Just in time for the 47-acre Upland Park transit-oriented, mixed use project that is expected to transform the Dolphin Park-and-Ride terminal into a major multimodal transit hub, the city of Doral is looking to update its transit plan, which could also include changes and/or additions to its trolley service.
Residents can hear about the transit plan goals and proposed improvements to the trolley service at a workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday on the first floor of City Hall, 8401 NW 53rd Terrace. They can also learn about the county’s Better Bus Network — which many say is not necessarily better (more on that later) — and provide feedback on the city’s trolley service.
Traffic is already bad in Doral, and it is expected to get worse.
Developer Terra broke ground last month on the first phase of Upland Park, which will include more than 2,000 mid-rise and garden-style apartments, 282,000 square feet of retail and 414,000 square feet of commercial space.
Upland Park is designed to increase public transit ridership “while anchoring the new East-West Corridor of the county’s Smart public transportation plan,” according to a press release from the developer, who billed it as “the largest public-private transit-oriented development” in the history of Miami-Dade County.
“Through public-private partnerships, we are accelerating smart solutions by adding new transit-oriented communities along major transit corridors,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a statement.
“These developments provide public transportation connections to employment centers, schools, arts and culture, and healthcare, making it easier for residents to access essential services and opportunities. Upland Park is a prime example of how we are continuing to build a better community for all and a future-ready Miami-Dade County,” Levine Cava said. “Located alongside the 836 Expressway, which features a dedicated bus lane, this development will provide residents with seamless and efficient transit options, further integrating smart mobility solutions into our growing region.”
Read related: Post election shake up in Doral as new mayor ushers in new administration
Said District 12 Commissioner Juan Carlos “JC” Bermudez, the former mayor of Doral: “Upland Park is a significant step forward in ensuring that residents of West Dade, have greater access to transit, jobs, and essential services.”
In 2016, the then-city council approved two inter-local agreements between Doral and the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) providing up to $90,000 in grant funding to study the expansion of Doral trolley service to Florida International University and the conversion of certain streets into one-way traffic corridors to increase circulation capacity.
The trolley expansion back then was an initiative by current Doral Mayor Christi Fraga, who was vice mayor at time.
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The post Doral seeks input on update to city transit plan, expanded trolley service appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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This is Round 2 on who controls development

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Miami-Dade Commission chair says it ain’t

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The Miami-Dade Commission will consider spending more than $245 million to build the South Dade Transit Operations Center to improve efficiency for bus routes serving the southern part of the county, particularly the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) busway under construction along U.S. 1. The county has already identified a 20-acre site at Southwest 27th Avenue and Biscayne Drive in Homestead.

According to the county website, the new, 219,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind bus depot will serve as a home base to maintain, energize and operate a new fleet of 100 “articulated 60-foot battery-electric buses,” which are those long, accordion type guaguas. The closest maintenance facility on Coral Way was about 30 miles from the busway and, besides not having the capacity or infrastructure to house, power or maintain the new fleet, would cause for a long turnaround trip. The new facility will reportedly have all the necessary equipment on site — as well as office space for more than 100 county employees from the transit and public works department.

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Some Miami-Dade voters got a text message poll over the weekend, gauging support for many of the big candidates on the ballot this year and also for the $2.5 billion bond referendum promoted by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and dropped on us during her State of the County address in January.

And, for the first time, the bond referendum was tentatively tied to a new proposal to expand MetroRail.

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The Citizens Independent Transportation Trust will have a special meeting Thursday afternoon to consider giving $125 million in additional funds from the county transportation surtax funds and People’s Transportation Plan bond program to Miami-Dade’s Department of Transit and Public Works for ongoing architectural and engineering projects. But there are few details.

Several questions asked by the CITT staff came back with “pending” on Wednesday. Unanswered.

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