Previous PostLast month, a committee appointed by the City of Miami Manager ranked two teams – Marina PARC and Virginia Key LLC – within five points of one another in a competition to redevelop the Rickenbacker Marina. On the surface, both teams proposed similar plans including public bay walks, ‘living shorelines,’ and revamped retail and commercial offerings. But a closer look at the two plans reveals material differences that have raised concerns about the RFP and led our team to file a formal bid protest.
At the center of the debate is a piece of land adjacent to the marina which the City deemed off-limits when setting the boundaries for the RFP. Marina PARC followed the rules and excluded this land from its plans. Virginia Key LLC failed to heed the City’s directions and instead included the land in their site.
By incorporating the excluded property in their design, Virginia Key LLC was able to plan for more commercial space, more parking and more boat storage.
The result? Virginia Key LLC’s revenue projections are artificially inflated and the legitimacy of the team’s proposal has been challenged.
If the Virginia Key LLC proposal is found to be non-compliant with the City’s development parameters, then Marina PARC could be awarded the City bid by default.
Delving into the proposals in depth would take hours upon hours, but we’ve saved you the time by breaking down a comparison of the two proposals below.
Overall, the Marina PARC plan calls for less commercial development, fewer boats, and a more realistic financial picture:
