CORAL GABLES & CORAL WAYS CONDOS? [Archive]

dave8721

February 4th, 2005, 11:30 PM

Speaking of the Gables:

2525 Ponce de Leon named ‘Office Project of the Year’

By Lee Stephens

Hines, the international real estate firm, has announced that 2525 Ponce de Leon in Coral Gables has been chosen by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) South Florida Chapter as the recipient of the 2005 Multi-Tenant Office Project of the Year Award of Excellence.
An awards ceremony took place the evening of Jan. 13 in Hollywood and was attended by 400 industry associates.

2525 Ponce de Leon is recent addition to Coral Gables skyline.

Hines project director Tom Roth accepted the award on behalf of the building and the firm.
“Hines is honored to receive the 2005 Office Project of the Year Award for a project which we feel significantly contributes to the quality of the Coral Gables office market and the aesthetics of the community,” Roth said. “The excellence of the building and its location were confirmed by the decisions of many large tenants to relocate from other Miami submarkets to Coral Gables, and we are pleased to now be over 50 percent leased.”

NAIOP judge Tom Byrne praised the building.
“While there were a substantial number of competitive projects throughout South Florida, 2525 Ponce garnered the award for its conservative Mediterranean design and its innovative adaptation to the existing site,” Byrne said. “The project simply stood out among the competition.”

Designed by Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates, the 12-story, 250,000-square-foot building located one block south of Miracle Mile opened its doors in September 2004 and is now occupied by the law firm of Adorno & Yoss; law firm of Kozyak, Tropin & Throckmorton; Raymond James, a financial services firm; Schumann/Steier, an international petroleum marketing firm, and a drive-through Wachovia Bank. PeopleSoft; IVC Television Inc.; Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar; La Cofradia, an upscale Mediterranean restaurant, and Sacha’s Courtyard Café also have signed long-term lease agreements and are expected to open their doors in 2525 Ponce de Leon in the first quarter of 2005.

The National Association of Industrial and Office Properties is the nation’s leading trade association for developers, owners, investors and asset managers in industrial, office and related commercial real estate. Founded in 1967, NAIOP is comprised of more than 11,000 members in 49 North American chapters and provides networking opportunities, educational programs, research on trends and innovations, and strong legislative representation.

For more information, visit online at <www.naiop.org>.
Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in developing, acquiring, leasing and managing real estate, as well as providing extensive international investment management and advisory services.

The Hines portfolio of projects completed, underway, acquired and managed for third parties includes more than 700 properties representing more than 244 million square feet of office, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical, sports facilities and residential properties, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments.

http://www.communitynewspapers.com/2005/spapers/local1.htm

renner01

February 5th, 2005, 01:35 AM

Puerta de Palmas breaks ground in North Ponce area of Gables

By Lynn Cannon

The City of Coral Gables officially welcomed the highly anticipated residential condominium, Puerta de Palmas, during a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, Dec. 10, with Mayor Don Slesnick attending.
Developers Paul E. Rosen and Scott Auker, together with their investors and the mayor, turned the ground on the largest new residential development in the North Ponce area of “The City Beautiful.”

Puerta de Palmas developers Paul Rosen (left) and Scott Auker flank Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick at the Dec. 10 groundbreaking.

The 16-story residential tower from Rosen-Auker Developments, located on the corner of Douglas Road and Calabria Avenue, will soon take its place as one of the tallest buildings in the Coral Gables skyline.

Overlooking the landmark Puerta del Sol archway at the original entrance to the city, and beside the prestigious Douglas Entrance office complex, Puerta de Palmas will feature 198 one-, two- and three-bedroom condominiums and townhomes ranging from 776 to 1,470 square feet.

Designed by the well-known architecture firm Fullerton Diaz, the project offers a beautiful urban setting, outstanding amenities, and a wide variety of floor plans and customizable features. Most residences offer panoramic views and currently are priced from the low $400,000s. More than 60 percent of the units are now sold, with a projected $80 million sell-out.

