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Central Boulevard is being widened to accommodate a larger roadway system to the horse-shoe shaped terminal |
US. Miami International Airport has unveiled plans for the latest phase of expansion. It includes a 33-acre hospitality centre, business-park and convenience centre, and will be anchored by a four-star hotel linked to the terminals, as well as up to one million square feet of Class A office space, and a convenience retail plaza and known as ‘Airport City of MIA’.
Aviation Director José Abreu revealed the plans at the Miami Dade County’s annual State of the Ports briefing on 13 February.
Airport City will straddle the Central Boulevard entrance to MIA and its parking garages. Central Boulevard is being widened to accommodate a larger roadway system to the horse-shoe shaped terminal.
“Airport City will put our airport on the global map in ways never before dreamed possible,” said Abreu. “In my opinion this is a transformational moment in the entire history of all US air transportation.”
The proposed hotel will be linked to the North Terminal. The MIA mover is the train linking the Rental Car facility, the metro-rail and also links to the train to downtown Miami.
In an interview last Autumn with MIA Deputy Director Miguel Southwell told The Moodie Report that “MIA is interested in developing its vast amount of land with a public-private partnership. In the past years, it negotiated about US$1.2 billion of public private partnership programs.”
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“Miami International Airport is interested in developing its vast amount of land with a public private partnership“ |
Miguel Southwell Deputy Director Miami International Airport |
Other airports have airport cities such as Dublin, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Incheon according to Odebrecht USA, MIA’s consultant on this Airport City project. The Airport City concept integrates non-aeronautical facilities with the airport to create a diverse commercial development to serve both the travellers at MIA and the local community.
Airport City at Miami was proposed by a team led by Odebrecht USA, an organisation known for its broad array of significant public-sector achievements across the South Florida landscape since its founding 23 years ago in Coral Gables.
Airport City is estimated to cost US$512 million, create some 5,800 jobs with an economic impact of US$827 million. When completed, operations will create some 10,000 permanent (direct and indirect) jobs with an economic impact of US$1.63 billion per year, according to a study by the Washington Economics Group.
The project consists of three major components:
• Hospitality Center – a 425-room, four-star hotel and conference facility.
• Business Park – An office space with 150- to 300-room limited-service hotel accommodations, retail and restaurant facilities and MIA Mover station.
• Convenience Center – to include convenience retail, dry cleaner, gas station, pet hotel/spa and other services.
“What really drives our passion for this project is the opportunity to create a significant impact on our community through thousands of jobs,” said Gilberto Neves, President & CEO of Odebrecht USA. “Also, by literally creating new commercial uses on what is today vacant land, and connecting them to the mass-transit lines, we will create a sustainable array of community benefits that will prosper for generations to come.”
The development contract with Odebrecht is expected to be presented to the county’s Transportation and Aviation Committee in March and shortly thereafter to the Board of County Commissioners for final approval. Odebrecht is responsible for all of the project’s financing, construction, and operational expenses, and the county’s Aviation Department will share in project revenues.
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