Where Miami might undo development to deal with sea-level rise

Shorecrest might become the first neighborhood in Miami where efforts to deal with sea-level rise would include demolishing structures in areas prone to flooding and returning the land to nature. Scientists and government officials who participate in the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact have considered alternatives to installing pumps and raising streets to protect such low-lying neighborhoods as the Arch Creek area of North Miami, Lower Matecumbe Key…

Not one, but two dueling Chinatowns proposed in neighboring Miami-Dade cities

Dueling Chinatowns in Miami-Dade County? After years of false starts by other municipalities, it seems there will be two Chinatowns in the county, one in North Miami and another next door in North Miami Beach. The proposed Chinatowns are fueled by Chinese investors’ appetite for South Florida real estate and commerce, plus, the two cities’ desire to create tourist destinations, among other factors, proponents say. As The Real Deal has reported, the latest version of North Miami’s…

Verzasca files plans for former City Hall restaurant site at 2000 Biscayne

A year after buying the City Hall restaurant building on Biscayne Boulevard, the Verzasca Group just filed plans to develop the property into a rental tower, The Real Deal has learned. Verzasca closed on the $13 million purchase of the 32,775-square-foot site at 2000 Biscayne Boulevard in March 2016, but has remained quiet on its plans. The Edgewater project calls for a 36-story, 393-unit apartment tower with 25 studios, 175 one-bedrooms, 181 two-bedrooms, 12 three-bedrooms and an…

South Carolina Trucking Firm Pays $774 PSF For Warehouse Near MIA

The appetite for industrial real estate is strong in the Miami Airport West submarket due to a scarce supply of land for development and the increased demand of industrial assets.

Population Growth and Affordable Cost of Living Accelerate CRE Renaissance in Miami and the Southeast

The Miami market, which comprises Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, is also experiencing exceptional population and job growth, along with strong property fundamentals. The three-county Miami region, with more than 6 million residents, is the state’s largest consumer market, and population is projected to grow by 1.2 percent in the coming years, according to a CBRE report. Tourism, financial services and logistics will continue to drive economic growth, with predicted…

Miami in article re five hottest markets for retail commercial real estate – and the five coolest

Florida was hit particularly hard by the country’s housing bust that spanned from 2006 through 2012. The flow of people moving to the state from the Northeast and Midwest slowed considerably. “(People) couldn’t sell their homes, there were no jobs, (a move) didn’t look attractive because economies weren’t robust, etc., so population growth slowed, which of course is not a good thing for retail,” Muoio said. Since the bust, though, Florida’s housing market has improved, the labor…

Real estate experts rally behind proposed EB-5 legislation

Real estate experts in the EB-5 visa field strongly believe new legislation governing the controversial immigration program that rewards foreign investors with permanent U.S. residency will pass by the end of September. “Either Congress will pass a new EB-5 law, which will be the best news,” said H. Ronald Klasko. “Or the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service will pass regulation that will have a significant impact on the EB-5 program.” Klasko, who heads Klasko Immigration Law…

City Of Miami Inches Closer To Multimillion-Dollar Riverfront Development Deal

The City is closer to landing a new administrative building while facilitating the construction of a $465 million mixed-use project, dubbed Nexus Riverside Central, on its current Miami River headquarters site.

$465M Miami River project now entails 1,500 units

Miami voters could have the final say on Nexus Riverside Central Adler Group’s plans for Nexus Riverside Central, a $465 million mixed-use project on the riverfront site of the current City of Miami administrative headquarters, have become more ambitious. Within the Miami Herald’s latest report, which states the City Commission “authorized the appointment of a special estate counsel in the city’s proposed deal to lease its riverside administrative center to property developer Adler Group…

Facebook alum pulls curtain on TheVentureCity, launching in Miami

Former executives of Facebook, Google, eBay and other hyper-growth companies have come together to form a global “city” with everything a startup needs to scale internationally. Co-founding the unique venture, called TheVentureCity, is Laura González-Estéfani, former director of international business development and mobile partnerships for Facebook, and Clara Bullrich, a 20-year private banking and asset management veteran. They call it an accelerator for the global tech…

Ronny Finvarb sells 5th Street lot in South Beach for $6M

Ronny Finvarb just sold a vacant lot at 803 Fifth Street in South Beach for $5.965 million — six times the price he paid six years ago, The Real Deal has learned. The 9,000-square-foot property at 803 Fifth Street, at the corner of Meridian Avenue, can be developed for commercial use. It sold for $667 per square foot. SOBE 5, LLC, led by Finvarb, sold the property to The Fifth Hotel LLC, Finvarb told TRD. The buyer is linked to Urbanica Management, led by Carlos…

Market Trend: Select Top Five South Florida Office Leases Signed in Q1 2017

The select top office lease signed during the first quarter of 2017 in the South Florida market was at The Village of Merrick Park in the Coral Gables submarket. Bayview Financial renewed its 88,047-square-foot lease there. JLL represented the tenant, while CREC represented the landlord. Avison Young represented a tenant in a lease deal for 60.648 square feet at the Sawgrass Pointe II office building in the Sawgrass Park submarket. Hamilton…

Video: Previewing the American Dream Miami Mega Mall

Bob Gorlow and Edgar Jones present their plans a major development in North Miami called American Dream Mall. This is a must see for everyone in Miami. Once completed, it is sure to change the retail and entertainment landscape in South Florida.

Brickman to Reposition Miami Office Towers

Brickman has selected architecture and interior design firm MKDA to renovate Courthouse Tower at 44 West Flagler Street and 200 Southeast First Building, two Class A office towers in downtown Miami. When complete, the renovated assets will feature modern architecture, top-rate service and operations, abundant amenities, and New York-inspired spec suites. Courthouse Tower is a 162,500-square-foot property with 25 floors of office space and ground-level retail.

