Liquid Lofts is Finally Approved in Downtown Miami

Siegar Suarez's Liquid Lofts are ready to break ground after Miami's Planning Department approved the plans on July 18. Liquid Lofts will be a 866 foot tall building consisting of 482 apartment units over 78 units. The project also includes ground floor restaurant and commercial space as well as walking distance to the Metromover. The development will be built at 35SW 1st St. in Downtown, which required setback waivers to construct the tall building on such a small, .48 acre lot. Charles Sieger had initially purchased liquidloftsmiami.com in December 2013, but the city stalled on approvals. He is serving as both the developer, equity holder and architect.  The property is adjacent to Downtown's Macy's location which sold to Aetna Realty Group in 2013. 

World Trade Center of the Americas Approved For Downtown Miami

Brazilian developer Gilberto Bomeny and Regalia develper Louis Montello have teamed up and are moving ahead with the World Trade Center of the Americas at 340 Biscayne Blvd. after completing a sale and 99 year leaseback of the property and obtaining financing. They purchased the property which is currently the Holiday Inn Downtown in November 2015 for $65 million. 

The World Trade Center of the Americas will be a 77-story mixed-use development that will rise 969 ft. The FAA and city approved the height, which will continue to push Miami's skyline higher. The mixed-use project will include 1.4 million SF of space including 400 residential units, 100 hotel rooms, 250,000 SF office space and 516 parking spaces. The total sell-out is expected to exceed $1 billion. Ground breaking is expected to come around late 2018 with an expected completion of 2022. 

MiamiCentral Station & Brightline Construction Update

Construction is progressing at the Downtown Miami site of the future MiamiCentral Station, which is part of the railway initiative to connect Forida's metropolitan cities. MiamiCentral Station will service both the Tri-Rail and Brightline train paths. The Next Miami has reported that All Aboard Florida is on track to begin Tri-Rail service soon and Brightline passenger train service between Miami and West Palm Beach at some point in 2017. 

Photo via Phillip Pessar and The Next Miami

The Brightline will travel at speeds of up to 125 mph by train between Miami and Orlando, connecting the Eastern coast of the state of Florida like never before. The $2.5 billion, privately funded Brightline will soon provide easy access for residents of South Florida to Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando.  All three South Florida stations are currently under construction as this project inches closer to reality. 

The Brightline will feature everything that the modern traveler needs, including free Wi-Fi and charging stations at the seats. There will also be food and beverage service aboard. There will also be designated pet areas and three ticket options at all different budgets and privacy allotments. As opposed to the standard steel cars that have moved people for over a century, Brightline will feature a Floridian spin, with passenger cars being an artistic pink, red, orange, green or blue. Designer David Rockwell has said that he wants to keep the train cars and station design transparent and welcoming, which led to the moniker "Brightline." Matched with the massive amounts of development going on in South Florida, the Brightline should further help connect the people and economies in South East Florida.

Auberge Residences

Related Group's mixed-use project monikered Auberge Residences at 1400 Biscayne Blvd. has been approved and sales are slow but underway! The partnership between Related Group and Auberge Resorts acquired the prime US-1 property for $57.3 million last year right next to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts' Knight Concert Hall. Arquitectonica will design the project while Auberge Resorts will manage the property upon completion.

Auberge Residences is proposed as a 60-story tower facing Biscayne Bay with 380 total units, 290 luxury-condos and 90 designer condo-hotel suites. The residences will be available in 1, 2,3 and 4 bedroom layouts. Units will have private elevators, master baths designed by Piero Lissoni, custom Italian kitchens and unmatched views of Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach and Downtown Miami. pre-construction reservations start around $700 SF. There will be a 60th floor full-service, resort style pool deck, 12th floor zen pool, a world-class spa, wine room, cigar lounge, concierge, 24/7 security, etc. The building will also pride itself on the museum-quality art which will be curated from Jaume Pensa, Fernando Botero and Julio Le Parc. Completion expected Q1 2019. 

