On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at the Vizcaya Garage from 10 AM-Noon, an estimated 60 people attended the third of three Underline Public Meetings for the James Corner Field Operations master plan design team to gather input from the community.

Focused on the Vizcaya to Douglas Station areas of the future Underline, attendees heard from public officials and the master plan design team and then broke into interactive stations.

Meg Daly, Founder of Friends of The Underline, opened the meeting. She welcomed the residents, representatives of Miami Dade County and Parks and Recreation, and the team from James Corner Field Operations.

Meg spoke about what she hoped to accomplish with The Underline. Her organization’s vision was that The Underline should provide a safe haven in the form of an off road alternative for pedestrians and cyclists. It should also provide a solution to transportation problems. Finally, the corridor should have additional benefits including a positive impact on jobs creation, additional green and open space, increased property values along the corridor and a more beautiful Miami Dade County.

Chris Roddy, Deputy Director for Vizcaya Museum Facilities welcomed the audience to the recently renovated Vizcaya Garage. He said that Vizcaya Museum and Gardens has a lot of tourism visitors but that they do not get a lot of repeat visitors. He said that they are developing their own Master Plan and will be working with the various stakeholders to make Vizcaya Museum and Gardens welcoming.

Jack Kardys, Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces (PROS) Director  thanked Maria Nardi, Chief of Planning and Research of Parks and Recreation and Meg Daly for their dedication to The Underline. He said that Parks and Recreation have been implementing the Master Plan approved in 2008 by the Miami-Dade County Commission that includes bike trails and greenways.

Lisa Switkin, Principal with James Corner Field Operations, introduced the company’s work to the audience with the aid of a Powerpoint slide presentation. Through a competitive process, the team was selected to develop a Master Plan for The Underline and it is projected to be completed within a 6 month period.

James Corner Field Operations is an urban design, landscape architecture and public realm practice based in New York. They are noted for their design work for the High Line in New York. At the time, she said, the 1.5 mile project seemed to be impossible. However, their design converted a blighted, abandoned rail line into a beloved icon in New York. Its original purpose as a park morphed into additional benefits, such as engaging the many neighborhoods through which it passed to becoming a social promenade. She showed and discussed examples other projects they had worked on including The Atlanta Beltline, Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, Antwerp Green in Belgium, Central Waterfront in Seattle, an upcoming project for Lincoln Road in Miami Beach and the Knight Plaza which connects the Perez Art Museum Miami and the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, which are in Museum Park in Miami.

The design team views The Underline as the “spine” for existing completed and proposed bike trails. The Underline will provide 120 acres of open space, almost 10 miles long, passing through 8 Metrorail stations and 3 municipalities. It should allow for multi-modal transportation, should be an iconic public space, an ecological corridor, take advantage of the ample shade provide by the overhead MetroRail and have transit oriented development. Some of the challenges for the future Underline include safety, lighting, path width, intersections, sharp turns, identity, wayfinding and user visibility.

What would make The Underline a great trail? Some of the components include looking at the project from various angles including:
1) Park and Trail – There should be multimodal corridors for various users. It should embrace bike culture, have excellent lighting, embrace local ecologies and habitats, green initiatives such as solar power and efficient use of water, helpful wayfinding and an identity;
2) Intersections – prioritize pedestrians and cyclists;
3) Transit Oriented Development – Development should be bike and pedestrian friendly. There should be development incentives in sections that are depressed.

The master plan is scheduled to be completed in late September. A second set of public meetings will take place in late June. Included in the plan will be projected funding sources and maintenance costs.

Isabel Castilla, Project Manager with James Corner Field Operations explained to the audience that the design team needed their input. She invited them to visit interactive stations. The stations were Themes, Uses, a 12-foot map of the trail for comment, and a graffiti board for miscellaneous comments. For the Themes and the Uses stations, Isabel asked guests to indicate their top two favorites among those proposed by placing a sticker on each. On the map, they should indicate which areas they use and any suggestions for those or other areas. The graffiti board was for any additional comments.

The Themes Board asked: What would attract you to The Underline? The selections were Ecology & Natural Habitats, Art & Culture, Health & Fitness, Stroll & Picnic, Green Technology & Sustainability, Shops & Restaurants, and Festivals & Events. Residents preferences were:

Ecology & Natural Habitats #1
Green Technology & Sustainability #2
Art & Culture #3
Health & Fitness #4
Stroll & Picnic #5
Shops & Restaurants #6
Festivals & Events #7

The Uses boards asks: How would you use The Underline? Options include Art, Leisurely Walk, Restaurants & Cafes, Dog Walk, Metrorail Access, Enjoy Nature, Stroll & Picnic, Bike Commute, Outdoor Fitness, Attractions & Events, Family Activities, Run, Leisurely Bike Ride.

Leisurely Bike Ride #1
Bike Commute #2
Metrorail Access #3
Leisurely Walk #4
Enjoy Nature #4
Art #6
Restaurants & Cafes #7
Dog Walk #7
Outdoor Fitness #7
Family Activities #7
Stroll & Picnic #11
Run #12
Attractions & Events #13

Click here to access all photos from the Vizcaya to Coconut Grove Public Meeting.

Click here to access photos of all meeting boards.