The condo boom was so last decade. In the 2010s it's all about a retail boom in Miami. The Design District is being redeveloped into a glorified luxury outdoor shopping mall. A large development centered around a megamall is being planned for downtown. And now there are plans afoot to turn one of Miami International Airport's oldest terminals into a giant shopping mall.
"It would be a large retail development unlike what we have in travel anywhere in the United States," Jose Ramos, an employee of the county aviation department, tells Miami Today.
MIA has been under what seems like constant construction and redevelopment since the late '90s. Construction on the North Terminal, which began in 1998, is expected to be finally completed this month.
But now the county and airport have turned their attention to the Central Terminal, specifically a section called the landside terminal. According to Miami Today, there are several plans being floated around, but the mall might be the most drastic.
The landside terminal could be turned into a structure up to 160 feet tall with nine stories. Many of those levels would be used for retail space. Others could be used for offices and hotel rooms.
Of course, the county might be wary about pursuing such an ambition plan. Not only did construction on the North Terminal run several years behind schedule, but it also came with a $6.4 billion price tag.
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