Sole Mia Park Moves Forward

Before long, North Miami will have a brand new seven-acre park at the Sole Mia location (east of Biscayne at approximately NE 142 Street). I’m really excited that decades of promise are finally starting to come to fruition. Parks are very important to me. I recognized almost two decades ago that there was no sizable recreation space east of NE 16 Avenue. Many area parents have been sending their kids to Miami Shores and other places when enrolling them in sports programs. That has needed to change for a long time. And we’ve lacked a decent space where community groups can meet. The Keystone Tot Lot is way too small and the Margolis Center too dated. In the early 2000s, when we originally negotiated the Biscayne Landing (now Sole Mia) contract, I got developers to dedicate seven acres on the site for a new, state-of-the-art community center and recreation field. I even got their commitment to give $2 million toward its construction. Though more funding will be needed, dollars are in the budget and the park is becoming reality. When completed, Sole Mia Park will include a 20,000 square-foot community center. We can program it with community meetings and indoor activities. There will also be a large outdoor field suitable for football, soccer, or baseball games. The image attached to this story is a very preliminary draft, but you get the idea about where we’re headed. As of Fall 2021, we are in the conceptual design phase. We’re working to meet the needs of the area. An architect will be chosen by April 2022. Construction will start by November 2023. It has taken a lot of time and patience to move Sole Mia Park forward. But finally the time is right…and the time is now. In the months to come, you’ll see significant progress on a fabulous new gem we can all use.