According to a Real Estate Asset Inventory report, compiled by CBRE Inc., the City of Miami Beach currently owns sixty-two (62) individual properties (the “City Properties”) classified on the Miami-Dade County Property Appraisal website as “Vacant”. The current uses of some of these City Properties include parks, parking lots, pedestrian right of ways, vehicle right of ways, setbacks, water pump stations, and a couple vacant buildings (the Byron Carlyle and the Barclay).
This exercise excluded properties currently used as pedestrian rights of way, a street, on-street parking, an active parking lot, or park. Also excluded from the list was the Byron Carlyle Theater as the building’s proximity to the property line prohibits the placement of fencing or landscaping.
Consequently, eighteen (18) City Properties were considered for landscape and/or fencing. Many of the properties are on Collins Ave between 79th Street and 87th Street (the West Lots) and are composed of two or more folios totaling four (4) parcels. The vacant government properties contemplated are listed in Exhibit A providing their location, “street view” image, and an estimated cost for landscaping and fencing.
The Facilities Division collaborated with the Office of Capital Improvements (CIP), and the Planning Department to arrive at some scalable numbers that could be used to estimate the fiscal impact of the landscaping and fencing for these properties. Using recent projects, an average cost of $149,549/ acre, or $3.50/ sq. ft. was used to calculate the landscaping estimates for the 18 individual parcels. The fencing costs are derived from the City’s current fencing contract for 6’ aluminum picket fence specified for this use. Exhibit B attached hereto provides a summary of costs for lots contemplated based on their applicability to the Ordinance's requirements.
Based on the foregoing, the fiscal impact associated with fencing or landscaping these City Properties should be considered and funding appropriated for their improvements.