“Welcoming visitors approaching from all directions and all
forms of transportation" is promoted as part of the publicity campaign for
the Convention Center. That includes the planned nearby station for the Florida
East Coast Railroad, so at least we're reminded we'll soon be able to take
high-speed rail to Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville -- even if we can't take
Metrorail to Midtown. The convention center and hotel would be linked directly to the
train station and the Overtown Metrorail station through sky bridges, Nichols
said.
“We’re tying all of it together. You will be able to flow
through and around this (convention center) facility and right into the
station,’’ he said.
The confirmation of MDM’s plans comes as Miami Beach is in the
final phases of selecting a team to modernize and expand its aging convention
center, add an 800-room hotel and redevelop the site with residential
buildings, cultural facilities and park space.
It’s unclear how the Miami convention center would affect the
Beach redevelopment plans. The proposed convention center in Miami, with just
100,000 square feet of convention floor space — much of its square footage will
be for ballrooms and meeting rooms — is significantly smaller than its Beach
counterpart, though the Miami hotel would be more than twice as large.
Nichols said the Miami convention hotel would have substantial,
resort-like amenities, including an expansive pool deck with views of the bay,
the American Airlines Arena and the downtown skyline. The facility would also
boast an 80,000-square-foot outdoor event deck. The structure would rise 58
stories, he said.
During final presentations this week, the leader of one of two
development-and-design teams vying for the $1 billion-plus Beach project, New
York builder and hotel developer Dan Tishman, said the main competition for the
Beach convention center hotel would be similar facilities across the bay in
downtown Miami. A spokesman for the team said Thursday that Tishman also warned
Beach officials that their convention center could lose significant business if
it’s not improved, especially in the face of growing competition.
A spokesman for the competing team, Portman-CMC, said the group
did not want to comment on the Miami convention project.
Neither Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy Morales nor Greater Miami
Convention & Visitors Bureau chief Bill Talbert could be reached for
comment. Bureau vice president Rolando Aedo said he and Talbert were not
familiar with MDM’s plan.
Miami City Commission Chairman Marc Sarnoff, also chairman of
the Downtown Development Authority, said the contemplated center would not
affect the Beach’s project nor the city-owned Knight Center on the Miami River,
which is substantially smaller. Sarnoff said he was unfamiliar with the
particulars of the plan, though he knew of the effort and applauds it.
“We’ve always wanted a convention center, but people don’t want
to spend money on a private convention center,’’ Sarnoff said. “Kudos to
them.’’
Nichols said MDM’s principals believe their convention center
would supplement the larger Beach facility, not compete with it. Because of its
smaller size, the Miami center could not accommodate the major conventions and
shows the Beach aims to attract.
“It’s going after a different market,’’ Nichols said. “They have
been working diligently on this for some time, and it doesn’t have a thing to
do with what’s going on in Miami Beach. This is about downtown Miami.’’ * Sources HuffPost Miami
and Miami Herald.
To
see the video click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Rd-s-o9idR8
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