EastGroup Breaks Ground On 850,000-SF, Class A Industrial Park

EastGroup Properties Inc. has officially broken ground on Gateway Commerce Park, becoming the most prominent Class A industrial project in Miami Gardens. Spanning 61 acres, the park marks EastGroup’s entrance into the premier Miami-Dade market. Gateway Commerce Park will offer tenants the flexibility to lease spaces ranging from 30,000 square feet to a full 200,000-square-foot building…

Adler unveils ambitious plan for Miami’s riverfront

The Adler company has quite an ambitious plan to transform the downtown riverfront in Miami, and is moving toward a major redevelopment of prime real estate on the Miami River. On Monday, Adler representatives shared information on a plan that could bring a new hotel to the river, along with about 37,000 square feet of retail stores, framed by three to four towers. The Adler team met with the…

Brazilian investor sues developer of Parque Towers in Sunny Isles over construction delays

A Brazilian biotech executive is suing the developers of Parque Towers in Sunny Isles Beach over construction delays at the planned luxury condo project. A British Virgin Islands company tied to Luis Boaventura of Brazil filed a lawsuit in a Miami-Dade County Circuit Court last month, alleging breach of contract. Boaventura, a director at the biotechnology and pharmaceutical company STEQ America, is seeking…

Fed hikes interest rates again, raises outlook for more increases in 2018

The Federal Reserve announced it will raise interest rates a quarter percentage point on Wednesday, and signaled that it could raise interest rates at least twice more this year. Most Federal Reserve officials now expect at least four rate increases this year, up from a previous projection in March of three rate increases, according to the Wall Street Journal. Most officials also expect the Fed will…

Miami board to vote on Finvarb and Cho’s mixed-use Brickell hotel, other projects

Miami’s Urban Development Review Board will review proposals for two new mixed-use hotels in Miami’s Edgewater and Brickell neighborhoods and the second phase of Liberty Square, an affordable housing development, at its upcoming meeting on June 20. Kobi Karp Architecture & Design submitted plans for 3047 Biscayne Boulevard, which is…

Arquitectonica’s Bernardo Fort-Brescia talks “Miami Vice,” breaking into new markets

Punctuating a montage of palm trees, flamingos and bikini-clad citizens is a building with a hole in the middle of it— missed in a blink. But this seconds-long cameo in the opening credits of “Miami Vice” helped make the condominium’s architect a household name. Since designing the Atlantis, Arquitectonica has worked on more than 240 projects in the U.S. alone…

Construction firm sues Miami developer alleging it lost out on more than $1M on two affordable housing projects

A Doral-based company was squeezed out of renovating an apartment complex and building a new multifamily project by a non-profit affordable housing developer, according to a recently filed lawsuit in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. As a result, Edgewater Construction Group alleges it lost out on more than $1 million in construction profits. Edgewater is suing Tacolcy Economic Development Corp. and its…

Related Group Secures $53 million in Financing for Wynwood Apts

The Related Group secured more than $53 million in financing for The Bradley Wynwood, a mixed-use project in Miami’s burgeoning Wynwood neighborhood. Santander Bank provided a $33.2 million construction loan, and Greenstreet Real Estate Partners contributed $20 million in preferred equity, according to Holliday Fenoglio Fowler (HFF) LP, which arranged the financing on behalf of the borrower.

Two Affordable Housing Projects – One in Liberty City – Coming From A|P Communities

Atlantic|Pacific Communities — a fourth-generation real estate company with offices in Florida, Georgia, Texas and California — has received Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from the Florida Housing Finance Corp. for two South Florida projects. Sailboat Bend II will be a 110-unit affordable housing development for seniors age 55 and over on the New River in Fort Lauderdale. Residences at Dr. King…

Why Multi-Story Industrial Assets Might Be in the Future for Dense U.S. Cities

Multi-story warehouses are already common in Asia, but the concept is now taking off in supply-constrained American cities. Four multilevel projects are currently under construction or will soon break ground in Seattle, San Francisco and New York City, and many more planned projects will be announced in the coming months, according to Rob Kossar, vice chairman and head of the Northeast industrial…

SeaVee Boats set to replace five sites, add 100 jobs

SeaVee Boats is probably two to three weeks away from receiving the final necessary building permits from Miami-Dade County to begin construction of its new facility, according to Ariel Pared, one of the three original business partners who bought SeaVee Boats in 1994. The county’s Industrial Development Authority fully financed the project. SeaVee Boats will consolidate all five of its facilities around Miami…

Jungle Island to jump-start transit link to Miami Beach

As part of a proposed lease extension for city-owned land on Watson Island, Jungle Island has committed to fund purchase of a City of Miami trolley – which could become the first piece of a long-awaited public transportation link between the city and Miami Beach. The trolley was one of many commitments made Friday at a special meeting of the Miami City Commission. After nearly four hours of debate…

Miami River developments increasing after $26 million deal

The Miami River has seen a flurry of attempts to revitalize the area. The mixed-use River Landing under construction has spurred interest and activity seeking new opportunities along the corridor that had been historically neglected, and a transaction last month continues this trend. In a $26 million deal, Mast Capital bought 6.3 vacant acres in April. The site is to be developed into Miami River Walk, a total of…

Brazilian Investor Pays $22.8M for Leasehold Interest in Warehouse, Offices in Miami

In a sign that foreign investment remains strong in South Florida, a Brazilian buyer paid $22.75 million, or more than $100 per square foot, for the leasehold interest in a warehouse and office property located near Miami International Airport. The Dayan family of Brazil bought 3630 NW 25th Street and 3500 NW 24th Street in Miami from iStar Inc. The buyer will get the rental income from the existing tenant…

3 MiamiCentral Office Project Nearing Full Lease-Up

Viacom Inc. is preparing to move its MTV Latin America headquarters into 24,000 square feet at 3 MiamiCentral, bringing the transit-oriented office building in downtown Miami to near full occupancy. The media titan plans to employ about 150 people on the top floor of the 12-story building at 161 NW 6th St. The 95,000-square-foot property, adjacent to the new Brightline commuter train station in Miami…

I.CON 2018 Special Report: Experts Unveil Industrial’s Big Disruptors

Mark Eppli, Ph. D., professor of Finance & Bell Chair, Real Estate, at Marquette University (left) and Gary Anderson, Prologis’ CEO for Europe and AsiaThe state of global industrial development and the potential economic, political and technological disruptors that investors and developers should be on the lookout for on a global scale were the highlights addressed during the I.CON 2018 keynote…

How E-Commerce Growth Benefits the Industrial Sector

Christopher Kelly, Abbe FranchotE-commerce hit brick-and-mortar stores heavily and, at the same time, boosted the industrial sector. According to Amherst Capital Management’s 2018 Market Outlook, strong warehouse demand coming from e-commerce tenants is most likely to exceed supply this year. As expected, construction is picking up, with metros such as Chicago and Atlanta leading the…

USDOT Identifies 26 Projects To Receive $1.5 Billion: PortMiami Among Grant Beneficiaries

The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Tuesday released a list of 26 projects selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation to receive a total of approximately $1.5 billion in grants. Among the awards are a proposed $25.5 million to go to the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority for the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal capacity and warehouse relocation project; $7 million to…

Romero Britto sues to break Lincoln Road lease, citing raucous atmosphere

Nearly three years after signing a lease for a new gallery space at 532 Lincoln Road, global artist Romero Britto wants out, citing a raucous atmosphere, according to a lawsuit against his landlord, Denison Corporation, an entity controlled by the family of Bob Quittner. But Britto’s efforts to break a 10-year lease with Denison hit a snag when Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Thomas Rebull rejected an…

