THE UNDERDECK MIAMI COMPLETES A TRIUMPHANT YEAR OF BUILDING COMMUNITY CONSENSUS

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Community News Releases

February 22, 2023

In a unique and unprecedented example of municipal collaboration between the Miami City Commission and the Miami community, a significant milestone has been achieved in consensus planning for the Underdeck, the 33-acre public multi-purpose open green space designed to complement the new I-395 Signature Bridge.

In 2021, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the Underdeck Committee entered into a formal partnership with the City of Miami, committing to provide community-driven recommendations about the process of the Underdeck should be designed, named, branded, programmed, operated, governed and maintained. The MOU also facilitated a collaborative commitment to secure state funding from the Florida Department of Transportation and federal funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s “Connecting Communities” federal grant to advance the project.

Empowered by the City of Miami and the established MOU, the people of Miami have remained the focal point of the planning and development of the once-in-a-lifetime public project. Members of the community, particularly from the Overtown and Downtown resident and business communities, have played pivotal roles on the Underdeck Committee, its Working Groups and as participants in meetings and forums, advocating for the community’s currency to benefit in all areas from the project.

In 2022, 124 members of the community served on five Underdeck working groups focused on Stakeholder Awareness and Engagement, Operations and Maintenance, Traffic and Mobility, Funding, and Governance. A total of 129 working group meetings were held during the year. More than 35 community in person and virtual meetings were held in Overtown and Downtown to serve local residents. Survey respondents providing feedback for the Underdeck Naming totaled more than 2,000. Two special interest groups were created for Economic Development and Youth Engagement, further expanding the Underdeck Committee’s outreach.

The culmination of this collaborative work is a 400-page comprehensive report of community-based recommendations submitted to Miami City Manager, Arthur Noriega, which can be found here, with a summarized Year in Review document available here.

“With the Underdeck positioned to be a legacy greenspace designed to “bring Miami together”, the commitment by the Miami City Commission to activate community participation in the planning stages should not only be acknowledged but celebrated. Considering that the Underdeck will run adjacent to the Overtown neighborhood that suffered profound displacement and disconnection during I-95 highway construction in the 1960’s, having residents, business owners and community leaders from Overtown to Downtown actively involved with the comprehensive planning of the Underdeck truly makes this a project of the people, for the people and by the people”, commented Dr. Nelson Adams, Chair, Stakeholder Awareness, Education & Engagement Working Group.

With the community-based Underdeck Committee report submitted to the Miami City Commission, the next step will be to compile the submitted recommendations for a Commission vote in the upcoming months. Given the nationwide focus on and funding opportunities for projects that prioritize reconnecting communities, with a yes vote, the City of Miami can establish the Underdeck project as a testament to the impact of community collaboration and the value of community engagement in the development of community-focused public spaces.

To further engage the community, www.underdeckmiami.com was launched in early 2022 as a virtual hub to keep the community abreast of all things Underdeck. A growing database of meeting attendees and other involved stakeholders are included in the distribution of the Underdeck Chronicle monthly newsletter. Through the website, residents and other stakeholders can volunteer to join any Underdeck working group advocating for the project.

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This group will be convening with all relevant agencies and stakeholders to identify key related challenges and to ensure short-term and long-term cross-sector plans are agreed upon and implemented.

Funding Strategies

This group was initially charged with fundraising the match dollars required by the Knight Foundation grant (noted in the approved MOU and City resolution).  All fund-raising goals have been fully met as of December 2021 and are currently funding all planning activities.  The group is now developing a framework for the fund development strategy related to capital, operational and maintenance needs.

Stakeholder Awareness, Education & Engagement

This group is responsible for casting the net broadly to create awareness of the project and engage residents in the Underdeck’s development.  A full engagement strategy has been launched and will continue through the summer of 2022.  A monthly newsletter and website will be launched beginning in March, monthly community meetings will be held through the Summer of 2022, and stakeholders will have regular monthly opportunities to inform and engage with the Underdeck Committee Working Groups.

Construction, Operation, Maintenance

This group is working closely with the City of Miami and FDOT to ensure that the Heritage Trail, Legacy Walls and other public art components will include stakeholder leadership, participation and input in the exhibits, artists, and content.  This group is also working with the City to identify the appropriate expertise to develop a realistic estimate for the operation and management budget for the long-term sustainability of the public space.  This estimated budget will inform the work  of the fund development working group in the coming months.

Government, Project Management & Strategic Oversight

Naming/Branding – Over the last two months community meetings, focus groups, surveys, and interviews have been conducted to gather input from our community. Two engagement and marketing firms, Kivvit and Circle of One have been brought on board to support this process.  A Creative Brief will be developed inclusive of potential names for the Underdeck or Open Space Area.  These potential names will be shared with the community and further input will refine the final recommendations that will be considered by the Underdeck Executive Committee.  The final selected name is subject to the approval of the City Commission.   

This group has researched best practices on governance of public spaces and has been reviewing various governance structures nationally and locally.  They are currently working on recommendations that would inform the governance of the public space.  These recommendations will inform future bylaws.

Voice Your Support for The Underdeck!


Greetings and Many Thanks,

It is not often that a municipal project with the scale and scope of the Underdeck, is developed with the intentional and valued participation from members of the community. The City of Miami is to be celebrated and commended for empowering the people of Miami through its sanctioning of the Underdeck Committee to provide community-driven recommendations about how the Underdeck should be designed, named, branded, programmed, operated, governed, and maintained.

In 2022, 124 members of the community served on five Underdeck working groups focused on Stakeholder Awareness and Engagement, Operations and Maintenance, Traffic and Mobility, Funding, and Governance. A total of 129 working group meetings were held during the year. More than 35 community in person and virtual meetings were held in Overtown and Downtown to engage residents, along with survey respondents providing feedback for the Underdeck Naming totaling more than 2000. In addition, two special interest groups were created for Economic Development and Youth Engagement, further expanding the Underdeck Committee’s outreach.

The anticipation of this 33-acre public multi-purpose green space is enhanced by knowing that the recommendations for development through this community engagement have been submitted for your review and will soon be voted upon. With a vote of “Yes” to these recommendations, the Underdeck will truly be a project of the people, by the people, for the people.

As a public space positioned to reconnect communities and serve as a destination for families and friends to engage with one another, it is greatly appreciated that the City of Miami has and will continue to value the voices, insights, and recommendations that will ultimately make the Underdeck we can authentically call our own.

Alan Fein

Chair Government, Project Management, Strategic Oversight Working Group

Alan Fein is a Shareholder in Stearns Weaver Miller’s Litigation Department and a member of the Firm’s Board of Directors. For over three decades, Alan has successfully handled complex business litigation in South Florida and in the leading business courts in the nation, including the Delaware Court of Chancery, the Delaware Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Eleventh Circuit and the District of Columbia. At the same time, he has developed one of the region’s most vibrant sports law practices, and brought vision and leadership to a number of community leadership roles.