South Beach ACE Wins Palm View Endorsement

MIAMI—South Beach ACE has added another notch to on its endorsement belt as the design competition to redevelop the Miami Beach Convention Center and its 52-acre site enters its final month leading up to a July City Commission vote. The Palm View Historic District Association has given a nod to its plans.

The group represents the residents of Miami Beach's Palm View neighborhood, which is located directly west of the convention center site. Given this proximity, Palm View will be among the neighborhoods most impacted by the project's construction.

“The residents of Palm View have attended public meetings, listened to both teams, and shared our feedback throughout this process,” says Palm View Historic District Association representative Michael Jarboe. “We have consulted as a community and arrived at the same overwhelming, virtually unanimous conclusion: South Beach ACE is the right team to undertake this redevelopment. Their master plan makes the most sense for our neighborhood, their plans for construction and financing are realistic, and their principals have taken the time to listen and incorporate our feedback.”

Palm View based its endorsement on several key factors in the South Beach ACE plan: The aesthetic design of the convention center and hotel; plans for residential buildings and green space along Meridian Avenue, which will link Palm View with the convention center site; more than 28 acres of new open space and recreation areas, made possible by a series of covered garages; considerations for improving traffic flow, mobility and pedestrian safety; and the project's realistic construction timeline and plans for minimizing impacts on the surrounding neighborhood while the project is underway.

“While the residents of Palm View overwhelmingly support this redevelopment project, they also want to ensure their quality of life remains intact during construction and that the finished product enhances their neighborhood,” says ACE principal and Miami Beach developer Robert Wennett. “Our plan minimizes impact on surrounding neighborhoods while work is underway, improves connectivity through and around the site, and introduces a number of public benefits that will be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.”

ACE's endorsements also include property owners such as Vornado Realty Trust, Fryd Properties, RC LR Holdings, Lincoln Center Associates, Gombinski Properties, and the owner of The Sterling Building; meeting planners Morgan Stanley, Wellesley Information Services, American Farm Bureau Federation, Sirona Dental, and Gibraltar + Palme; and convention center users including the Miami International Boat Show, BCD M&I, and McGraw Hill's Aviation Week.