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HomeMy WebLinkAboutR-22-0290 City of Miami City Hall 3500 Pan American Drive Resolution R-22-0290 Miami, FL 33133 www.miamigov.com Legislation File Number: 12042 Final Action Date: 7/28/2022 A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, WITH ATTACHMENT(S), REAFFIRMING THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE RICKENBACKER CAUSEWAY CITY OF MIAMI AS DESCRIBED IN RESOLUTION NO. R-15-0331, ATTACHED AND INCORPORATED AS - DADE COUNTY TO IMMEDIATELY REOPEN REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ("RFP") NO. RFP-01982 OR REISSUE A SIMILAR RFP TO DEVELOP, MAINTAIN, AND OPERATE THE RICKENBACKER CAUSEWAY AND ASSOCIATED RECREATIONAL ELEMENTS WITH AMENDMENTS DESCRIBED IN THE BODY OF THIS RESOLUTION, AND TO COORDINATE WITH THE APPROPRIATE AGENCIES TO MOVE THE PROJECT FORWARD; FURTHER REQUESTING THAT THE PROJECT BE BROUGHT BACK TO THE CITY COMMISSION DURING THE EARLY DESIGN TO ALLOW FOR INPUT AND COMMENT; FURTHER DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO TRANSMIT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION TO THE INDIVIDUALS IDENTIFIED HEREIN. SPONSOR(S): Mayor Francis X. Suarez WHEREAS, on July 23, 2015, the Miami City Commission adopted Resolution No. R-15- ng with agencies to move the project forward, and requesting that the project be brought back to the City Commission during the early design to allow for input and comment; and WHEREAS, Resolution No. R-15-0331 urged the Miami- owner and operator of the Rickenbacker Causeway, to immediately pursue the implementation of a "pilot project" to assist in determining the feasibility of implementing Plan Z, including employing improved signage, paint striping, and installing temporary physical barriers separating motorists from bicyclists and pedestrians in order to immediately increase safety for all users of the Rickenbacker Causeway, and also to facilitate the reconfiguration of the Rickenbacker Causeway as a more pedestrian and bike-friendly environment, and, within one (1) year, provide an update on the success of the pilot project, and move to immediately fund and implement the full build-out of the Plan Z vision, and that this program shall be undertaken at no cost to the City; and WHEREAS the County achieved a portion of the pilot project including striping, green paint, and signage; however, no protective barriers were installed; and WHEREAS, subsequent to these initial improvements, the County Transportation Planning Organization in 2019, adopted the 2045 Miami-Dade Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan highlighting the importance and investment in a comprehensive bike/pedestrian plan that includes a multimodal approach to designing transportation facilities and Complete Street best practices, acknowledging the elements found in the Miami Loop system (the Underline, Ludlam, City of Miami Page 1 of 4 File ID: 12042 (Revision: ) Printed On: 9/7/2022 File ID: 12042 Enactment Number: R-22-0290 Commodore, Rickenbacker, Miami River Greenway trails), listing Plan Z for the Rickenbacker as an unfunded showcase project and providing no County funding plan for its implementation; and WHEREAS, after eight (8) years of gathering input from the County and municipalities as well as Rickenbacker Causeway stakeholders and the cycling community, renowned architect and urban planner Bernard Zyscovich developed Plan Z, a comprehensive design that includes a thirty (30) foot wide separated and protected bicycle and pedestrian corridor, improved automobile traffic flow, the replacement of the Bear Cut Bridge, the elevation of the entire road bed by three (3) feet to meet coastal resiliency standards and a twenty (20) acre park that serves as green infrastructure to protect the road and enhance equitable access to the bay for all County residents; and outh Miami Avenue, South Bayshore Drive, the Commodore Trail in Coconut Grove, and the Underline, creating a safe and sustainable corridor for cyclists and pedestrians as well as enhancing lley system, the Metrorail and residents and visitors; and WHEREAS, after multiple meetings with the County, municipal leaders, and stakeholders and in the absence of a County public engagement process and plan to finance and improve the Rickenbacker Causeway, Zyscovich in good faith organized a consortium of partners to design, build finance, operate, and maintain the Rickenbacker Causeway, and submitted an unsolicited proposal March 2021 following all County ordinances and State - due diligence; and WHEREAS, the County did its due diligence as prescribed by ordinance using independent finance and design criteria professionals in the analysis and found the Plan Z proposal to be viable on all levels of design and financing, and after receiving Board of County Commissioner approval, released ) No. RFP-01982 in