ASRR plans massive two-tower complex at Arts & Entertainment District site in Miami

ASRR Capital and two Asian investors are planning a 1.7 million-square-foot residential, retail, and office complex at the Miami Arts & Entertainment District site they put under contract last year, according to documents filed with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Plans for the block-long site at 18th Street and Northeast Second Avenue include two towers, one rising 60 stories and a second rising 40 stories, with up to 1,200 rental units, 20,000 square feet of retail space, and 350,000…

Miami-Dade approves $9M land sale to Miami Beckham United

David Beckham can jump into the next phase of his soccer franchise dream now that he has the land to build a stadium in Miami’s urban core. On Tuesday, the Miami-Dade County Commission voted 9-4 to sell nearly 3 acres in Overtown to Miami Beckham United to complete an assemblage that also includes 6 privately owned acres the group paid $19 million for last year. “Now is the time for MLS to move forward in helping us deliver the soccer club that Miami has been waiting for,” Miami…

David Beckham taking big victory to Miami city hall contest

The Miami-Dade County Commission on Tuesday approved David Beckham and his investors buying county-owned land to build a stadium for a Major League Soccer franchise near Marlins Park, but the group still needs rezoning approval and permits from the City of Miami to build the privately-financed 25,000-seat venue. The 9-4 vote came after a discussion that Chair Esteban Bovo Jr. said took longer than a soccer game. Now, Miami Properties LLC is to pay $9 million for the 2.79-acre…

Miami’s Courthouse Tower renovation gets new renderings

Wynwood-based architecture and interior design studio MKDA has been appointed to lead the $5 million-plus renovation of Courthouse Tower in downtown Miami. Located at 44 West Flagler Street, the building was acquired by New York-based real estate firm Brickman for $27.5 million in March 2016. The mixed-use tower is 162,500 square feet, comprised of 25 floors of office space and ground-level retail (birdseye view). MDKA was also selected to lead a minimal renovation…

Miami Beach convention center headquarters hotel backed

The long-anticipated recommendation has been made: the City of Miami Beach should build a convention center headquarters hotel. The Miami Beach City Commission has waited a year for its Blue Ribbon Committee to recommend whether to proceed with building a headquarters hotel for the city-owned Miami Beach Convention Center, which is in the process of being revamped and upgraded. On June 1, the seven-member panel finally reached consensus that the city needs…

10 questions for the team that will review county’s charter

A 15-member team is nearing the starting line to propose changes to the rulebook under which Miami-Dade County’s government operates. It’s a vital job. Though the task sounds soporific, changes to the county’s charter – its version of a constitution – could affect every voter and every taxpayer, because the rules determine how government serves the governed. That means we all need to heed what the charter task force recommends be put on the ballot for voters to act on – and then…

Investment Sales Market for Multifamily Begins to Recover after a Pause

The year isn’t turning out quite the way apartment experts expected it to just a few months ago. In January, it seemed like interest rates would begin an upward climb, which would push cap rates higher for investments in apartment properties. Instead, interest rates have sagged from their highs at the end of 2016, and cap rates are falling once again. “Apartment cap rates, and cap rate spreads, are declining,” says Jim Costello, senior vice president with Real Capital Analytics (RCA), a New…

Muse Sunny Isles unveils new renderings

Showing the pool, gym, and sauna Muse Residences in Sunny Isles Beach unveiled some new renderings of its common areas, including the fitness center, sauna, and beach-level pool and cabana area. Developed by Property Markets Group and S2 Development, the 68-unit condo overlooks the ocean and topped off in January. It was designed by Carlos Ott, with Sieger Suarez the architect of record, and Antrobus & Ramirez commissioned to design the common areas. Other amenities include…

Wolfsonian-FIU takes first step to build expansion

The Wolfsonian-FIU has issued an Invitation to Negotiate, or ITN, for the ground lease of two Miami Beach properties – The Annex, 1538 Lenox Ave., and a nearby surface parking lot at 1500 Lenox Ave. The posting represents the first step in long-awaited plans to expand the museum and research facility’s exhibition space, said Director Tim Rodgers. The county granted the Wolfsonian $10 million in bond money in 2004 to increase public access to the collection as part of a $2.9 billion…

Who Are the Most Likely Tenants to Backfill Empty Retail Big Boxes?

The next occupiers of the vacated spaces run the gamut, sources say, from specialty retailers to service providers to entertainment concepts to industrial and office tenants. As the retail industry continues with its metamorphosis, talk has turned to what will happen with all that extra big-box and mall anchor space that’s coming on the market? From 36 to 37 million sq. ft. of retail space could be returned to the market by next year, according to a recent report by JLL Research, based on store…

Midtown Doral announces retail tenants to open between July and December

Midtown Doral has announced a list of retail tenants set to open between July and December during phase two of the four-phase, mixed-use development project.
Seventeen boutiques, restaurants and offices will accompany the 1,500 rental units and hotel component of the project, whose amenities include a club and fitness center. Sergio Pino’s Century Homebuilders Group is developing the $230 million Midtown Doral project on Northwest 107th Avenue and Northwest 74th Street…

Shuttered TiramesU subleases its South-of-Fifth space, new chef-driven restaurant to open

TiramesU, the Italian restaurant in Miami Beach’s South-of-Fifth that opened in late 2015 and quietly shut down last month, has subleased its space to restaurateurs who plans a new chef-driven concept, The Real Deal has learned. Grove Bay Hospitality Group has subleased the 2,000-square-foot space at 101 Washington Avenue, Koniver Stern Group’s Noah Fox told TRD, but he declined to disclose lease…

