The Mayor's 41st Street Blue Ribbon Committee (the "Commitee") was formed in March 2018, and is comprised of the following ten members, appointed by Mayor Gelber:
Seth Gadinsky, Chair
Betty Behar
Michael Burnstine
Yechiel Ciment
Francisco Diez-Rivas
Eric Hankin
Jerri Herzberg Bassuk
Robin Jacobs
Kayla Rynor
Jeremy Wachtel
On March 23, 2018, the Committee held their first meeting and approved the following goals and objectives to guide their work moving forward:
- Improve quality of life through multi-modal transportation design (to include interconnection of rapid transit to the mainland)
- Community engagement
- Define the overall vision for 41st Street as the main entrance gateway to Mid Beach
- Storefront revitalization and façade incentives
- Assessment of current public works
- Infrastructure improvements to inform 2018 GO Bond
- Define key opportunities and challenges
Since the kick-off meeting, the Committee has met monthly (April 9, 2018 / May 15, 2018 / June 19, 2018 / July 31, 2018) and has focused on identifying high-level priorities for 41st Street to inform the GO Bond projects. Directly related to this priority setting, the Committee discussed the scope of work for a master plan and engagement of the urban design team Alta Planning and Gehl Studios to produce an urban design plan for the 41st Street Corridor.
On July 31, 2018, the Committee discussed and adopted the 41st Street Urban Design Vision Plan. The final design report is a culmination of a 4-week process which included several Committee brainstorm sessions, stakeholder meetings, and a public charrette. The report provides an assessment and analysis of the 41st Street corridor, with proposed recommendations guided by core principles/strategies based upon resident feedback as well as the design team's analysis of the street. The full report can be accessed here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dw9cflnz4qn5gw5/20180705_Miami%20Beach%20Vision_Gehl_Final%20Report.pdf?dl=0
Below are the proposed strategies outlined in the final report:
- Make More Room for Life: Widen sidewalks, make designated bus lanes, shorten pedestrian crossings, create hangout spots
- Make Life More Comfortable: Provide shade, increase seating, calm traffic
- Provide Meaningful Shade: Increase tree canopy, increase awning coverage, provide shade at bus stops
- Introduce Human Scale Green: Utilize hanging plants/vines, increase tree canopy, introduce planters, create bio-swales and planters that can support climate adaptation and activity
- Bridge the Gaps: Shorten crossing distances, increase pedestrian walk times, remove sidewalk clutter, increase mid-block crossings, improve pavement quality
- Create World-class Bus Stops: Protect riders from rain and sun, provide seating, leverage bus shelters as places that can also provide neighborhood amenities such as bike parking, bike pumps or vending
- Welcome to 41st: Increase public art along the street, provide playful and clear wayfinding, promote local businesses
- Take a Seat: Add more space for both public and commercial seating
- Light the Night: Orient lighting to the human scale
- Create More Invitation for People to Stay: Provide creative programming, incentivize business owners to “spill out into the street”, increase permits for outdoor drinking
- Create More Opportunities for People to Connect: Convert street spaces to people space, increase people space in front of stores and restaurants
The main focus of the design plan is the reconfiguration of the street to allow for more public space. The report makes recommendations for three (3) proposed designs which would allow for wider sidewalks, increased tree canopy and better human-scale lighting, as follows:
Option 1: Reduce lane widths, remove sidewalk clutter, reprogram on-street parking. Keep four travel lanes with one turn lane. This will allow the sidewalk space to go from 10 feet to 23 feet.
Option 2: Eliminate turn lane, reduce lane widths, remove clutter, reprogram on-street parking. This will allow the sidewalk space to go from 10 feet to 29 feet and could include a protected bike lane.
Option 3: Eliminate two travel lanes, 1 being a turn lane, reduce lane widths, remove clutter, reprogram on-street parking. This will allow the sidewalk space to go from 10 feet to 34 feet and would include a protected bike path.
The Committee made a motion to recommend Option 1, and further requested that the Administration explore bicycle lanes on 40th Street and 42nd Street.
While this long-term vision of 41st Street will require longer-term capital investment and redesign of the street, the report provides recommendations for short-term pilot projects and activations to test different concepts before accepting/implementing a final design. The design brief suggests several pilot projects, including: green zones, enhanced pedestrian crossings, play zones, and dedicated zones for bicyclists on 41st Street.
In addition to adopting the Alta Planning/Gehl Studio Design Plan recommendations as the vision for the 41st Street corridor, the Committee also recommended the following pilot projects be made a priority for future implementation:
- parklets
- temporary shade structures
- increased lighting
- programming
- a pilot bicycle lane on 41st Street
The Committee continues to meet to discuss specific sites for pilot projects and evaluate costs and next steps.
During the September 2018 City Commission meeting the review of the plan was referred to the Land Use and Development Committee for review.
On November 18, 2018 the Land Use and Development Committee reviewed the plan with Gehl Studios and members of the 41st Street Committee and recommended (1) approving Option #1 and (2) developing a multi-year work plan and referring to Finance and Citywide Projects Committee the review of the work plan and prioritize budgeted funds.