José Martí Park in East Little Havana is slated for a long-planned adaptive redesign intended to help the riverfront park withstand storm surge and recurring King Tide flooding. The project focuses on improving the park's waterfront resilience and access.
The City of Miami
The City of Miami The Adaptive Design Project centers on waterfront access, shoreline stabilization and stormwater management at the park. Design documents identify a boardwalk and water taxi slip among the planned waterfront elements. The project falls under City of Miami District 3, represented by Commissioner Joe Carollo, according to Cummins Cederberg.
A Long-Term Build Through 2027
Construction was expected to begin in 2024 and finish in 2027, according to Cummins Cederberg's project materials.
The work is funded through the Miami Forever General Obligation Bond, according to the project documents.
Engineering to Outlast 2070 Storm Surge Projections
The redesign is built to do more than look nice. Engineering specifications from Curtis + Rogers Design Studio and Cummins Cederberg are designed to withstand projected 2070 100-year storm surge events as well as the recurring King Tide flooding that already submerges the park's riverwalk, according to the Waterfront Alliance. That flood-tolerance engineering earned the park a milestone: in June 2023, José Martí Park became the first project in Florida, the second outside New York, and the 12th nationally to earn Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines (WEDG) Verification, scoring 149 out of 215 possible points.
The project's WEDG Verification recognizes its resilient waterfront design, and the park has been presented as a model for future riverfront projects across Miami aimed at mitigating sea-level rise risks. Resource Environmental Solutions, one of the environmental consultants on the project, describes the design as incorporating resilience and green-infrastructure retrofits.
Funding Beyond the Bond
Local bond dollars aren't the only money behind the project. The initiative also secured $14 million from a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant in 2021, with an additional $4 million in federal HUD funding arriving in 2023, according to Resource Environmental Solutions. Separately, the project includes flood-mitigation work.
Waterfront engineering plans by Cummins Cederberg call for a designated water taxi slip intended to enable potential future water-based commuter service, per Cummins Cederberg. The water taxi slip is described as a potential future amenity.
A Neighborhood Anchor Amid a Changing Riverfront
For now, José Martí Park remains a recreational space in East Little Havana, even as the neighborhood around it transforms.
That transformation is visible just next door. The park is adjacent to Chetrit Group's six-acre River District project, which includes plans for 1,600 residences, office space, retail and a boat marina, according to Connect CRE. Following the park's design achievements, the city incorporated WEDG standards into Appendix B of its municipal zoning code, encouraging private developers and future municipal projects to adopt similar resilient waterfront practices.
