Residents To Define Identity of A Miami Billion Dollar Baby - Miami Beach Convention Center Part II

As Miami Beach embarks on an ambitious push to overhaul the convention center and develop the surrounding sea of parking lots, it's become one of the biggest opportunities for urban renewal in the country -- a 52-acre blank slate bordering some of the hottest real estate and tourism anywhere.

The city’s goal: to select a team that will overhaul its outdated, city-owned convention center, and add ballroom space and an attached hotel to make the center more competitive. The convention center is the third largest economic driver in the county, Blumberg has said, and helps fill Miami Beach hotels, which in turn pay bed taxes to the city.  All the recommendations for the ACE or the MBS proposals are just fodder for city commissioners, who will likely choose a team during a meeting on July 17. Residents will make the ultimate decision, with a vote expected in November.

Here you can see the main difference between the ACE and the Miami Beach Square proposals:

CONVENTION CENTER ACE PLAN: Moves the main entrance to the southwest corner, orienting the convention center toward a new public plaza, and beyond that to Lincoln Road Mall. Ballrooms with outdoor terraces are incorporated into the convention center on upper floors.

CONVENTION CENTER PORTMAN PLAN: Keeps the main convention center entrances on the west side and adds a hotel entrance at Washington Avenue. The main ballroom is in a detached building that includes outdoor meeting space fronting a garden, with two minor ballrooms incorporated into the convention center.

RETAIL ACE PLAN: Puts the bulk of its 60,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor of the 17th Street Garage. Another 40,000 square feet of restaurant space would go into the half-moon building.

RETAIL PORTMAN PLAN: Retail pavilions in the central square have planted green roofs that slope down to meet the ground. Additional retail goes into the 17th Street Garage, Gleason theater and cultural building. Portman says retail space totals 125,000 square feet.

HOTEL ACE PLAN: The hotel, shown here from 17th Street, wraps around the convention center's southwest corner, rising gradually to a top height of 194 feet at the point. An expansive pool deck offers views of the Beach shoreline.

HOTEL PORTMAN PLAN: The hotel, seen here from Washington Avenue, wraps around the south end of the convention center, reaching a height of 124 feet at the eastern corner, lower than ACE's plan. The pool deck sits inside the square "U" frame of the hotel.

PARK SPACE ACE PLAN: The 5-acre park gradually rises 80 feet to meet the convention center roofline, concealing an underground parking garage and truck loading bays. Green space said to total 29 acres.

PARK SPACE PORTMAN PLAN: A 4.5-acre park at ground level is bisected by an extension of 20th Street, which leads vehicles into parking and loading bays within the convention center. Green space said to total 26 acres, including rooftops.

To see all the plans on the projects you should visit the Miami Herald at http://www.miamiherald.com/static/media/projects/convention-center-comparison/ * Sources HuffPost Miami & Miami Herald.

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