Marina PARC Miami
Location: Rickenbacker Marina, Virginia Key, Miami, Florida
Project Type: Marina redevelopment and public waterfront improvement proposal
Status: Proposal phase; response to City of Miami request for redevelopment proposals
Primary Agencies/Stakeholders: Marina PARC / Melwani family (Rickenbacker Marina operators); City of Miami; Key International; Stantec; Raymond Jungles Landscape Architecture; Ocean Consulting; HistoryMiami; Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center; Mangrove.org; TKS Watersports; Akerman LLP
Overview
Marina PARC is a redevelopment proposal for the Rickenbacker Marina on Virginia Key, put forward by a team of locally rooted entrepreneurs led by the Melwani family, who have operated the marina — a City of Miami leasehold — since 1983. In response to the City's formal request for redevelopment proposals, the Marina PARC team assembled a multidisciplinary group of South Florida-based designers, developers, engineers, environmental specialists, and cultural organizations to advance a vision centered on public access, waterfront recreation, and ecological stewardship. The proposal treats Virginia Key as an irreplaceable public asset held in trust for current and future generations.
Scope & Intent
The Marina PARC proposal seeks to transform the existing Rickenbacker Marina into a state-of-the-art waterfront facility while expanding public access and open space on the 26-acre site. Nearly half of the site would be preserved as unencumbered open space for community use. The development would accommodate significantly expanded boating capacity while introducing new public amenities, dining, environmental programming, and waterfront connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists. A strong emphasis on sustainability and ecological restoration — including mangrove shoreline recovery and LEED-certified construction — is central to the proposal's identity.
Key Components
Automated indoor dry rack storage accommodating 700 boats, plus enlarged wet slips for larger vessels and floating piers for vessels up to 120 feet
Nearly 13 acres of open public space, including a new baywalk along Biscayne Bay, a pedestrian and cyclist pavilion, and a café
Two public restaurants providing casual waterfront dining accessible to the broader community
LEED-certified buildings, solar power, and use of sustainable materials throughout
Mangrove ecosystem restoration along Virginia Key's natural shoreline, implemented in partnership with Mangrove.org using the Riley Encased Methodology
Maritime history exhibits in common areas, curated in partnership with HistoryMiami (an affiliate of the Smithsonian)
Eco tours and environmental education programming led by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center
Watersports concessions — including kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding — operated by TKS Watersports
Public art installations by Miami artist Alex Yanes integrated throughout the site
Process & Status
The Marina PARC proposal was developed in response to the City of Miami's formal solicitation for redevelopment of Rickenbacker Marina and neighboring parcels. The Melwani family brought together design, engineering, legal, environmental, and cultural partners — all Miami-based — to build out the proposal. The site's design was led by Stantec (architecture and engineering) and Raymond Jungles (landscape architecture), with coastal and environmental permitting oversight by Ocean Consulting. As of the website's most recent content, the proposal was in active campaign mode, seeking community support and City engagement ahead of a formal approval process.
Reference Context
This entry is drawn from the Marina PARC Miami website (marinaparcmiami.com), which serves as the public-facing campaign hub for the redevelopment proposal. The Melwani family's four-decade tenure operating the marina forms the organizational backbone of the proposal, positioning Marina PARC as a community-continuity effort rather than an outside development interest — one that builds on an established record of stewardship, voluntary investment, and local partnership at one of Biscayne Bay's most visible public waterfront sites.