Denver firm picks up new West Miami apartments for record $61M

A Denver, Colorado-based multifamily real estate firm just paid $61 million for a newly completed apartment complex in West Miami. Estate Investment Group, Mattoni Group and Fortune Capital Partners sold Soleste Club Prado at 950 Red Road to Grand Peaks. The eight-story, 196-unit complex sold for $311,000 per apartment and $360 per square foot for the 168,872-square-foot building. The deal marks a new record for the small city just northwest of Coral Gables, and follows…

CoStar Market Insights: Miami-Dade Apartment Sales Remain Hot in 1Q17

Introducing CoStar Market Insights: a new feature providing a snapshot of recent real estate trends in your market. The CoStar Market Analytics team monitors commercial and multifamily real estate across 206 metro areas, with a granular understanding of the projects, players and economic trends that move these markets. Q1 Miami-Dade Multifamily Remain Hot: Over the past few years, investment in Miami-Dade County’s multifamily market has steadily…

Colony Starwood Agrees to Buy GI Partners’ 3,106 Rental Homes in Miami, Elsewhere for $815 Million

Colony Starwood Homes (NYSE:SFR) agreed to acquire a portfolio of 3,106 single-family rental homes from Waypoint/GI Venture LLC for $815 million. Colony Starwood currently manages the portfolio for the sellers, which is located in southern and northern California, Chicago, Atlanta, Tampa, Phoenix, Miami and Orlando. As of March 31, 2017, the GI portfolio was 95.8% occupied with an average monthly rent per unit of $1,703, which the company said…

Could Big Data Help CRE Investors and Developers?

Smarter decisions are a click away. For better or for worse, we live in a data-driven world. Everything we do, eat, wear, or Google leaves a digital footprint to be placed in an algorithm for further crunching, analysis, interpretation, and distribution. The easiest example is to do an Internet search for anything – a new mattress or a future vacation destination – and see how quickly related information and ads appear in your Facebook newsfeed. From Netflix preferences to complex medical…

Public-Private Partnership Including Miami-Dade County Wins City Commission OK

A large mixed-use public-private partnership that includes Miami-Dade County as a player has won preliminary Miami City Commission approval. Platform 3750 LLC proposes to build on 2.1-acres at 3750 S Dixie Highway (US 1). The county is a co-applicant for land use and zoning changes, which city commissioners approved on first reading May 25. A final…

Hyatt maintenance dispute with city of Miami settled for $4 million

The City of Miami has agreed to pay Hyatt Equities close to $4 million in a settlement resolving a maintenance disagreement. The business dispute between the city and Hyatt has been going on for years and was stopping the two parties from moving forward with their plans to redevelop the area. The dispute involved Hyatt’s Miami River hotel and the costly maintenance that was done on the aging property. Hyatt was unhappy with the fact that police and firefighters have been forced to work…

Office Sale Negotiated For Palmetto West Park

NAI Miami, a member of the world’s premier managed network of commercial real estate firms, announced today the team of Lucia Custer and Gabriel Garcia-Menocal, SIOR, negotiated an office sale for their client, Palmetto West Park, LC, at 7791 Northwest 46 Street in Doral, Florida. The buyer is PJV Engineering. The sale was valued at $380,000.

Miami Development News: 262-unit apartment tower breaks ground in Brickell

Maizon Brickell is going vertical Maizon at Brickell broke ground recently at 1100 Southewest 2nd Avenue in the western edge of Brickell. Developed by Zom and Invesco Real Estate, the mixed-use project entails 262 apartment units, over 350 parking spaces, and 15,300 square feet of retail. The development is expected to be completed in early 2019 with pre-leasing beginning late 2018. ZRS Management will handle leasing and property management. Zom has been heavily involved…

Miami’s Porsche Design Tower Developers Tied to Brazilian Money-Laundering Probe

This past March 23, singer Alicia Keys headlined the grand-opening party for the Porsche Design Tower, an ultraluxury condominium complex in Sunny Isles Beach built by father-and-son Miami developers (and former Trump business partners) Michael and Gil Dezer. The event was a spectacular display of wealth at the Porsche Tower, a massive steel-gray building filled with spartan German decor, billionaire investors, and elevators that lift whole cars right into residents’ condo units.

The Economist: South Florida tries to hold back the sea

Turrets and terracotta tiles, palm trees and pillars adorn properties on La Gorce Island. Trucks roll by on their way to plots where homes are being torn down or built up. “There are a lot more people making improvements here than fleeing,” says Josh Gelfman, a developer. “None of my clients are that worried,” says David Pobiak, an estate agent who sells mansions to Americans, Brazilians and others. “Most people I deal with just want to be able to park their boat behind the property.

Florida Leaders Debate Economic Impact Of Withdrawing From The Paris Climate Accord

Should we stay or should we go? That’s the question on the minds of Florida leaders reacting to President Trump’s decision last week to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord. The accord is intended to limit carbon emissions that drive up global temperatures, worsening storms and intensifying sea level rise.
The president claims it costs U.S. energy and manufacturing jobs. But the accord doesn’t impose regulations or specify how countries should cut carbon emissions.

Is all the talk of the death of the mall overdone?

Talk of the demise of the shopping mall may be overdone, according to Fitch Ratings, which on Monday took a neutral stance on retail REITS, or real estate investment trusts, the entities that own and manage malls and rent space to tenants. Mall REITs are popular with investors for their attractive dividend yields. But the sector has come under pressure this year amid a wave of closure announcements from department store chains, sporting retailers and teen clothing retailers…

Construction of 41-unit Bay Harbor condo begins

The developer of Bijou Bay Harbor held a groundbreaking ceremony to launch construction of the 41-unit condominium at 9521 East Bay Harbor Drive (see 45° aerial view)in Bay Harbor Islands. The development company behind the condo project, called Ability by Acierto, has sold 70 percent of the units. The development site at 9521 East Bay Harbor Drive in Bay Harbor Islands is located across the Intracoastal Waterway from the Bal Harbour Shops shopping center.

