Nov. 4--Two developers recently submitted multimillion dollar proposals to build shopping centers on 40 acres of Miami-Dade Aviation Department-owned land located at Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport's main entrance.
A five-member selection committee will now decide who lands the deal.
That could take months, especially since the county is struggling to find committee members.
"It's not always easy to find qualified people who have the time," said Greg Chin, an aviation department spokesman.
Once the committee gets underway, which aviation officials expect should take place sometime before year's end, it also will be tasked with reviewing proposals for 67 acres available for lease and development at Miami International Airport.
No proposals were submitted by the September deadline for another available parcel, 83 acres located towards the back of Tamiami.
Aviation officials had not decided how to proceed with the remaining parcel as of deadline Friday evening, according to Chin.
Developers who submitted proposals for the 40-acre parcel at Tamiami: Woolbright and Master Development and The Courtelis Company, partnering with The Easton Group.
Woolbright and Master Development, which is currently developing the 42-acre London Square across from the airport, proposes a 300,000 square-foot shopping center that would include national retailers and restaurants, pedestrian plazas and covered walkways.
According to the WMD Tamiami proposal on file with the department, the developer estimates the total project would cost approximately $40 million.
The proposal by the Courtelis Company envisions something similar, with national and local retailers, service providers and offices housed in 225,000 square feet of buildings. Courtelis is best known for developing The Falls shopping mall.
It estimates the project would cost between $40 and $45 million.
Both developers proposed so-called aviation-themed designs to compliment the land, situated at Tamiami Airport's main entrance along Southwest 137th Avenue.
The aviation department will maintain ownership of the land, charge the developer rent, and collect a portion of the proceeds from the so-called public-private partnerships.
Officials say the revenues generated would be put toward the $6.2 billion debt from MIA construction costs -- and possibly help pay for the approximately $14 million expansion of the 5,002-foot south runway at Tamiami to 7,350 feet.
But until leases are negotiated, it's hard to tell how much additional revenue the department should expect to receive from the land investments.
First, the selection committee must review the proposals, listen to developer's oral presentations and make a recommendation based on a variety of criteria. The county manager negotiates a lease and sends it to the Miami-Dade County Commission for the final say.
One other criteria might come into play for the Tamiami parcel, officials recently told The Miami Herald: Whether developers are willing to help fund the runway expansion.
The latest plans to expand Tamiami's south runway recently stalled because of a funding shortage. Officials say the expansion is necessary to accommodate bigger corporate jets, let them take on more fuel to fly longer distances and possibly draw more money.
Robert Shapiro, president of Master Development, could not be reached for comment on the matter by deadline Friday.
Elas Vassilaros, executive vice president for Courtelis Company, said the companies agree to leasing the land and parceling out some revenues, but he did not know whether the company would agree to paying an additional fee for a runway expansion.
"It's probably too premature to address because we don't know what they're looking for or how we would benefit," he said.
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