Celebrity developer Zach Vella has acquired two adjacent waterfront development lots on Miami’s Venetian Islands for his private residence in Miami. Vella paid $15.2 million for 228 and 302 West Dilido Drive, a dirt value of $688 per square foot, which surpasses the Venetian Islands’ record land sale which was previously $6.5 million for 412 West Dilido Drive set in 2016. Jim Agard of Vendôme Capital represented the seller and Natalia Gryczynska of Brown Harris Stevens represented the buyer.

The seller was Lionel Masson, the founder of Pharmacies Lafayette in France, who had planned two spec homes on the site. Masson initially acquired the properties in 2018 for $11.5 million and demolished two homes on the site. Vella is the founder and CEO of the Los Angeles and New York City-based real estate development firm Vella Group, and is also a managing board member of Miami’s Magic City Innovation District.