Miami is getting a second Topgolf location-in Doral

Joining Miami Gardens Miami will be getting its second Topgolf location after the popular entertainment company purchased a 12.6-acre site west of Doral for $11.7 million from a subsidiary of Prologis, according to the South Florida Business Journal. Joining the Miami Gardens facility that broke ground earlier this year (targeting a late 2017 completion date), this new location is west of the Florida Turnpike near Dolphin Mall. While playing 18 holes of golf may be in rapid decline…

Here’s what Miami’s 100 Biscayne will look like after a $10M renovation

Formerly New World Tower Miami’s New World Tower will not only be getting a facelift after East End Capital invests $10 million into renovations for the 30-story office building in the heart of Downtown, but it’ll also be getting a new name: 100 Biscayne. The 357-foot tower, which was originally known as 100 Biscayne Tower upon rising in the 1960s, was actually Miami’s tallest building at the time of completion. Today that honor goes to Panorama Tower in Brickell. Among the…

Sunrise’s Metropica unveils new wave of retailers, including Harry’s Pizzeria

Also Gastrobar, City Works Eater & Pour House, Sugarboo & Co., and Sparkles Metropica, a $1.5 billion mega-development rising on a whopping 65 acres in Sunrise, has announced a new wave of tenants that includes Harry’s Pizzeria, a Michael Schwartz operation that has locations in the Design District, Coconut Grove, and Dadeland. Other newly announced tenants are Bulla Gastrobar, City Works Eater & Pour House, Sugarboo & Co., and Sparkles — they join Shake Shack, Kona Grill…

Topgolf scores development site near Dolphin Mall for $12M

Industrial giant Prologis just sold a site west of Dolphin Mall to Topgolf USA for $11.7 million, property records show. It will mark the second South Florida location for Topgolf, a Dallas, Texas-based sports entertainment company. Its Miami Gardens facility is under construction. AMB Codina Beacon Lakes LLC sold a portion of land within the Prologis Beacon Lakes industrial park in northwest Miami-Dade County to Topgolf USA Doral LLC. The Prologis subsidiary…

Trump Organization launches budget hotel chain “American Idea”

From TRD New York: The Trump Organization plans to launch a budget hotel chain that will first target areas of the country that favored President Trump during the presidential election. American Idea, a three-star hotel chain, will debut in Mississippi and will partner with Chawla Hotels, another chain based in the state, the New York Times reported. Trump met the company’s co-owner, Suresh Chawla, during a campaign stop in Jacksonville…

Mapletree Investments Acquires 3,751-Unit Housing Portfolio, some in Miami near FIU, for $1.6 Billion

Singapore-based Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd. announced the acquisition of a second portfolio of student housing assets from Kayne Anderson Real Estate Advisors. Mapletree listed the purchase price for the portfolio at about $1.6 billion. The transaction includes eight student housing assets containing 3,611 beds, including properties located in Fort Collins, CO, near Colorado State University; in Miami near Florida International University…

Easton Group Snaps Up New Distribution Facility from Ridge Development

An affiliate of The Easton Group, a commercial real estate firm based in Doral, recently closed on the acquisition of a new, 182,057-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility in the Medley Industrial submarket. The affiliate, EWE Airport North Logistics Center LLC, paid $21.846 million in cash, or approximately $119 per square foot, for the new facility called the Airport North Logisitics Center, which the seller, Ridge Development, recently…

Video: 2017 Midyear Miami Industrial Property Market Update ~ SIOR Panel

Moderated by Geoffrey Kassleman, Diana Pubchara, the Chief Marketing Officer for Blanca Commercial Real Estate, Jose Juncadella, Senior Advisor at Fairchild Partners, and John Dohm, Florida Transatlantic Real Estate Consultant, discuss the future of office and industrial real estate in this half hour long video.

Miami Attorney Ronnie Fieldstone Discusses the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program

Ronnie Fieldstone, Partner with the Miami law firm Arnstein & Lehr, joins The Commercial Real Estate Show to discuss the EB-5 program and its effect on the real estate industry. The EB-5 Visa program allows investors in approved commercial real estate developments to apply for permanent residency in the U.S. Highlights include: EB-5 has been around since 1992, but became popular during the recession of 2008 and 2009 as a method for attracting investors lured by the USA…

The 2017 Fla. Legislature Returns To CondoLand

Once again, after a one-year hiatus, the Florida Legislature has produced several condominium bills. Typically, the Legislature passes a single condominium bill into which other approved bills have been merged. This year, perhaps to make up for the failure to enact any condominium legislation, four bills were passed: CS/CS/CS/HB653 (HB653), CS/CS/HB1237 (HB1237), (CS/CS/CS SB398 (SB398), and CSSB1520 (SB1520) were passed by both houses of the Florida Legislature…

Mixed-Use 33 Alhambra Project In Coral Gables Approved

Despite some resistance from residents, the 33 Alhambra project in Coral Gables was officially approved at Tuesday’s commission meeting. The city commission voted 3-2 to give the project final approval. Mayor Raúl Valdés-Fauli, Vice Mayor Patricia Keon and Commissioner Frank Quesada voted yes, and Commissioners Vince Lago and Michael Mena voted against the project. The development, proposed by TWJ Alhambra, is made up of several plots on a stretch of land that intersects…

Church of Scientology “disconnects” with its Coral Gables location for $6 million

