The Wynwood Greenhouse has nabbed a $20,000 grant, as one of the winners of the Miami Foundation’s 2015 Public Space Challenge, developer Metro 1 announced on Wednesday.
The Miami Foundation created the “Our Miami Public Space Challenge” to grant more than $300,000 to selected projects aimed at improving sustainability and creating community connections through new and enhanced public spaces.
The Wynwood Greenhouse aims to become “an innovative outdoor destination that is both sustainable and enjoyable for the community,” according to Metro 1 Community, Metro 1‘s philanthropic arm.
The 14,000-square-foot public urban park, which is set to break ground in early 2016, will feature ecological, cultural and educational programming such as symphonic, jazz and contemporary concerts, dance performances, yoga, meditation, field trips for kids, nature tours, farmer’s markets, environmental discussions and other events. The property will also be butterfly and bird sanctuary, and the landscape planted will include host plants and nectar for the butterflies, bees and hummingbirds, the developer said.
Other winners selected in the Public Space Challenge include a bus shelter designed by Bernard Zyscovich’s Zyscovich Architects, which will be built at Bayside Marketplace. The concept, from Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez and resident Ralph Rosado, won a $22,000 grant from the Miami Foundation. The idea is aimed at boosting the mass transit experience for commuters with bus shelters that will keep them safe from extreme weather conditions such as exposure to sun, heat and heavy rain. — Ina Cordle