C4B-Ref- FCWPC - Intermodal Facility At Mount Sinai Medical Centerg MIAMIBEACH
City of Miomi Beoch, 1200 Convention Center Drive, Miomi Beoch, Florido 33139, www.miomibeochfl.gov
COMMISSIO MEMORANDUM
Mayor Philip Levine and Members of City Comflission
Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
October 22,2014
SUB.IECT: REFERRAL TO THE FINANCE AND CITYWIDE PROJECTS COMMITTEE -
INTERMODAL FACILITY AT MOUNT SINAI MEDICAL CENTER
BACKGROUND
Mount Sinai Medical Center (MSMC) has plans to upgrade its hospitalwith $205 million in
replacement facilities, including a surgical bed tower, more than double the size of its
emergency department, upgraded inpatient operating rooms, and a new observation unit.
This planned expansion will increase parking demand on their campus and, as such, MSMC
plans to construct a parking garage in the southern portion of their campus to offset parking
lost with the construction of the new facility..
ln the past months, the City and MSMC have discussed opportunities for including an
intermodal facility as part of the parking garage facility. From the City's perspective, an
intermodal facility in the Middle Beach area would be advantageous in promoting mobility
options, including but not limited to: Miami-Dade Transit, trolley/local circulators, additional
parking inventory for employee park and ride, bike sharing, bike lockers, and car sharing.
ANALYS!S
The Administration has conducted a preliminary review and very high level discussions have
taken place with MSMC representatives. At this time, the Administration recommends
referring the issue to the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee (FCWPC) for further
direction.
MSMG Site:
MSMC has available land on the southern and northern portions of its campus which
currently serves as surface parking. Both sites were reviewed and the southern site was
identified by MSMC as the most favorable for varying reasons. While the southern site
results in longerwalking distances to the facilities on the MSMC campus and results in more
tratfic to the back of their campus, the site provides the following benefits:
o Not building close to bay or residentialo Flexibility for future expansion
o Provide sufficient space such that an adjacent lntermodal may be phased (laterdate)
o Dispersion of garage density and locations around campuso Does not require activation of ground level
Agenda ttem C(O
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Commission Memorandum - Refenal to FCWPC - lntermodal Facility at Mount Sinai Medical Center
October 22, 2014
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!ntermodal Facility:
The need for an intermodalfacility in Middle Beach was identified and documentedin200T
as part of the Coastal Communities Transit Plan Study completed for Miami-Dade Transit
(MDT) and the City of Miami Beach by the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the
University of South Florida. The study recommended a bus transfer station and park-and-
ride facility to be located within the MSMC campus and determined that such a facility would
be strategically located and advantageous for the following reasons:
o Proximity and access to the Julia Tuttle Causeway/l-195. lmproved connectivity for several existing bus routes. Adequate space for parking, bus operations, and bus stop amenities. Access to the City's streets. Provide a transfer location for a mid-beach circulatorthatwas also recommended as
part of the Coastal Communities Transit Plan Study
Staff's preliminary evaluation has determined thatthe development of a transit hub at MSMC
could potentially improve mobility within the City by enhancing transit transferability and
convenience. Currently, seven (7) MDT bus routes operate along streets surrounding this
facility, with five (5) of these routes having a dedicated stop within MSMC and there are
current plans by MDT to implement regional Express Bus services. ln addition, the
proposed intermodal facility could accommodate the recommended mid-beach circulator
service. These services could be accommodated within a transit hub at MSMC due to its
strategic location.
As a result of MSMC's proposal, City staff reached out to MDT to identify conceptual design
criteria for a transit hub, such as number of bus bays and minimum space requirements.
Based on conversations with MDT staff and a preliminary needs analysis, it is recommended
that eight (8) to ten (10) bus bays be provided within an intermodal facility at MSMC in order
to accommodate the current and future transit demand. The number of bus bays has been
calculated based on the frequency of bus service and scheduled layoverVrecoverytimes, as
well as the potential expansion of the City's Trolley service. Based on industry standards, in
order to accommodate the above recommended number of bus bays, a transit facility at
MSMC would require between 75,000 and 95,000 square feet, including space for about 75
parking spaces dedicated for park-and-ride passengers and bicycle storage.
It is important to note that MSMC has identified a timeline for their parking garage project
that dictates commencement of design no later than early November 2014. As a result, two
options are available to the City for further evaluation:
Option 1: lncorporating the lntermodal Facility within the Proposed MSMC Parking Garage
Traditionally, an intermodal facility is housed on the ground floor level of a parking garage in
order to reduce land cost and gain operational efficiencies. However, due to the time
constraints placed by MSMC, this option may adversely impact their timeline for the
construction of the parking garage.
Option 2: lntermodal Facility as an Ancillary Structure to Proposed MSMC Parking Garage
An intermodal facility could be constructed as a canopied structure on land immediately
adjacent to the parking garage. While not a preferred option, from a design and operational
perspective, it is certainly a viable option as Florida lnternational University (FlU) is in the
process of developing a canopy design for an intermodal facility at its SW 8th Street
Campus.
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Commission Memorandum - Referral to FCWPC - lntermodal Facility at Mount Sinai Medical Center
October 22, 2014
Page 3 of 3
Aside from the transit benefits, the facility has the potentialto provide for additional parking
in the mid-beach area. Employee parking in particular has become an issue in this area,
particularly along with the Collins Avenue corridor. A joint parking garage/intermodalfacility
could provide additional parking to be used by the employees, linked to their workplace by
either a City or employer-provided circulator/shuttle service. The MSMC lot has the
advantage that it is located at the entrance to the City from the Julia Tuttle Causeway
providing the opportunities for employees to park and transfer to transit services, mitigating
traffic impacts within the City.
MSMC has estimated a need for 500 parking spaces for their garage and there is the
potential to provide additional spaces for the City.
lntermodal Facility Alternative Sites:
The Administration has identified potential alternative sites for an intermodal facility in the
Middle Beach area.
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) tract of land located at the east end of
the Julia Tuttle Causeway (on FDOT right-of-way). Historically, FDOT has permitted
this site to the City for varying uses. The site could potentially accommodate an
intermodal facility. Additionally, leasing this site is anticipated to be at a substantially
reduced cost versus private property. lt is worth noting that FDOT recently sold a
32,183 sq. ft. parcel of surplus land to Talmudic University at a cost of $1 ,100,000
(or $34.18 per sq. ft.). Should the City Commission wish to explore the feasibility of
this alternate site, the Administration would pursue a partnership with FDOT for the
construction and joint use of an intermodal facility at this location.
Municipal parking lots on the south and north sides of 41st Street. These lots have
the advantage that are already owned by the City but they have the disadvantages
that they are adjacent to residential areas and would require some level of mitigation,
and they bring traffic from the mainland further into the City before they would be
able to park and transfer to transit service, As an example, Municipal Parking Lot
No. 63, located on 42nd Street between Royal Palm Avenue and Prairie Avenue, is
city-owned land and it is sufficiently sized to accommodate an intermodal facility.
Additionally, Municipal Parking Garage No. 6, located on 42nd Street between
Sheridan Avenue and Royal Palm Avenue is a dated facility. The garage could be
demolished with an intermodalfacility built in its place.
CONCLUSION
The Administration is recommending referring this issue to the FCWPC for direction and
input regarding the proposed joint venture intermodal facility on the MSMC campus.
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