Miramar commission previews reuse of 2nd-floor library space for city offices and an innovation center

At a Nov. 6 workshop, the Miramar City Commission reviewed plans to repurpose about 21,000 square feet on the library’s 2nd floor after the city and Broward College executed a sublease termination agreement at a prior meeting. Devon Campbell, development and intergovernmental affairs officer and public information officer for the City of Miramar, said the session’s purpose was to present conceptual designs and discuss reprogramming the space.

"The item before us tonight is a workshop entitled proposed city space," Campbell said as she opened the presentation. Sean Hennessey, who works in the office of the city manager, described how costs flow under the county master lease: "In 3 easy steps, the county invoices the city of Miramar under the master lease," he said, then explained that because the sublease with Broward College was terminated, the city will no longer be reimbursed by the college and is now fully responsible for the 2nd-floor operating costs.

Staff displayed floor plans showing a mix of classrooms, offices and training areas—approximately "21,100 square foot of space" on staff slides—with roughly 10–12 enclosed offices, six large classrooms, and multiple reconfigurable training rooms. Hennessey said parking for the 2nd-floor tenants includes about 160 on-site surface spaces (during non-peak library hours) plus roughly 190 reserved spaces in the Miramar Town Center garage.

Campbell said administration has identified critical needs for additional office and storage space and proposed relocating several departments into the vacant 2nd-floor area. Staff named the initial phase as Economic Development & Housing (EDH), marketing and support services; they also proposed locating a Miramar Innovation Center or small-business incubator on the floor. The initial incubator concept presented to the commission was about 900 square feet with the potential to expand to about 1,800 square feet.

Commissioners pressed staff on several operational and programmatic questions. Commissioner Sherazard asked for the annual cost of operating the floor; staff replied, "Roughly, it's about 80,000 annually." Commissioners asked about physical access and security; Campbell said the city would use badge access and controlled points to separate the city’s portion of the 2nd floor from the remainder of the library. Staff said a security and IT assessment and a detailed budget and timeline would be completed ahead of any move-in.

Some commissioners emphasized programmatic focus and revenue potential; Mayor Massim framed the proposed innovation center as a programmatic extension of existing Miramar initiatives, including the Miramar Business Academy, and described active interest from partners such as Nova Southeastern University. He said the floor is substantially built out and could be occupied with minimal capital compared with building new space.

Other commissioners urged caution. Commissioner Chambers warned about the long-term cost of maintaining advanced technology and suggested alternatives such as funding residents to access existing facilities at Nova Southeastern University or holding part of the floor as rentable event or lab space to generate income. Several commissioners said a follow-up workshop should focus on models for revenue recovery, specific programming, and detailed cost estimates.

The commission did not take formal votes during the workshop. Vice Mayor Coburn called for a follow-up workshop and staff committed to return with renderings, cost estimates, an IT/security assessment and a timeline for possible department transitions. The workshop concluded with the commission moving into an executive session.

Background and next steps: staff said the sublease termination executed at the Oct. 15 commission meeting extinguished Broward College’s leasehold rights on the 2nd floor; the commission requested a targeted workshop on the Miramar Innovation Center and a detailed fiscal assessment before final decisions on occupancy, programming and any rental or revenue models.