Downtown Miami may soon have its own Ferris Wheel at Bayside Marketplace
July 26, 2019The application for Skywheel, how the attraction will be called, was recently submitted. The project encompasses a 176-foot slow-moving observation wheel with forty-two gondolas with a capacity to seat up to eight passengers each, for a total of 336 passengers, according to the document.
The rides will last from 12 to 15 minutes, and the passengers will stay in a fully enclosed and climate-controlled gondola. At the base, you will find kiosks selling tickets and offering photo-souvenirs – tickets could also be purchased with a phone app.
The ride will operate daily from 10 am to midnight, but it can close earlier when pedestrian traffic at Bayside doesn’t ensure operation. On special dates, such as New Year’s Eve, the attraction will operate until 1 am.
A zoning exemption is required to concede for a height of 180 feet in an area zoned for a maximum of 123 feet. Miami’s Planning Department staff is suggesting approval, and a presentation before the Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board is scheduled for July 31 (the city commission voted last month to change zoning to allow for Skywheel).
Bayside Marketplace and Arizona-based Sky View of America are the companies behind the project. The Skyrise tower planned next to the site has a similar attraction.
