Despite still being behind schedule by more than a month, the $600 million renovation of Miami Beach’s Convention Center is reportedly planning to pick up the pace early next year.
Clark Construction, the project’s general contractor, is working on a plan to make up for time lost due to permitting and design hurdles. The proposal is expected to be submitted in the next few weeks, the Miami Herald reported.
On top of that, the city is turning lemons into lemonade: Trade fair Maison & Objet canceled its May show, giving Clark three more weeks to work on renovations until the next planned event later that month, according to the Herald.
Now that this year’s Art Basel is wrapped up, the convention center’s four halls will be closed as construction work intensifies. The city’s plans call for updated facades and a complete replacement of the 58-year-old convention center’s western half, expanding its size by 150,000 square feet.
City officials are hoping to complete a large portion of the work before next year’s Art Basel in December, with work on the interiors wrapping up during 2018. An accompanying 800-room hotel was proposed by Portman Holdings alongside the renovations, but Miami Beach residents shot down a necessary land lease with the city during a March public referendum. [Miami Herald] — Sean Stewart-Muniz