Greenstreet joins Related and Block Capital’s Wynwood project as equity partner

The Related Group and Block Capital Group secured more than $53 million for the Bradley, a mixed-use project they’re building in Wynwood. The developers closed on a $33.18 million construction loan from Santander Bank and received $20 million in preferred equity from Greenstreet Real Estate Partners, according to HFF. HFF’s Scott Wadler and Jesse Wright arranged the financing. The Bradley…

Brazil’s Dayan family pays $23M for industrial property near Miami airport

One of Brazil’s wealthiest families just paid $22.75 million for the leasehold interest in an industrial property near Miami International Airport. IStar sold the 212,000-square-foot property at 3630 NW 25th Street, 3500 NW 24th Street, and 2401 Northwest 36th Avenue to the Dayan family, which has a controlling interest in Bazilian-based Banco Daycoval S.A. The family paid about $107 per…

Turnberry and Simon, Owners of Top-Grossing Aventura Mall, Complete $1.75 Billion Refinancing

Turnberry Associates and Simon Properties completed a $1.75 billion refinancing of Aventura Mall in Aventura, Florida, widely considered one of the three largest malls in U.S. at 2.7 million square feet. JPMorgan Chase Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley Bank and provided the financing, with a potential single-borrower single asset securitized transaction contemplated in the near…

Video: RealPage VP Jay Parson on U.S. multifamily property outlook

In this video, RealPage Vice-President Jay Parsons, whose company provides property management software solutions, discusses multifamily property sector performance. Parson discusses rent growth, how the job market is impacting the sector, supply and demand trends, multifamily property property class outlook, new multifamily construction trends and costs of construction trends, cycle outlook…

Ex-mayor voted on issues involving Dezer family real estate investments while his wife worked for them

George Vallejo, who recently resigned as mayor of North Miami Beach, told prosecutors that his wife secretly worked for the Dezer family while he voted on issues involving their real estate investments, Miami New Times reported. Vallejo, 51, resigned as the city’s mayor after pleading guilty in April to using campaign donations…

Autonomous Vehicles, Hyperloop to Amplify Disruption in Built Environment

Dave CluteDave Clute is the chief marketing officer of CohesionIB, an intelligent building management platform. With 35 years of experience in architectural engineering, Clute brings a unique perspective to the commercial real estate and technology sectors. At Realcomm in Las Vegas, he shared insights around the impact of technology on transportation and parking demands.What’s your take…

Economy Watch: More Buildings Enter Planning Stage in May

Source: Dodge Data & Analytics Dodge Momentum Index, May 2018The Dodge Momentum Index inched upward in May, moving 1.8 percent higher to 167.8 (2000 = 100) from the revised April reading of 164.9, Dodge Data & Analytics reported on Thursday, June 7. The index is a monthly measure of the first report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which typically lead construction spending…

La Piaggia closes after settling with Murano at Portofino

Six months after curing building code violations and reopening its doors, La Piaggia is officially closed for business, The Real Deal has learned. This time, a landlord dispute ended the popular restaurant’s run in Miami Beach’s South-of-Fifth neighborhood, according to residents of Murano at Portofino, the condo tower at 1000 South Pointe Drive where La Piaggia was located. The unit owners, who…

Flower distributor takes 93,000 SF at Clarion’s Doral warehouse campus

Colour Republic owner Remi Davalos and the Westpointe Business Park
The closing of another large-scale lease is a sign that Miami-Dade County’s industrial market is in full bloom this year. Colour Republic, a wholesale flower seller and distributor, just agreed to lease 93,000 square feet of warehouse space at Clarion Partners’ Westpointe Business Park in Doral, marking the 12th-biggest lease inked in 2016. Commercial brokerage Transwestern announced the deal Tuesday.

South-of-Fifth revamped apartment building lists for $22 million

A 27-unit apartment building in Miami Beach’s South-of-Fifth neighborhood that can be used as short-term rentals — or converted to condos — just hit the market for $22 million. The mid-century modern, three-story building at 250 Collins Avenue was built in 1959 and was recently fully renovated, Gary Hennes, broker at Gary Hennes Realtors, told The Real Deal. Hennes is listing the building with agent…

Aria on the Bay and neighboring apartment building settle lawsuit

Aria on the Bay and a neighboring apartment building have settled a lawsuit tied to construction of the Miami condo tower. Bay Parc Plaza Apartments, at 1756 North Bayshore Drive, sued Bayshore Plaza I LLC (an entity controlled by the Melo family) and L&R Structural Corp.  in October over claims of “dangerous” construction debris, including…

Investment group files plans for boutique condo project in Edgewater

Despite warning signs of overbuilding in Miami’s condo market, developers are still filing plans for new projects in the burgeoning Edgewater neighborhood. In the latest round of projects up for city review, an investment group has sent in plans to build a boutique 34-unit residential tower in Edgewater called Ellipsis. Designed by Kobi Karp, the project would stand 13 stories tall at 708 Northeast 26th…

Sea-level rise at center of heated debate over future of North Beach’s historic designation

Property owners and business advocates used sea-level rise as an argument against designating North Beach neighborhoods historic during a contentious special Miami Beach City Commission meeting on Monday. Advocates and critics of the proposed historic districts hurled insults and accusations at each other during the four-hour workshop.

Canadian investors buy MiMo building with plans for micro condos

Micro condos may be headed to Biscayne Boulevard, close to the MiMo district. Canadian investors just paid $3.725 million for a 23-unit apartment building — plus air rights — at 5201 Biscayne Boulevard, with plans to add additional stories and convert the building into micro condos, broker Ness Ohayon told The Real Deal. Ohayon, owner and CEO of Witt Realty Group, which is part of Keller Williams…

Related-led partnership closes on Wynwood development site for $12 million

With design approvals already in hand, the Related Group appears to be steaming forward with its planned Wynwood 29 mixed-use tower. The developer just closed its purchase of the land it needs to build the project for $12 million. County records show a Related-controlled company bought roughly 1.2 acres at the intersection of Northwest First Avenue and Northwest 28th Street. The seller was…

Gables commercial building sells for $3 million

Brokerage firm Avison Young announced the sale of a mixed-use building in the commercial heart of Coral Gables for $3 million. Michael T. Fay, the Miami-based principal and managing director of Avison Young, and associate Myles Stepner represented the seller. The 4,818-square-foot building at 178 Giralda Avenue in the central business district of Coral Gables sold for $623 per square foot. Fernando…

Miami residents to vote on Jungle Island lease extension, redevelopment

Jungle Island’s proposed lease extension and hotel development will go to city of Miami voters in August. The Miami City Commission on Friday unanimously approved putting the referendum on the August ballot. ESJ Capital Partners is leasing the land at 1111 Parrot Jungle Trail. The hotel would be limited to 300 rooms and 130 feet tall. The proposed lease extension protects the city from delays by giving…

Prudential sues South Beach club Ora for nearly $5 million

After missing a settlement payment of $43,000, a former commercial tenant of the boutique condo-hotel Boulan South Beach is now facing a demand for nearly $5 million by an affiliate of Prudential Financial, according to a recently filed lawsuit in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. The lawsuit centers around the ground-floor space of 2000 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach that until April housed Ora nightclub.

