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City-backed 60% Lockhart Park plan includes $30M estimate; FAA, Inter Miami and zoning remain hurdles
Summary
AECOM presented 60% design drawings for Lockhart Park, including a community center, shaded pickleball courts and a $30 million preliminary cost estimate. Commissioners asked staff to pursue FAA approvals and to coordinate with Inter Miami after a late letter from the club’s counsel raised signoff concerns.
City staff and consultants on April 2 advanced a 60% design for Lockhart Park and sought commission consensus to continue final design work while pursuing required reviews with the Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies.
Joe Webb, AECOM program manager, described the design elements — a single‑story community center with flexible interior space, a splash play area, playground, dog parks, fitness trail, and 16 shaded, lit pickleball courts — and said the preliminary estimate to develop the full park and amenities is about $30,000,000. “The total from the 30% drawings… is about $30,000,000 to develop the entire park and all the amenities shown,” Webb said.
Commissioners probed airspace and FAA constraints because the site sits near a runway approach. Webb said the FAA review requires precise vertical and horizontal measurements and can take about 45 business days once submitted. He added the design team is trying to run permitting and review steps in parallel where possible but noted some permitting is necessarily sequential.
Commissioner Herbst and others endorsed the design features — particularly shaded pickleball courts to address strong local demand — but asked staff to confirm cost allocations and to revisit some itemized estimates, including the community center and playground surfacing. Commissioner Glassman suggested incorporating historical elements into the community center to highlight the site’s sporting history.
Late in the meeting staff told commissioners they had received a recent letter from Inter Miami’s outside counsel asserting the club’s contractual rights under a comprehensive agreement to review or sign off on elements tied to the team’s obligations. Commissioner Glassman asked staff how the city will manage Inter Miami’s participation; Mayor and other commissioners said the 60% design stage is an appropriate point to seek the club’s input but emphasized the city attorney and manager would review legal claims made in the letter before any binding changes.
The commission did not take a formal vote; staff asked for consensus to continue design and to return with any necessary legal or permitting updates. The project schedule presented by AECOM envisions continued design work, FAA and DRC reviews, rezoning steps if required, then permitting, bidding and a construction period that could extend 12–18 months after award.
