Wynwood BID alongside property owners Bill Rammos and Gary Nader announce commitment to fund costs associated with new commuter rail station
MIAMI, FL (AUGUST 26, 2020) – The Wynwood Business Improvement District (BID) Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution of support at its August meeting to work together with area property owners Bill Rammos and Gary Nader to fund the costs associated with construction of a Phase 1 Commuter Rail Platform Station in Wynwood. This public-private sector partnership signals to the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners that the Wynwood, Midtown and Edgewater community is prepared to embrace commuter rail and construct a station to serve the needs of the fastest growing area in Miami-Dade. The County Commission is expected to vote on the new commuter rail initiative in September.
“The Wynwood community has continually advocated for reliable transportation alternatives that remove cars from congested roadways, enhance the walkability of neighborhoods and better serve communities that rely on public transit,” says Albert Garcia, Chairman of the Wynwood BID. “We are committed to working with public and private sector stakeholders to bring commuter rail to the FEC/Brightline corridor and contribute towards the cost of building a commuter rail station to serve the fast-growing Wynwood, Midtown and Edgewater neighborhoods.”
Bill Rammos and Gary Nader are the private property owners on the East and West side of the FEC/Brightline railway tracks at NE 27th Street between North Miami Avenue and NE 2nd Avenue where the Wynwood, Midtown and Edgewater neighborhoods come together. The final cost of the platform station is yet to be determined, but preliminary estimates are less than $2 million. The Wynwood BID previously commissioned a station feasibility study which shows that the proposed commuter station can readily fit at this location and serve the most residents, commuters and visitors of any other proposed location under consideration by the County.
“As a long-time business and property owner, I’ve seen first-hand the area’s transformation from industrial to a vibrant community that welcomes millions of visitors and employs thousands of people commuting here every day,” says Bill Rammos, a private property owner in the Wynwood/Edgewater area with the largest frontage along the FEC/Brightline railway corridor. “It’s clear that a Wynwood/Midtown/Edgewater station would provide the greatest benefit to the most people. My family is committed to facilitating accessible and affordable transit options to and from our community.”
The proposed commuter system under consideration by Miami-Dade County would consist of reliable and regularly scheduled service between MiamiCentral Station and Aventura with stops at major employment centers, growing residential areas and/or cultural/entertainment destinations mainly served by overcrowded roads and highways.
“Wynwood is home to Miami’s arts, culture and entertainment scene, with millions of visitors coming here every year. To sustain the neighborhood’s growth, we must find a way to create more connections between our neighborhood and other economic hubs in Miami-Dade,” says Gary Nader, entrepreneur, art collector and owner of the Gary Nader Arte Center. “A commuter rail station in Wynwood is crucial for the future economic development of the ever-growing Wynwood, Midtown and Edgewater neighborhoods.”
The Wynwood BID commissioned conceptual station designs from Naturalficial Landscape Architecture + Design to create a train station that incorporates an urban forest, outdoor art gallery, and public linear sculpture garden that welcomes locals and visitors alike to experience the dynamic and vibrant Wynwood, Midtown and Edgewater neighborhoods.
“Our aim was to reimagine how a transit station can create a memorable, conscious hybrid space that acts as a gateway to this area, and a catalyst for people to deliberately look up and around to discover nature, art, architecture and elevate their sense of being and connection to place and community,” says Andres Arcila, Principal and Creative Director of Naturalficial Landscape Architecture + Design. “The conceptual station design was inspired by the organic forms and structure of trees, and the fluid forms of industrial cast in place raw concrete that naturalizes architecture.”
In addition to its commitment of contributing funds towards the construction of a commuter rail station, the Wynwood BID recently announced that over 45 community organizations have come together to establish the “Northeast Corridor Coalition” to advocate for commuter rail initiative along the FEC Railway/Brightline corridor. Led by the Wynwood Business Improvement District (BID), this broad-based coalition includes some of Miami-Dade’s most prominent business, education and cultural organizations including Florida International University (FIU), Miami-Dade College and more.
For additional information on this initiative, please visit: www.WynwoodMiami.com/SupportRail