Turnberry and Simon score $1.75 billion refinancing for Aventura Mall

Turnberry Associates and Simon Property Group just closed on a $1.75 billion refinancing of Aventura Mall. The financing was provided by JPMorgan Chase Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley Bank and closed on Thursday, according to a release. The loan will be used to pay off a $1.2 billion commercial mortgage-backed securities loan that the joint venture between Turnberry…

Sorbillo Pizzeria will open its first location in the Southeastern U.S. in Miami Beach’s South-of-Fifth, other restaurant news

Sorbillo Pizzeria will open its first location in the Southeastern U.S. in Miami Beach’s South-of-Fifth neighborhood in September, The Real Deal has learned. The restaurant signed a lease at 100 Collins Avenue, said Noah Fox of Koniver Stern Group, who represented Myles Chefetz, the owner of the property. The 2,500-square-foot space, next door to Chefetz’s Prime Fish, most recently housed Craft Social…

Michael Simkins sells warehouse in northwest Miami-Dade to financial technology firm

Michael Simkins just sold a warehouse in northwest Miami-Dade for $5.25 million to a California financial technology company that specializes in administering EB-5 projects. NES Financial, a San Francisco-based company that provides back office services for complex financial transactions, bought the property at 6955 Northwest 52nd Street from Simkins. Simkins, the president and CEO of Innovate…

Bulk investor lists units near University of Miami for $11 million

An Alaskan investor is looking to sell a bulk condo deal near the University of Miami for $11.2 million, or about $287,000 per unit. Property records show 4831 LLC, a company controlled by Albert Siefert of Alaska, paid about $9 million for the condos at Gables Court, at 6811 Southwest 44th Street in Miami, in 2013. The units, a combination of two- and three-bedroom apartments averaging…

South Florida’s Innermost Suburbs Benefit from Affordable Housing Shortage

It is no secret that South Florida has an affordable housing problem. With new households forming faster than affordable housing units can be built, existing affordable properties have seen strong demand. While rent growth has slowed dramatically for newly constructed communities, affordable properties in the innermost suburbs are now seeing some of the highest rent growth of the cycle. The areas…

Economy Watch: Technology, Taxes to Significantly Impact Economy

According to the 2018 Akerman U.S. Real Estate Sector survey, which major law firm Akerman LLP released on June 6, the most active real estate market segment is multifamily, according to 63 percent of the survey’s respondents. That marks a significant reversal from 2017, when 43 percent of CRE executives predicted single-family homebuilding would outpace multifamily development.Akerman findings…

CRE Tech, Innovation in the Age of Acceleration

Bob Sulentic and Jim YoungAs evinced by Realcomm’s central theme—navigating the age of acceleration—it is crucial for real estate professionals to keep pace with the technological advancements that are rapidly transforming the industry. Now in its 20th year, the conference brought together innovators in commercial and corporate real estate, technology, automation and innovation.In the two…

Viacom to move to MiamiCentral, other leasing news

Florida East Coast Industries announced that Viacom Inc. recently signed a lease for 24,000 square feet on the 12th floor of 3 MiamiCentral, bringing the building to 95 percent occupancy. Viacom’s MTV Latin America plans to move its headquarters to the downtown Miami development. The Confederation of North Central America and Caribbean Association…

J. Milton plans resi tower with 500-plus units in Miami’s A&E District

It could get crowded in Miami’s Arts and Entertainment District. Developer J. Milton and Associates wants to build a residential project with a maximum of 550 units and ground floor commercial space on a 1.7-acre site sandwiched between the Filling Station Lofts apartment building and the Canvas condo tower, both of which are being developed by NR Investments. Art Luxury Rentals LLC, which is…

Best Strategies for Landing the Perfect Anchor Retail Tenant

There are many areas to consider when strategizing which anchor tenant is the best fit for a new project. For developers trying to secure an anchor tenant, quality is key.  If tenants lack significant credit, the next thing to consider is the number of other stores, their performance in similar markets and how well the proposed anchor will complement existing tenants and the surrounding area…

Boosting ROI With the Right Balance of Smart Tech

In today’s competitive market, integrating “smart” devices and high-tech building management systems is essential to attracting and retaining renters. Research shows that “smart” apartments appeal to “smart” renters regardless of age: 86 percent of Millennials surveyed by Schlage say they’re willing to pay more for an apartment equipped with automated or remotely controlled devices; and 65 percent of…

Office Owners Elevate Their Amenity Game

Amenities have been critical to the hospitality sector for decades, with hotel owners often having only one night to impress their guests and maintain a good reputation. But as technology has advanced to offer consumers constant connectivity and mobility, the office sector has had to boost its offerings, as well, to compete with today’s seemingly endless alternatives of where and how to work. With the…

Rents Remain Strong Despite Growth Decrease

Multifamily rents have again risen $4 to $1,381, up $14 over the last three months. Although this has produced a 1.1 percent year-to-date increase through May, the growth is showing to be much weaker than usual in the current cycle. The year-over-year increase has hit its lowest point over the last seven years, falling by 2 percent and down 70 basis points. Despite the decrease, rents continue to grow in…

Melo closes $85M construction loan for Art Plaza apartments

Melo Group closed on an $85 million construction loan for two apartment towers north of downtown Miami. Ocean Bank is providing the financing for Art Plaza, two 34-story buildings with 667 multifamily units under construction at 58 Northeast 14th Street, in Miami’s Arts & Entertainment District. The development is slated to open in mid 2019, according to a press release. Art Plaza will include 577 two…

153,000 SF Tenant Inks Deal At Gratigny Industrial Park

The 10-year lease deal is valued at $12,000,000. “We have been encouraging FPD for some time to consolidate into one facility, but timing and finding the right available facility proved challenging,” explained Cook. “Ultimately, we called Easton & Associates, which had a building that fit FPD’s needs, but it wasn’t available. We pressed Jim Armstrong, the listing agent, to contact the building owners…”

Amazon’s major Miami fulfillment hub nearly done

Construction of the 855,000-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center at the Carrie Meek International Business Park is nearing completion. The Amazon center is the first of three phases. The second is a 280,000-square-foot industrial building. The final phase is a 5,000-square-foot headquarters for the Carrie Meek Foundation. The project will total more than 1 million square feet. All the buildings…

Miami Apartment Developer Secures $85M Construction Loan

Melo Group said it has secured an $85 million construction loan from Ocean Bank to build the Art Plaza Apartments, a planned 667-unit, transit-oriented development in downtown Miami. Art Plaza, at 58 NE 14th St., will feature two 34-story towers with ground-floor retail and restaurants. Amenities will include a resort-style swimming pool, a fitness center, a social room and security-controlled remote access.

Residents to vote on incorporating new city between Aventura and North Miami Beach

A section of Northeast Miami-Dade with more than $1 billion of real estate could become its own city if residents vote in favor of it during a special election in November. Miami-Dade commissioners approved the election on Tuesday, according to the Miami Herald. It would give the 20,000 residents in the area, which includes Highland Lakes, Skylake and the previously incorporated Ojus, a say in the proposed…

All rise: Miami-Dade commission restarts bidding process to build new courthouse

It’s a do-over. The Miami-Dade County Commission will restart the bidding process for developers interested in building a new civil courthouse in downtown Miami. Commissioners on Tuesday approved a resolution sponsored by commissioner Sally Heyman to allow a partnership led by Florida East Coast Industries to continue bidding on its proposal to build a new courthouse alongside the old circa…

Construction company sues Jockey Club III over allegedly unpaid bill

Another legal battle is brewing at the Jockey Club condo complex in northeast Miami-Dade. North Bay Village-based AG Contractors Corp. last month sued Jockey Club III Association in Miami-Dade Circuit Court for nonpayment of construction services that commenced in 2016. During that time, Jockey Club III’s condo board and the associations for the other two towers at 11111 Biscayne Boulevard have…

Melo closes $85M construction loan for Art Plaza apartments

Melo Group closed on an $85 million construction loan for two apartment towers north of downtown Miami. Ocean Bank is providing the financing for Art Plaza, two 34-story buildings with 667 multifamily units under construction at 58 Northeast 14th Street, in Miami’s Arts & Entertainment District. The development is slated to open in mid 2019, according to a press release. Art Plaza will include 577 two…

Special meeting targets Jungle Island lease on Watson Island

Miami city commissioners will be playing a version of Beat the Clock on June 8 when they hold a special meeting to get a property lease before voters on the August primary election ballot. It involves Jungle Island and plan to build a hotel as part of a multi-million-dollar redevelopment of the animal theme park on city-owned Watson Island. The special meeting begins at 10:30 a.m. at City Hall. City…

Bird Square Plaza Lands $10 Million Refi

Su Investment Corp. has secured $10 million to refinance Bird Square Plaza, a Fresco y Más-anchored shopping center in Miami. CBRE’s Capital Markets Debt & Structured Finance practice arranged the non-recourse, 20-year term loan through a correspondent life insurance company. The loan includes a low interest rate and the ability to advance future funds at various times throughout the loan term.

