MIAMI-In an attempt to "seize control" of the project, new Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy Morales has proposed a less ambitious plan for a new convention center that would have no new housing and little retail space.

Morales' plan was detailed in a memo to a city committee on Monday. His proposal comes just two weeks prior to the city choosing a development team for the $1-billion convention center project, according to the Miami Herald.

“This is the first real opportunity that staff has had to say, 'This is what we think is the right program mix.' There is no question this produces less private revenue, but we feel pretty comfortable that through public funds we can make up the difference,” Morales said.

If implemented, Morales' plan would retain an 800-room hotel, with the possibility of adding 200 more rooms on top of the 17th Street Garage or on the east side of the convention center; build up to 70,000 square feet of retail in the ground and top floors of the garage; build no new housing; and potentially preserve the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater. See story in the Miami Herald.