The Little River Conservancy is participating with stakeholders along the river and its watershed to create an environmental masterplan for El Portal and the Little River.
Existing Conditions
The existing conditions are a crucial piece of any planning activity.
- Foundation Document
First brainstorming idea regarding the current planning process.
- El Portal Digital Elevation MAP
This is a map of the surface water channel network and terrain elevations in El Portal and along the Little River based on Miami-Dade aerial LiDAR imagery collected in 2021.
- Blue Spot Model for EL Portal
This shows the blue spots, or dips in surface elevation, where stormwater flooding is likely to collect, as well as existing stormwater drainage infrastructure.
Scope
The current scope of the project—both in terms of geographic area, and in terms of final deliverables—is being determined.
- Phase I
- Phase II
Existing Documents and Studies
- 1999 Charrette Report
The 1999 Miami Shores & El Portal Charrette highlighted a new sense of environmental urgency and a concern for quality of life in the two villages. Designs of NE 2nd Ave. and the Little Farm as well as 87th Street and Gateways to the two villages were discussed. A key portion of the report was dedicated to an Environmental Preserve on the Little River.
- 2013 Charette Report
The 2013 Charrette took the work done during the 1999 Charrette, expanded on it, and focused the work to El Portal. Northeast 2nd and the Little Farm area received a lot of attention. El Portal’s new Form Based Zoning Code was written following recommendations from the report.
- El Portal Form Based Zoning Code
El Portal’s 2015 Form Based Zoning Code re-envisioned how residents and property owners would be able to use their properties. It added a new list of zoning designations that were in line with the previous charrettes.
- El Portal Design Guidelines
This is a set of architectural guidelines that may be useful to guide the form of buildings within a development.
- Resilient Rehab: A Guide for Historic Buildings in Miami-Dade County
Guidelines for rehabbing historic properties in Miami-Dade County
- Little River Conservancy Flood Report
Flood reporting and analysis by Hugh Gladwin of the Little River Conservancy
- Immediate Storm & Flood Plan Recommendations for Adoption by the Village of El Portal
This report was generated by the Resilience and Sustainability Task Force to address immediate flooding hazards within the Village.
- El Portal Comprehensive Plan Amendments
El Portal’s Comprehensive Plan is a state-mandated citizen generated guiding plan for the village including
- El Portal Resilient Streets Plan (DRAFT)
Streets in El Portal can form a key element in preventing stormwater flooding.
- Good Neighbor Stormwater Park
The Good Neighbor Stormwater Park is a new kind of public space that combines a community park with flood prevention. Designed by Department Design Office in collaboration with Van Alen Institute and Urban Impact Lab, it will serve as a local gathering space for a low-lying neighborhood in North Miami. The park features a retention basin, a native plant garden, and interactive water gauges that work together to create a dynamic landscape. By integrating public space and stormwater infrastructure, the park will reduce residents’ flood risk and help address the city’s broader sea level rise challenges.
- Little River Adaptation Action Area Plan
Developed through a collaborative process, the Adaptation Plan summarizes urgent and long-term challenges associated with sea level rise and other risks, describes potential approaches for adapting different areas, and outlines priority resilience projects and policy recommendations to sustain long-term progress.
- AAA Greenways and Blueways Slides
The presentation for Greenways & Blueways portion of the AAA Planning process.
- Miami Dade County Climate Action Strategy Plan
Officially launched on Oct. 27, 2021, this plan describes work taking place on multiple fronts to cut Miami- Dade’s greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent by 2030 from 2019 levels, with the goal of achieving net zero by 2050.
- SFWMD Sea Level Rise and Flood Resiliency Plan (DRAFT)
This plan, which is updated annually, is the first District initiative to compile a comprehensive list of priority resiliency projects with the goal of reducing the risks of flooding, sea level rise and other climate impacts on water resources and increasing community and ecosystem resiliency in South Florida. This goal will be achieved by updating and enhancing water management infrastructure and implementing effective, resilient, integrated basin-wide solutions. This list of projects was compiled based upon vulnerability assessments that have been ongoing for the past decade. These assessments utilize extensive data observations and robust technical hydrologic and hydraulic model simulations to characterize current and future conditions, and associated risks.
- Thrive 305 Action Plan
A bottom-up, community-driven policy framework with a focus on policies, initiatives, and strategies that center on an equitable recovery and a thriving community.
- Miami-Dade RAP Presentation
A County presentation proposing a Reasonable Assurance Plan for the waters of the C7 and C8 basins. EPA regulations allow states to place certain impaired water bodies into Category 4b of the Integrated Report Categories instead of Category 5 – Impaired and needs a TMDL. The Florida Watershed Restoration Act (section 403.067(4), Florida Statutes) explicitly allows DEP to not list impaired waters under Category 5 if they already have control programs in place that will ensure water quality standards will be restored. These types of waterbodies – impaired, but with control programs already being implemented to reduce pollutant loadings – are placed in assessment Category 4b for Clean Water Act section 303(d) reporting purposes.
- Geosyntec Environmental report of Little Farm
Environmental assessment activities were initiated at the current Little Farm property by and submitted to DERM in an October 2007 Site Assessment Report (SAR), which identified the presence of several chemical constituents (ammonia, nitrogen, arsenic, volatile organic compounds [VOCs], total recoverable petroleum hydrocarbons (TRPH), and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs]) in Site soil and/or groundwater at elevated concentrations. The SAR identified constituents in excess of Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and DERM cleanup target levels (CTLs). In response to the October 2007 SAR findings, DERM issued a 19 December 2007 comment letter which requested that additional assessment activities be conducted and that a SAR Addendum (SARA) be prepared in accordance with Section 24-44(2)(j)(iv), Code of Miami-Dade County.