Ocean Bank Lends $85M for Development of Miami Resi Towers

Ocean Bank provided Miami-based real estate developer Melo Group with a $85 million loan to aid in development of Art Plaza Apartments, a multifamily complex currently under construction just north of Downtown Miami, according to a press release Tuesday announcing the deal. The planned development includes two, 34-story towers and 667 multifamily units at 58 Northeast 14th Street in…

Miami Logistics Park Bolsters Occupancy

Cushman & Wakefield has negotiated a 68,787-square-foot lease expansion at Airport North Logistics Park (ALP), a master-planned industrial complex encompassing 900,000 square feet of Class A space in Medley, Fla. Neutralogistics currently occupies 105,920 square feet at Building 1 and will be expanding into Building 2. The deal brings the property to 75 percent occupancy. Located at 8501-8503…

50K SF Industrial Lease for AAR Aircraft Arranged in Miami

A South Florida industrial team has secured a long-term lease for 50,000 square feet at Miami International Commerce Center (MICC), a 3.5 million-square-foot industrial park in Doral, Fla. The company worked on behalf of the landlord, PS Business Parks Inc., while NKF represented the tenant. AAR Aircraft Services relocated its headquarters at 7850 N.W. 25th St., just a few miles from Miami International…

In Miami, Signs Of A Condo Glut

While the housing market around the country is still benefiting from demand outweighing supply, the opposite is happening in Miami. “We are beginning to see the effects of market corrections,” Miami-Dade County property appraiser Pedro Garcia wrote in a May 31 report. The market downturn is evident primarily with condominiums and high-value, single-family residential properties in…

Key Biscayne drops suit of Miami over Virginia Key

A 3-year-old lawsuit between the Village of Key Biscayne and the City of Miami about uses on Virginia Key is history. On May 11, an attorney for Key Biscayne filed in circuit court a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal without Prejudice in the case of Village of Key Biscayne vs. City of Miami and the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association Inc. The dismissal of the lingering litigation has left players on both…

Gold Medal Awards to six, Tibor Hollo named Lifetime Achiever

Three accomplished individuals and three prominent organizations accepted Gold Medal honors highlighting their outstanding contributions to Greater Miami at Miami Today’s Gold Medal Awards dinner. During the star-studded May 24 ceremony at Jungle Island that also marked Miami Today’s 35th anniversary, longtime development leader Tibor Hollo, the founder of Florida East Coast Realty…

Federal Reserve Bank focuses on Miami’s economy

Florida’s construction business is booming, while job prospects continue to decline in information, the most recent statewide employment index from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta shows. Statewide construction employment, which averaged 17.4% growth in the first quarter of 2018, has remained steady since rebounding from a fourth-quarter dip last year. Between January and March, about 16,800…

Baskir Capital buys Fogo de Chao building in Miami Beach’s South of Fifth

Baskir Capital Management just paid $15.25 million for a retail building in Miami Beach’s South-of-Fifth neighborhood, leased to the Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chao. The New York-based private equity firm bought the building at 836 First Street from a partnership controlled by restaurateur Myles Chefetz, Lyle Stern, Nelson Fox and Durfee Day, said Noah Fox of Koniver Stern Group. The seller was…

Despite Record New Development, Miami’s Office Vacancy Remains Low

According to Transwestern, Miami-Dade County’s office market continued to reflect near record-low vacancy in first quarter 2018, posting at 12.3 percent. Consistently low vacancy over the past several quarters has prompted the highest levels of new construction since 2010, with 811,731 square feet under construction as of first quarter. “Though construction activity in Miami-Dade has increased dramatically…

Logistics Company Relocates From Hialeah To Doral, Inking 44,000 SF Lease

Transwestern’s South Florida industrial team announced it negotiated a new lease for 44,160 square feet on behalf of Esquire Logisitics Inc., a leading provider of warehouse logistics, air freight, and white-glove shipping. The tenant will relocate from Miami-Dade County’s Hialeah submarket to Miami International Commerce Center (MICC), a 3.5 million-square-foot industrial park at 8272 NW 21st St. in Doral.

South Florida is coming off its EB-5 addiction

A program that was once described as the “crack cocaine of real estate financing” no longer seems to hold the same addiction for South Florida’s developers. In 2014 and 2015, Rodrigo Azpurua’s Riviera Point Development Group financed two projects entirely with capital raised from the EB-5 program, which gives foreign investors a green card in exchange for investing in job-creating U.S. projects. At the…

Prestige Builders Group seeks rezoning to build 212 apartments in Hialeah

An affiliate of Miami Lakes-based Prestige Builders Group proposed a development at 7755 West 4th Avenue in Hialeah that would replace an industrial property in Hialeah with 212 apartments. The affiliate of Prestige Builders, Hialeah 7.65 LLC, applied to Hialeah’s municipal government to build a nine-building apartment complex on the site of a 62-year-old industrial building. The developer paid…

Owner of nearly 70 acres in West Kendall proposes major mixed-use development

The owner of a 69.85-acre site in southwest Miami-Dade County proposed a major development on the vacant land that would include apartments, hotel rooms, retail stores and office space. KTC SW 88th Street LLC filed a pre-application with the county government to develop the southwest corner of Southwest 88th Street and Southwest 158th Avenue in West Kendall, near West Kendall Baptist…

Retail’s revolving door

Simon Property Group is dedicating much of its focus to outlet malls like Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora, Illinois, pictured. The onslaught of retail bankruptcies and store closings in the past year has mall owners in a mad dash to fill hundreds of vacant spaces. The mall owner with the largest holdings nationwide, Simon Property Group (SPG), is no exception. During a 12-month span, dozens of…

Renderings revealed: One Thousand Museum, 5000 North Ocean, more

The Zaha Hadid-designed One Thousand Museum is bringing back the heliport. The helicopter-friendly condo building will be the only residential tower on the East Coast to have a heliport, according to the developers. The development team, led by Gregg Covin, Louis Birdman and Kevin Venger, topped out the 62-story tower earlier this year. Prices at the 83-unit tower range from $5.5…

Cipriani to open first hotel in the Southeastern US in Coconut Grove: sources

The Cipriani family is bringing its Italian luxury brand to Miami’s Coconut Grove, sources told The Real Deal. The famed family will operate the 98-room hotel, which is currently under construction, at 3401 and 3405 Main Highway, adjacent and behind the Engle Building. The property, at the corner of MacFarlane Road and Main Highway, would be the first Cipriani hotel in the Southeastern U.S. In Miami, the…

Florida’s only private, residential helipad set to debut at One Thousand Museum

One Thousand Museum is Zaha Hadid’s final residential tower in the Western Hemisphere. Magic City residents just keep getting more and more forms of transportation. First, the Brightline train opened its doors May 19 to commuters traveling between Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Then, Brightline named Lyft as its exclusive ride share partner. Lime, the bike-sharing service…

Miami-Dade’s taxable property values rise in 2017 at a slower pace to $289B

Miami-Dade County’s taxable property values rose 6 percent to $288.86 billion in 2017, despite the condo market slowdown. The county’s property appraiser, Pedro J. Garcia, released the June 1 estimates, showing that property values are growing at a slower pace than in previous years. Garcia said in a release that the oversupply of condos put downward pressure on condo values, but that the short supply…

