Nearly 9.5 acres of city-owned land along Collins Avenue in North Beach is headed for a pivotal commission vote. The Miami Beach City Commission is set to decide Wednesday, July 22, whether to hire a design firm to create a master plan for the West Lots, a string of underused parcels stretching from 79th Street to 87th Terrace.

The resolution, sponsored by Commissioners Tanya Bhatt and David Suarez, would authorize City Manager Eric Carpenter to negotiate a consultant service order with Savino & Miller Design Studio under an existing city contract for architectural and engineering services.

It's the fourth time the item has appeared on a commission agenda. The resolution was listed but not reached at meetings on April 22, May 20 and June 24, according to agenda records. July 22 is the commission's last meeting before an August recess that runs until Sept. 10.

What's there now

The West Lots currently hold three parking lots, a skate park, an Ocean Rescue facility and the SoBe Cats Kitty Campus, according to the Miami Beach Journal. The eight city-owned parcels total 9.43 acres, the publication reported.

Planning efforts for the site date back to the 2018 Plan NoBe master planning process. Previous approved uses, including a hydroponic farming partnership and a food and entertainment yard, never materialized.

Bhatt proposed transforming the lots into an integrated public park in a Dec. 17, 2025, commission memorandum.

"Instead of the status quo, let's give this remarkable green space in our North Beach neighborhood the respect it deserves to unlock its fullest potential," she wrote at the time.

Broader North Beach activity

The West Lots aren't the only North Beach public land getting attention. A July 15 Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee agenda included three related items: parks programming for the proposed West Lots park, lighting improvements for public safety and converting the alley west of the lots into a bicycle boulevard. All three were sponsored by Bhatt.

Separately, the July 22 agenda includes a request to issue letters of interest for a marine science center at 7605 Collins Ave., co-sponsored by Suarez and Commissioner Alex Fernandez.

Savino & Miller Design Studio is based in North Miami. The firm's previous Miami Beach work includes Bayshore Park, a 19-acre resilient park built on a former city golf course that manages stormwater and includes trails, an amphitheater and butterfly gardens.

How to weigh in

The commission meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 22, in Commission Chambers. Residents can also join via Zoom (Webinar ID: 813 9285 7671) or by phone at 305-224-1968 or toll-free at 888-475-4499. The next regularly scheduled commission meeting after the August recess is Wednesday, Sept. 10.