MK Contractors LLC already has begun construction on the residential tower, with projected occupancy slated for fall 2006. Financing for Puerta de Palmas was secured with a $53.35 million construction loan from Union Planters Bank. An additional $10.86 million in joint venture equity was provided by New Boston Fund Inc. brokered by LJ Melody.

The Puerta de Palmas sales center is located at 300 Aragon Ave., on the southwest corner of Aragon and Salzedo, and features a virtual building tour, detailed scale model, complete model kitchen and master bath. Avatar Real Estate Services LLC is the exclusive listing broker.

Additional information on Puerta de Palmas is available by calling 305-443-8700, or visiting online at <www.puertadepalmas.com>.
http://www.communitynewspapers.com/2005/spapers/business4.htm

ChuckScraperMiami#1

February 6th, 2005, 09:21 AM

RENNER :) !!!, Great News About Puerta de Palmas, " Meaning DOOR of Palms ", :) THIS CONDO RULES the North PART of CORAL GABLES :) at Douglas Entrance, WOW its 16 floor Condo Tower at 150 Feet is VERY NICE and the ART of the Gables and for GEORGE MERRICK :) , the Founder He's PROUD in his Grave looking down on his City " THE BEAUTIFUL ". :cheers:

renner01

February 6th, 2005, 12:17 PM

Posted on Sun, Feb. 06, 2005

CORAL GABLES

Future office complex booked

A block of empty shops along Red Road across from the Shops of Sunset Place is slated to become an office building with a Whole Foods Market and sidewalk cafe on the ground floor.

BY ELAINE DE VALLE

edevalle@herald.com

Developers broke ground Thursday on the $48 million, 165,000-square-foot Plaza San Remo -- a mixed-use project that will house Florida's largest Whole Foods Market plus office space in the Coral Gables business zone off U.S. 1 adjacent to South Miami.

Demolition on the existing buildings at the location -- known as the Medical Arts Village -- is expected to begin as early as next week, said Julio Diaz, the project's architect.

But all of the office condo space -- more than 105,000 square-feet -- has already been sold at Plaza San Remo, said Ford Gibson, president of Plaza San Remo Condominium Association and the project's developer.

About 60 percent of the space will be for medical offices, Gibson told The Herald. The project was created to serve the needs of the medical market, he added.

Two of the dentists who worked in offices there now will return to the new Plaza development, Gibson said. But there's also a law firm, an accounting firm and a title insurance firm, he added.

Sergio Alteaga, owner of Union Mortgage Investment Group, currently on Sunset Drive and 102nd Avenue, is excited about the prospect of moving in. The plaza is expected to open in 2006. ''The main thing that brought us was the prestige of the address,'' Alteaga said. ``It's Coral Gables but at the same time it's near South Miami, Pinecrest, the Grove, Kendall.''

Some banks have expressed an interest in leasing the remaining 15,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor at 1554 Venera Ave., Gibson said.

``We have not actively marketed the retail space but have been approached.''

What many nearby residents anticipate most, however, is the building's retail anchor: Whole Foods Market, an upscale grocery store.

Juan Nuñez, Florida division president of Whole Foods -- which is in the midst of an expansion boom -- told The Herald on Friday that the Austin-based company has been looking for a Gables location for years.

``We're the world's largest organic and natural foods retailer and we look for sites where we believe there is an interest in our products and we believe the customers in Coral Gables are very predisposed to shopping our type of high-quality food products.''

The store's 50,000 square feet will allow Whole Foods to offer amenities not available at all stores, Nuñez said, citing a coffee roaster, a grill station for sushi and other features.

A wide sidewalk will allow the store to have outdoor seating around its three sides.

``It will be a very great area for people to sit and have a coffee, a juice or something to eat.''

Known for pricey prepared foods and a wide selection of organic products, the chain already has a store in Aventura and plans to open another in 2007 at a 1,500-unit condominium complex planned a block off the Miami River in downtown Miami.

