion of dredging that is to deepen the main harbor channel from 42 feet to 50 to 52 feet, saying the port will be the only major logistics hub south of Virginia capable of handling fully laden post-Panamax vessels.
Ritz Carlton Residences rising on Heart Institute’s site, pg. 18
THE ACHIEVER
BY JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS
LAND GIVE: To aid the Florida Department of Transportation’s construction and improvements to I-395, the City of Miami is conveying land to the state. City commissioners declared surplus and authorized the city manager to convey to the state at no cost 139 square feet at 1338 NW Second Ave. The vacant property represents a maintenance cost and liability to the city. City charter allows disposal of city property for projects of any government agency without competitive bids or a fair market value return to the city. The $600 million project is to begin construction at the end of 2016 or early 2017 and include new elevated ramps, updating the alignment and road surface, and creating a new bridge with higher structures. NEW NAME ON KEY: A portion of Virginia Key has been renamed. Miami city commissioners approved a resolution renaming the areas called “North Point Park” and “Shrimper’s Lagoon, Public Beach and Coastal Hardwood Hammock Restoration,” to “Virginia Key Beach North Point Park,” as documented in the Virginia Key Master Plan. The resolution notes the master plan was approved in July 2010 “as the guiding tool for the future development of Virginia Key, creating a viable waterfront with recreational and public spaces, and for the protection and enhancement of natural resources located on the island.” It goes on to say the city since the plan’s adoption “has taken concrete steps to fulfill this vision, including the environmental remediation of the North Point, construction of mountain bike trails, and the issuance of request for letters of interest… for a recreational support facility, for the rental of kayaks, canoes, bicycles, and other non-motorized recreational equipment.”
Photo by Maxine Usdan
Avra Jain
Cutting-edge developer active in 60 to 70 locations The profile is on Page 4
Big-name developers vie to build at Metrorail BY LIDIA DINKOVA
Developers behind some of the most notable projects in Miami-Dade County are vying to build out an area adjacent to the Douglas Road Metrorail station near Coconut Grove. Miami-Dade government requested proposals for transit-oriented development near the station. Two groups responded, Miami Today learned through a public records request. The Related Group is competing with Adler 13th Floor – a partnership between the Adler Group and 13th Floor Investments. Related proposes a nine-story parking garage, a 17-story residential tower and a 17-story student residence. The Douglas Road Metrorail station is just northeast of the University of Miami. Related’s proposal includes ground-floor retail as well as office space, records show. Related is partnering with Miami-based architecture firm Arquitectonica on the proposed development. Adler 13th Floor is proposing 970 residential units, 288 of them in a 25-level tower that would rise on the northeast side
AGENDA
Miami rolls to grow free trolley lines
of the development at Peacock Avenue and Douglas Road, as well as units at a mid-rise garden-style residence with ground-floor retail. The Adler team is also proposing 70,000 square feet of retail; parking; a public plaza with outdoor furniture and water features leading to Metrorail’s entrance; and a 150key hotel. Adler 13th Floor is considering several hotel brands for the project, with a Hilton Garden Inn as one option, records show. The Adler 13th Floor team includes Boston-based Stantec as architect. The Adler Group and 13th Floor Investments are already partnering on another project, a 25-story luxury high-rise with 294 multifamily units in the Dadeland area. The county’s solicitation for proposals for development at and near the Douglas Road Metrorail station is a nod toward the latest trend of building transit-oriented development, essentially mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly projects where people can live and work as well as seek entertainment, all near a public transportation stop. Transit-oriented development has been touted as a way to attract more mass transit
riders and to provide amenities, offices and residences for these riders near the mass transit stations. The plan at Douglas Road is one of many such projects ongoing in MiamiDade. Another transit-oriented development is the Eighth Street Metromover station that’s being revitalized and is to be incorporated within Swire Properties’ now-rising Brickell City Centre. MiamiDade has also solicited applications from developers to build at the Omni bus terminal in Miami. In transit-oriented development, the developer usually must upgrade the station. Both Related and Adler 13th Floor include in their proposals plans to upgrade the Douglas Road Metrorail station. Related said it would invest about $191 million in the project, including about $17.2 million to upgrade the station. Adler 13th Floor says its program, including common area contributions, hard and soft costs totals about $310 million, and the developer says it would invest $12.7 million in improvements of common property, such as parking and upgraded escalators.
Miami leaders are preparing to expand their free trolley system, which averages 12,000 riders daily. Commissioner Frank Carollo said the rubber-tired trolleys have met great success since they started rolling in 2012. “I want to extend that success into Little Havana,” he said. On April 23, he moved to add a route into East Little Havana, running from Southwest Eighth Street to Southwest First Court, to Southwest Seventh Street, to Southwest Third Avenue, to Southwest Sixth Street, to Beacom Boulevard and back. Commissioners expressed support but postponed a vote to May 14, opting instead to direct City Manager Daniel Alfonso to study potential new routes citywide. Chairman Wifredo “Willy” Gort pushed to examine the entire city and how much it would cost to add routes. “The concept should be how to connect the whole city,” he said. Mr. Carollo pushed to immediately launch a route through East Little Havana. He also advanced the idea of a later route further west into Flagami. “Without question, I agree, our trolley [program] has been incredibly successful,” said Commissioner Francis Suarez. Last month ridership was around 360,000, he said. He supported expansion but suggested there may be better new routes, and he backed studying all areas. Officials have often cited the trolleys as one step taken to help alleviate gridlock. At the same time, some have wondered how long the city can keep them going without collecting a fare. One way to help pay for new routes is state and federal funds. Staff mentioned a June deadline for government programs that could help offset the cost of new routes. Beyond that, Mr. Suarez, without offering details, suggested creation of a city transportation trust to help pay for transit and transportation.
36-STORY HOTEL TOWER COULD RISE AT HISTORIC SITE ...
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NEW MIXED-USE CORRIDOR A LURE FOR VITAL HOUSING ...
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COUNTY ASKS EXPRESSWAY AUTHORITY TO CAP TOLLS ...
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REGULATORS ASKED TO EASE RESTRICTIONS ON TRADE ...
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VIEWPOINT: TO KEEP VISITORS FLOWING, FIX TRAFFIC ...
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BRICKELL TOWERS SNARLED IN TUNNEL, SCHOOL TALK ...
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MIAMI LOOKS AT HOW TO FILL A MAYORAL VACANCY ...
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MIAMI’S RETAIL MARKETPLACE CLIMBS UP THE CHARTS ... 23