On September 14, 2022, at the request of Vice-Mayor Alex Fernandez, the City Commission referred the subject discussion item (C4 AB) to the Land Use and Sustainability Committee (LUSC), the Public Safety Neighborhood and Quality of Life Committee (PSNQLC), and the Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee (FERC).  As noted in the attached referral memo, the item sponsor would like the Administration and the City Attorney’s Office to provide guidance as to the process for the pedestrianization of the 200 – 300 blocks of Lincoln Road and potential costs.  Additionally, the sponsor has requested that the Administration be ready to provide a professional recommendation as to whether the removal of vehicular traffic in these two blocks could help address the less than ideal conditions which currently contrast significantly with the rest of Lincoln Road.

The owner of the Dilido-Ritz property on the north side of Lincoln Road, between Collins Avenue and the beachwalk, has put together a vision plan for significant vehicular enhancements to the 100 Block of Lincoln Road, as well as the proposed conversion of the 200-300 blocks of Lincoln Road from vehicular to pedestrian.  As noted in the attached proposals prepared by the owner of the Dilido-Ritz (Attachment A - Community Renewal Plan and Delivery Options), a vision is proposed that would substantially transform the way Lincoln Road is experienced in the 200 – 300 blocks, as well as the connection to the beachwalk along the 100 Block.

At the November 14, 2022 FERC meeting, the Committee discussed this item and passed a motion favorably recommending the item to the City Commission, more specifically recommending 1) that the Administration enter into negotiations with the development team for a development agreement to be approved by the City Commission at a later date; 2) a Commission resolution supporting the closure of the 200 and 300 blocks of Lincoln Road to vehicular traffic and the partial closure of the 100 Block subject to certain conditions and approval of a traffic study; and 3) that the Administration work with the development team on a maintenance agreement for the maintenance of the 100 Block and the beachwalk. 

At the November 18, 2022 LUSC meeting, the Committee discussed this item and passed a motion favorably recommending the item to the City Commission, more specifically recommending that the Administration 1) work with the developer to finalize the traffic study and conduct the associated peer review; 2) verify the estimated construction costs; and 3) work with the developer on a development agreement.

Urban Design and Appropriateness

The proposal herein contains a very exciting vision that could transform the 200-300 blocks of Lincoln Road into a robust pedestrian plaza.  This could result in a public space transformation similar to that of the 1100 Block of Lincoln Road in 2010.  Additionally, the proposed enhancements at the eastern terminus of the 100 Block of Lincoln Road would allow for a more appropriate connection to the beachwalk.

Since the 100 – 300 blocks of Lincoln Road fall within a local historic district, approval from the Historic Preservation Board will be required.  While the proposed vision is noteworthy, a number of issues further detailed below must be addressed.

Transportation and Traffic Circulation

The concept proposed aligns with the City’s adopted modal prioritization of “pedestrians first” and with the City’s 2040 strategic goal of becoming less car-centric.  However, given the proposal would impact existing bus and trolley stops on Lincoln Road with historically high passenger activity, a transit mitigation plan will be essential to provide the appropriate transit accommodations as part of the proposal.  At this time, the developer’s traffic engineer has submitted a preliminary traffic assessment to the City (Attachment B).  A meeting between the Transportation and Mobility Department and the developer has been scheduled to discuss the study approach and methodology.  Per the developer’s traffic engineer, the traffic impact study is expected to be completed in 10-12 weeks once the methodology is approved.  In addition, pursuant to the City’s planning process, once the traffic study is completed, the Transportation and Mobility Department will engage a traffic engineering consultant to conduct an independent peer review of the developer’s traffic impact study to ensure the County’s process governing street closures is followed and to ensure the City’s concerns are addressed.  The peer review is expected to take a couple weeks to complete and the process is anticipated to generate technical comments regarding traffic circulation and transit accommodations which will need to be addressed.

At this preliminary stage in the process, the following transportation-related items require further study and analysis:

1. Impacts to the existing key bus stops on the south and north sides of Lincoln Road between Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue and the need to develop a proper transit mitigation plan that, ideally, would integrate a transit facility as part of the street reconfiguration or in close proximity.
   
   
2.  Completion, by the proposer's traffic engineer, of a traffic impact study pursuant to the Miami-Dade County Traffic Flow Modification Procedure for street closures, including conducting a public hearing due to access management modifications.
   
   
3. Review and approval from both the Florida Department of Transportation and Miami-Dade County will be required for the proposed street closure.

Capital Cost and Funding

As noted in the attached cost estimates provided by the proposer, the estimated construction cost of the proposed improvements is approximately $25 million (Attachment C).  The City’s Office of Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) is evaluating the cost estimates provided by the proposer.  The proposer has stated that it would be responsible for the soft costs while the City would be responsible for the hard costs.  This component will need to be further discussed and vetted in detail by the Administration and the City Commission through negotiations of a development agreement with the proposer.