All Aboard Florida unveils Miami multimodal hub, transit-oriented development

Miami — Miami Mayor Tomás Pedro Regalado and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez joined All Aboard Florida executives to unveil designs for All Aboard Florida’s new multimodal hub in Miami, which was planned and designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM). The transit-oriented development encompassing nearly 3 million square feet will span two sites; a nine-acre transportation hub in downtown Miami just east of Miami-Dade County Hall, and a two-acre site in Historic Overtown.

All Aboard Florida, a wholly owned subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries, is the only privately owned, operated and financed express intercity passenger rail project of its kind being developed in the United States. All Aboard Florida’s 235-mile network of rail lines will connect South Florida to Central Florida, with intercity stops and stations in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, providing a vital new service for Florida residents, business people and visitors. The project is estimated to eliminate more than three million cars from the region’s roadways each year.

The transportation hub will include mixed-use development with residential, office, commercial, and a retail concourse, while serving as a connector between All Aboard Florida’s passengers and Miami’s existing public transport systems. The Overtown site will also be a mixed-use development with retail, commercial and parking to support and enhance the transportation hub.

In Miami, the passenger rail system will be elevated 50 feet to align with existing public transportation systems, with retail spaces located beneath the tracks. This bold and innovative design allows thru-streets to remain open to traffic and creates an atmosphere of walkability, while creating a landmark terminal — a symbol of a 21st-century Miami.

“All Aboard Florida will be one of the most transformative projects for the City of Miami,” said City of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado. “This multibillion dollar, private investment will spur economic and tourism growth in our downtown and the Historic Overtown community, resulting in the creation of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact.”

Said Michael Reininger, President and Chief Development Officer of All Aboard Florida, “Millions of commuters and local residents will benefit from the Miami station. All Aboard Florida provides a fast and convenient transit alternative while integrating transportation infrastructure with mixed use development to serve as a catalyst for economic vitality in a city that is quickly becoming a model for urban living.”

Each of All Aboard Florida’s three planned stations in South Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach) will serve as both gateways to their respective cities, and as key portals and iconic destinations with terminals featuring spaces to shop, eat and connect. As part of the urban infrastructure, the stations are expected to generate significant economic impact to the State. Economists estimate that All Aboard Florida will add more than $6 billion to Florida’s economy over the next eight years, including $1.3 billion in economic impact for Miami-Dade County through 2021.

“As Miami-Dade County’s population and visitorship continue to grow, we must partner with the private sector to deliver services, such as transportation, to sustain this anticipated growth. All Aboard Florida is one of the best examples of public-private partnership that will help generate new tourism and business opportunities,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

“This project is a true celebration of the power and potential of transit-oriented development,” stated Roger Duffy, Design Partner at SOM. “We are excited to work with All Aboard Florida to realize this vibrant infrastructural undertaking, unparalleled in its scope, scale and vision.” Floridabased Zyscovich Architects is serving as the project’s Associate Architect and Planner.

SOM has more than seven decades of experience in planning, designing, and implementing largescale city-building projects that combine transportation infrastructure with urban mixed-use development. In the past twenty years, SOM has completed more than $5 billion worth of transportation construction projects including complex intermodal and multimodal facilities, subway and rail stations, ferry terminals, entire airports and more than a dozen airport terminals. Most recently, SOM designed Denver Union Station, a comprehensive and connected intermodal transportation hub and urban transit-oriented neighborhood in Colorado. The project, which opened this month, has already triggered more than $1 billion in private mixed-use investment on surrounding property.