August 2021 and was amended to remain open to potential bidders until March 2022 to allow ample time for design and finance joint ventures to be formed and submission of bids to compete for the Rickenbacker Causeway concession agreement; and WHEREAS, on January 19, 2022, with forty-five (45) days left until the bids were due and after a significant expenditure by the consortium to fairly compete and meet the RFP requirements, the County cancelled the RFP; and WHEREAS, while the County has a right to cancel an RFP at any time, the decision to do so prior to receiving bids has deprived the County from substantial benefits coming from the extensive planning and engineering designs that the proposers were in the process of submitting; and WHEREAS, receiving bids would also have provided valuable information regarding the costs and the financial proposal as well as a project completion time frame; and WHEREAS, the canceled RFP was also addressing primary concerns of safety regarding roadway separations of vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians; and answers for traffic congestion, resiliency, and sea level rise, as well as the provision of highly desirable additional park space; and City of Miami Page 2 of 4 File ID: 12042 (Revision: ) Printed on: 9/7/2022 File ID: 12042 Enactment Number: R-22-0290 WHEREAS, it is in the interest of the County to take advantage of these proposed solutions created by highly qualified engineers, environmentalists, and designers; and WHEREAS, the canceled RFP mostly affects land on Virginia Key and within the City limits, and it is in the interest of the City to support comprehensive solutions affecting properties within the City limits and all users of City facilities; and significant time and expense in providing solutions to problems facing the City and all residents of the County; and WHEREAS, there is a significant need for a time-sensitive comprehensive approach to solving the design, financing, and operational needs for the Rickenbacker Causeway; and WHEREAS, it is recommended that the RFP include an extensive public engagement and stakeholder planning process, remove the stakeholder restrictions listed in the RFP to allow bidders more flexibility in alternative designs, and allow bidders an opportunity to answer questions and respond to inaccurate statements regarding their proposals during the RFP process itself; and WHEREAS, it is recommended that the County conduct an equitable, thorough, inclusive, and far-reaching public engagement process defining the Rickenbacker Causeway as a regional transportation and recreation corridor built and operated by the County for equitable access to regional public parks, beaches, schools, attractions, Biscayne Bay, research facilities, workplaces, municipal facilities, and homes; and WHEREAS, the County administration has attempted to narrow its criteria for the Rickenbacker Causeway construction to replacing only the Bear Cut Bridge for an estimated $90 million with construction likely to extend into 2030 if the funding can be secured; and WHEREAS, federal, state, and local funding is unlikely to be secured this in a timely manner for this time-sensitive project; and WHEREAS, the use of public- for the development of roadway projects as is evidenced by the seventeen (17) P3 projects that the Florida Department of Transportation has entered into; and WHEREAS, public funding can be used to help fund P3 projects once public funds become available; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA: Section 1. The Recitals and findings contained in the Preamble to this Resolution are adopted by reference and incorporated as if fully set forth in this Section. Section 2. The City Commission reaffirms its endorsement of the Rickenbacker Causeway Project a/k/a "Plan Z" for the City, as described in "Exhibit A", attached and incorporated, and supports its vision as presented. City of Miami Page 3 of 4 File ID: 12042 (Revision: ) Printed on: 9/7/2022 File ID: 12042 Enactment Number: R-22-0290 Section 3. The City Commission urges the County to immediately reopen RFP No. RFP- 01982 or reissue a similar RFP to develop, maintain, and operate the Rickenbacker Causeway and associated recreational elements with amendments as described herein, and to coordinate with the appropriate agencies to move the project forward. Section 4. The City Commission requests that the Rickenbacker Causeway project be brought back to the City Commission during the early design to allow for input and comment. Section 5. The City Clerk is hereby directed to transmit a copy of this Resolution to each member of the Board of County Commissioners and the County Mayor. Section 6. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption. APPROVED AS TO FORM AND CORRECTNESS: City of Miami Page 4 of 4 File ID: 12042 (Revision: ) Printed on: 9/7/2022