The 100 block of Lincoln Road and the beachwalk entrance will soon undergo major renovations after the owners of the Ritz-Carlton South Beach and Sagamore Hotel South Beach hotels obtained $4.85 million from the state of Florida to begin construction for the redevelopment. The project calls for a grand concourse that connects the public access beach to the Lincoln Road shopping and entertainment mall.
The hotel owners had committed $4 million of private funds and an additional $4 million from the City of Miami Beach in 2023 to restore the east end of Lincoln Road, which serves as the primary public access to the beach from Collins Avenue. With over $12 million now available, they can redesign the roadway and install new features. The latest additions will include an Art Walk, a public beach park, a pedestrian lush art-filled pathway and a gateway monument featuring the “Lapidus Arch,” part of Morris Lapidus’ original unfulfilled vision to see Lincoln Road extend from bay to ocean, among other enhancements.
The planned reconfiguration and revitalization of the 100 block of Lincoln Road and the beachwalk entrance is part of a larger wave of investment worth billions of dollars to revitalize the core of Miami Beach. This includes a flood of new luxury residences under construction, new Class A office space, and City-led upgrades to Lincoln Road’s retail district, known as the James Corner plan, worth $60 million. The plan’s most significant changes are a complete street redesign, including road lane and median changes, to ease traffic flow and make the street safer for pedestrians and drivers.
“The business operators, property owners, and astute residents like the Board of Directors representing our neighbors at the Decoplage who support the planned upgrades can feel validated by the progress we’re making,” Peter Kanavos says, one of the owners of the Ritz-Carlton and Sagamore South Beach hotels.
Later this summer, Kanavos and the other Ritz-Carlton and Sagamore South Beach owners will present the final development agreement to the City of Miami Beach Commission. The city will issue a Request for Proposals to initiate construction if approved.
“Our vision is that the activities on east Lincoln Road become the catalyst for a longer-term movement to revitalize the urban core of our entire city center,” Kanavos says.