PERLA MIAMI LUXURY REAL ESTATE: James Corner Field Ops Drops Their Revised Lincoln Road Plan

Thursday, October 15, 2015

James Corner Field Ops Drops Their Revised Lincoln Road Plan

James Corner Field Operations is unveiling a revised Lincoln Road District Masterplan at a public meeting tonight at 6 PM, where they are addressing the side streets and Lincoln Lane North and Lincoln Lane South alleys and unveiling redesigned sections of the road itself. The Miami Herald published an outline of the design this morning, but a much more extensive rundown of the presentation is after the jump, from a copy given to Curbed by James Corner Field Operations. The current plan addresses many of the issues that Curbed raised in the Field Ops' earlier iteration, while raising a few others. Although some stakeholders will probably still have significant issue with the plan, it is ultimately a big step forward.

Changes include:

· The Euclid Oval is redesigned to incorporate a children's play area and open space, either landscaping or a fountain, a small amphitheater oriented towards the 'bandshell' folly, and a renewed focus on the 'bandshell' as a performance space.

· The excessive foliage around the A-frame folly is cleared away with a single catwalk-style fountain preserved to run through the middle of the space and seating and planting oriented around it. The fountain can be turned off to become an actual catwalk for fashion shows. (note: we suggested doing two parallel fountains with a dry catwalk down the middle for impromptu fashion shows and a single set of stepping stones crossing them and this idea was very well received. Watch this space)

· A redesigned folly with metal louvers is proposed at the Washington Avenue end of the mall. This would be incorporated with foliage and an open common space underneath.

· The side streets and alleys are redesigned to enhance the bleeding effect of Lincoln Road commercial into the surrounding area to the north, while making the alleys to the south more hospitable while preserving the pedestrian character of the area. Trash collection and deliveries could be controlled and mitigated in a variety of ways.

· Designated zones for cafe tables open up the pedestrian zone of the road while organizing outdoor seating. The zones would not block the follies or outdoor living rooms.

· A wide variety of umbrella options are now available, with infrastructure controlled in a much more organized way with underground wiring.

· The gray paving would be mixed with a seashell aggregate in an attempt to spice it up. The piano keys will also still be black & white piano keys. Colors are still gone.

· Lots of public outdoor seating is still added but the planters will retain more of their original shapes and geometric looks instead of the angles added in the earlier plan.

· Yes, they really are proposing red and black wayfinding signs for Lincoln Road. Ick. The little folly illustrations are a neat idea to identify of the different blocks of the road however, although they should probably be a bit more stylized.