Final Proposals for Lincoln Road Redesign Unveiled Today

Miami Beach's Lincoln Road has undergone a lot of changes in its relatively short history. Originally envisioned by Carl Fisher as an automobile-friendly "Fifth Avenue of the South," the strip was converted into America's second pedestrian mall in the '50s under the eye of famed Miami architect Morris Lapidus.

By the late '70s, the place fell into disrepair and became known for its shady characters and boarded-up store windows. Starting in the late '80s, it reemerged as something of an artsy and boho hotspot lined with galleries and eccentric places like jazz clubs, apothecaries, and crystal shops, but its slow creep since then toward a fancy outdoor version of a suburban shopping mall has been completed in the past few years. It now features tenants like H&M, Urban Outfitters, and Forever 21. 

Miami Beach officials believe a new era for Lincoln Road necessitates a refurbished design, so they've hired James Corner Field Operation — the hot landscape architecture firm of the moment thanks to its work on New York City's High Line Park — to give the shopping strip an update. 

Residents have previously gotten a peek of what the architects were up to, but today their final proposals will be unveiled. 

The main focus is to revitalize Lincoln Lane and Lincoln Lane South, which, at the moment, are more or less glorified alleyways that run parallel to the north and south of Lincoln Road proper. The public can drop by Miami Beach City Hall beginning at 6 p.m. today to get a glimpse of the plans. 

Those new plans include widened bike lanes, expanded sidewalks that can accommodate café dining, and more trees. 

You'll have to wait until tonight to view those renderings, but the firm did provide new images of its tweaked but previously seen plans for the main strip. 

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Proposed: The idea is to honor the original Lapidus flourishes while opening up the street more. The plan also notably seems to take some cues from the extension of the pedestrian mall to the 1100 block a few years ago, a project that was undertaken by Raymond Jungles and Herzog & de Meuron. 

Of course, whatever Corner presents today won't necessarily be final. The plans will be open to public comment and must still pass muster with the city commission and historic preservation board.