After about three years on the market, the Church of Scientology has cut ties with its 120 Giralda Avenue Coral Gables location of more than 40 years and sold the building for $5.8 million, or nearly $360 per square foot. The buyer is 120 Giralda LLC, according to a press release. The entity is controlled by Marc and Barry Schwarzberg of Boca Raton. Patrick Kelly of RESF, who represented the buyers, said they mostly invest in multifamily properties in Broward County and in…

Miami commission votes to sever its ties with Island Gardens developer Mehmet Bayraktar

In a blockbuster decision, the Miami City Commission wants to kill the deal with Flagstone Property Group to build a $1 billion mixed-use project on Watson Island.
During a special meeting on Tuesday, commissioners voted 5-0 to declare the developer in default of a ground lease allowing Flagstone to build two hotels and a luxury mall with roughly 221,000-square-foot retail and restaurant space that would complement a megayacht marina completed in 2015. The long-delayed…

Miami commissioner gives David Beckham’s stadium deal the green light

Few hurdles remain Miami-Dade County commissioner Audrey Edmonson has given David Beckham’s Overtown stadium deal (aerial view of site) the green light by sponsoring the legislation that’d allow the county to sell Beckham the final three-acres needed to build his 25,000-seat MLS stadium (with no parking), according to the Miami Herald. The $9 million deal goes before the commission on June 6 but the blessing of Edmonson, who represents Overtown, was seen as one of the last…

Ronny Finvarb snags $27.6 million construction loan for new South Beach Kimpton hotel

Ronny Finvarb has nabbed a $27.56 million construction loan for his new Kimpton hotel on Alton Road in Miami Beach, The Real Deal has learned. Finvarb, principal of the Finvarb Group, told TRD that TotalBank is the lead lender, with participating lenders Floridian Community Bank and Apollo Bank. The financing has not yet cleared records. Site work has already begun on the future hotel at 1750 Alton Road (birdseye), which will be called the Kimpton Hotel Palomar South Beach…

Details of proposed Chinatown development in North Miami revealed

Plans for North Miami’s proposed Chinatown are moving forward, and property values are expected to rise in the area, city officials said last week. The latest version of the proposed Chinatown will feature two gateways to the district, on the north and south, that will have a Chinese design, though the elements are still considered conceptual, said Ben Benmoshe, urban designer with Keith and Schnars, an engineering consulting firm that is working on the master plan for the project designer.

Prologis Building Major Retail As Industrial Park Complement

One of the world’s largest warehouse developers is building mixed-use to complement an industrial property outside of Miami. Prologis has plans to add nearly 500K SF of retail, restaurants and entertainment space at its Beacon Lakes Industrial Park, including a Topgolf, an indoor golfing entertainment venue, according to the Wall Street Journal. This is what Prologis views as the next step in the evolution of massive industrial parks. “There is no doubt that the market for labor in our…”

Miami Today Opines: Rail cuts put SMART transit plan into the DUMB column

As Miami-Dade strives to add six transit legs in a so-called SMART plan, it’s a DUMB move to cut service on its newest rail line, the one that carries airport passengers. The county last week cut weekend Orange Line runs in half less than five years after it opened the half-billion-dollar, 2.4-mile link to Miami International Airport – our only significant gain from a 15-year-old transit sales tax. At the same time, the system reduced late-night and early-morning hours of Metrorail and…

Here’s What the House Has In Mind For Revamping The National Flood Insurance Program

A much-anticipated House subcommittee proposal on flood insurance promises to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for five years beyond its September 30 expiration date. The proposal would introduce reforms to put the NFIP on stronger financial footing; provide aid for those unable to afford coverage; improve flood mapping, mitigation efforts and claims handling; and encourage greater private insurer participation in the market. Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.)…

Industrial Park’s Owner Bringing In Restaurants, Retail As Amenities For Workers

Office developers have in the past turned to restaurants, entertainment venues, fitness centers and shops as standard enticements for companies hoping to lure workers. Now one of the world’s largest industrial property owners is bringing in a developer to add these amenities to its giant industrial park just outside Miami to cater to its tenants and freshen up the utilitarian concept of the big-box warehouse complex. Prologis Inc. has plans to add about 495,000 square feet of retail to its…

Federal Reserve: Banks tightening commercial real estate loan standards

Loan officers at U.S. banks reported tightening their lending standards for commercial real estate loans over the last year, the Federal Reserve said on Monday in a report that could heighten concerns about the outlook for commercial real estate. Officials at the U.S. central bank, including Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren, have warned that a run-up in commercial real estate prices could amplify any future economic downturn. On Monday, the Fed said in a quarterly report that standards…

Overtown Skeptical of David Beckham’s New Soccer Stadium Plan

David Beckham’s crew said just about everything right last night. They’d pay for their new stadium entirely with their own money. Minority and locally owned contractors would have first dibs on the construction, and then the team would create at least 50 full-time jobs. They’d offset a lack of parking with new public transit options. It all sounded great. But in a jam-packed YWCA room without any air conditioning, the skepticism from many Overtown and Spring Garden residents…

Property Owners Gaining New Tools To Fight ADA Lawsuits

Help may be on the way for property owners sued for alleged violations of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). As covered in a prior post, over the last couple of years, Florida has seen a big increase in lawsuits alleging ADA violations.  These cases are often filed by “serial” filers – plaintiffs that have each filed dozens or even hundreds of these kinds of lawsuits.  The growing number of these lawsuits in Florida has been covered extensively by the national…

Doral is the fastest-growing large city in Florida

Doral (demographics)was the fastest-growing large city in Florida during the current decade and eleventh-fastest in the nation in the period, according to new US Census data analyzed by the FIU Metropolitan Center. Miami was the state’s eighth-fastest growing city in the same six-year span, with a population growth of 13.1% – almost 53,000 people, the study found. Miami-Dade County’s (demographics) total population grew 8.2% during the period, yet during the single year from 2015…

Warren Buffett just confirmed the death of retail as we know it

Warren Buffett says that in 10 years, the retail industry will look nothing like it does now. “The department store is online now,” the billionaire investor said Saturday at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, as Business Insider’s Bob Bryan reported. “I have no illusion that 10 years from now will look the same as today, and there will be a few things along the way that surprise us,” he said. “The world has evolved, and it’s going to keep evolving, but the speed is increasing.”