Paramount World Center

The exciting new Paramount Miami Worldcenter will feature the highly-anticipated Paramount Tower, where sales are now underway with over 25% of the building already reserved. Being brought to Miami by developers Daniel Kodsi, Art Falcone and Nitin Motwani with architect Elkus Manfredi Architects with the interior will be by design firm ID & Design International, Paramount Tower will be a luxury high-rise with five-star amenities right in the heart of Downtown Miami. The development is part of the Paramount Miami Worldcenter project that includes residences, mall, shopping, dining, entertainment, etc. This new development is expected to driving commerce and visitors to Downtown Miami at an unprecedented level. 

Paramount Tower will feature 470 residences which will be on levels 10-54 with private elevator access and foyers, outdoor living rooms, designer kitchens and direct access to The Mall at Miami Worldcenter from the third floor. The building will also feature a "Yacht Skyview Deck," a 4-level rooftop haven with pool, lounge and yoga deck. Units are starting at $533 per square foot.  

Moshi Mana's "Pod" Style Downtown Microliving Proposal

Moshie Mana continues to propose unique, innovative projects to Miami. His Downtown, North Miami Ave. 49-story development will be true, urban microliving popular in densely populated cities. Most of the units will be "pod" style, under 500 SF, will not have full kitchens and furniture features will be built into walls. Renters in the 328 unit project will be able to use shared common area and other amenities. Pricing is expected at $900 a month for a microunit. 

STK Miami Opens in Marquis Residences

The soft-opening of Me Miami has been so far a success, which recently moved closer to being completely open with the official opening of STK Miami in the lobby of Me Miami and Marquis Residences. The zoning permits the liquor license from the nearby late-night nightclubs including Heart and Space, so expect STK Miami to become a hopping place after-hours. The build-out features a modern restaurant concept right on Biscayne Blvd. and third-floor bar. The location is also walking distance from the Perez Art Museum, Frost Science Museum and American Airlines Arena.  

Marinablue Downtown Retail Space Sells for $14.94 Million

Marinablue's ground floor retail space with prime Biscayne bay-front location just recently sold for $14.94. The sale comes out to approximately $1,347 SF and has 7 retail units spanning 11,090 SF. Wine by the Bay has a long term lease on one of the units. The deal was brokered off market with the buyer being European investor Aran Properties. In March CVS signed a 25 year lease for the space with the store opening in July. This is another exciting development in the fast changing Downtown Miami which has seen population rise by over 29% in the past 5 years and brings yet more value to the Museum Park group of buildings which also just saw an STK and Me Miami Hotel open in Marquis Residences. 

Island Gardens

Miami is fast on the rise to solidifying itself as the superyacht capital of the Americas and the Island Gardens development is a major driving force behind the shift. By Flagstone Property Group, the Watson Island project is expected for completion in 2018 featuring a superyacht marina that can accommodate up to 550 feet, 2 luxury hotels, condos, and a retail and entertainment promenade. The marina will be the first of its kind in North America and will be able to house of to 50 superyachts matched with full-service amenities for the marina including a clubhouse, on-site customs, etc. The project will also feature 221,000 SF of retail and green spaces throughout the property. Mehmet Bayraktar won the rights to build the development after working with the city for 14 years. Flagstone plans to start building this fall. 

Missoni Baia

Coming soon to Edgewater is the exciting new Missoni Baia, the first residential development for the legendary fashion house. The 56-story building made news last week when renderings were released of the 649-foot condo tower, with waterfront luxury residence units starting at $1.6 million to $3.9 million. Missoni Baia will be developed by Vladislav Doronin's OKO Group with architecture by Asymptote and Revuelta and interiors by Paris Forino Design. Missoni's own Home Collection and Signature Design Palettes will be used throughout the buildings amenities and public spaces. 

Residences come in 2, 3 and 4 bed with private terraces with dramatic views of Biscayne Bay. The building's amenities include flow- through deck with cabanas, hot and cold plunge pools, lap pool, children's pool, tennis courts, gym, spa and an Infinity Edge pool. Official pricing and timeline will be release soon.