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13th Floor presents revised civic campus plan enlarging Jean Willis Park and repositioning City Hall
Summary
Consultant 13th Floor presented a new site plan that enlarges Jean Willis Park, reorients the civic building to face Sunset Drive and the transit "underline," and integrates the police facility into the ground floor with secure conveyance. Commissioners asked for follow-up on police operations, circulation and program sizing.
13th Floor architect David Benamu told the South Miami City Commission that the team had reworked its earlier proposal and was presenting a new iteration. "From now on everything you'll see is brand new," Benamu said, describing a plan that increases the park footprint from the existing roughly 28,000 square feet to about 32,000 square feet and places the park so it directly abuts the civic building and the transit underline.
Benamu walked commissioners through the massing and program changes: the civic building is now positioned between Sunset Drive and the underline to create a direct pedestrian connection; the library remains at ground level; and residential components are grouped to reduce noise exposure from the underline. He described the intent to activate the park edges with commercial and civic uses.
Commissioners and staff asked for refinements on the ground-floor frontages and the relationship between City Hall, the library and commercial spaces. Mr. Moloney, the consultant lead, summarized that the revised plan "maximiz[es] the space for the park" and prioritized minimizing visible vehicle hardscape while increasing activation along park edges.
The commission did not take formal action; staff said the next steps include preparing an LOI/term sheet and returning with more detailed layouts at a follow-up workshop.
