New Jack City
August 14th, 2004, 11:27 PM
The Business Journal
Tower to test height limits
By Susan Stabley
South Florida Business Journal
Updated: 8:00 p.m. ET Aug. 15, 2004
The latest addition to the luxury tower lineup in downtown Miami promises to become the tallest of its kind at 700 feet.
"We are not trying to be taller than anybody. We just want to give Miami a great design," said developer Pedro Martin of his 900 Biscayne Bay.
But the development may be too tall, as far as Miami International Airport is concerned, if it rises too high into the flight paths of planes.
The mixed-use luxury condominium was designed by Miami architect Luis Revuelta.
The 781-foot-high Four Seasons Hotel and Tower on Brickell Avenue, completed last year, holds the record as the tallest structure south of Atlanta and the tallest residential tower south of New York City. In downtown Miami, the Wachovia Financial Center, built in 1984, comes in second at 764 feet.
The development on the 1.72-acre property at 900 Biscayne Blvd. is slated to rise across from Bicentennial Park, marked for transformation into Museum Park Miami, the future home for grander facilities for the city's art, science and historical institutions.
But according to a June 17 letter from the county's aviation department, the property is located in the path where planes approach Miami International Airport. The project exceeds the maximum allowable height of 650 feet established by a county ordinance.
City ordinances must be consistent with airport regulations, said Alberto J. Torres, assistant director for zoning for the Miami-Dade County Department of Planning and Zoning. Miami has jurisdiction over the property because it falls within city limits.
Last month, Miami city commissioners approved a major use special permit, known as a MUSP.
"Typically, a developer submits an application for determination of 'no hazard' after the MUSP is approved," said Greenberg Traurig attorney Gloria Velazquez, who represented the MUSP application for 900 Biscayne Bay.
Under the FAA's watch
The Federal Aviation Administration eyes all structures taller than 200 feet.
"An airspace study will be required with two possible determinations - hazard or no hazard," spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said. "Our role is to insure aviation safety."
The 900 Biscayne Bay project is not listed in FAA databases yet, she said.
FAA regulations have blocked projects before in South Florida.
In 2000, Mapei, an Italian company, canceled a planned 420-foot tower at McNab Road and I-95 in Pompano Beach that was within three miles of Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport.
Dezer Development's Trump Palace and Trump Royale oceanfront luxury condos in Sunny Isles Beach were capped at 549 feet.
The proposed 65-story 900 Biscayne Bay would offer 10-foot ceilings, instead of the typical nine, Martin said. Many details are still being worked out, but he expects each floor to offer eight to 10 units.
The structure would use 83,579 square feet of commercial, office and retail space as a pedestal, boosting views for its 516 units.
The $364 million project would also offer 1,114 parking spaces and generate about $1.97 million in tax revenue annually, city documents show.
The president of Terra Adi International Developers and a Greenberg Traurig real estate attorney, Martin also developed Quantum on the Bay in downtown Miami and Metropolis at Dadeland.
"We already sold out most of the building," he said, adding that he has 10 percent deposits on 350 out of 516 units. He expects to convert reservations into contracts in September.
Tower to test height limits
By Susan Stabley
South Florida Business Journal
Updated: 8:00 p.m. ET Aug. 15, 2004
The latest addition to the luxury tower lineup in downtown Miami promises to become the tallest of its kind at 700 feet.
"We are not trying to be taller than anybody. We just want to give Miami a great design," said developer Pedro Martin of his 900 Biscayne Bay.
But the development may be too tall, as far as Miami International Airport is concerned, if it rises too high into the flight paths of planes.
The mixed-use luxury condominium was designed by Miami architect Luis Revuelta.
The 781-foot-high Four Seasons Hotel and Tower on Brickell Avenue, completed last year, holds the record as the tallest structure south of Atlanta and the tallest residential tower south of New York City. In downtown Miami, the Wachovia Financial Center, built in 1984, comes in second at 764 feet.
The development on the 1.72-acre property at 900 Biscayne Blvd. is slated to rise across from Bicentennial Park, marked for transformation into Museum Park Miami, the future home for grander facilities for the city's art, science and historical institutions.
But according to a June 17 letter from the county's aviation department, the property is located in the path where planes approach Miami International Airport. The project exceeds the maximum allowable height of 650 feet established by a county ordinance.
City ordinances must be consistent with airport regulations, said Alberto J. Torres, assistant director for zoning for the Miami-Dade County Department of Planning and Zoning. Miami has jurisdiction over the property because it falls within city limits.
Last month, Miami city commissioners approved a major use special permit, known as a MUSP.
"Typically, a developer submits an application for determination of 'no hazard' after the MUSP is approved," said Greenberg Traurig attorney Gloria Velazquez, who represented the MUSP application for 900 Biscayne Bay.
Under the FAA's watch
The Federal Aviation Administration eyes all structures taller than 200 feet.
"An airspace study will be required with two possible determinations - hazard or no hazard," spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said. "Our role is to insure aviation safety."
The 900 Biscayne Bay project is not listed in FAA databases yet, she said.
FAA regulations have blocked projects before in South Florida.
In 2000, Mapei, an Italian company, canceled a planned 420-foot tower at McNab Road and I-95 in Pompano Beach that was within three miles of Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport.
Dezer Development's Trump Palace and Trump Royale oceanfront luxury condos in Sunny Isles Beach were capped at 549 feet.
The proposed 65-story 900 Biscayne Bay would offer 10-foot ceilings, instead of the typical nine, Martin said. Many details are still being worked out, but he expects each floor to offer eight to 10 units.
The structure would use 83,579 square feet of commercial, office and retail space as a pedestal, boosting views for its 516 units.
The $364 million project would also offer 1,114 parking spaces and generate about $1.97 million in tax revenue annually, city documents show.
The president of Terra Adi International Developers and a Greenberg Traurig real estate attorney, Martin also developed Quantum on the Bay in downtown Miami and Metropolis at Dadeland.
"We already sold out most of the building," he said, adding that he has 10 percent deposits on 350 out of 516 units. He expects to convert reservations into contracts in September.