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projects

City Terrace Community Development Corporation Project Type: Transportation Planning & Urban Design Project Status: Ongoing Dates: June 2022 - present Site Area: approx. 6 acres Team: Plusurbia Design + BusinessFlare Client: Opa-Locka Community Development Corporation Inc. The premise of this project is to provide General Planning and Economic Development Strategy Services to provide a holistic development vision, strategies, and recommendations for the future development of the Opa-Locka CDC  properties as part of a larger special district. This planning exercise consisted of a dual-scoped approach. It included a high-level analysis and suggestions for Opa-locka’s downtown and surroundings, as well as a more detailed master plan and recommendations for a transit-oriented development (TOD) area. This TOD area is proposed to be located between the city’s Tri-Rail station and downtown, capitalizing on these assets and the properties owned or considered for ownership by the Opa Locka Community Development Corporation (OLCDC), reflecting their pivotal role in the area’s more extensive redevelopment. Specifically, the goals of the project are to: Create a walkable TOD destination for the City of Opa-Locka that helps reposition their place brand from unsafe and unpredictable to the next Miami transformation story and a place of opportunity. Maximize the development potential of the OLCDC properties as part of a larger strategy to leverage revitalization (commercial and residential) by applying Urban Core and TOD principles to the area and identifying market potential that supports financially feasible new development Create a phasing and acquisition strategy that maximizes leverage, ROI, and future opportunities for OLCDC and their partners, including the County, CRA, and City.

West Grove Affordable Housing Blueprint Project Type: Affordable Housing Project Status: Completed | June 2022 Dates: July 2021 - June 2022 Site Area: 960 acres Team: Plusurbia Design, BusinessFlare, The Corradino Group Client: City of Miami Creating the right conditions for Affordable Housing in a neighborhood requires a carefully calibrated combination of factors to be considered carefully. Variables are often difficult to estimate and predict and differ greatly, including development costs, market conditions, and land availability. Others can be managed through policy, regulation, administrative processes, and financial assistance to increase opportunities and the likelihood of Affordable Housing being built in any given area. This Blueprint for Affordable Housing provides a guide to make policy and legislative modifications to the current conditions in the West Grove to incentivize its Affordable Housing component. It also includes case studies where this has been achieved and proposes Assistance Programs to mitigate the displacement of its residents. The proposed recommendations are intended to improve the tangible, implementable, and predictable factors based on current conditions to create Affordable Housing in the West Grove. Regular calibrations and modifications to these recommendations will be necessary to keep up with changing local and regional socio-economic conditions. This will ensure that, over time, families in West Grove can remain in their homes and not be cost-burdened by it, giving them upward economic mobility within the neighborhood.

Downtown Lake Wales Historical Resources Survey Project Type: Historic Preservation Project Status: Completed | July 2022 Dates: September 2021 - July 2022 Site Area: Downtown Lake Wales Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Lakes Wales Main Street Lake Wales is a rare gem in plain sight, a historic small-town Main Street in the geographic center of Florida. Downtown Lake Wales is unique as a well-planned, significantly built-out small-town commercial district from the first half of the 20th Century. In 2021, Lake Wales Main Street, Inc. applied for and was awarded a Small Matching Grant by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Historical Resources to conduct a historical resources survey of the Downtown. The project's scope is to complete a historical resources survey of all structures within the CRA-1 boundaries built before 1972 and revisit and update the survey that formed the basis of the 1990 National Register “Lake Wales Commercial Historic District.” This project will enable Lake Wales Main Street Inc., Downtown property owners and stakeholders, and City officials to make informed decisions regarding the impact of development and other publicly and privately funded projects on Lake Wales’ historic and cultural resources in the Downtown area, and to set priorities for the protection and use of these resources.

Anna Maria Island Historical Resources Survey Project Type: Historic Preservation Project Status: Completed | April 2022 Dates: November 2021 - April 2022 Site Area: 360 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: City of Anna Maria Island Anna Maria Island is a barrier island in Manatee County, west of the City of Bradenton. It is located in the Gulf of Mexico and at the entrance to Tampa Bay. Anna Maria Island is made up of three small municipalities. The oldest municipality, established in 1923, is the City of Anna Maria, and it is located on the northern end of the Island at the mouth of Tampa Bay. The first homestead on Anna Maria was established in 1893, and the first subdivision, Anna Maria Beach, was platted in 1911. The Anna Maria community has long acknowledged its heritage and tried to collect historic artifacts and tell the island's history. The Anna Maria Island Historical Society was formed in 1990 for the express purpose of collecting, researching, preserving, and exhibiting materials relating to the early days of Anna Maria Island. From 1990 to 2018, the Historical Society was the primary force behind historic preservation activities in Anna Maria Island, including the relocation and restoration of Belle Haven cottage and the completion of over thirty (30) Florida Master Site Files for the records of the State Division of Historical Resources.