Hotel development ramps up in South Florida amid rising demand

Hotel construction is up in South Florida with a number of properties slated to come online this year, amid heightened demand following last year’s hurricanes. Nearly 4,200 new hotel rooms and 2.8 million square feet of space will be completed within the next two years in the tri-county area, according to Lodging Econometrics data analyzed by Colliers International South Florida. Of the total, 3,158 keys will…

South Florida’s residential construction booms in April, commercial plummets

For residential construction and commercial construction, South Florida was the tale of two markets in April. Residential construction in South Florida boomed, while commercial construction dropped off significantly in April compared to April 2017, according to a new report by Dodge Data & Analytics. Commercial construction starts decreased 42 percent in April to $316.2 million, while residential construction…

Sears to close another 72 US stores

Sears Holdings Corporation is set to close another 72 stores as the company attempts to stave off plummeting sales. While the retail giant has struggled to retain customers who are increasingly heading online to Amazon or seeking out Walmart stores, it has already closed hundreds of stores. With about a half-dozen stores in New York City, it is unclear which stores will shutter but the company is expected…

Concord Wilshire Sells Stake in Diplomat Resort in South Florida

A partnership that includes Concord Wilshire Cos. says it has sold the majority of its interest in the Diplomat Golf Resort & Spa in Hallandale Beach, FL for $43.25 million to a firm headed by developer Ari Pearl. The property at 501 Diplomat Pky has an 18-hole golf course, a 31,000-square-foot spa, a 48-slip marina, 10 clay tennis courts and a 60-key, AAA Five Diamond hotel. Concord Wilshire…

Louis Birdman, partners sell 127-acre Diplomat property in Hallandale for $43M

A partnership led by Louis Birdman sold the 127-acre Diplomat Golf & Tennis Club in Hallandale Beach to a company controlled by Ari Pearl for $43.25 million, property records show. Diplomat Golf Course Venture LLC, which includes Birdman, and Mike Meyers and Nate Sirang of California-based Concord Wilshire Companies, sold the property at 501 Diplomat Parkway to Maltese Diplomat Owner LLC…

The indestructible tenant?

It’s been called the “e-pocalypse”: the closing of so many brick-and-mortar stores because customers would rather get what they need with a click. But not every retailer seems to be swept up in the destruction. Discount retailers, which sell everything from spaghetti sauce and shampoo to sweatshirts — sometimes for as little as $1 — are not turning off the lights for good, like department stores and others.

Who Will Bankroll the $4B American Dream Miami?

American Dream Miami will rise in northwestern Miami-Dade County, with the first phase expected to open in 2023. Now that American Dream Miami has the blessing of county commissioners, the question becomes: How will the developer pay for the $4 billion behemoth? Triple Five Worldwide officials are revealing little about financing for the 5 million-square-foot planned mega…

Video: Jeremy Cohen of Hartman Simons discusses retail property legal trends

In this video from America’s Commercial Real Estate Show, Jeremy Cohen of leading commercial real estate law firm Hartman Simons discusses commercial real estate legal trends in retail properties. Among the topics that are discussed are the ICSC RECon 2018, new trends in retail and mixed-use development, changes in leases and lease clauses, parking related challenges, and trends in retail…

National Rents See Slow Season Start,Most Renter Mega-Hubs Up, Hollywood in Top 5

The national average rent was $1,381 in May 2018, having increased by 2 percent year over year, and by 0.3 percent ($4) month over month, according to data from Yardi Matrix. Rents increased in 79 percent of the nation’s biggest 250 cities in May, were unchanged in 17 percent of cities, and dropped in 4 percent of cities compared to May 2017. The top 25 fastest growing rents in the country are in small…

Redevelopment of CocoWalk advances as demolition starts on property’s east side

Demolition work is under way on the east side of the CocoWalk complex in Coconut Grove to make way for a five-story office building and street-level retail space. It will be the first new office building to open since 1989 in Coconut Grove, where the office vacancy rate is 1 percent, according to research by Blanca Commercial Real Estate. Construction of the 85,000-square-foot office building, called One…

New Hotel Chain for Digital Nomads Opening Soon in Little Havana Like A Backpackers’ Hostel With Coworking

In September, an outpost of Selina will open in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood at 1450 SW Seventh Street, the site of the former Tower Hotel. The hospitality company, which already operates 24 locations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, is like a travelers’ hostel that comes with coworking space and a cool tour guide, designed for today’s globetrotting, Instagram-happy laptop junkies.

33-Year-Old Jon Paul Perez Will Eventually Take Over Related Group. For Now, He’s Transforming Wynwood

33-year-old Jon Paul Perez is the eldest son of Related Group Chairman and CEO Jorge Perez, the so-called “Condo King” of Miami. As a kid raised in South Beach and later Coral Gables, the younger Perez was mildly aware that his dad had transformed South Florida. Jon Paul Perez is learning how to run Related Group. At 33, he already oversees multiple condo projects. “When you’re growing up around it, you…”

Downtown Miami Expected To Undergo Construction Spike: Study

The Magic City has 12 acres of buildable potential in the downtown area, according to a recent study. That puts Miami on par with Los Angeles in terms of available land. The study also predicted that downtown Miami would undergo a construction spike in the years to come. “As with most Floridians, Miami respondents indicated they prefer improved bus transport, better walkability and more bike lanes…”

More Developers, Investors Turning To Parking As An Industrial Product Type

Tom Barbera formed Industrial Outdoor Ventures in January 2017 with one goal: to carve a niche within industrial real estate from truck and trailer lots, container yards and freight terminals. The assets he is considering are parking only — no property on-site beyond maybe some truck repair services — often where access to warehouses is short. Trucks from haulers and shipping and logistics companies can…

JV Kicks Off Work at Coconut Grove Mixed-Use Project

Federal Realty Investment Trust, Grass River Property and Comras Co. have commenced the redevelopment phase of CocoWalk, a retail-driven lifestyle center in Miami’s Coconut Grove submarket. The partnership revealed its plans for CocoWalk in May 2017 and recently kicked off the transformation program of the eastern… with an expected delivery date set for late 2019. Located at 3015 Grand Avenue…

Miami Mayor to Host Quarterly Miami 21 review

Mayor Francis Suarez will host the first quarterly Miami 21 Review and Enhancement Group on June 1. City residents, property owners and development professionals with interests in real estate development in the City of Miami are encouraged to attend. The purpose of the quarterly meeting is to provide a venue for real-time feedback relative to practical application of policies and procedures that affect the…

A Pricey Drafting Error in a Jewelry Store Lease

Many of the topics we cover in this space ultimately come down to problems in drafting (such as here, here, and here).  Of course, these drafting issues aren’t apparent when the parties execute the lease, contract, or other document. A new case about an exculpatory clause (a provision that limits or eliminates the liability of one of the parties to a contract to the other) in a lease is a good example.  In Obsessions…

Deco Capital will again seek approval for mixed-use Sunset Harbour project

Deco Capital Group is returning to the city of Miami Beach seeking approval for its mixed-use project in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood. The developer submitted plans to the Miami Beach Planning Board for a 65,000-square-foot project, which would have more than 20,000 square feet of retail space, 12 residential units and parking. RWN Real Estate Partners, a New York-based private equity…

United States Sailing Center keeps Olympic training site

It wasn’t easy but the United States Sailing Center Inc. was able to keep its piece of the Coconut Grove waterfront for at least another decade. The Florida not-for-profit corporation had campaigned for more time. The US Sailing Center Miami is one of only 18 official US Olympic Training sites sanctioned by the US Olympic Committee, and the only one for sailing in the US. The city is the owner of real…

Miami’s hopes to be a World Cup city rest on a vote in Moscow

Miami-Dade’s hopes to be a World Cup city during the 2026 soccer tournament rest on whether the United Bid Committee (UBC), comprising the US, Canada and Mexico, secures enough votes June 13 to be the host nations. The county’s mayor and commissioners, who voted unanimously in favor of Miami hosting a match, await the votes to see if further action can be taken. On June 13, a day before…

