North Miami Beach hears four finalist visions to remake Snyder Tennis Park; commissioners to rank proposals

The City Commission of North Miami Beach convened a July 6 workshop to hear four finalist proposals for redeveloping Snyder Tennis Park into a multiuse sports and recreation destination, city staff and developers said.

The presentations — from Liberty Base Investments, Mackin Companies ("Park Dreams"), North Miami Beach Academy and U.S. Soccer Enterprise — sketched different approaches to covered racket courts, outdoor courts, community programming, and commercial space. "The future of North Miami Beach starts here," Francine Dela Rosa of Liberty Base said as she described a 90,000-square-foot mixed-use facility with a multipurpose stadium, courts for tennis, padel and pickleball, and cultural programming.

Why it matters: The city is offering roughly 10 acres of valuable public land through a public-private partnership process. Commissioners said they want a concept that balances the park’s recreational purpose with long-term financial sustainability and local access for residents.

Key proposals and details cited by presenters - Liberty Base (Francine Dela Rosa): marketed internally as "Club NMB," the team described a mixed-use complex with covered indoor courts, outdoor courts, a clubhouse and event spaces, and an operating partner the presenters said manages hundreds of venues nationwide. - Mackin Companies (Jennifer Becker, Alan Mackin): presented "Park Dreams," a multilevel park concept that preserves green space and locates parking beneath an elevated park deck; slides cited roughly 237 parking spaces and a 20,000-square-foot "kids innovation center." "This is one of those moments," Alan Mackin told commissioners, urging the city to aim high. - North Miami Beach Academy (Greg Brunick): proposed a renovation-focused approach that retains clay and hard courts, adds padel and pickleball courts, a community center and stadium court for events, and adds roughly 110–120 north-side parking spaces. - U.S. Soccer Enterprise (representative): emphasized preserving tennis heritage while adding tournament-ready, convertible courts, community programming and increased parking (presenter cited roughly 157 spaces).

Commissioners’ main concerns Commissioners repeatedly pressed developers to clarify the balance between tennis and emerging racket sports (padel and pickleball), how residents would benefit (discounts/memberships), and where parking and event parking capacity would be located. Several commissioners said they did not want a concept that became inaccessible to residents. In response, presenters said many program and pricing details will be negotiated in later procurement phases and indicated flexibility in court layout and hours.

Procurement and next steps City staff and the city attorney explained the procurement path: commissioners will submit ranked evaluations on a standard form attached to the RFP. Procurement said the RFP currently describes a two-phase selection (top two advancing to the next phase), while staff indicated the manager intends to invite the highest-ranked proposer to negotiate a preliminary agreement for due diligence and fiscal review before any final contract returns to the commission. County code and Florida procurement law were raised as constraints on uses in lands designated as park property.

A procedural motion passed at the end of the session requiring commissioners to submit their rankings by Friday at 5 p.m., a step staff said is needed to begin negotiated due diligence with the top-ranked developer. The manager and procurement director reiterated that any final developer agreement would return to the commission for approval.

What was not decided No contract award or final financial terms were approved at the workshop. Presenters had been asked not to present full financial proposals at this stage; staff said detailed fiscal review will be part of the next phase. County rules and the city’s park designation will limit certain commercial uses unless further action (for example, zoning changes or referendum) is taken.

The commission is expected to submit ranked evaluations by the stated deadline; staff will use the rankings to begin negotiations and return with a recommended agreement for future public deliberation.