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Front Page » Transportation » All Aboard Florida revises station plans

All Aboard Florida revises station plans

Written by on December 10, 2014
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All Aboard Florida revises station plans

All Aboard Florida, the passenger railway that might eventually link Miami and Orlando, has revised plans for its downtown Miami station.

While work on the nearly 7-acre station has begun – the parking lots near County Hall and the county courthouse where the development is to rise have been cordoned off – All Aboard Florida still must finish an administrative site plan review with Miami-Dade County and City of Miami officials.

This approval process focuses on details of the downtown station – what kind of materials are to be used for the viaduct through which trains will come into the station, how many on- and off-site parking spots the company will provide and whether there will be a pedestrian overpass connecting the All Aboard Florida development to adjacent projects, among other details.

The Miami-Dade Commission already gave its blessing but its purview extended only to the development’s overall look.

Now, a committee comprised of county staffers from various departments as well as of three City of Miami representatives is to work with All Aboard Florida through the administrative site plan review.

According to the site plan and renderings All Aboard has submitted to the county,

the station is to have nearly 300,000 overall gross square feet and 384 parking spaces, some on-site, some off. The station is to rise about 84 feet, and 22.6% of gross square footage is reserved for open space, including courtyards, colonnades and pedestrian paths.

The rendering and site plan the company submitted show only its plans for the station itself – not for the mixed-use, office and residential buildings that are also part of All Aboard Florida’s development in downtown Miami.

While the overall development is to rise between Northwest First and Eighth streets between the Metrorail line and Northwest First Avenue to the east, the station structure will only run between Northwest Third and Eighth streets.

According to All Aboard’s revised rendering, part of the viaduct is to be precast concrete. Previously, the material marked was textured cast-in-place concrete. Additional materials for the viaduct include stainless steel woven metal fabric and glass.

Like the previous site plan submitted to the county, this plan also indicated a future connection between All Aboard’s station and the adjacent Metrorail. That connection, probably a pedestrian overpass, is to cross Northwest Third Street.

Miami-Dade Transit representatives required the connection during public meetings with All Aboard Florida last summer. So far, the transit department has said it objects to All Aboard’s proposal and has requested additional information from the company.

All Aboard is a subsidiary of Coral Gables-based Florida East Coast Industries. The company plans travel times of about three hours between Miami and Orlando, with stops in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

A committee meeting at which county and city representatives are to make their final decision on All Aboard Florida’s proposed details for the station hasn’t been scheduled but could come as early as January.

2 Responses to All Aboard Florida revises station plans

  1. matt

    December 10, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    The public should ensure that the real estate being developed by all aboard florida is on the aad asset list. It does not take a rocket scientist to suspect that aaf could take 3B dollars of taxpayer/investor dollars, improve the rail, develop commercial property, then declare bankruptcy, with the rail belonging to fec and the property owned by another fec subsidiary.

  2. IvoSan

    December 15, 2014 at 4:13 pm

    @matt, the rail tracks and the freight business belongs to FECR.
    Passenger rights belongs to FECI, owner of AAF. FECI will develop the real estate, as well.

    FECI and FECR have been split some years ago, even if the owner is the same. If your fears become real, the public will be left holding some passenger rights, the Orlando-Cocoa tracks, while FECR will keep running freight on improved tracks.

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