SMART GROWTH COMES TO HIALEAH Part 5

SMART GROWTH COMES TO HIALEAH, FLA

The two town centers could have up to roughly 450,000 square feet of commercial space.

Design guidelines will make sure the town centers will take an urban form; something like Boca Raton’s famed Mizner Place, rather than a suburban strip center form. The town centers could possibly feature live-work units to add a bit of residential to the mix.

“One of the benefits of master planning for a huge area – an area larger than the entire neighboring town of Miami Lakes – is that we could look at water retention regionally,’” Correa said. “Water retention, a very big issue in South Florida, is too often handled on a lot-by-lot basis. Here, we were able to make canals that are beautiful, that will have green space and walking paths along them.”

Back in downtown Hialeah, Correa is anticipating additional phases that will upgrade the streetscape.

“A surface parking lot in front of City Hall will become a plaza with decorative pavers, trees and a gazebo,’’ he said. “Palm Avenue will have an arcade built over its shops on the east side of the street and a row of bougainvillea that will act as an arcade on the west side.”