On October 19, 2016, the Mayor and City Commission approved Resolution no. 2016-29608, adopted the North Beach Master Plan, which identified the North Beach Town Center located in the North Shore D Neighborhood as needing redevelopment and revitalization.

On May 16, 2018, the Mayor and City approved Ordinance No. 2018-4189 adopted the Comprehensive Plan Amendment “Miami Beach 18-1ESR” which provided for an increase to the maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) in the Town Center (TC) zoning districts (Collins and Dickens Avenues to Indian Creek Drive between 69 and 72 Streets) to 3.5 FAR from the current FAR of 2.25 to 2.75 for the TC-1 district; from 2.0 for the TC-2 district; and from 1.25 for the TC-3 district. 

November 14, 2018, the Mayor and City Commission approved Resolution No. 2018-30613, authorizing the City to enter into negotiations with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. (“Jacobs”) pursuant to Request for Qualifications No. 2018-312-KB for Master Design Consultant for Integrated Water Management (the “RFQ”).

On February 28, 2019, the City and Jacobs entered into an Agreement for Master Design Consultant for Integrated Water Management (“Agreement”), having an initial term of three (3) years, with two (2) one-year renewal terms, both of which have been approved.  

At the June 18, 2021 and July 16, 2021 Budget Workshops, the City budgeted $40,627,421 for the North Shore D and Town Center Neighborhood Improvement Project in the City of Miami Beach 2022-2026 Capital Improvement Plan under Future Stormwater Funding, thereby prioritizing the improvements for this Neighborhood to be completed in the near future. On September 30, 2021, the Mayor and City Commission approved Resolution 2021-31860 adopting the tentative Capital Improvement Plan for fiscal years 2022-2026 and adopting the City of Miami beach tentative Capital Budget for fiscal year 2022.

On September 20, 2022, the City executed the $10,000,000 grant agreement #22FRP35 with the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), pursuant to Florida Statutes Section 215.971, for the design and permitting of infrastructure upgrades in the Town Center.

The tasks for Work Order 5A entail the basis of design and field investigations for the installation of a new stormwater quality treatment system and pump station and replacing water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure within the North Shore D Neighborhood (Town Center Area) bounded by 69 Street to the south, 73 Street to the north, the Tatum Waterway to the west, and Collins Ave to the east.

The North Beach Town Center is a priority flood mitigation project in the heart of the newly designated Community Redevelopment Area. The project intention is to design the necessary improvements to harden and revitalize the area with the primary objective of mitigating flooding caused by intense rain events, high tides, and sea level rise. Additionally, the Public Works Department identified improvements required to rehabilitate or replace aging infrastructure and to support the many developments encouraged to build in the Town Center Area due to the FAR increase. This project will take the existing commercial hub of North Beach and develop the flood mitigation and water and sewer infrastructure to transform it into a resilient, compact, pedestrian-friendly town center that is vibrant and dynamic.

The City has conducted several City-wide studies to identify improvements needed throughout the City’s infrastructure: The City’s 2019 Water and Sewer Master Plans, completed by Hazen and Sawyer, P.C., identified several priority improvements to the water and sewer infrastructure within the Town Center area; and the 2019 Stormwater Facilities Plan, completed by AECOM Technical Service, Inc., identified the replacement and upsize of a majority of the stormwater infrastructure and the installation of up to two (2) stormwater pump stations for the Town Center area.

Due to this potential population increase generated by the FAR increase, it is necessary to conduct hydraulic modeling analysis and existing system assessments to correctly size the potable water, sanitary sewer, and stormwater systems in the Town Center Area to ensure that the infrastructure will support current and future population growth. Due to the various unknowns, the Public Works Department determined that it is necessary to conduct a Basis of Design Analysis and Report prior to detailed design. Additionally, the North Beach Town Center and surrounding areas are a highly trafficked area by both pedestrians and vehicles, and 71 Street is an emergency evacuation route and a State highway. The construction of all infrastructure improvements will need to be phased to address critical infrastructure needs, maintain traffic flow, and manage funding availability.