Miami-Dade county’s hotel industry rebounds across the board

Miami-Dade’s hotel industry rebounded across the board in April from April 2016, showing gains in every category in what has been a mostly down year, the STR Trend Report shows. Notably, the biggest gain was in total revenue, just a tick under $280 million for the month and nearly $21 million more than April 2016. That 7.9% revenue gain was tempered by the fact that the county in April had 427 operating hotels and 55,354 rooms, up from 408 hotels and 52,922 rooms in April 2016.

Mall REITs lead broad-based selloff of real estate-related stocks

Real estate-related stocks were the biggest decliners on the S&P 500 on Monday, led by mall REITS, on continued concerns about weak traffic and the onslaught on bricks-and-mortar stores from juggernaut Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, -0.22% The sector has struggled this year as a record number of retailers have filed for bankruptcy protection, while others have announced store closures. Retailers like Macy’s Inc. M, +2.26% which reports first-quarter earnings this week, and Sears Holdings Corp.

Sherwood’s Bistro & Bar Begins the Transformation of Little Haiti’s North End

Sherwood’s Bistro & Bar, a new place on Northeast Second Avenue and 83rd Street at 8281 NE 2nd Avenue, gets its name from Sherwood Forest. That is not only Robin Hood’s merry hangout, but also a subdivision of the Village of El Portal. And like the nearby community that bears its name, Sherwood’s is charming, slightly idiosyncratic, and steeped in the area where it’s located. The partnership that started the place includes Barclay Graebner, a Miami Shores resident who opened…

Trump’s Miami golf resort loses effort to lower taxes

The Trump National Doral Miami (aerial) a golf resort owned by the President Donald J. Trump’s company, has failed in its effort to lower its Miami-Dade County property taxes. But the resort could decide to fight another round to make its taxes lower again. Trump has been successful at lowering his property taxes in the past. In both 2014 and 2015, Trump Endeavor 12 LLC, the entity that owns the 666-acre resort, filed Value Adjustment Board (VAB) challenges for its property taxes.

Miami-Dade’s taxable property values rise 8.2% to $272B

Driven by new construction, the estimated combined value of properties in Miami-Dade County exceeds $272 billion so far this year, up 8.2 percent from 2016, according to the county’s Property Appraiser Pedro J. Garcia. Garcia’s office just released the June 1st estimates of taxable values, which include more than $8 billion of new construction throughout the county – a combined assessed value of more than $1 billion. Brickell City Centre…

MiamiCentral and Brightline get aerial easement boost

Not only is MiamiCentral and its Brightline passenger rail service designed to help unclog congested roadways, but the elevated train station also serves to keep street traffic downtown on the move. In order for All Aboard Florida to build its elevated transportation hub, and make direct connections to Miami-Dade County’s Metrorail and Metromover trains at Government Center Station, air rights needed to be secured. One of the last air space right-of-ways – or aerial easements – was approved…

Florida Sales Tax on Commercial Rents Reduced

The State of Florida has imposed a sales tax on commercial rents since 1969.  Currently, the tax is imposed at the rate of 6 percent in every county except Miami-Dade which fixes the rate at 7 percent by reason of an add-on at the county option.  Florida is the only state in the United States to impose a sales tax on rents.  There has been a movement to repeal this tax for several years, but it should be noted that Florida’s general revenue stream is very heavily reliant on sales tax…

Miami-Dade real estate resales top $1 billion for month

Sales volume for Miami-Dade real estate resales – which do not include new condos – topped $1 billion in April, the Miami Association of Realtors reported last week. The total of $1.01 billion was on 2,303 total residential sales, the association reported, down 4.8% from sales volume in April 2016. That would produce a mean sales figure of $438,000-plus for all resales. The association said that said that in sales, median single-family home prices in the county were $320,000 and median…

Changes To Trade Agreements Could Shake Industrial Real Estate Markets

Since taking office, President Trump has pushed on a lot of fronts to renegotiate trade deals. One of his first actions in January was signing an executive action to pull the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). In late March signed two more executive orders involving trade. The first focused on tougher enforcement of existing…

What do I need to put in my purchase and sale agreement?

If you are buying or selling a business in Miami, you will need to draft a contract to ensure that your sale is protected. The most important thing to remember when drafting a purchase and sale agreement is to include enough detail to protect you from business disputes that may arise in the future. Both parties signing the contract must be aware of exactly what they are agreeing to. All parties involved must be correctly listed on the contract, with their full names, business affiliations and…

Should Miami-Dade’s Urban Boundary Move Closer To The Everglades? Time For Another Fight

A new task force will study one of the most contentious issues facing Miami-Dade: the imaginary line separating the county’s housing developments and shopping centers from the Everglades. Mayor Carlos Gimenez recently formed a panel to study pockets of land just outside the official Urban Development Boundary, the line that forms the western and southern frontiers between permissive building rules and low-growth restrictions. On the one side of the UDB: suburban housing…

Micro apartments may be coming to North Miami

North Miami may soon be joining other municipalities in South Florida that allow developers to build micro apartments. If approved by the city council in June, micro apartments could alter the character of the city, experts say. North Miami could go from a suburban, bedroom community to one that is more urban and able to attract younger residents. Land use attorney John Dellagloria told TRD that micro units are needed… working on a plan… at 950 Northeast 124th Street that will have…

