Impact on South Florida
The Dover, Kohl & Partners team has had lasting impacts on our region. That history played a pivotal role in being selected for the prestigious Seaside Institute honor.
After Hurricane Andrew hit Florida in 1992, the firm orchestrated South Miami’s revitalization by conducting an extraordinarily public planning process, swiftly rewriting land development regulations and implementing street redesigns. The results have included transit-oriented development, rescues of historic structures, neighborhood revival, and walkability upgrades in the heart of town. That plan catalyzed a series of improvements such as the reconstruction of the outdoor scene along Dorn Avenue, now known as the social center of the downtown. “It’s hard to remember, but outdoor dining was actually prohibited by law in South Miami at the time,” Dover said. “We went from boarded-up buildings and $6 per square foot rents to white tablecloth restaurants and $65 per square foot rents, and then more, in just a handful of years.”
The South Miami success story inspired the creation of the Downtown Kendall Master Plan and Code. When ChamberSouth executives first referred to the greater Dadeland Mall / Datran area in the late 1990s as “Downtown Kendall,” heads turned. The plan was created when the area had very little housing, and no walkable places, despite the nearby retail offerings, workplaces, and two Metrorail stations. Following the creative plan, about 10,000 much-needed dwellings have been newly developed in Downtown Kendall, all within proximity to transit and in a walkable neighborhood—no small feat in a region struggling with both housing scarcity and epic traffic congestion. Transit ridership at the two stations has since surged.
Guiding initiatives such as the Ludlam Trail, Dover and Kohl continue to elevate Miami-Dade County. Their plans for transforming 5.6 miles on a former railroad right-of-way into a dynamic linear park and trail system are now funded and construction is slated to begin in 2025. Ludlam Trail will unite schools, parks, residences, shopping areas, places of employment, and transit stops via a world-class trail tailored for safe walking, running, and bicycling. Dover and Kohl are also actively engaged in the Commodore Trail master plan, helping the City of Miami and Friends of the Commodore Trail realize a long-sought five-mile pathway linking Coral Gables and Coconut Grove to the Brickell area. Once fully implemented, the Commodore Trail will secure a nonmotorized connection from the Old Cutler Trail in the south to the Rickenbacker Trail and the Underline in the north.