Beach commission talks stormwater project on Dade Boulevard, higher buildings on Alton Road
Miami Beach commissioners have delayed a decision on $2.2 million worth of drainage and seawall improvements to a stretch of Dade Boulevard.
The city’s public works department proposed spending the money to make improvements to a piece of road that is controlled by Miami-Dade County just south of Maurice Gibb Memorial Park. The city is negotiating an agreement so that the county can reimburse the Beach for the work.
The main item
The city has been installing anti-flooding pumps and raising roads for more than a year, mostly in the lowest-lying areas in South Beach.
The extra $2.2 million would be added onto an existing contract for Lanzo Construction, the contractor that has been doing the work in Sunset Harbour. The company has also been working on drainage improvements on the Venetian Islands.
Eric Carpenter, the Beach’s public works director, told commissioners he is still working out details with Miami-Dade’s public works staff on an agreement that would have the county reimburse the Beach for the work.
“If we were to move forward with this construction, it would be at our risk until the county commission were to approve that $2.2 million expenditure,” he said.
The work includes road improvements, seawall repairs and street signalization.
Carpenter said the city has an opportunity to start the project while keeping two lanes of traffic open connecting to the Venetian Islands at all times and while traffic is lighter as the rebuild of the western stretch of the causeway is finished. The causeway connecting Miami to the islands is set to reopen Feb. 29.
When Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez asked how much the city could save by putting the portion of the work out to bid, Carpenter said the savings would range between 10 to 15 percent.
“It’s really just a function of time versus money,” he said.
Commissioners agreed to discuss the project again at its next meeting Feb. 10 with the hopes an agreement with the county will be finished by then.
Other business
▪ Commissioners also approved a height increase for commercial and mixed-use buildings that have on-site parking and are located on the west side of Alton Road between Sixth Street and the Collins Canal. The measure, which got a second and final approval, increases the allowable height from 50 feet to 60 feet. The increase does not allow for an additional floor; the limit remains five stories.
The change was proposed by developers Turnberry Associates, which owns the site of a former Shell gas station at 17th Street and Alton Road, as well as the private parking lot immediately west of the lot.
They said it
“The idea was get it done fast before the bridge is finished,” — Mayor Philip Levine, on the improvements to Dade Boulevard.
The next meeting
▪ When: 8:30 a.m., Feb. 10
▪ Where: 1700 Convention Center Dr.
This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Beach commission talks stormwater project on Dade Boulevard, higher buildings on Alton Road."