At the April 13, 2016 Commission meeting, the City Commission heard item R9R, a discussion regarding interior flooding at the Byron Carlyle Theater. As part of the discussion, former Director of Tourism Culture and Economic Development, Max Sklar sought direction on whether or not to start the process for the future of the facility, and potentially go out to bid for the redevelopment of the site. Commissioner Malakoff made the recommendation to wait until the North Beach Masterplan was completed before moving forward with a scope of work for the Byron Carlyle Theater site. As part of the North Beach Masterplan, the Byron Carlyle Theater was examined for possible redevelopment. The North Beach Masterplan concluded that the Byron Carlyle Theater has the potential to be a catalytic project that embodies the vision for the Town Center. The Master Plan recommends that by carefully conceptualizing the redesign of this property, the City could begin to implement the Town Center concept with mixed-use, multistory development and encourage further development along 71 Street. Some of the uses recommended in the North Beach Masterplan include a library, an economic incubator to spur entrepreneurship in the area, or a welcome center. The new building could include office spaces and/or civic uses in to the upper floors.
At the October 26, 2017 North Beach Steering Committee, representatives from Miami Dade College presented on how they would like to partner with the City of Miami Beach. One of their suggestions was to bring a satellite campus to North Beach and noted the opportunity to use the Byron Carlyle space. The Committee made a motion to the support and encourage a potential partnership between Miami Dade College and the City of Miami Beach. Additionally, the approved FAR ballot measure will have direct impact on any future design and development plans within the Byron Carlyle site as it is in the Town Center (TC) zoning district. The policy will not go into effect until the Commission approves a new ordinance of the FAR zoning changes.
The item was discussed at the Neighborhoods and Community Affairs Committee on December 22, 2017. The Committee recommended that staff conduct a community charrette to reengage residents around the North Beach Master Plan and the future use of the Byron Carlyle before issuing an RFP for development.