LTC 249-2020 COMPLETION OF THE INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN249-2020
to both inform the community about the actions the City is taking to adapt to climate change and
to solicit community input. Additionally, in the case of green infrastructure, the community was
made aware of actions they can take that help adapt to climate change and protect the
environment.
The three documents presented within the plan support the City's resilience strategy by reducing
flood risks in ways that increase environmental protection and create social and economic value
for the residents of, and visitors to, the City. The completion of these documents was necessary
to set the basis for the implementation of design criteria packages (DCP) for City projects moving
forward. The three documents that comprise the plan and their results are summarized below.
The Blue Green Stormwater Infrastructure (BGSI) Concept Plan
This Concept Plan will guide the City’s integration of blue green stormwater practices into existing
planning and capital improvement projects. These practices, selected for application specifically
in Miami Beach, include bioretention, rainwater harvesting, restored/constructed wetlands
(including floating wetlands), stormwater planters and other practices that can be implemented
on commercial property, residential property, public facilities/spaces and transportation corridors.
The intent is to increase the scale of implementation to realize the following benefits:
•Improve the water quality of the stormwater being discharged to Biscayne Bay
•Support flood reduction efforts by improved management of stormwater runoff from smaller, more
frequent storm events
•Enhance the landscape with aesthetically pleasing practices guided by landscape architecture
and innovative urban designs that provide social and economic value in locally relevant and
neighborhood-specific ways
The Commission’s approval of The Blue Green Stormwater Infrastructure (BGSI) Concept Plan
will finalize these guidelines and plans for the City to integrate these practices into the master
planning and capital improvement projects. The BGSI Concept Plan can be found by accessing
the following link:
http://www.miamibeachfl.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Blue-Green-Stormwater-Infrastructure-
Concept-Plan.pdf
The Road Elevation Strategy
The new policy for Road Elevations in the City is based on updated Sea Level Rise (SLR)
projections and provides flexibility to accommodate harmonization of elevated roads with adjacent
private property. The policy is designed to reduce the likelihood of sunny day flooding of road
surfaces, groundwater elevation causing poor pavement performance, and to provide
harmonization with surrounding land uses (perhaps with green infrastructure). The final
recommended policy is as follows:
•A flexible and tailored approach for varying City conditions and needs that is not “one size fits
all”
•Emergency Roads: The edge of the road needs to be above 4.8 feet in elevation (NAVD88 is
used for all elevations in the new policy).
•Major and Local Roads: The edge of road needs to be above 3.9 feet elevation
•For all roads, the bottom of road base needs to be above 2.9 feet elevation
•Flexibility is provided for situations where these minimum road elevation requirements cannot be
harmonized with adjacent private property. When lower road elevations are allowed, they are
accompanied by upgraded road-base materials to protect road reliability and service life from
groundwater impacts.
The Commission’s approval of the updated The Road Elevation Strategy will cause the prior policy
to be replaced by this updated and flexible policy to guide future road elevation projects. As part
of this policy update, Jacobs Engineering identified 64 areas in the City that will require road
elevation improvements; these are factored into the prioritization of neighborhood projects. The
Road Elevation Strategy can be found by accessing the following link:
http://www.miamibeachfl.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Road-Elevation-Strategy.pdf
The Neighborhood Project Prioritization
The Commission’s approval of the plans, guidelines, and results will allow the City to begin
implementation of DCPs for the recommended 56 prioritized neighborhood projects.
A comprehensive portfolio of 56 neighborhood projects was developed and prioritized using a
methodology that was vetted with community stakeholders, the READY Team and the City
Commission. Neighborhood projects were prioritized based on following management objectives:
• Flood risk reduction
• Addressing critical water and sewer system needs and service supply reliability
• Population served by the project
•Minimization of community disruption by consolidation of construction activities
A total of 560 individual capital infrastructure projects from the City’s water, sewer, stormwater
and transportation master plans and other planning documents (i.e., Blueways, GO Bond and the
current CIP program) were evaluated to determine the degree to which each supports the above
management objectives. A total of 401 projects were included in the final prioritization; which
includes 64 new road elevation projects developed by Jacobs Engineering based on the new
Road Elevation Strategy.
Capital projects across all planning areas were bundled into neighborhood projects to minimize
community impacts from construction activities and in preparation for development of DCPs. DCP
development will include the addition of Blue Green Stormwater Infrastructure per the Concept
Plan and urban design elements to increase the social and economic benefits of these projects.
The Commission’s approval of The Neighborhood Project Prioritization, including the 56
neighborhood projects, will empower the City to develop DCPs for each project and begin
implementation. The Neighborhood Project Prioritization can be found by accessing the following
link:
http://www.miamibeachfl.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Neighborhood-Project-Prioritization.pdf
If you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Roy
Coley, Public Works Director at extension 7080.
JLM/AH/RC/NPJ