Judge rules in favor of development at Jockey Club

A judge ruled that the owner of 14 acres at the 22-acre Jockey Club condo complex in North Miami can proceed with plans to build residences and hotel rooms there.
Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge John W. Thornton ruled Friday in favor of Apeiron Miami, LLC, and against the condo owner associations of two existing Jockey Club condominium buildings, which had opposed Apeiron’s development plan at the condo complex at 11111 Biscayne Boulevard. Apeiron, led by Horst Schulze…

Doral Ranks Number One Among Fastest Growing Cities In The State

Recently released population estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that many South Florida cities are among the fastest growing in the state, according to analysis by Florida International University’s Metropolitan Center. In fact, Doral ranked highly nationwide. With a 26.1 percent population increase from 2010 to 2016, Doral was the 11th-fastest growing large city in the nation. That was a gain of nearly 12,000 people for a city of 56,000. Nationwide, Georgetown, Texas…

Three sets of bidders compete for Rickenbacker Marina redevelopment

Three teams have submitted bids for the city of Miami’s latest attempt to redevelop Rickenbacker Marina on Virginia Key, The Real Deal has confirmed. This time around, RCI Group, the company that won a competitive bid last year that was nixed by city commissioners, is teaming up with the formerly second place finisher, Suntex. And, Aabad Melwani, the current operator of the Rickenbacker Marina is joining forces with Key International to also compete for the hotly contested…

AT&T Sells Site Near Shops At Merrick Park For $11 Million, Developer Plans Residential Tower

Mast Capital has acquired a Miami property near the Shops at Merrick Park from AT&T Florida for $10.9 million and plans to develop a residential tower. Camilo Miguel Jr., CEO of Mast Capital, said the 1.02-acre site at 3811 Shipping Avenue (birdseye aerial) is zoned for up to 20 stories and 153 residential units. He plans to build within the current zoning and include 15,000 square feet of retail. The property currently has a small telecommunications office and a parking lot…

Biscayne Beach’s neighbors sue over debris-related damage during construction

Around the same time Biscayne Beach in Edgewater received its temporary certificate of occupancy earlier this month, owners in a neighboring building took its developers to court. In a May 11 lawsuit filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, the condominium association for Bayside Terrace at 505 Northeast 30th Street accuses Biscayne Miami Partners, along with Plaza Construction Group Florida and Baker Concrete Construction, of damaging the building’s exterior, landscaping around…

A Look at Miami Office Investments

Experts and historical data aside, no one really has a crystal ball for timing the real estate market. And, arguably, in the President Trump era, with the verbal war on trade pacts that fill local buildings with multinational tenants, rising interest rates and tax reform approaches that could nix deductions and write-offs for commercial real estate owners, the timing game is more challenging this year. Despite the overhanging uncertainty, office investment conditions largely…

Miami Beach mayor proposes alcohol, noise policy changes for Ocean Drive

In an effort to curtail violence in wake of Memorial Day weekend violence “What we need to do as a city is to reform and clean up Ocean Drive,” announced Miami Beach Mayor Phillip Levine during an emergency press conference held Tuesday morning in wake of more Memorial Day weekend violence in South Beach. This past weekend’s brutality in South Beach included two shootings that left two dead (one was a police officer) over a parking dispute and a stabbing. Among the mayor’s…

Video: Green Street Believes Transportation Revolution Will Significantly Impact Commercial Property

In this commercial real estate related video, Dave Bragg of Green Street Advisors discusses the transportation revolution and its expected impacts on real estate. He provides  a touch of added color through some real world examples and a few highlights of other disruptors that are key areas of focus for Green Street: Biggest disruptor of real estate revolution is transportation, the combination of ride hailing and driverless cars; Less car ownership; Less parking; Easier, faster…

How More Collaborative Workspaces Could Affect Demand for Commercial Property

Workspace evolution contributes to the CRE revolution. The world of work – or at least the world of the workspace – is undergoing a major evolution as a result of a changing workforce, technology, and the twists and turns of the modern economy. As a result, the commercial real estate market is also seeing a shift in demand due to how that space is utilized. CRE and the mobile generation. Advances in technology have allowed workers, particularly those in Generation Y and Z…

Video: Shahab Karmely discusses Miami River, One River Point

In this video: Despite the condominium market slowdown, Miami developer Shahab Karmely is confident that his project and the Miami River are poised for big growth.In an interview following a panel, Karmely and TRD South Florida’s Managing Editor Ina Cordle discussed his One River Point and the river in general at TRD‘s Third Annual Broward Real Estate Showcase & Forum in April. Presales at One River Point are soon to pass the 18, 20 percent market. Buyers there are…

These Industrial Properties Don’t Last Long In Miami

As Miami’s industrial market continues its hot streak, an affiliate of Easton Group is snapping up one of the few opportunities to acquire a brand new warehouse and distribution facility. The firm paid $21.846 million in cash for an 182,000-square-foot industrial asset in west Miami-Dade County. Ridge Development sold the industrial facility EWE Airport North Logistics Center LLC (9001 NW 87th Ave, Medley, FL 33166) . The warehouse-distribution center is a recently-built class A…

Bal Harbour Shops founder Stanley Whitman dies at 98

Bal Harbour Shops’ founder Stanley Whitman, largely viewed as a visionary for creating a high-end retail center that has endured more than 50 years, passed away on Wednesday. Exactly a week earlier, his longtime plans to expand the center gained final village approval. He was 98 and died of natural causes at his Miami Shores home, according to Whitman Family Development. He remained active until recently, and often enjoyed having lunch at Bal Harbour Shops (info, aerial)…

Fed may raise interest rates again in June

The Federal Reserve may raise interest rates as soon as next month, the minutes from a recent policy meeting show. In the minutes, released Wednesday, officials at the U.S. central bank said it would “soon be appropriate” to raise short-term interest rates again, the Wall Street Journal reported. That means the Fed may lift its benchmark rate at the scheduled gathering in June, according to the newspaper. Officials also moved toward a…

Coconut Grove: Building the new Starbucks; changes at CocoWalk

This new rendering of the new CocoWalk was released today. This is the future. While this is being constructed, there will be changes in the interim. Starbucks is moving across the street. They started renovating the 3400 Main Highway building for Starbucks today. This empty space is 3400 Main Highway, the center of Coconut Grove. It will soon be Starbucks! This is the location where Coldwell Banker was and before that, for maybe 50 years, the Coconut Grove Bank.