Mike Riva, manager of the Gardener's Market a few blocks south on Red Road, may not be as excited as some about the store's arrival.

''I think it will hurt our business substantially, but just initially,'' Riva said.

''People will come back to us. It's going to a big supermarket and that's not what we are. We are a small neighborhood gourmet store that offers different items,'' he said.

It may even bring new patrons his way, if the store has the same impact Wild Oats on U.S. 1 had on the Gardener's in Pinecrest.

``It took some of our customers initially, but less than six months later our business was back to where it was and now it's growing again.''

The grocery is about two blocks from where a proposed mega-Publix was squashed by area residents. The difference, developers said, was in how the developers allowed residents and neighbors to help shape the project.

There could have been a bigger project of up to nearly 300,000 square feet under current zoning and land use guidelines, Gibson said.

Diaz, the architect, said neighbors even came up with ideas that he was able to incorporate into the design. One of the suggestions was for the colonnade to wrap all the way around the building.
http://us.f502.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?Idx=0&Search=&YY=52883&order=down&sort=date&pos=0

VansTripp

February 7th, 2005, 05:44 AM

Cool. :) That is one way best than Uptown-Midtown's home.

ChuckScraperMiami#1

March 10th, 2005, 07:55 AM

blue broke ground? thats great... i luv this building, will soon b one of miami's greatest, like chuck said, a work of art... if all architects gave enough of a shit to make more buildinds like this, the world would b a much better place... but they dont, so well have to do wit this baby, heres a crappy rendering that doesnt do it justive at all, ill try and find some better ones

http://www.hometown.aol.com/futureafg/images/blue.jpg
YES YES NIMBY :) , This BLUE ON CORAL WAY is Going TO BE AWESOME State of the ART Condo Tower at Over 20 Floors :) , Its putting the Foundation IN with Huge Cranes and MIXERS, MORE CRANES !!! :cheers:

ChuckScraperMiami#1

March 10th, 2005, 08:21 AM

Everyone, 55 Merrick Condo Towers at www.55merrick.com , Has gotten a Good start NOW :) , This Two Building Project accross the street from SEARS at Douglas Road and Miracle Mile is going to Change Coral Gables Entrance from the East on Coral Way :) , Should Be Completed by EARLY , 2007. GO CRANES !!! :cheers:

renner01

March 10th, 2005, 11:47 AM

Posted on Thu, Mar. 10, 2005

CORAL GABLES

Gables planning to improve neglected N. Ponce corridor

An area of the North Gables that some feel has been neglected is now getting attention from the city and developers.

BY ELAINE DE VALLE

edevalle@herald.com

The redevelopment of the North Ponce de Leon corridor -- between Miracle Mile and Tamiami Trail -- has been on the minds of city leaders and planners for nearly a decade and identified as one of the city's top development goals in 2003.

On Tuesday, the Coral Gables Commission took two steps toward improving one of the city's oldest and, of late, most neglected business districts -- what many consider the north gate to the city.

First, commissioners approved a plan for a major office, retail and residential complex in the 1300 block of Ponce -- where the Washington Mutual home loan center is.

Then they awarded a $1.8-million bid for improvements to the road, sidewalks, median and landscaping between Alcazar and Almeria avenues.

''This is the first phase of the North Ponce de Leon project,'' said Public Works Director Alberto Delgado, adding that construction could begin in late April.

Phase two -- for the portion between Alcazar and Southwest Eighth Street -- is being designed now, Delgado said. ``If funding is available, that phase can start next year.''

The project was awarded to Southeastern Engineering Contractors, the lowest bidder, which did the portion of Ponce de Leon south of Bird Road, Delgado said.

Among the features: 14-foot wide landscaped medians (wider than on Miracle Mile) with turning lanes which could cut traffic flow by 26 percent, Delgado said.

That is important, said Commissioner William Kerdyk, in light of the ongoing development.

The project includes lighting, crosswalks and ''bump outs'' at seven intersections that will beautify the corners with landscaping and provide new trolley stops.

