LTC 024-2016 Miami Beach Convention Center Renovation and Expansion ProjectMIAMI BEACH
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
LTC # 024-2016
LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Philip Levine and Members •f the City ommission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DATE: January 21, 2016
SUBJECT: Miami Beach Convention Center -novation and Expansion Project
The purpose of this LTC is to advise the City Commission of the overall plan for removal, relocation,
and addition of trees on the +1- 25 acre site of the Convention Center project. As part of the final
plan, an additional 12 acres of new parks and streetscapes are being created. This includes the
new P-lot Park, the 21st Street park and canal edge surrounding the Carl Fisher Clubhouse, two
additional landscape medians (one on Convention Center Drive and another on 19th Street) and a
10 foot wide by 1,000 foot long landscape area along Washington Avenue at a location formerly
used as a vehicle drop off.
As part of this design, the City has a robust reforestation plan which includes the following tree
disposition summary. Staff's team, including the design firms of Fentress Architects, West 8
Landscape Architects, and Clark Construction have coordinated the plan under the supervision of
the City's Urban Forester, Mark Williams. All work is being performed under the project's tree
removal permit which was approved and issued on December 30, 2015:
Existing Trees
335 Total Existing Trees
(92) Trees Being Removed*
243 Trees Being Relocated or Remaining in Place
Future Trees
218 Shade Trees (All trees are either Native or Adapted Species)
139 Palm Trees
357 Total Added Trees
600 PROJECT GRAND TOTAL
* The amounts shown are approximate as the trees are inspected on site by the City's urban
forester prior to final removal.
At this time, a total of 92 trees are proposed for removal out of 335 existing trees. The trees being
removed are those that are either in poor condition, have too small a root ball to be viable for
relocation, or have significant physical damage and are considered unsuitable for relocation. Other
trees in this category are those considered to be prohibited, nuisance or exempt tree species per
City and Miami Dade County code. All 92 trees are being removed in order to improve the quality of
the reforestation effort and health of the overall environment.
Miami Beach Convention Center Project Expansion & Renovation Project
January 21, 2016
Page 2 of 2
A total of 243 existing trees are either being left in place, or are being temporarily removed to later
be returned to a different location under the new plan. Clark Construction's subcontractor, Arazoza
Brothers, have a certified arborist on staff who is overseeing the care and maintenance of +/- 200
trees being temporarily relocated to their nursery in Homestead, Florida. A photograph is attached
as "Exhibit A" showing the trees which were recently removed last weekend being stored for future
replanting.
Clark will be providing periodic reports to the City, confirming that these trees are being properly
cared for and the City's urban forester will also be visiting the nursery from time to time to check on
the condition of the trees.
In addition, 357 new trees are being planted with a total of 61% being shade trees. Approximately
36% of the new trees will be native and tropical plantings.
Finally, in addition to a grand total of 600 trees, there will be 930 black mangroves planted along the
Collins Canal as well as an abundance of native understory throughout the public realm.
If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to contact myself or Maria Hernandez at Ext. 2584.
cc: Maria Hernandez, Project Director, Convention Center District
Mark Williams, Urban Forester
Susanne Torriente, Assistant City Manager, Chief Resiliency Officer
Elizabeth Wheaton, Assistant Building Director, Environment & Sustainability Division
Eric Carpenter, Assistant City Manager, Public Works Director
Scott Lawson, Project Executive, Clark Construction Group
Steven DiBartolo, Vice President, Hill International
Attachments: Exhibit A Photo
JLM/MH
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EXHIBIT A