Goal 3: Protect and enhance our waterfront

Miami Forever Climate Ready Goal 3

City of Miami has 88 miles of waterfront -- bayside, and riverside combined. The waterfront is Miami’s first line of defense against flooding and, while it is the most vulnerable, it is also ripe for investment and enhancement. 29 of those miles are City-owned and the remaining 59 miles are privately-owned, underscoring the necessity for government and property owners to work together to develop and install uniform solutions. Through a combination of nature-based and structural means, we can reduce Miami’s risk of coastal and riverine flooding, and make these areas more resilient. We must develop and implement city-wide waterfront standards that will reduce flood impacts from tidal events and storm surge, provide standards for aesthetic cohesion, help us adapt to sea level rise over time, and enhance waterfront access.

OBJECTIVES

  • Objective 3.1: Reduce the severity, duration, and impact of coastal and riverine flooding on shorelines and surrounding communities.
  • Objective 3.2: Update and implement waterfront design standards.
  • Objective 3.3: Accelerate investment in features along the waterfront.
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PLAN

development of a document or gathering of information intended to inform future initiatives

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POLICY

update or addition to a City policy or standard

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PROGRAM

creation or refinement of an on-going initiative that typically serves external stakeholders

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PROJECT

a one-time initiative to develop a specific deliverable

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PROTOCOL

revision or addition to the standard operating procedure, practices, or operations of a City department

Type

Action

Lead(s)

Partners

Policy

Update city policy to ensure design scopes for city-owned waterfront and drainage projects prioritize and integrate green infrastructure solutions such as living shorelines and bioswales to improve coastal protection, drainage, and water quality, and enhance natural systems.

OCI

DREAM, ORS, Planning, RPW

Complete Bayside and Riverside waterfront design standards and guidelines to ensure that standards consider sea level rise, increasing heat, changing precipitation and storm patterns, and evolving land-use.

Planning

ORS, RPW

Implement changes to City seawall standards considering sea level rise projections through 2060 and designing for adaptability over time. Inform and engage key stakeholders prior to introducing the new standards.

RPW

City Attorney,ORS, Planning

Project

Continue installation of tidal valves at City outfalls to reduce high-tide flooding through storm drains.

RPW

OCI, ORS

Select and begin design work on 1-2 sites for a living shoreline demonstration project. Use these demonstrations to build partnerships and shared learning across agencies for new approaches to building resilience and supporting the health of Biscayne Bay.

ORS

OCI, Parks, RPW

Protocol

Conduct annual review of King Tide standard operating procedures and consider adjustments that will improve mapping, real-time flood sensing, communications, and short-term response.

RPW

OCI, ORS

 

Type

Action

Lead(s)

Partners

Plan

Develop long-term financing and implementation strategy to upgrade and maintain City-owned, public seawalls.

CFO

Grants,OCI,ORS, RPW

Policy

 

Engage and address relevant regulatory agencies to advance a more expansive waterfront design framework that allows for softer edges that extend into Biscayne Bay.

ORS

DERM,RPW, OCI, Planning

Develop and build upon landscaping and vegetation standards that require native plantings for city swales and along waterfront areas that are more resilient to salt water, hurricanes, and extreme weather events.

Planning

ORS, Parks,RPW

Program

Explore the creation of a nonprofit place-based organization or conservancy to facilitate private investment or management of urban waterfronts.

DDA

OCI, ORS, Planning,RPW

Project

Track and actively engage in the USACE Back Bay Study, search for ways to enhance functional design for aesthetics and quality of life, and support the implementation of an iconic storm surge barrier in the Miami River.

RPW

ORS

Update existing stormwater pump station infrastructure to account for sea level rise and provide greater dependability during hurricanes and extreme weather events.

RPW

OCI

 

Type

Action

Lead(s)

Partners

Policy

Develop and implement public-private financing strategies, such as special taxing districts and tax increment financing, to facilitate and incentivize construction of seawalls and Bay and Riverwalk waterfronts.

OMB,Finance

City Attorney, ORS, Planning, RPW

Type

Action

Lead(s)

Partners

Project

Construct storm surge and tidal gateway barriers and other waterfront features to reduce risk from storm surge up Miami River, Little River, and other canals as needed.

USACE

MDC, RPW

Protocol

Add language to the Miami's Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan (MCNP) to establish a process to review and update seawall elevation standards, seawall design standards, and Bay and Riverwalk design standards every 10 years.

Planning, RPW