West Miami accepts flood-vulnerability study, approves Paseo park plan and city leases; radios, vehicles cleared

The City of West Miami commission on Jan. 1 accepted a Resilient Florida-funded vulnerability assessment that the city plans to use to pursue state and federal resilience grants, designated a narrow city-owned strip as the Paseo at West Miami and authorized a suite of administrative actions including a three-year lease for an art-gallery/café at 1811 Southwest 67th Avenue and purchases for police radios and vehicles.

The accepted vulnerability assessment, prepared under a Resilient Florida grant by consultant APM Environmental and Infrastructure LLC, consolidates rainfall, storm-surge and drainage data and ranks the city’s infrastructure vulnerabilities so West Miami can pursue preconstruction and construction grants. “The big takeaway here is that now the city is eligible to apply for additional funding,” consultant Dr. Samantha Danchuk told the commission.

The study’s findings, which commissioners accepted by roll call, identify southern pockets of the city with the greatest exposure in extreme and frequent rainfall events, note aging pump and lift stations and recommend targeted capital projects and mitigation strategies. Jenny Hall, the city’s grant manager, told the commission the report is intended to make the city “ready for this year’s” Resilient Florida funding cycle, which opens in July.

The commission designated the city-owned strip between Southwest 24th Street and Southwest 22nd Street along the theoretical Southwest 65th Avenue as Paseo at West Miami and directed the manager to upgrade the space within the existing budget. City Engineer (part-time architect) described the concept as a linear park and art walk with a meandering path, benches, new canopy trees, bollards at the ends and improved crosswalks at 22nd and 23rd streets. Commissioners and the engineer said staff has begun outreach to adjacent residents and will preserve existing mature trees where feasible.

Separately, the commission approved a city release to lease the underused property at 1811 Southwest 67th Avenue to local resident Adrian Lorenzo. The lease is a three-year agreement with two optional one-year…