Last month Mayor Shirley Gibson and the City Council invited the residents and businesses of the City to participate in the ground breaking ceremony for the City’s new $50 million, 138,000 square feet Platinum L.E.E.D. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Miami Gardens Municipal Complex that will be located at 18591 NW 27th Ave.
The 138,000 square feet Municipal Complex that includes a 71,000 square feet City Hall and a 67,000 square feet Public Safety Building along with an 180,000 square foot covered parking facility. The City Hall building will house all City Departments, City Council Offices, City Council Chambers, Community Meeting space and a Fitness Center.
The new Public Safety facility will replace the existing Police Department building located on NW 163rd Drive. The new home of the Police Department will include an Emergency Operations and Emergency Call Center, along with other enhanced security design features and systems that will assist the Police Department in their continuing efforts in providing public safety for the residents and visitors of the City.
The Municipal Complex will be situated on approximately 4.9 acres where the former Wachovia/Wells Fargo Bank was once located. As part of the environmentally friendly project the City has already relocated over 80 trees to nearby City Parks and demolished the old bank building. Phase 1 of the project has been completed which included the installation of the underground utilities and the storm water management systems.
It is the City’s goal to obtain L.E.E.D. Platinum Certification, which is the highest level of sustainability or “Green building” rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. To achieve this goal, the construction is required to re-use and recycle the materials from the demolition process. It will also be necessary for the City to install photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of the City Hall and Police Department buildings. All of the systems in the buildings are chosen to reduce the electrical consumption for the life of the buildings. All of the office space in the buildings will have natural lighting and exterior views, which are important components for L.E.E.D. Other features are L.E.D. lighting, porous concrete pathways, rainwater capture and reuse, nonvolatile- containing resins and glues, high-efficiency air conditioning, recycled steel, and local-ly produced materials among others.
The design for the Municipal Complex site incorporates areas for public functions and staff congregation. The proposed landscaping has been carefully selected to minimize the need for irrigation. The irrigation and water maintenance for the new complex will be accomplished utilizing a rainwater harvesting system that captures the storm water from the roofs of the City Hall, Public Safety and Garage buildings. The exterior design includes a ground level covered walkway to access the City Hall and PD buildings from the Garage.
Also included in the project are an additional 181,105 square foot, four story-parking garage that will include handicap accessible, and stroller parking stalls, and provisions for electrical vehicles to meet L.E.E.D. standard requirements. For information about the Municipal Complex call City Hall at (305) 622 – 8000.
Congrats, City of Miami Gardens!