Playa de Ponce Segment - Borinquen Trail Project Type: Mobility Plan Project Status: Completed Dates: February 2023 Site Area: 6 miles Team: Plusurbia Design This rails-to-trails study proposes a network of paths and first-phase interventions in Playa de Ponce, Puerto Rico. This vision report was developed in conjunction with community leaders, non-profits, and government stakeholders in Playa de Ponce, a historically underserved urban center on the South coast of Puerto Rico. Plusurbia Design proposed to carry out a study for Borinquen Trail for Para la Naturaleza’s cultural projects grant. Plusurbia Design carried out this study of Borinquen Trail for Para la Naturaleza’s cultural projects grant. The study mapped the existing conditions of Playa de Ponce’s mobility and public spaces, proposed a multi-modal implementation plan for walking, biking, and transit, and developed creative placemaking strategies. The results from this study will help guide the growth of Playa de Ponce by connecting its neighborhoods with cultural heritage sites and the rest of Ponce. The plan proposed to build a continuous ‘complete street approach’ along the route with bicycle routes and amenities, such as street trees, cultural centers, parks, bioswales, wayfinding signage, and historic property markers. The development of this new trail would create better streets and public spaces in Playa de Ponce while also improving access to jobs and opportunities. Furthermore, the plan included recommendations for implementing climate resilience, stormwater management, microgrids, storm surge defense, and historic preservation strategies. The city council is currently considering measures to implement the recommendations in the study. If approved, residents can look forward to a continuous bicycle route between Playa and the city center and a continuous path along the Southern coast connecting with communities along the former railroad. Ultimately, these proposed changes will lead to a more livable and sustainable Playa de Ponce. By providing residents with reliable and accessible transit options, the city can move towards achieving its goal of a greener future.

East Gateway District Project Type: Master Planning Project Status: Completed | October 2022 Dates: August - October 2022 Site Area: 170 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: East Gateway Coalition Greenville, South Carolina is known for the story of its downtown revitalization and embrace of planning to reinvent itself into one of the most vibrant, fastest-growing cities in the country. However, its most popular entrance, providing visitors with their first impressions of the city, must reflect this modern reality. Instead, the Gateway Area contains a series of disconnected development patterns that have evolved independently over the last 200 years, including a National Register-listed Historic Neighborhood, the city’s Arena, and the county’s Law Enforcement Center. The Community Vision Plan embraces the neighborhood’s assets and introduces strategies to weave the built environment back together, better establishing physical and psychological connections to the adjacent downtown. The project began by reimagining the central corridor as a multimodal boulevard flanked by mixed-use, urban-style development. From there, introducing a transition zone offers a way to preserve the neighborhood's historic character, while allowing the corridor to reach its ideal density. Furthermore, exploring additional infill development opportunities around the arena reveals the potential for a new entertainment district that will continue to build on Greenville's legacy of great placemaking.

Allapattah 17th Avenue Survey Project Type: Historic Preservation Project Status: Completed Dates: December 2019 - October 2021 Site Area: 17th Avenue between NW 20th Street and NW 36th Street Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Dade Heritage Trust Dade Heritage Trust partnered with the Allapattah Collaborative to bring attention to the unique character of this thriving Dominican neighborhood of Allapattah and to support the small, locally-owned businesses along 17th Avenue. Through their efforts, 17th Avenue was designated as a National Trust for Historic Preservation Main Street program. In support of Allapattah’s Main Street initiative, Dade Heritage Trust commissioned Plusurbia Design to create a building inventory study of NW 17th Avenue between NW 20th Street and NW 36th Street. This study provides a snapshot of history for each property along 17th Avenue, including a historic photo, a current photo, and a history of the various businesses that were located on the site from the 1920s until the 1970s. This picture in time provides information for property owners and neighborhood stakeholders to make informed decisions about the future, based on a better understanding of the history of Allapattah’s “Main Street.” This investigation into Allapattah’s history revealed the hard-working, industrial character of 17th Avenue throughout the 20th Century, and the cultural transformation of the neighborhood as waves of Dominican immigrants arrived in the neighborhood by way of the Miami River.