Procurement Selection Process:

November 14, 2018, the Mayor and City Commission approved Resolution No. 2018-30613, authorizing the City to enter into negotiations with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. pursuant to Request for Qualifications No. 2018-312-KB for Master Design Consultant for Integrated Water Management. Jacobs Engineering Group was the only selected Engineering Consultant under this contract. On February 28, 2019, the City and Jacobs Engineering Group entered into an Agreement for Master Design Consultant for Integrated Water Management (“Agreement”), having an initial term of three (3) years, with two (2) one-year renewal terms, both of which have been approved.  

Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. provided a proposal to conduct the Basis of Design Report and Analysis, construction phasing, and public outreach tasks under executed agreement 2018-312-KB for Master Design Consultant for Integrated Water Management. This Work Order 5A for Phase 1 design will (1) conduct necessary hydraulic analysis and assessments to evaluate aging infrastructure and capacity improvements (2) prioritize critical infrastructure updates surrounding the developments in the Town Center Area; (3) to phase construction along major corridors to maintain traffic flow, (4) to develop an incremental plan for construction depending on funding availability, and (5) develop a public outreach strategy to engage all stakeholders.

Pursuant to the agreement request for proposals (RFQ) 2018-312-KB Master Design Consultant for Integrated Water Management between the City and Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. and authorizing a task order to complete the engineering and consulting services required for the basis of design for services including: (1) design analysis for potable water, sanitary sewer, and stormwater infrastructure needs; (2) the sizing and location of future stormwater pump station(s) and water quality structures; (3) the construction phasing for completing the required improvements; (4) support services for public outreach and communications with project stakeholders and residents in the amount not to exceed of $1,825,978.52 performed by Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. and CES Consulting, Inc.; and approving Hazen and Sawyer, P.C., as a new subconsultant, to perform specialized ancillary services for hydraulic modeling and associated analysis for potable water and sanitary sewer infrastructure in the amount not to exceed of $327,978.88; and approving Brizaga, Inc., as a new subconsultant, to perform specialized ancillary services for public outreach and stakeholder communication services in the amount not to exceed of $124,602.54; and approving Longitude Surveyors, LLC, as a new subconsultant, to perform specialized ancillary services for surveying in the total amount not to exceed of $352,565.00; and approving PSI Technologies, Inc., as a new subconsultant, to perform ancillary specialized services for geotechnical investigations in the amount not to exceed of $22,694.52, for a total project not to exceed amount of $2,653,819.46.    

In accordance with Article 1 of the Agreement, contract amendments require the approval from City Commission for amounts in excess of $50,000. Therefore, this item seeks authority to approve the following subconsultants: Hazen and Sawyer, P.C., Brizaga, Inc., Longitude Surveyors, LLC, and PSI Technologies, Inc., included as part of this agenda item in order to approve all of the needed modifications in a comprehensive manner.

Account Code: 303-0815-061357-29-410-561-00-00-00-50323

The total project budget for Phase 1 design services is $2,653,819. The City has been awarded a total of $10M in Resilient Florida Grants from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for design and permitting. The City received approval from FDEP to use the Master Design Consultant for Integrated Water Management (2018-312-KB) and Jacobs Engineering Group for the grant-funded project January 24, 2023. This funding will be used to fund Work Order 5A in its entirety.  

The City has applied for a Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Grant funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the amount of $49M with a City Match of $20M for the construction of the Stormwater Components; the City has not been awarded this funding at this time. This project will provide a cost estimate for the proposed infrastructure improvements and the City will engage another estimating consultant to validate the conceptual estimate.  

As the Project continues to progress and more accurate cost estimates are developed, the City will look into opportunities to minimize the funding gap by securing additional grant funds, value engineering the Project and, phasing the Project.

Once completed, this project will take the existing commercial hub of North Beach and develop the flood mitigation and water and sewer infrastructure to transform it into a resilient, compact, pedestrian-friendly Town Center that is vibrant and dynamic. This project will improve the mobility and quality-of-life for our residents, visitors, and workforce.

In order for the City to advance the improvements in the North Beach Town Center Neighborhood, the Administration recommends that the Mayor and City Commission adopt the Resolution approving the Task Order with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.