Miracle Mile streetscape wins a thumbs-up

Newly widened sidewalks and updated features along Miracle Mile and Giralda Plaza in Coral Gables are inviting pedestrians to visit their favorite sites and linger long enough to discover new ones. Merchants rate the overall changes positively, with a few recommendations for improvements. The Miracle Mile and Giralda Avenue Streetscape project spans from Douglas to LeJeune roads on the Mile and from…

Shelved condo projects shrink pipeline of new construction in Miami, Fort Lauderdale: report

Miami’s preconstruction inventory is shrinking, thanks in part to a handful of canceled or paused projects, a new report shows. About 83 percent or 16,714 of the roughly 20,000 units in the pipeline were presold as of April, according to the ISG Miami Report. While the percentage is up from the 80 percent that ISG reported last May, the total pipeline shrunk by about 3,200 units. ISG surveys the sales…

Contractor sues owner of bayfront Edgewater tower for $6.5 million in allegedly unpaid work

The contractor tasked with completing a $7 million renovation of a luxury apartment tower in Edgewater is alleging it was only paid a pittance, and is owed nearly the full amount for unpaid construction work. Sierra Commercial Construction is suing Properties of Hamilton Inc., the owner of the Hamilton on the Bay at 555 Northeast 34th Street. State records show the Hamilton company is controlled by…

Where we’re going, we don’t need drivers: Developers pushing for driverless tech

Developers across the country are pitching their mixed-use developments as incubators for driverless-car technology, which they hope could allow them to pack in more product. Developers are hoping that autonomous vehicles will free up space now allocated to parking spaces for other uses like residential and commercial. And some institutional investors are paying close attention to how ride-sharing…

City Of Miami Population Up 15.6% Since 2010, The Sixth Most In Nation

Thousands of new residents moved into the City of Miami again last year, according to newly released Census data. Since 2010, the city’s population has increased at the sixth fastest rate of any big city in America, at 15.6%. As of July 1 2017, the city’s population was estimated at 463,347. That is an increase of 1.47% over the year before, when it was 456,632 (from 2015 to 2016 the increase was 2.9%…

London-based Chotto Matte Opens on Miami Beach, Other Restaurant News

Developer Craig Menin and restaurateur Dennis Max are planning a massive, 30,000-square-foot food hall in Delray Beach. The developers will submit proposals for Delray City Market next month, according to SouthFlorida.com. The food hall will have 30 vendors with about 400 square feet each in the ground floor retail space of a building planned for 33 Southeast Third Street. Menin Development’s…

Miami adviser: Sea-level rise may inflate federal flood insurance premiums by 2021

Premiums charged by FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program might surge in two to three years if they start to reflect the risk of sea level rise, according to the chairman of the Miami city government’s task force on rising seas. The cost of flood insurance could double in two to three years if the FEMA program starts assessing the risk of sea level rise in setting premiums, said Miami attorney Wayne…

A frontrunner for Amazon’s HQ2 seems to be emerging

If it weren’t enough of a giveaway that Amazon has got serious designs on the capital, what with shortlisting three cities in the Washington metro area in its search for its new home for its second headquarters, even more evidence has emerged that seems to be hinting towards a winner in the vicinity. According to Business Insider, Northern Virginia’s reputation for housing data centers–it is…

Construction phase of the old Fashion Mall’s redevelopment may start soon

Construction of an eight-story building with rental apartments and retail space may start soon at the old Fashion Mall property in Plantation. It will be the first of three new buildings on the former site of the Fashion Mall, which closed in 2007 and was demolished last year. Encore Housing Opportunity Fund, led by developer Art Falcone, acquired the Fashion Mall for $37.7 million in a 2015 bankruptcy…

Fire and Hurricane Irma ravaged the Deauville Beach Resort, but owners won’t make repairs, Miami Beach officials say

Ten months after a fire shut down the Deauville Beach Resort in Miami Beach, followed by water damage caused Hurricane Irma, city leaders want to force the owners of the historic Miami Modern-style building to speed up renovations and repairs. The city commission’s land use committee this week directed Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy Morales to devise an aggressive action plan — including the…

A conversation with Kimco Realty’s David Jamieson

The stock market hasn’t been kind to REITs lately, and open-air shopping center operator Kimco Realty is no exception. Shares have fallen about 36 percent over the past 12 months, according to its Q1 2018 earnings report. Yet other metrics show that the New York-based company, which owns interests in 475 open-air shopping centers in the U.S., is otherwise doing quite nicely. Occupancy rates of its…

Alex Karakhanian buys Wynwood building leased to GoPro, Scripps Network

Alex Karakhanian’s Lndmrk Development paid $12.2 million for a commercial property in Wynwood. Property records show Forte Capital Management affiliate New Wynwood 25 and other companies tied to Forte’s Chaim Cahane sold the 20,730-square-foot office and retail building at 48 Northwest 25th Street for nearly $590 per square foot. It last sold for $5.3 million in 2013, according to property records.

Who Will Bankroll the $4B American Dream Miami?

Now that American Dream Miami has the blessing of county commissioners, the question becomes: How will the developer pay for the $4 billion behemoth? Triple Five Worldwide officials are revealing little about financing for the 5 million-square-foot planned mega mall and entertainment center, except to say that it likely will involve multiple lenders, similar to American Dream Meadowlands. For that sister…

After Hurricane Irma, officials approve $43.6M for Miami restoration

The bulk of the funding comes from FEMA-approved grants. The City of Miami is one step closer to being awarded funds to help restore countless of parks and facilities that were damaged by Hurricane Irma. Today, the Miami City Commission approved a resolution that authorizes the city to accept $34,193,228 in grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and $9,429,373 from an insurance…

Public money in play for park to combat sea level rise at Crescent Heights 5th and Alton development site

Some Miami Beach commissioners are open to the idea of using taxpayer dollars to buy a portion of Crescent Height’s Alton Road redevelopment site between 5th and 7th streets to build a park that combats sea level rise. Any acquisition would be part of a deal in which Russell Galbut’s Crescent Heights would still be allowed to build one of the tallest residential towers in South Beach. The Miami…

Following Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods, competitors are wondering what’s next for the notoriously secretive e-tailer

Ask any broker who’s dealt with Amazon to tell you what it was like, and they’ll present you with an airtight nondisclosure agreement prohibiting them from speaking. “Under the radar” doesn’t even begin to describe the company’s ultra-discreet approach to its real estate deals, especially as it’s bought up, or leased, more and more property with each passing year. Second only to Apple as the world’s most…

Developers could make bank from rollback of Dodd-Frank

Nearly a decade after bad real estate loans helped thrust the U.S. economy into a major recession, the House of Representatives passed a bill to roll back a number of regulations for banks. The changes, experts said, could become a catalyst for increased commercial real estate lending, opening up many new sources of funding to developers. On Tuesday, the House voted 258-159 in favor of a bipartisan…

South Florida Broker on Bubbies, Bubbas and Brightline

In the 1970s, Neil Merin was making $160 a week running a production line for a toy manufacturer in the Northeast when he quit to move to Palm Beach County for a property manager position that paid 10 percent more. The new gig would be short-lived. “The company I went to work for down here went out of business six months after I joined, so I went and got a real estate license and started…”

Beaker & Gray owners to open BoomBox in former Bardot site in Midtown

The owners of Beaker & Gray have signed a lease to open a new bar and lounge called BoomBox at Bardot’s former site in Midtown Miami. BoomBox will open in a 3,264-square-foot space at 3452 North Miami Avenue late this summer, Marc Sirkin of Engel & Voelkers told The Real Deal. Sirkin and Asi Cymbal of Cymbal Realty represented the owner of the building, North Miami Avenue LLC, led by…

Triple Five’s $4 Billion American Dream Miami Project Wins Final Approval from County Officials

