Skywalk, Aquatic Center and park complex proposed to enhance city
By Bari Auerbach
Shortly after “sea-sational” news broke that Wometco, owners of Miami Seaquarium, consider Sunny Isles Beach an ideal location for a proposed Aquatic Center – the city made headlines again…J. Milton Associates, Inc. recently announced plans to participate in construction of a “first class” public park adjacent to the Aquatic Center plus a “dynamic Skywalk” that could connect the complex to a new parking garage and provide easy access to the beach.
At the Feb. 18 City Commission meeting, Joseph Milton of J. Milton & Associates (developers of the St. Tropez condominium) along with a project architect presented schematics of the complex proposed to fulfill the city’s vision to enhance Sunny Isles Boulevard and create a vibrant Town Center district.
‘Town Center Vision Fulfilled’
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for eight years,” Milton said. “When Jack Luft was a consultant [for the city] I participated in workshops…With my father’s assistance, we bought a lot of property…we believed the vision for the Town Center would be of great value to the city in the future.”
Milton referenced excerpts from an “Open Space and Public Parking Initiative” report presented by urban planner Jack Luft in keeping with long range goals of the Sunny Isles Beach Comprehensive Plan regarding the need for parks, open space, recreational facilities and public parking - especially on the southern end of the city. To facilitate this goal, the City Commission purchased land on Sunny Isles Boulevard including properties located at 215-255 Sunny Isles Boulevard and 151 Sunny Isles Boulevard acquired via eminent domain.
“The objective of the Town Center is to create a gateway statement along Sunny Isles Boulevard to the city and also create retail centers, a village green and center for the community to gather as well as parking to serve retail and public facilities,” Luft explained.
Luft also pointed out, “There are areas of the city that are [now] underserved and have limited access to park spaces. This occurs in the 163rd Street area and the south [end of the city]. There are parks north of 172nd Street – and very few south of that. We also want a diversity of active and passive space to allow for the growth of cultural facilities and have a community-wide gathering and event space [as well as] vehicular access, visibility and safety.”
Luft also addressed issues relating to population growth supporting the need for additional parks and recreational amenities in Sunny Isles Beach. “An astounding number of condos developed along Collins Avenue, the bay front and 163rd Street add dwelling units that when fully occupied will create a population of 45,000 residents around the year 2020,” Luft said. “This poses a problem because the city’s Comprehensive Plan states that by law, there must be 2.75 acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents…One of the objectives of the city’s Comprehensive Plan is to provide for a much broader array of pubic uses. If we exclude the beach, the remaining acreage in the city amounts to .8 or less than 1 acre of parkland for every 1,000 residents - far from the state standard needed.”
‘Special Sense of Design’
At a City Commission meeting held on Jan. 28, Arthur H. Hertz, Chair of Wometco Enterprises noted the proposed Aquatic Center’s “special sense of design” would be compatible with the neighboring St. Tropez development, fostering a pedestrian-friendly environment – a major component of the city’s vision for the Town Center district.
Addressing site selection for the Aquatic Center, Hertz praised Sunny Isles Beach, “This city is beautiful and fiscally sound,” he said. “This can be attributed to [strong] leadership…The [Aquatic Center] will complement the essence of the city and be a special destination point capturing the attention of neighboring cities.”
Beyond adjectives used to describe the proposed Aquatic Center, park and parking garage complex ranging from “elegant, modern and magnificent” – to “architecture becoming art” – amenities envisioned include a learning center, variety of exhibits, educational programs and interactive programming focused on marine life; a restaurant, banquet facilities; a lagoon buffered by vegetation indigenous of Florida; an expansive lawn and tropical garden; performance stage; pedestrian ramps and public art plaza.
‘Proceed With Caution’
On Feb. 18, Mayor Norman S. Edelcup commended Hertz and Milton for “magnificent presentations and a wonderful opportunity for Sunny Isles Beach to integrate the [proposed Wometco Aquatic Center] with a park.”
Edelcup went on to express the sentiments of fellow commissioners. “We all agree this is a beautiful project but there are a lot of details that have to be worked out…everything is contingent on the project going forward [as a whole]…Portions may be developed with private funds and public funds – but the actual design is something we need to lock into early on.
“At this point, we have a willing partner in Wometco – so it behooves the city to see if we can put together a master plan with all the players…[However] the city has to protect itself to ensure its contribution is a fair cost and there is [a fair return] to residents…Hopefully, we’ll all get to ‘the finish line’ together and the project will go forward.”
Edelcup also emphasized, “There is nothing that has been presented that [the City Commission] has voted on. When there is something to vote on there will be public hearings…We’re doing nothing today other than hearing proposals of what to consider. He went on to make a recommendation instructing city staff to gather information. “We need to see if we can get a separation of costs put into distinct piles to make sure the city is getting a fair and equitable cost on the project.”
