Miami International Airport Bid Targets Florida Interanational University Medical City

By Risa Polansky
A Florida International University "medical city." A high-end hotel. An energy center. A cruise lounge.

All and more may rise at the gateway to Miami International Airport.

In search of added revenue, Miami-Dade Aviation put out a call for a developer to transform four parcels at the airport’s entrance into a commercial complex that would bring in money and breathe life into underused land.

A team led by construction giant Odebrecht is in line for the job after a selection committee voted last week to negotiate with the masterminds of "Airport City."

The county must sign off, and negotiations may take six months.

The project could change shape as a result, but proposed now is a projected $665 million complex tailored to both travelers and residents.

It’s designed to include an FIU medical compound of outpatient treatment centers; an energy center to provide round-the-clock energy supply to the airport; a revamp of the existing airport hotel; a new 400-room Pullman Hotel complete with conference space; a "central station" of retail, a lounge for cruise passengers and a MIA Mover transit stop; and a 1,900-space parking garage with a "green roof" featuring park-like amenities.

The aviation department’s request for proposals suggested two new hotels, a pet spa and a service plaza.

But "the RFP asked us to be creative," Odebrecht Project Executive Dean F. Radeloff said. "We’re not necessarily opposed to those ideas, but we think that from a community needs point of view, from an ability to get what the airport wants, which is really non-aeronautical revenue generation, we think these elements meet all those goals." Advertisement