The Plaza Coral Gables – formerly Mediterranean Village – is shorter but trimmer

Shorter but trimmer, the former Mediterranean Village is now The Plaza Coral Gables, and Ramon Trias, city planning director, says it’s better for the changes.
The mixed-use project is to rise at 2801, 2901 and 3001 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, just south of downtown Coral Gables (aerial view). The maximum habitable height was to be 218 feet; that has been shortened to 190 feet. Retail has been reduced from two levels to one, and the hotel component is moving to the rear of the complex…

Hines to Develop Office, Mixed-Use Tower at Miami Worldcenter

International real estate firm Hines plans to develop a new office-led, mixed-use tower at 110 10th St. in the heart of downtown Miami, FL. Hines expects to commence construction in the second quarter of 2018, with an anticipated initial occupancy date in the late 2020 or early 2021. Set to rise within the 27-acre Miami Worldcenter, which ranks along with Manhattan’s Hudson Yards as one of the largest private real estate developments underway…

Video: Jim Sullivan of Greenstreet Advisors Discusses Retail

Jim Sullivan of Greenstreet Advisors opines on the headwinds in the retail sector, notably the onslaught of e-commerce market share gains and recent department store closings.  He sheds light on the tailwinds that tend to be overlooked. He says that half of the time they are spending today is with retail property customers, indicating that this is an area undergoing rapid change. On the positive side, he notes that construction is very low compared with history, and that occupancy rates…

Downtown offers wish list for Miami general obligation bonds

Directors of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority say they are generally in favor of the City of Miami’s plan to seek a $275 million general obligation bond issue. But several added that there also must be changes in the city’s Capital Improvements Program (CIP) before any potential bond-funded projects get started. The authority produced a wish list at its meeting Friday. Among priorities are Baywalk and Riverwalk, waterfront open spaces for pedestrian and cyclists ($25 million)…

Florida Is the Only State to Tax Commercial Leases

Politicians, business owners, realtors, and lobbyists are all baffled. While this notoriety can be blamed on ease of access to police blotters thanks to the state’s open records law, there’s another item that is uniquely Florida: We are the only state that imposes a sales tax on commercial leases. The monetary benefit of the Business Rent Tax: Written into the state’s tax code in the late ‘60s, the Business Rent Tax (BRT) means businesses must pay a 6% state sales tax on their rent and…

Internet cafes making Florida comeback

Four years after they were shut down by the government and a scandal led to the arrest of dozens of people and the resignation of a lieutenant governor, Internet cafes are cropping up again across Florida — including one in Volusia County. The Hot Spot has been open since February at 1230 Hand Ave. and business is so good there is already talk of expansion. Each day for more than 14 hours, nearly every parking spot in front of the business is filled and most of the 80-plus seats inside are…

Affiliate Of The Easton Group Buys Newly Constructed Warehouse For $21.8 Million

An affiliate of The Easton Group, an established commercial real estate firm based in Doral, has acquired a new, 182, 000-square-foot warehouse/distribution facility in west Miami-Dade County. EWE Airport North Logistics Center, LLC paid $21.846 million in cash to the seller, Ridge Development, the industrial property arm of Transwestern Development Co., which recently built the Class A facility. The Easton Group, which is handling leasing and management, is currently talking with…

Arbor Coconut Grove unveils new renderings

Showing off the bright and open interiors Arbor Coconut Grove, a 52-unit boutique condo that launched sales in March, has unveiled a batch of renderings showcasing its open and contemporary interiors. These new visuals include a shot of the northeast corner of the building; a chef-style kitchen that’s equipped with Bosch appliances and cerused oak cabinetry; and a glimpse inside a master bathroom. There are natural wood finishes and wide-plank porcelain wood-grain flooring…

Trader Joe’s breaks ground in Miami Beach

The popular grocery store is expected to open in late 2018 Miami Beach’s grocery store game is inching closer to a shake-up with the Trader Joe’s-anchored West 17 breaking ground off 17th Street and West Avenue. The Real Deal reports construction has commenced on the the mixed-use project, which entails 28,000 square feet of retail space, loft apartments, townhomes, and around 200 parking spaces. The five-story property is being developed by Turnberry Associates and Elion Partners…

Port Everglades Receives Approval To Begin $437M Expansion Project

Port Everglades this week received unanimous approval from the Broward County Board of County Commissioners to begin the most expensive capital improvement in the port’s history. The $437.5 million Southport Turning Notch Expansion (STNE) project will add new berths for larger cargo ships and install rail infrastructure for new Super Post-Panamax cranes. It will lengthen…

Air rights play role in bringing passenger rail service to Miami

Land swaps, road realignment, right-of-way access and even air rights have come to play a role in bringing passenger rail service – and more – back to downtown Miami. Another major piece to the MiamiCentral transportation hub, now under construction paralleling Northwest First Avenue, is a proposed airspace easement from the City of Miami. City commissioners have the item under consideration for a vote today (5/25). The resolution would authorize the city manager to execute…