LTC 05-2003CITY of MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No.
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez ~~
City Manager
BEACHWALK PROJECT
Date: January 8, 2003
The purpose of this LTC is to provide the Mayor and Commission with an update
regarding the upcoming start of construction of the Beachwalk Project, a multi-purpose
public access trail project that will be built in the beachfront area in the South Beach
District.
The construction operations are scheduled to begin on Monday, February 3rd 2003 and
will be completed in approximately eight months (September).
The Public Works Department has briefed the Ocean Drive and Miami Beach Hotel
Owners Associations about the project and will continue to provide them with updated
information throughout the project.
Background:
The Beachwalk will be a multi-purpose public access trail, which will wind its way along
the western edge of the sand dune, from the southern end of the existing boardwalk at
21st Street south to the northern end of Lummus Park. The trail will be a brick-paved,
fifteen-foot wide, on-grade pathway with pedestrian scale lighting, Iow coral rock accent
wails and mosaic paverstone plazas at the public beach accesses and street-ends. In
addition, the overgrown and nuisance exotic vegetation growing along the dune area
will be removed and replaced with irrigated, native landscape plantings and coconut
palm shade canopy areas (See ATTACHMENTS A & B).
The project plans were finalized and the required Coastal Construction Permit from the
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) was approved in the fall 1997.
Development of the project was subsequently delayed by the owners of the Richmond
Hotel, who pursued a legal challenge in an attempt to block the issuance of the notice to
proceed by the State and the development of the project by the City.
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In October 2001, the Florida District Court of Appeals issued a third favorable ruling
upholding the City's position relative to proceeding with the Beachwalk project and
directed the FDEP to issue the Notice to Proceed pursuant to the City's approved
Coastal Construction Permit.
On November 13, 2002, the City Commission approved the award of a contract to R.L.
Saum Construction Co. in the amount of $3,269,000, for the construction of the
Beachwalk Project.
Construction is expected to begin in early February 2003, with the most potentially
disruptive portion of the work (ground clearing and grubbing) expected to take 4-6
weeks. The subsequent landscaping, paving and irrigation won't be as disrupting and
most of the work will occur in the relatively unused area behind the dunes. The
construction will be phased by block, with notice to be provided to all fronting property
owners. The construction activities are also subject to "black-out days" to avoid conflicts
with special events.
Beach access will be maintained throughout the project. Provisions for safety
barricades, signage and security personnel have also been included to ensure public
safety.
If you have any questions or need any additional information about this project, please
feel free to contact me, or Bruce Henderson in the Environmental Resources
Division of the Public Works Department.
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