Silver Bluff Historic Survey Project Type: Historic Resources Survey Project Status: Completed Dates: August 2020 - July 2021 Site Area: 214 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Dade Heritage Trust The purpose of this project is to document an architecturally significant neighborhood that has never been comprehensively surveyed. Silver Bluff is a unique Boom-era neighborhood in the City of Miami that was built in three successive waves in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s and almost entirely built out by 1955. It is located in close proximity to Downtown, Brickell, and Biscayne Bay and continues to have strong historic integrity. Silver Bluff is best known today for its abundance of well-built, beautifully designed, 1930s-era small homes. Understanding the importance of documenting Silver Bluff, Miami-Dade County’s leading preservation non-profit, Dade Heritage Trust, applied for and was awarded a Small Matching Grant by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Historical Resources to conduct a comprehensive survey. The current survey effort focused on all historic resources that are 50 years or older within the study area. Resources for consideration included buildings, structures, districts, and landscapes that possess architecture of historical significance. The completed report meets the requirements of Chapter 1A-46 of the Florida Administrative Code: Archaeological and Historical Report Standards and Guidelines.

North Avenue Railroad District Project Type: Urban Planning and Design Project Status: Completed Dates: November 2019 - March 2022 Site Area: 43 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: NDT Development The project comprises a master plan and proposed regulatory framework of the Nora District in West Palm Beach. The vision must support the implementation of a new compatible zoning overlay district for the study area. The project includes a narrative and exhibits intended to serve as guidelines for a new regulatory framework of the site. The project also consists of a comprehensive review of land use, zoning, and development potentials. This regulatory framework provided the guidelines for a change in zoning and other improvements as part of an overlay district carefully calibrated with the planning department. The design team developed a unique vision for the District based on three guiding principles: Urban Development, Urban Connections, and Vibrant Places. These principles inform the creation of an attractive urban environment that connects people with places.

Grove Park National Register Project Type: National Register Nomination Project Status: Ongoing Dates: July 2020 - Present Site Area: 46 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Dade Heritage Trust As the decades unfolded, many of Miami’s most prominent citizens called the subdivision home. While the neighborhood remained insulated from the quickening pace of life in Miami, its location across from the storied Orange Bowl stadium for seventy-five years brought excitement, with the rich array of sporting and other events hosted there. An ill-advised decision in the 1960s to build the right of way of the Florida State Road 836 Expressway thru the neighborhood led to the demolition of many homes in the northern portions of Grove Park and effectively bifurcated the community. Surprisingly, few homes other than those in the expressway's path have been razed. While the subdivision experienced a malaise after droves of residents moved to the new suburbs ringing the county in the expansive decades following World War II, today’s Grove Park is again a coveted neighborhood owing to its central location, its elegant homes, a surfeit of foliage, and quiet streets.

Borinquen Trail - Rails 2 Trails Project Type: Mobility Project Status: Ongoing Dates: September 2020 - Present Site Area: Islandwide Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Internal - Pro Bono Borinquen Trail is a proposal in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Historic Building Drawings Society to reuse the former railroad right-of-way. The vision is the transformation of Puerto Rico’s former railroad right-of-way repurposed as an off-road path network for sustainable and low-speed transportation, integrating community initiatives through an islandwide framework. The project traverses coastal communities along 680 Kilometers, passing along tropical beaches, forests, and urban centers. The Borinquen Trail plans to connect cultural and historic destinations (such as old sugar mills, former rail infrastructure such as bridges and tunnels, and miles of coastal areas) and economic hubs such as traditional town centers and recreational / sports facilities, including national parks. Rail-to-trails are multi-purpose public paths created from former railroad corridors. They are often flat or follow a gentle grade as they traverse urban, suburban, and rural communities in America. Throughout the extension of this corridor, an educational program will provide context to the historical use of the corridor, including the role railroads played in Puerto Rico’s 19th and early 20th-century economy, as its route extends along the coast and links to former sugar mills in the mountains. Most former railroad right-of-way runs along public lands, making the public sector a key partner. Learn more and show your support at the following link: http://rutaborinquen.org

Village of El Portal Design Guidelines Project Type: Planning Project Status: Completed Completion Date: October 2020 Site Area: 256 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Village of El Portal The Village of El Portal Council unanimously adopted the first El Portal Design Guidelines on October 27, 2020. The guidelines were developed after the Village Mayor Claudia V. Cubillos and Village Council directed the Planning Consultant to develop Architectural guidelines; these guidelines aim to preserve and enhance the Village of El Portal's unique character while allowing for change through new development. The El Portal Design Guidelines articulate design principles that guide architects, developers, and property owners in creating a built environment compatible with existing structures, open spaces, and the public realm. They intend to provide a framework for the successful execution of quality urban design and architecture in El Portal, addressing building composition, scale, and articulation to establish a measure of architectural harmony that accommodates diverse styles and uses and addresses landscaping and site design elements. The guidelines also facilitate the review process by clarifying the architectural expectations of the community. These standards aim to achieve street-friendly buildings, authenticity, climate responsiveness, and contextuality. This document sets general guidelines concerning its purposes and contents and are not meant to be regulatory.

