Miami Beach outlines Orchard Park traffic‑calming plan, schedules ballots and design milestones

Miami Beach transportation staff and their consultants presented a neighborhood traffic‑calming plan for Orchard Park at a public meeting and said they will send ballots to affected property owners before advancing design and construction.

Project manager Franklin Bartley Jr., of the city Transportation Department, said the proposal includes 18 speed tables, three raised crosswalks, two traffic circles, one raised intersection and two speed humps. "We're currently working towards 60% design, by March 25th, March 2025," Bartley said, and the team anticipates finishing 100% construction design by September 2025 and receiving signed and sealed plans by November 2025, with contractor selection and a notice to proceed expected around February 2026.

The plan covers multiple streets in Orchard Park, including Chase Avenue, Prairie Avenue, Post Avenue, Royal Palm Avenue, Sheridan Street and segments of West 41st through West 47th streets. Lochner consultants described typical designs: raised crosswalks that elevate the street about 6 inches and speed tables set approximately 4 inches high. The proposal includes drainage measures such as channel gutters and additional inlets and a planned milling and resurfacing to restore pavement markings and bicycle lanes.

Why this matters: City staff said the devices are intended to slow vehicles in residential areas and reduce the risk of vehicle‑pedestrian collisions near schools and parks. Residents repeatedly raised safety concerns near North Beach Elementary and the intersection at 42nd Street and Prairie Avenue, and parents and neighbors urged more measures at school crossings and on streets where drivers routinely exceed posted limits.

Key technical and location details provided by consultants include a raised intersection at Royal Palm Avenue and West 44th Street (to be elevated roughly 6 inches and tied into new curb and gutter), 25–30 foot traffic circles at Sharon Avenue with new pedestrian crossings, and multiple speed tables and humps placed between numbered cross streets to target specific mid‑block corridors. A handicapped parking space near "Innovative School of Temple Beth Shalom" would be relocated about 20 feet to the south to accommodate a raised crosswalk on Chase Avenue, consultants said.

Ballots, approvals and conflicting thresholds: Bartley described a two‑step public process. The city will send a neighborhoodwide survey and device‑specific ballots to property owners adjacent to proposed devices. He said the project team seeks neighborhood feedback and that, for device‑specific ballots, the team aims for "100% congruency" from directly affected properties to move a given device forward; if that unanimity is not achieved, staff said they may revise the design, remove the device, or, as a last resort, seek a sponsor at the city commission to override local opposition.

At the same time, consultant and staff remarks noted a separate requirement from county authorities: the county requires two‑thirds approval of responses received for some neighborhood concurrence steps. Assistant Director O'Neil Rodriguez described an interlocal agreement negotiated with the county that allows the city to install traffic‑calming devices on collector roads if the city will operate and maintain them; staff said that change allows inclusion of 47th Street in the plan and that temporary speed cushions are under consideration there.

Staff emphasized some elements are part of separate, related projects: the traffic circle at 44th Street and Prairie Avenue was described as a standalone Phase 1 project at 100% design that will be coordinated with an underground public‑works drainage project; that coordination is the reason the circle did not appear in the presentation map for this package.

Public comment and concerns: About a dozen residents spoke during the Q&A. Common concerns included: speeding and cut‑through traffic on Sheridan Avenue; heavy congestion on Pine Tree Drive that pushes drivers into neighborhood streets; safety at school crossings (residents asked for raised crosswalks and flashing beacons); and truck traffic using residential shortcuts. Residents asked the city to review prior plans: one commenter said earlier drafts (from 2021–2022) showed additional raised intersections and speed tables on Prairie Avenue that do not appear in the current presentation and asked staff to explain those changes.

Staff responses and next steps: City staff said they will publish a post‑meeting recap with the presentation slides, an enlarged project map and the survey link. Gabriela Gonzalez, Mid Beach Neighborhood Affairs coordinator, said attendees will receive copies of the presentation and a recording and that the project team will share the survey and ballot materials by next week. Staff invited written feedback via the contact information provided at the meeting.

The city noted coordination with separate efforts: a six‑month pilot on 41st Street approved by the city commission and a distinct traffic‑calming study for Pine Tree Drive overseen by the county. Staff said both pilots and the neighborhood design will be monitored and coordinated to limit unintended diversion of traffic into Orchard Park.