At the October 13, 2021 meeting, the City Commission approved a referral to the Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee, to discuss the status of the future North Beach Town Center Road Raising Project.

The City of Miami Beach operates a stormwater management system that collects, conveys, treats, and disposes of stormwater runoff from public rights of way. The primary function of this system is to facilitate travel along thoroughfares while maintaining a safe and livable condition for the City’s residents and visitors. Recently, the City has undertaken a significant capital program that upgrades the stormwater system to account for sea level rise and climate change.

During the development of its capital program, the City consulted numerous subject matter experts (including the Urban Land Institute) and developed a holistic stormwater management strategy - one that attenuates flooding while mimicking nature’s water cycle. In addition, the team and community members received validation of the project’s goals and valuable feedback from the West Avenue Resilience Accelerator, a partnership between 100 Resilient Cities and Columbia University. The current strategy provides a framework for a sustainable approach to urban stormwater management. It includes raising the elevation of certain roadways, to minimize sunny day flooding, and incorporates green infrastructure that replenishes the freshwater lens and mitigates the transport of excessive nutrient loads into Biscayne Bay.

The Integrated Stormwater Prioritization plan ranks North Beach Town Center (North Shore D) as number 13 on the priority list. Please refer to the attachment for the Town Center Project boundaries. However, due to the large number of developments coming online in the area, the Administration has recommended this project during the budget retreat.

The Public Works Department recommends raising the roads within the North Shore CRA (Town Center), per the Jacobs Integrated Water Master Plan. The Public Works Department also recommends coordinating this road raising effort with the development community to mitigate the impacts of construction and harmonization. Lastly, the Public Works Department recommends this project be completed as part of a comprehensive neighborhood improvement project. The high-level planning estimate for this project is $125M.