Miami Beach mayor announces push for $60M revamp of Lincoln Road mall
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber on Monday rattled off a list of new projects coming online this year — including a new cancer center, a 3-acre public park and a push to renovate Lincoln Road — during his annual State of the City speech.
Gelber, speaking from the stage at the New World Center, announced the development of the $250 million Irma and Norman Braman Cancer Center at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
With Braman, the billionaire philanthropist, and his family in attendance, Gelber showed a rendering of the sleek new building that he said will be an “ultramodern” facility overlooking Biscayne Bay.
He also announced the opening of a new 3-acre public park at Sixth Street and Alton Road to be built as part of the Park on Fifth condo development. Other park projects, like the conversion of an old Mid-Beach golf course into a sprawling new park, are expected to break ground in months, he said.
“Our goal: No city anywhere should have better parks, promenades and outdoor spaces than we do,” Gelber said.
Gelber said that in April he will also advocate for $60 million in renovations for Lincoln Road using property taxes from an anti-blight Community Redevelopment Agency, or CRA. Upgrades would include more fountains, cultural event space and a children’s park.
As spring breakers descend on South Beach this month, Gelber addressed public-safety concerns and reported that major crime was down 20% over the last four years. But in South Beach, he said, some areas don’t feel safe.
“And that alone justifies real action,” he said.
Gelber noted that the Miami Beach Police Department budget has grown by 40 officers since he was elected in 2017. The city is also expanding its surveillance program to add 600 more camera feeds to a system that currently has about 850. To monitor those cameras, the police department will open a “real time crime center” next year.
But, as he has repeatedly done, Gelber emphasized that the city needs to “reimagine” its entertainment district to tamp down on the disorder while drawing new investment through zoning changes and liquor restrictions. Commissioners are in the process of approving new alcohol restrictions citywide, although the details of the legislation remain unclear.
Legal challenges — and disagreements among elected leaders — are sure to follow. A judge blocked the commission’s first attempt to roll back alcohol service last year, and then overturned a similar ordinance that would have limited booze sales during spring break.
“The current model, I believe, remains unsustainable so long as we project to the world that we are an all-night party town,” Gelber said.
Looking back on a year marked by a lingering pandemic and the debate over South Beach’s future, Gelber proclaimed that Miami Beach was “back” to its pre-pandemic vitality.
Gelber, who is in the final year of his six-year mayoral tenure, noted how much has changed since his last annual address: The city has seen record-high resort tax figures since October and higher budget reserves than before COVID-19 hit, voters signaled support for a rollback of liquor sales citywide, and commissioners are considering a new “vision plan” for South Beach that includes expanding Lummus Park and imposing new zoning incentives to spur redevelopment.
“For decades we coasted on great weather and beautiful beaches. Little was done to build upon that. And perhaps that was just fine,” he said. “I believe these last few years have given us a clear window into who we need to be: the ultimate live-work-play town.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 12:14 PM.
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