Project Type: Neighborhood Revitalization Project Status: Completed | September 2019 Site Area: 207 acres Team: PlusUrbia Design + C-Street Collaborative Client: Wynwood Community Enhancement Association (WCEA) Faced with development pressure from Wynwood Business District to the south, Midtown to the east, and Design District to the north, the Wynwood Norte Neighborhood is at risk of being redeveloped without a clear, holistic vision where a historically cohesive community may lose its current identity and strengths. This, in turn, may affect the future livability of its current neighbors and future residents. This community-led Master Planning exercise surveys the neighborhood, its character, and conditions; it presents a comprehensive Vision Plan integrating what residents, business owners, community leaders, and stakeholders of Wynwood Norte want to see in their community with best planning practices. This plan emphasizes an approach to growth that supports existing residents. This plan recognizes and addresses residents' fear of keeping their homes by introducing measures to mitigate displacement and improve affordability. Proposed strategies help residents reinvest in existing homes and to provide residents with expanded and better-quality housing options within the neighborhood. Proactive steps are taken to preserve the existing residential fabric while introducing incentives to develop or redevelop vacant and/or underutilized sites to meet community needs. It prioritizes public investments in infrastructure, transportation, open spaces, and parks, promoting sustainability and green building practices while providing equitable access to jobs and services.  The plan proposes strategies to create a safe and healthy environment while preserving the unique history and cultural identity of Wynwood Norte. Calibration of planning and zoning is paramount to maximize the neighborhood's assets and guide future development. 

Shenandoah Historic Survey Project Type: Property Inventory Project Status: Completed | September 2019 Site Area: 220 acres Team: PlusUrbia Design Client: Dade Heritage Trust The Shenandoah neighborhood contains one of the most significant, extensive, and complete collections of Vernacular and Revival style architecture in the City of Miami.  In addition, the neighborhood hosts notable examples of nearly every other major architectural style from the 1910s to the 1960s. As a result of the diversity of housing types in Shenandoah, the neighborhood has been one of the most inclusive and diverse in the City of Miami throughout its history. The survey's main objective was to create, for the first time, a comprehensive inventory of historic architectural resources within the oldest sections of the area known as Shenandoah. This inventory can then be used as a tool for the State, the City, and most importantly, Shenandoah stakeholders to make decisions about the future of this historically significant neighborhood.  This effort documents the neighborhood through newly-created FMSF forms, resource photographs, GIS information, historic tax card photographs, and historic tax cards.

Westmoreland Historic District Historic Designation Report Project Type: Historic Designation Project Status: Report completed | June 2019 Site Area: 18 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Dade Heritage Trust The PlusUrbia Historic Preservation team prepared the narrative portion of the Westmoreland Historic District Designation Report on behalf of Dade Heritage Trust and in collaboration with the City of Miami Preservation staff. This completed a crucial survey project previously initiated by the City of Miami Preservation staff. Westmoreland is considered one of Miami's first early suburbs, first platted in 1911.  The neighborhood is now located in the heart of greater Little Havana and hosts Cuban Memorial Boulevard, an important civic landmark for the Miami community and frequently visited by tourists.  The neighborhood is threatened by redevelopment.  Preservation of the early homes and character of the neighborhood is a critical goal of a larger project to preserve the character of Little Havana and its complex layers of culture and history.

OMNI Media + Arts Entertainment District Project Type: Planning, Zoning & Urban Design Project Status: Completed Site Area: 16 acres Team: PlusUrbia Design Client: OMNI CRA The Miami Arts and Entertainment District (MAeD) is an urban mixed-use neighborhood within the OMNI CRA just north of Downtown Miami.   The MAeD part of the OMNI CRA is where art, events, restaurants, and technology converge as a new economic hub for South Florida. PlusUrbia completed a pedestrian and zoning study to predict potential build-out, tempered by height limitations to protect the scale of historic buildings on a critical block of North Miami Avenue. Related research created walkable complete streets with streetscapes to support sidewalk cafes and other vibrant urban activities. The MAeD district is bounded by NE 24th Street to the north, I-395 Interstate to the south, the Florida East Coast [FEC] Railway/NE 2nd Avenue to the west, and Biscayne Bay to the east. It is west of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and surrounding development.

