The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami has announced plans for a $61m expansion that would create new cultural community spaces and a permanent parking facility for visitors.
For years, the center has relied on vacant lots nearby. But as those lots get replaced with newly constructed high-rises, parking options are running low.
“Consistently, the one thing that we’ve heard from our patrons is that the biggest challenge here is traffic and parking,” said Johann Zietsmann, the center’s president and CEO. “Traffic we can’t solve, but parking we can resolve.”
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The proposed project calls for a six-story garage with approximately 750 spaces. The facility would be located on Miami-Dade County-owned land that was designated for parking in 2016, and within a short walking distance of the center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House and the Knight Concert Hall.
“ People who don't know this area drive around the block and struggle,” Zietsmann told WLRN. “This would make it so much easier for them because they would know exactly where to go.”
Visitors would be able to reserve and pay for parking in advance after purchasing tickets online.
The project also includes about 5,000 square feet of space for community gathering and studio space, which would "extend the Arsht’s mission in the downtown Miami neighborhood, further cementing its identity as an arts and culture district," according to a press release.
The project would be funded through the center’s reserves and future parking revenue.
If approved by the Miami-Dade County Commission, construction is expected to take roughly 14 months once permits are secured — a process that Zietsmann said could take up to a year.
Zietsmann said he is optimistic about the plan’s approval and believes the new facility is designed to improve what he calls the “street-to-seat experience.”
“We know once they’re inside our building they have a great time. We wanna control a little bit more … from the parking, back to the parking, and this will make that possible,” said Zietsmann.
