ReefLine, Miami’s First Underwater Sculpture Park, On Track To Open Phase One In December 2021

Miami’s first underwater environmental public art project, to be known as ReefLine, is on track to open Phase 1 in December 2021. The project will be built in several phases with Phase 1 spanning one-mile long. The project is designed by OMA / shohei shigematsu in collaboration with a team of marine biologists, researches and coastal engineers whose goal is to protect and preserve the city’s marine life. The installation will feature environmentally-functioning artworks by major international artists and designers. ReefLine will begin in South Beach and run north, providing a critical habitat for endangered reef organisms, promoting biodiversity and enhancing coastal resilience.

The project will span 7 miles underwater and attract both art lovers and eco-friendly tourists to view the underwater sculpture park via a snorkel trail. ReefLine is being developed by BlueLab Preservation Society, led by Ximena Caminos, in partnership with the City of Miami Beach and Coral Morphologic.

City Of Miami Approves Wynwood Streetscape Mater Plan Designed by ArquitectonicaGEO

City of Miami Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the ArquitectonicaGEO-designed Wynwood Streetscape Master Plan. The approval follows over two years of public hearings and community workshops. The construction will begin immediately and is funded by the Wynwood Business Improvement District (BID) as well as local property owners. The streetscape will feature the conversion of three streets to Woonerfs, which open up space for pedestrians while also allowing car access. It will also feature a green half-mile pedestrian and bike trail; landscaping designed to help combat climate change by capturing stormwater runoff, as well as reintroduce native plant species and provide shade via tree canopies; additionally, the installment of safety and mobility improvements such as new crosswalks, widened sidewalks, updated signage and protected bicycle lanes.

Terra And Crescent Heights Break Ground On Canopy Park In South Beach

Terra and Crescent Heights, along with development partner New Valley, have broken ground on Canopy Park, located at the gateway to South Beach at after winning approval from the Miami Beach City Commission last year. The developers are building a three-acre public park, named Canopy Park, alongside a new residential tower at 500 Alton Road. Terra is led by David Martin and Crescent Heights is led by Russel Galbut, both longtime local Miami-based developers.

The three-acre park, located between the 600 and 700 blocks of Alton Road, will include open green-spaces shaded by native tree species, pedestrian and bike paths, an outdoor gym and dog run, a MONSTRUM-designed children’s playground, and public art displays. Canopy Park will be connected to the South of Fifth neighborhood and the Miami Beach baywalk via a new pedestrian bridge over I-395. The pedestrian bridge was designed by artist Daniel Buren and has been dubbed the Miami Beach Canopy. Construction of Miami Beach’s newest world-class city amenity is now underway, with completion estimated for Summer 2021. Canopy Park is located at the site of the former South Shore Hospital which the developers recently demolished.

“Canopy Park will be a gateway for the City of Miami Beach, a destination for visitors, and an everyday amenity for residents, so we’ve taken the time to assemble a team of design, art and planning visionaries who have led some of the most transformational projects in the world,” said David Martin, President of Terra. “The end result will be an active park and design experience that rivals public spaces in the world’s greatest cities.”

“World class cities and neighborhoods are defined by their public spaces, and Miami Beach is home to some of the most desirable parks and open spaces anywhere,” said City of Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. “Our City’s newest public green space, Canopy Park, will quickly become a welcomed amenity for nearby residents and a favorite gathering spot for our entire community.”

The development team has enlisted an ensemble of artists, designers and architects who will bring the park to life, including architects Bernardo Fort-Brescia & Raymond Fort of Arquitectonica; landscape architect Laurinda Spear of ArquitectonicaGEO; design advisors Daniel Vasini of West 8, Anda Andrei of Anda Andrei Design, and Michael Gabellini and Kim Sheppard of Gabellini Sheppard Associates; and art advisor Lisa Austin. 

A major design component of Canopy Park will feature a “natural play” playground by Danish design firm MONSTRUM, which is famous for creating artistic and architectural playscapes around the world. Standout elements of the playground will include a giant butterfly, a mangrove forest and a caterpillar slide enabling children to jump, climb, balance, and express their inner imaginations.

The Miami Beach Canopy pedestrian bridge, subtitled Walking Under, Along, and On the Colors: work in-situ by Daniel Buren, will complete the Miami Beach Baywalk, creating a safe and seamless connection running from Southpointe Park north to the Lincoln Road District and east to the beachfront. The Canopy will become an instant icon for Miami Beach and a beloved work of public art that guides pedestrians along a rainbow of colorful shadows. Completion of the Miami Beach Canopy pedestrian bridge is anticipated for 2022.

