Balancing Success

While many new development projects are redefining the north end of the city, the livability of Miami Beach is also being defined with its new and enhanced public spaces.

by A.C. Weinstein

Call it a building boom, low interest rates or just a healthy real estate market; both low- and high-rise development has swept through Miami Beach, from the north end to South Pointe. While the concrete has certainly poured over the barrier island, the Miami Beach Commission has done a remarkable job in balancing that growth with open green space and new public areas, particularly along the shoreline.

Not receiving nearly the celebratory plaudits they deserve, the Beachwalk and Baywalk are two of the better projects of their kind in South Florida, providing residents and visitors with a spectacular pedestrian experience. The soon-to-begin approved design of South Pointe Park is already being touted as the next “postcard” for Miami Beach.

And there’s also the much anticipated North Beach Recreational Corridor (NBRC). “We are one step closer to starting its construction,” City Manger Jorge Gonzalez told the mayor and commission in a detailed letter. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin January 2006.

According to the manager’s letter, the NBRC will create an environmentally sensitive recreational greenway which will interconnect a series of park facilities distributed throughout the city’s North Beach district. The recreational path will run from 64th to 79th streets, east of the erosion control line and west of the sand dune system.

The path will be located either on city or state property, never on private property. It will also tie into a regional network of planned recreational trails/alternative transportation routes called the Atlantic Greenway Network, connecting five public parks, eight beach access areas and seven regional parking facilities.

The Atlantic Greenway Network is made up of two main trail systems: the Beach Corridors, which extend in a general northbound/southbound direction, running between the erosion control line and the dune system; and the Neighborhood Trails, which extend in general east-west as well as north-south directions through the South, Middle and North Beach neighborhoods.

Individual projects will be constructed to create a continuous trail network allowing for alternative transportation and community enhancement. The NBRC will be the most northern connection of the beach corridor connecting to the North Shore Open Space Park.

The NBRC project has been divided into three phases. Phase one, Allison Park (64th-65th); phase two, Ocean Terrace (65th-76th); and phase three, Altos del Mar (76th-79th).

The path running along the Ocean Terrace and Altos del Mar neighborhoods will be a mixed-use path for bicyclists, pedestrians and rollerbladers. The path width will be 15 feet in Ocean Terrace, transitioning to 10 feet wide in the Altos del Mar neighborhood.

In anticipation of the NBRC project, beach-compatible sand that has been donated by the Carillon has already been staged at North Shore Open Space Park. More than 4,500 cubic yards of sand will be used for the enhancement of the dunes along the park.

The current estimated cost of the project is approximately $4.2 million. The city has secured the following funds: County Transportation Enhancement Funds: $1,741,000; Federal Housing and Urban Development grants: $573,000; ADA grant money: $107,934; GO Bonds: $670,000; Federal SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users) appropriations: $960,000; and North Beach Quality of Life Funds: $78,000.

Due to the proximity of the NBRC to the Coastal Construction Control Line, many of the design elements (especially the path) had to be engineered based on Florida Department of Environmental Protection requirements. With its extensive permitting process and sensitive nature of the project’s environment, the NBRC is being managed by the Environmental Management Division of Public Works.

While it has been the direction of elected officials to move these projects forward, the manager, legal department, public works, city engineering, environmental resources and the land-use boards have all worked diligently to make it happen. The manager, who recently marked his five-year anniversary with the city, deserves to be applauded for placing open space and park improvements as a staff priority.

While many new development projects are redefining the north end of the city, the livability of Miami Beach is also being defined with its new and enhanced public spaces. The NBRC and Atlantic Greenway Network will be a wonderful legacy for the Miami Beach Commission for many generations in the future.

Comments? E-mail ac@miamisunpost.com.