Little Havana 'Me Importa' Revitalization Master Plan Project Type: Neighborhood Revitalization Project Status: Completed Site Area: 1,700 acres Team: PlusUrbia Design + National Trust for Historic Preservation + Dade Heritage Trust + Urban Health Partnerships + Live Healthy Little Havana + City of Miami Client: Health Foundation of South Florida Plusurbia led the team in the partnership, preserving the authenticity of Little Havana while creating design guidelines for proper growth and development and setting the stage for zoning recommendations. The unprecedented project was in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which named Little Havana a “National Treasure.” The effort also focused on healthy urban living, a goal of project partner Live Healthy Little Havana. Dade Heritage Trust and Urban Health Partnerships were also partners in this initiative to retain character, density, scale, and affordability in Little Havana. This is an outgrowth of PlusUrbia’s advocacy for a complete streets approach to the pending FDOT redesign of the Calle Ocho corridor (SW 7 and SW 8 streets between SW 27 and Brickell avenue). Images were created of a 21st-century Calle Ocho with multimodal transportation alternatives such as dedicated bike and transit lanes, comfortable wide sidewalks, and additional safe crosswalks in a vibrant urban setting. Dade Heritage Trust 2017 Annual Preservation Award Making Cities Livable Conference - Honor Award for Excellence - A Healthy City for All 2019 APA Florida 2019 Award of Excellence in the Grassroots Initiative category APA Florida Gold Coast Chapter 2019 Award of Excellence for Best Plan, Report, or Study         

Coconut Grove Master Plan Project Type: Visioning & Master Implementation Plan Project Status: Completed Site Area: +/- 150 acres - study area Team: PlusUrbia + Perkins+Will Client: Coconut Grove Business Improvement District (BID) Created from extensive stakeholder input, the plan is a comprehensive overview and specific action roadmap to guide proper growth that positively impacts economic development and quality of life. The results-oriented plan provides the tools to improve the identity and character, open space, mobility, land use and form, community, and resiliency of Coconut Grove’s Village Core. These tools are organized into six building blocks essential to maintaining the Grove’s history of lush greenery, idyllic waterfront, unique restaurants/retail, and a one-of-a-kind village vibe.  The goal is to create a vibrant Village Core while protecting the tranquil and livable adjacent residential neighborhoods that make Coconut Grove Miami’s unique Garden District. The master plan contains decisive action steps that empower the BID to re-energize the heart of the Village Core and have a clear long-term roadmap for the years to come.  It establishes the BID as the central coordinating body to ensure that great ideas become fully-implemented physical improvements. With this document, Grovites, elected officials, and municipal departments will have a comprehensive tool to deliver the combined synthesized goals established by the BID, the Village Council, the Grove 2030, government agencies, and other previous plans and studies. APA Florida 2019 Award of Merit in the Neighborhood Planning category APA Florida - Gold Coast - 2019 Award of Merit Implementation Award

Hospital Gade - Revitalization Master Plan Project Type: Community-Based Redevelopment Project Status: Planned Completion Date: November 2016 Site Area: 15 acres Team: PlusUrbia + Coastal Systems Client: Government of St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands A three-day charrette gathered stakeholder input on the different scenarios that would reprogram a 15-acre former hospital grounds in a coastal area into a resilient, sustainable, and community-based redevelopment anchored by a sports facility and community center. The team made a baseline assessment of the current uses. Then it developed recommendations for implementing and phasing a baseball stadium, community center, public plaza, play, and recreation areas, fish markets, and tourist information centers. The plan also supports the adaptive reuse of former medical buildings into a vocational school.

Santa Bárbara Project Type: Master Plan & Form-Based Code Project Status: Under Review Completion Date: February 2015 Site Area: 315 acres Team: PlusUrbia + Castillo Arquitectos + GSH studio Client: Archdiocese of Los Altos Quetzaltenango Totonicapan Santa Bárbara is a site that belongs to the Archdiocese of Los Altos, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala’s second-largest city. The Archdiocese needed to develop a land management plan to develop the property comprehensively while allowing the land to continue serving the church. This is the first time the Catholic church has sponsored a comprehensive, vision-oriented plan for urbanization in the recent history of Latin America. The church will serve as a steward of the land and the project,  where the institution itself does not become the developer but chooses one to join the vision to build together a prosperous, integrated community that will provide much-needed housing opportunities, jobs, and educational spaces for a rapidly growing population. *Rendered perspective views by Castillo Arquitectos.