Plans for Canopy Park also include an array of sustainability and resiliency features, including habitat restoration, vegetation, biodiversity, native plant communities, irrigation, water conservation and rainwater management. The park will also serve as an educational resource to inform and inspire the public about resilience and sustainability efforts being made by the city.

The Grand Hyatt Selected as Flag for New Miami Beach Convention Center Hotel

The development team behind Miami Beach’s new Convention Center hotel announced today that the 800-room property will be operated by Hyatt under the luxury Grand Hyatt brand, when it opens to guests in 2023. Grand Hyatt Miami Beach will create a new hospitality option for visitors attending events at the adjacent Miami Beach Convention Center, which underwent a $600 million renovation that was completed last year, and will anchor the Convention Center District.

The new hotel will become the second Grand Hyatt property in Florida, joining Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. Grand Hyatt hotels are designed to connect guests with iconic experiences, landmarks and cultural touchstones in captivating destinations around the world. Hallmarks of the brand include bold and vibrant design and architecture, elevated amenities and welcoming service that creates moments of more.

The hotel development is being led by David Martin of Terra and Jackie Soffer of Turnberry, whose plans for the hotel were overwhelmingly approved by Miami Beach voters in 2018. The 17-story hotel will be situated at the intersection of 17th Street and Convention Center Drive, within walking distance of the beachfront, Lincoln Road Mall, New World Symphony, The Bass Museum and The Fillmore Miami Beach.

“For years, Miami Beach has served as a global destination for arts, culture, shopping, dining and entertainment, but the City has lacked a true headquarters hotel for top-tier conventions and meetings,” said Martin and Soffer. “South Florida’s first Grand Hyatt hotel will maximize Miami Beach’s investment in its re-imagined Convention Center while bridging the physical gap that exists between the Convention Center District and surrounding neighborhoods.”

 Grand Hyatt Miami Beach will be designed by architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia and his firm, Miami-based Arquitectonica. The development team also includes partner Craig Robins of Dacra, who is the visionary behind the Miami Design District and helped revive Miami Beach’s Art Deco District in the 1990s; Stonehill Taylor, which is designing the hotel’s interior lobby and lounges, ballroom and meeting rooms, hotel rooms and all common areas; EOA, which is designing the pool deck hospitality features of the hotel; and Arquitectonica GEO, which is creating lush pedestrian promenades and landscapes.

Hotel features are expected to include 12 floors of guest rooms offering views of Miami Beach, two floors of meeting spaces and ballrooms that will complement the Convention Center, a resort-style pool deck with panoramic views, and limited retail space that will activate the district at street level. An elevated skybridge will enable event attendees to move freely between the hotel and Convention Center in a climate-controlled, art-filled corridor. 

Plans also include landscaped pedestrian promenades on surrounding streets, bike sharing stations, connectivity with public transit routes, dedicated ridesharing pick-up and drop-off zones, and direct access between the Convention Center and Lincoln Road. The project’s resiliency and sustainability measures include storm water management and reuse, flood risk mitigation, and the use of solar power – all of which are designed to ensure operational continuity during weather events.

“The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) joins Terra, Turnberry and The City of Miami Beach in welcoming the Grand Hyatt Miami Beach as the newly named brand for the 800-room headquarter hotel connected to the Miami Beach Convention Center,” said William D. Talbert, III, CDME, President of the GMCVB.  “Grand Hyatt Miami Beach makes it possible to better compete for citywide conventions which fuel jobs in our community and generates business for all of Greater Miami’s hotels and merchants. We look forward to the hotel ground-breaking which once completed will finalize the Miami Beach Convention Center District.” 

By Katya Demina

Crescent Heights Reveals New Renderings of Park Coming To 500 Alton In South Beach

Crescent Heights and Terra has revealed new renderings of the public park coming to 500 and 600 Alton Road, known as the Park on Fifth, as part of their deal to build a 44-story, 553’ tower at the gateway to South Beach. Russell Galbut and David Martin’s proposal was approved with an agreement to transform the former South Shore Hospital site with the tower, which is being designed by Arquitectonica, and the 3-acre park. The JV between Crescent Heights and Terra Group applied for a construction permit in late November 2019 and completion of the new park is expected for 2021. The park will also feature a bridge which will connect the South Pointe Park baywalk with the new Park on Fifth. When complete the tower will be among the tallest in Miami Beach and will feature 410 luxury units which the developer will be allowed to rent as short term rentals with a minimum term of 30 days per rental. Bridge construction will be funded by a $10 million General Obligation Bond which voters approved in November 2018.

