LTC 227-2005 North Beach Recreational Corridor
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. 227-2005
m
From:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez \ rt-"'~
City Manager 0 0
NORTH BEACH RECREATIONAL CORRIDOR
Date: August 30, 2005
To:
Subject:
This letter is to inform you that we are one step closer to starting the construction of the
North Beach Recreational Corridor (NBRC) project. The City of Miami Beach has received
from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), notice of intent to issue
permits for the NBRC project, pending approval from the Fish & Wildlife Conservation
Commission (FWCC) and any potential written objections from the public.
After the FDEP notice of intent to issue permits were granted, two administrative hearing
petitions were filed with the FDEP seeking formal hearings under Chapter 120, Florida
Statutes, against the NBRC from three residents in the Altos del Mar neighborhoods. The
City Attorney's office has asked the outside counsel that assisted in resolving some of the
permitting issues with FDEP to represent the City in the FDEP permit challenge. An
administrative hearing has been tentatively set for September 2005 before an
Administrative Law Judge with the Division of Administrative Hearings. In addition, the
administration and the City Attorney's Office have met with, and talked with, the residents
and their counsel, and will explore a settlement agreement to resolve the residents'
concerns, if possible. If a settlement cannot be reached with the Altos del Mar petitioners
(Martin Taplin, Frank and Nancy Bona, and Dr. Jack and Mary Michel) and the litigation is
required to resolve the disputes, phases 1 & 2 of the NBRC will continue with construction
estimated to begin on those phases in January 2006. The only section of the NBRC that is
being challenged is phase 3, from 76th Street to 79th Street.
As previously noted, the NBRC will create an environmentally sensitive recreational
greenway which will interconnect a series of park facilities distributed throughout the City's
residential North Beach District. The recreational path will run from 64th to 79th streets east
of the erosion control line and west of the sand dune system. The path will be located
either on City or State property, never on private property. It will also tie into a regional
network of planned recreational trails/alternative transportation routes, called the Atlantic
Greenway Network, connecting five public parks, eight beach access areas, and seven
regional parking facilities in Miami Beach.
<::>
U1
The Atlantic Greenway Network is made up of two main trail systems; the Beach Cor~Rtor~
which extend in a general northbound/southbound direction, running between th~ er~io'h
control line and the dune system; and the Neighborhood Trails, which extend in:;2i g~rqtn
east-west as well as north-south directions through the south, middle, and north Qli,act:i;=
...)~ ~ .........
neighborhoods. :::, ~ ..'k'> m
-q 1..0~
-n '.. CJ
- U1 1-1
o 0"\
I"T1
Individual projects will be constructed to create a continuous trail network allowing for
alternative transportation and community enhancement. The NBRC will be the most
northern connection of the beach corridor connecting to the North Shore Open Space Park.
The NBRC project has been divided into three phases (see attached map):
Phase 1 - Allison Park (64th _65th Street Park)
Phase 2 - Ocean Terrace (65th _76th Street)
Phase 3 - Altos del Mar (76th _79th Street)
The path running along the Ocean Terrace and Altos del Mar neighborhoods will be a
mixed use path for bicyclists, pedestrians and rollerbladers. The path width will be 15 feet
wide in Ocean Terrace transitioning to 10 feet wide in the Altos del Mar neighborhood. The
change in width in the Altos del Mar path resulted from a request made by the Altos del
Mar residents to move the path as far east as possible. The maximum distance that FDEP
would allow between the Erosion Control Line (ECl) and the path is 30 feet. As a result,
the path had to be narrowed to 10 feet to accommodate this request.
Additional modifications to the path design have been made as a result of requests from
the Altos del Mar neighborhood, including an additional privacy berm running along the
western side of the NBRC path. The proposed berm would be slightly higher than the path
and would be heavily vegetated to provide a visual and physical screen between upland
properties and persons on the NBRC path. A sand fence would also be available for
installation along the western berm depending on the interest by the upland owners.
landscaping along the path will generally consist of beach dune vegetation such as sea
oats, sea grapes, and coconut palms as appropriate. Undesirable exotic species such as
scaevola frutescens will be permanently removed and replanted with native species as part
of the City's dune enhancement program. In anticipation of the NBRC project, beach
compatible sand that has been donated to the City by the Carillon project has already been
staged at North Shore Open Space Park. Over 4500 cubic yards of sand will be used for
the enhancement of the dunes along the path.
Lighting is essential for the NBRC to improve public safety. Bollard light fixtures will be
used throughout the entire path of the NBRC. Stringent FDEP and FWCC requirements
for marine turtle nesting govern light intensity and direction. Florida's sandy beaches are
nesting sites for several species of threatened or endangered species of marine turtle,
which are protected by Section 370.12, Florida Statutes (the Marine Turtle Protection Act).
Improper lighting can inhibit the successful nesting of turtles. The combination of light
intensity (photometrics) required for security and the environmental restrictions for coastal
lighting presented a unique challenge to the lighting design process. As a result, the City
has worked to design a special light fixture for this project to meet the unique aesthetic,
safety, and environmental demands of the project. A shorter bollard fixture with turtle
shields is being developed to meet all FDEP and FWCC requirements.
Due to the proximity of the NBRC to the Coastal Construction Control Line and ECl, the
City was required to obtain DEP CCCl permits for the project. Many of the design
elements (especially the path) had to be planned and engineered based on FDEP
requirements.
The current estimated cost of the project is approximately $4.2 million. The City has
secured the following funds: $1,741,000 in funding from County Transportation
Enhancement Funds; $573,000 in Federal Housing and Urban Development grants;
$107,934 in ADA grant money; $670,000 in GO Bond funds; $960,000 from Federal
SAFETEA-lU appropriations; and $78,000 in North Beach Quality of Life funds.
Due to the extensive permitting process and sensitive nature of the project's environment,
the NBRC is being managed by the Environmental Resources Management Division of
Public Works. Please feel free to contact me if you have any issues or concerns regarding
this prod
JM~~B\FV\jZr
c: Robert Middaugh, Assistant City Manager
Fred Beckmann, Public Works Director
Fernando Vazquez, City Engineer
Jordanna Rubin, Environmental Resources Manager
Murray H. Dubbin, City Attorney
Gary M. Held, First Assistant City Attorney
F:\WORK\$ALL\JORDANNA RUBIN\NBRC\L TCs & Memos\L TC update Aug 2005 FINALL.doc
NORTH BEACH RECREATIONAL CORRIDOR
LEGEND
PHASE 1- AWSON PARK 64TH-65TH STREET PARK
PHASE 2 - OCEAN TERRACE 65TH - 76TH STREET
PHASE 3 - ALTOS DEL MAR 76TH -79TH STREET
TY LIMITS
CITY LIMITS
BlSCA 'l'NE BEAOi
BISCA 'l'NE POINT
NORMANDY SHORES
-
ISlE OF NORMANDY