American Dream Miami will be a massive mall and entertainment center in northwestern Miami-Dade County. The first phase is expected to open in 2023.  Make way for American Dream Miami. The Miami-Dade County Commission did just that Thursday, granting a series of approvals for the mammoth mall and entertainment center after roughly nine hours of debate. The $4 billion development, to be built…

Miami Gardens Shopping Complex Fetches $12 Million

Macken Cos. has completed the $11.9 million sale of Palmetto Design Plaza, a 62,500-square-foot shopping complex in Miami Gardens, Fla. Rise Star LLC acquired the seven-acre property, which hit the market in the fall of 2017. According to public records, the seller was Palmetto Design Center LLC, an entity affiliated with Macken Cos. Located at 3791 NW 167th Street, the shopping center is anchored by…

US Shopping Center Demand Falls to Six-Year Low as Net Absorption Declines and Store Closures Pile Up

Demand growth for mall and shopping center space by retailers fell to its lightest level in six years in the first quarter of 2018 as retailers continued to focus on their top-performing locations and shed marginal stores, with announced store closures totaling nearly 100 million square feet so far this year alone. The balancing act was reflected in the first quarter 2018 U.S. retail vacancy rate, which at 4.6% was…

PCCP Shells Out $127 Million for Miami Downtown Miami Office Tower

The $127 million sale of SunTrust International Center, a nearly 450,000-square-foot, Class A office tower in downtown Miami, sold. PCCP acquired the asset from Crocker Partners, while Invesco Real Estate provided $101.8 million in acquisition financing. Located at 1 SE 3rd Avenue, the LEED Silver certified property was completed in 1973 and recently underwent a $13.5 million renovation program. Amenities…

Video: Bainbridge Companies VP/COO Kevin Keane Bainbridge Discusses Multifamily Properties for 2018

In this America’s Commercial Real Estate Show episode, Bainbridge Vice President and Chief Operating Office Kevin Keane discusses the multifamily sector, including demand drivers, development trends, regional trends, technology for units, issues with affordability, community access points, parking, ride share, labor shortage, construction costs, and rising rates. The Bainbridge Companies, founded…

Video: CCIM Institute Chief Economist KC Conway Bullish on U.S. Economy

In this video, KC Conway, Chief Economist at the CCIM Institute, joins the show host to discuss – if one could refer to such bubbling with enthusiasm as discussing – the U.S. economic state, including job market growth, home building affected by economy, interest rate volatility, net operating income (NOI) concerns, monthly jobs reports, truth of the retail sector, potential political big impacts on United…

Opposition mounts against Brightline’s pursuit of more than $1B in bonds

Phase two of Brightline’s Miami-to-Orlando train service is off to a bumpy start. Members of Florida’s congressional delegation are discussing whether project is eligible for $1.15 billion in tax-exempt bonds that the project’s parent company All Aboard Florida is seeking for the northern expansion of the service to Orlando. All Aboard received $600 million in private activity bonds for the first phase of the…

Mount Sinai Medical Center plans two major fall openings

A new surgical tower and emergency department at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach are on track to be completed by the end of November. Construction on a free-standing emergency department in Hialeah, also owned by Mount Sinai, is expected to be completed by the end of October, a delay by several months from the original expected opening period of this summer. Except for…

Dolphin Expressway getting double-decker elevated Viaduct

A new project on the Dolphin Expressway – State Road 836 – could improve access and alleviate congestion by creating a double-decker elevated bridge over the existing highway, tentatively named the Viaduct, along one of Miami’s most crowded thoroughfares. The project, funded by $186 million in toll revenue from the Miami Expressway Authority (MDX), is intended to modernize the 836 corridor between…

Study: What to Do with All the Vacant Land in Miami and Other Major US CBDs?

We combed Yardi Matrix and PropertyShark data, as well as online government records to determine the amount of land that currently remains undeveloped in the urban cores (CBDs) of 25 American cities: Atlanta, Ga.; Austin, Texas; Buffalo, N.Y.; Chicago, Ill.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; Houston, Texas; Indianapolis, Ind.; Kansas City, Mo.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Miami, Florida…

Renovations on Flagler Street delayed once again

Directors of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority have once again voted to delay the resumption of renovations on Flagler Street, this time for 30 days. But some signaled that they are getting weary of the postponements. “How much longer are we going to drag this out?” asked board member Alicia Cervera, managing partner of Cervera Real Estate. “I’ve had it. These things are devastating to the…”

Terra and AvalonBay buy Doral office park for mixed-use development

Terra and AvalonBay Communities just paid $33.5 million for a development site in Doral. The developers acquired the Atrium Office Park and adjacent restaurant at 3900 Northwest 79th Avenue in Doral, across the street from CityPlace Doral. Avalon Doral LLC paid $20 million for 4.6 acres of the site and Doral Atrium Retail Investments paid $13.5 million for the remaining 5.2 acres, property records show.

Crescent Heights to go before Miami Beach board for 5th and Alton tower

One of Miami Beach’s most controversial development plans is up for discussion again. Developer Russell Galbut will go before the Miami Beach Land Use and Development Committee on Wednesday for the site at Fifth Street and Alton Road. A rally is planned in opposition. Galbut, co-founder of Crescent Heights, is proposing three options for the 85,348-square-foot block, in exchange for…

The Long View: Why real estate tech won’t kill the middleman

Revolutions tend to promise one thing and deliver another. Think of the Jacobins paving the way for Napoleon, the Soviets toppling one autocracy only to ultimately replace it with another, or anti-corruption crusader Hugo Chavez building an empire of graft in Venezuela. Turns out this maxim also applies to real estate technology. Not too long ago, it seemed like the real estate business was about to enter…

Miami Beach Considers Annexing Scandal-Plagued North Bay Village

Since revelations surfaced last year of a blackmail plot against a commissioner with an undisclosed arrest for cocaine in his past, scandal after scandal has rocked tiny North Bay Village, a two-island town on the 79th Street Causeway. Now Miami Beach Commissioner Ricky Arriola is proposing a dramatic fix: He wants his city to take over the troubled village. “Frankly, North Bay Village residents that I’ve…”

Biscayne Bay Brewing to open at historic post office in downtown Miami

Biscayne Bay Brewing is opening a second location in a historic building in downtown Miami. The brewery, based in Doral at 8000 Northwest 25th Street, is opening a 6,200-square-foot brewery and taproom at the Old United States Post Office and Courthouse building, at 100 Northeast First Avenue. It’s slated to open this winter, according to a spokesperson. Stambul USA, led by Daniel Peña…

Apollo Provides $140 Million Refi for Miami Beach’s Faena District

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has provided a $140 million floating-rate loan to Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries to refinance the Faena Group-developed Faena District properties in Miami Beach, Fla., Commercial Observer can first report. The Faena District—between 32nd and 36th Street on Collins Avenue—is the creation of Argentine developer Alan Faena and totals more than 1 million square feet…

South Florida commercial insurance rates ‘dodged bullet’

South Florida’s commercial insurance rates have “dodged a bullet” after weathering a series of natural disasters. It was expected for rates to spike from 10% to 25% in 2018, but after the first quarter, the increases weren’t what was assumed during a busy storm season. Instead, Miami is seeing 5% to 10% increases. Over the past five years there have been “bargain prices” where South Florida has seen…

New Hotel for Grove’s Commodore Plaza

The parking lot next to Greenstreet Cafe is slated to become a hotel. But nothing has been finalized yet and the announcement may be premature. The Arts & Minds school property has also been sold. Talk is that an office building is going in there. The hotel is called Commodore Place, located at 3102 Commodore Plaza. From their website: “Commodore Place is a new mixed-use edifice planned for…”