Funding For Lincoln Road Revamp Approved By Miami Beach City Commission

A $77.4 million funding package for a major James Corner Field Operations-designed revamp of Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road has been approved by Miami Beach city commissioners. The funding will come from city taxpayers in addition to a $16 million Special Assessment charged to property owners in the immediate Lincoln Road district. The city has also updated zoning to allow some Lincoln Road property owners to build hotels. Construction in the renovation is expected to commence in spring 2020 and will include an enhanced pedestrian promenade, a new outdoor dining layout, updated lighting and signage, a new performance area, updated landscaping and renovations to many of the roads historic structures designed by Morris Lapidus.

ArquitectonicaGEO's Wynwood Streetscape Master Plan Presented To Wynwood Business Improvement District

The ArquitectonicaGEO Wynwood Streetscape Master Plan is moving closer to fruition after ArquitectonicaGEO’s Michelle Cintron and John Hutchens presented the proposal at a meeting of the Wynwood Business Improvement District in later February 2019. The proposal calls for transforming Wynwood into a pedestrian-oriented streetscape with public spaces and more tree canopy for shade. The Wynwood BID expects to have the final plans, of which they are considering the public’s input, completed by Summer 2019. The initially proposed plans were first introduced in December 2018. The Wynwood BID has not yet identified a source of funding for the master plan.

Inside The DOMO-Designed 15-Acre West of West District Proposed To Transform The Heart Of South Beach

A partnership between Todd Michael Glaser, Jarrett and Sean Posner, Fred Carlton and Charlie Ratner have proposed a 15-acre mixed use project known as West of West District in South Beach. The project is designed by DOMO Architecture + Design and is located between Bay Road and Alton Road and 13th Street and 16th Street on Miami Beach. The development team presented the project to Miami Beach Commissioners earlier this month (February 2019) and it will go up in front of Miami Beach’s Land Use Board in March. The developers are seeking a reduction in setbacks from the city. West of West will be built around a pedestrian concept bringing live/work lofts, restaurants and retail accentuated with landscaped parks and courtyards to the district. DOMO, which is led by Robert Moehring and Francisco Llado, consulted organizations such as the Urban Land Institute in reference to climate change while designing the project. The developers amassed 9 properties in the district for $10 million where there are an estimated 120-140 properties.

Miami Beach Commissioners Vote To Finalize Deal With Crescent Heights At South Shore Hospital Site On Alton Road

Miami Beach commissioners have officially voted in favor of finalizing the proposed deal with Crescent Heights and its co-founder Russell Galbut to redevelop the former South Shore Hospital site on Alton Road in South Beach. As per the agreement Crescent Heights will fund and build a 3 acre park on the Alton Road site in exchange to allow Galbut to up-zone the site where commissioners approved a tower height increase to 519’. The tower is being designed by Arquitectonica and will rise 44-stories, offering 410 luxury units which the developer will be allowed to rent as short term rentals with a minimum term of 30 days per rental. After sale-and-purchase of the condo units the buyers will not be permitted to rent out their condos on a short term rental basis. The park which will be connected to the baywalk which wraps around South Pointe via a taxpayer funded pedestrian bridge. Galbut now has 6-months after the appeal periods to demolish the vacant South Shore Hospital and must complete the park within 2.5 years after the construction permit for the tower is issued, which must be completed with in 8 years. Should Galbut wish to flip the property he must retain 10% ownership.

Check Out WynwoodWalks, ArquitectonicaGEO's Newly Proposed Addition To The Wynwood Streetscape

ArquitectonicaGEO, the landscape design arm of architecture powerhouse Arquitectonica, has proposed WynwoodWalks as part of the Wynwood streetscape master plan. The proposal was commissioned by the city and first publicly presented at a community meeting on December 11. WynwoodWalks will activate the Wynwood outdoors, bringing walking paths, park, woonerfs and a wellness loop. Woonerfs are living streets and will be located on NW 3rd Avenue, NW 1st Avenue and NW 1st Place. The landscaped parks will flank Wynwood and will offer wellness amenities while the street designs will focus on adding shade.