Miami Beach unveils 70 Second Street community complex design; residents press parking, pool and tree concerns

City of Miami Beach staff and the project design team on Tuesday presented 30% design drawings for the 70 Second Street Community Complex in North Beach and took public comment as they continue community outreach ahead of Design Review Board and commission reviews.

The project team said the complex will combine a library, community center, fitness and aquatics facilities, retail space and a concealed five‑story parking garage serving about 580 spaces, and that the pool is a multipurpose, competition‑scale facility with a movable floor for lessons and community programming. “The pool is designed to serve multiple purposes,” said David Gomez, director of Capital Improvement Projects (CIP).

Why it matters: The complex is part of the city’s 2018 General Obligation (Geo) Bond program and is intended to be a long‑term community hub for North Beach. Residents at the meeting praised elements such as added program space and integrated circulation but pressed the city on temporary parking during construction, long‑term parking capacity, shade and mature trees, and whether the competition pool serves local needs.

Design and program details The presented plan shows a five‑story massing with a parking podium concealed by terraces and program spaces and a cascading linear park that ties the site to nearby greenways and the band shell. Architects said photovoltaics are incorporated on upper parking levels and that many spaces are designed for dual use — for example, the top deck can be used for either parking or unroofed pickleball courts depending on demand.

Jason Jensen, chief executive of Wanamaker Jensen Architects, described the building as intended to function as “your living room” for the neighborhood and said program areas are vertically linked so library,…