Former landfills are difficult enough to be recognized as potential redevelopment projects, but when they are adjacent to additional, even larger landfills, the challenge is multiply exponentially. But the City of North Miami Beach was not to be discouraged from their redevelopment vision. With the proper consulting firm and a determination to revitalize a neglected area, the City invested in the potential of its community.

The first step was to designate the area as a Brownfield. That was followed by signing a Brownfields Site Rehabilitation Agreement (BSRA) with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Through environmental site assessments it was determined that there were large quantities of unsettled waste beneath the site that would require dynamic compaction in order to improve the sub-surface conditions upon which the property would be developed. Another condition that would have to be addressed would be the existence of waste gases. In addition, ammonia was discovered in the groundwater.

Through an intensive community relations campaign, public and private funds were obtained to complete the necessary cleanup of contaminants. A successful compaction program induced 1.5 feet of settlement and, through engineering controls, a building protection system was constructed to address and manage the landfill gases. The ammonia contamination issue was resolved and the entire area was additionally designed to serve as a storm water management resource project. The BSRA was completed and the FDEP signed off on a Site Rehabilitation Completion Order.

With the completion of an $18M public – private investment, the community had transformed a discouraging eye-sore into upscale retail stores that created dozens of jobs, raised the property value of the site and surrounding area, offered new business opportunities, and greatly expanded the community tax base.

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