Cleaning up after Toys “R” Us

Retail real estate these days can seem like a choose-your-own-adventure of sorts, with a variety of plausible story lines for all the players involved. Pivot to be experiential? Yes. Rebrand? Yup. Relaunch online? Affirmative. Chapter 11? Check. This last ending — filing for bankruptcy — is among the most prevalent plot lines, affecting not just retailers but landlords, brokers and lenders. And it is certainly…

Partying and excess remain fixtures of ICSC, even as some companies opt for modest events

Looking out from a booth in the Wynn nightclub Intrigue, it was difficult to ignore a man on stilts dressed as a tree bounding between the aisles. From up there, the view certainly spelled excess: women dancing on podiums and a crowd of real estate folk bumping and bopping to a top 40 playlist. The party at the nightclub Sunday night set the tone of what was to come on the inevitable party circuit that…

Duane Morris Opts for Smaller Miami Office in Move to Citigroup Center

Duane Morris is moving its downtown Miami office from the Southeast Financial Center to a smaller space at the nearby Citigroup Center, a relocation that reflects a national trend toward smaller law firm workspaces. Duane Morris is moving in September when its long-term, $16.8 million lease of the 34th floor penthouse begins at 201 S. Biscayne Blvd., offering views of Biscayne Bay, Bayfront Park and…

Faena District in Miami Beach scores $140 million refi

Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries secured a $140 million loan to refinance the Faena District in Miami Beach. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance is providing the floating-rate loan, according to the Commercial Observer. The financing is backed by the Faena Hotel Miami Beach, Casa Faena hotel, the Faena Hotel Residences, the Faena Forum, the Faena Bazaar and the retail and parking.

Miami’s hotel fortunes a tale of two years

Across the street from The Palm restaurant and across the bay from the Bal Harbour Shops is the Grand Beach Hotel Bay Harbor. Its position, between a carnivore’s bliss and a temple to the monied set, embodies the northern reaches of Miami Beach: relaxed, well heeled, traditional. In a city of disparate submarkets, Bal Harbour and the contiguous Surfside are respite from the more raucous South Beach.

Is Hialeah “the next big thing” for real estate investment in SoFla?

Hialeah is hot. The city has been experiencing a surge in real estate investment, bolstering its reputation as an industrial hub while also identifying it as a more welcoming place for multifamily and commercial construction following recent moves to encourage development.
But investors drawn to cheaper land prices and those who may be looking to make a quick buck on a flip could find it difficult…

Video: Baird’s Michael Bellisario on top line growth for hotels and hospitality

On this episode of America’s Commercial Real Estate Show, Michael Bellisario, Vice President and Senior Analyst at Baird, joins host Michael Bull to discuss the hospitality sector, including sector health, place in the cycle, top line growth, employment, leisure and business travel trends, year-to-date performance, land cost, tips for new construction, renovation costs, tax reform impacts, property level value…

Construction starts on 187 apartments near Florida International University

A 187-unit apartment building that will cater to college students is under construction near Florida International University. TD Bank made a $55.04 million loan to finance construction of the rental property at 400 Southwest 107 Avenue in Sweetwater. The borrower is an affiliate of CA Ventures of Chicago, led by CEO Tom Scott, and the development is called The Residence at University City. CA Ventures…

Video: The Hospitality Group’s President Tom French Discusses Whether it is Time to Sell hotels?

On this episode of America’s Commercial Real Estate Show, Tom French, President of The Hospitality Group, joins host Michael Bull to discuss the hospitality / lodging sector. Among the topics discussed are sector health, RevPAR (revenue per available room) trends, buyer and seller cycle concerns, investor opportunities that may exist, hospitality property market trends, developments in hotel financing…

Moishe Mana’s not done yet, picks up downtown Miami building for $13 million

Moishe Mana’s portfolio of properties in downtown Miami keeps growing. The investor and developer just paid $12.9 million for a two-story retail and office building at 201 East Flagler Street. The deal brings his total spent in downtown Miami to nearly $285 million. Mika Mattingly and Cecilia Estevez of Colliers International South Florida represented Mana in the deal.

Miami Beach to request proposals for a new convention center hotel — once again

The Miami Beach City Commission voted unanimously this week to issue a request for proposal for developers to submit designs and bids for a convention center hotel. The hotel would be built on the same site that a previous hotel design was proposed in 2016, which was ultimately turned down by voters. But under the new request for proposal, the hotel would be a third smaller than the previous design.

Treasury issues new LLC disclosure law

The Treasury Department has re-upped rules meant to crack down on money laundering in real estate — but don’t ask Uncle Sam for details. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has released another set of rules requiring title companies to disclose the identity of all-cash buyers who purchase luxury property under the guise of an LLC, sources told The Real Deal. But FinCEN has…

American Dream Miami wins county commission approval

Make way for American Dream Miami. The Miami-Dade County Commission did just that Thursday, granting a series of approvals for the mammoth mall and entertainment center after roughly nine hours of debate. The $4 billion development, to be built on 174 acres at Interstate 75 and Florida’s Turnpike in northwest Miami-Dade, will have more than 5 million square feet or retail and entertainment…

Okan Group launches Miami tower with fireworks display at PAMM

Hundreds of brokers, attorneys, bankers and industry insiders waited in a line that snaked around the entrance to the Pérez Art Museum Miami last week to celebrate the launch of Okan Tower, a new mixed-use tower planned for Miami’s Arts & Entertainment District. The developer, Bekir Okan of the Turkey-based Okan Group, hosted the soirée on the top floor of PAMM with drinks and hor d’oeuvres…

Developer plans mixed-use hotel for Coconut Grove lot next to GreenStreet Cafe

Metronomic Inc. is under contract to buy the parking lot next to the popular GreenStreet Cafe in Coconut Grove, where the developer is planning to build an Aloft hotel. Metronomic, led by Ricky Trinidad, will pay $4.8 million, or about $670 per square foot, for the nearly 7,200-square-foot lot at 3110 Commodore Plaza, broker Miguel Pinto said. The Coral Gables-based developer is expected to close on…

Miami Beach shelves plan to raise roads amid opposition from North Bay Road residents

The Miami Beach City Commission voted down a plan to elevate North Bay Road amid growing concerns from residents that it could ruin their property values and lead to flooding on their properties. The contentious move could delay the project for close to six years since the Florida Department of Transportation plans to start its Alton Road project in 2021. While Alton Road is under construction, drivers…

Retailers Finding a New Home in South Florida

One out of every 10 new multifamily developments throughout South Florida is now incorporating at least some retail space into its design. While this is also common in condominium and office developments, the trend of incorporating retail, and even small amounts of office space, in residential developments seems to be increasing in the market. In the Downtown Miami submarket specifically, 180,000…

Luxe condo breaks ground in Coconut Grove, nearly 50 percent sold

The 23-unit residency held its groundbreaking ceremony on May 10. Glasshaus in the Grove, Miami’s sexiest new boutique condominium, broke ground May 10. Located in Bayshore Village near Millionaire’s Row, the boutique project is walking distance from marinas, parks, shops, and restaurants. Glasshaus in the Grove, is a ‘livable residence’ that mixes outdoor and green space that evokes the tropics.

Silvia Coltrane, partners add condos to mixed-use North Beach hotel project

Miami Beach developer Silvia Coltrane is proposing changes to her North Beach hotel project, including adding condos to the mixed-use development. Coltrane’s 72+ Collins Hotel falls within the North Beach Town Center district. The Miami Beach Commission voted on Wednesday to pass an ordinance on second reading increasing the floor area ratio for the properties between 69th Street, Collins…

Developer of Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach sued over construction delays

Three condo buyers are suing the developer of the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach over the project’s construction delays, seeking to get their deposits refunded. Since March, three separate civil lawsuits have been filed in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court against 4701 North Meridian LLC, which is a partnership between Ophir Sternberg’s Lionheart Capital and Elliott Management Corp. The three lawsuits…