The bump outs will also result in the net loss of 28 street parking spaces, Delgado said.

Vice Mayor Ralph Cabrera said he was worried about the 28 parking spaces the city would lose once the stops were made for the trolleys to pick up and drop off their passengers.

''We already know that when the museum parking garage is open to the public we will still have a deficit of parking in the central business district of about 600 spaces,'' Cabrera said.

``Are we shooting ourselves in the foot by losing 28 spaces?''

He said the street lost five more spaces in front of the Museum garage.

''If we start adding these figures up, it's a huge problem,'' he later told The Herald.

But Delgado said the trolley had reduced the need for parking: ``If we were to do a study today, the demand for parking has dropped substantially because of the trolley.''

Commissioner Maria Anderson asked that business owners be provided with a construction schedule. Delgado said there would be a preconstruction meeting within weeks.

The project will be funded by impact fees from area developers, the half-penny surtax and contributions from developers, Delgado added.

In fact, developers of the mixed use project in the 1300 block -- who took into account a charrette on the North Ponce redevelopment -- contributed money to the project and agreed to fund a study of traffic impact and improvement needs for the area by July.

They also revised the plan to include additional screening and reduce the width of the rear entrances, which abuts a residential area.

The commission also asked to have area residents notified.

''We sent a letter about two days after. We also provided with 3D model graphics as an attachment to the letter,'' city planning director Eric Riel said.

No residents came forward at the meeting, which was also a public hearing.

The property owner and developers could have built a 16-story office building, Riel said.

That would have topped out at 190 feet on Ponce and 97 feet in the rear, where people live.

``In negotiations, working closely with the developer and planning and zoning board, they have reduced the height to 146 feet on Ponce and stepped the building down from 97 to 79 when you get to the rear of the property.''

Riel and attorney Zeke Guilford, representing developer Randy Hill, said the building will be 12 stories on the side that faces Ponce, then six and four stories to the west of the boulevard.

It is the second mixed-use project in the area, following The Minorca, a 120-unit, eight-story condo at Ponce de Leon and Minorca Avenue, four blocks north of Miracle Mile.

The developer of the 1300 block project, Riel added, will provide 60 more parking spaces than originally planned.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/miami-dade/cities_neighborhoods/coral_gables/11086598.htm

streetscapeer

March 10th, 2005, 09:01 PM

I'll take 12 stories in the Gables anyday:)..thanks for the article:)

ChuckScraperMiami#1

March 11th, 2005, 07:59 AM

Thanks RENNER :) , Great UPDATE, Wow, :cheers: Anything on that NEW Project South of BIRD ROAD in Coral Gables and Salzedo Street :) ??? Huge Condo Project Near the MERRICK PLACE SHOPS . :cheers:

nimbyhater

March 12th, 2005, 07:33 PM

ChuckScraperMiami#1

March 12th, 2005, 09:31 PM

the area around bird road/ douglas/ merrick park in the gables is gonna b absolutely great, and like so many amazing areas booming in miami, theres a very conveniently placed transit stop rite in the middle of it all... i luv it!
BOOM !, BOOM !, BOOM !, Got to get back to my GROOVE, lol, The Grove I mean. NIMBY :) < the Name of that PROJECT :) , what is it,, DOUGLAS PLACE :) , I think or Douglas FIRST, its there right off BIRD ROAD :) and Salzedo :) street :cheers:

ChuckScraperMiami#1

March 23rd, 2005, 05:04 AM

BOOM !, BOOM !, BOOM !, Got to get back to my GROOVE, lol, The Grove I mean. NIMBY :) < the Name of that PROJECT :) , what is it,, DOUGLAS PLACE :) , I think or Douglas FIRST, its there right off BIRD ROAD :) and Salzedo :) street :cheers:
NIMBY :) , its " ONE DOUGLAS PLACE ", a two tower Project just off Bird Road and salzedo st. two long city blocks towards the Merrick Park Shops and Resort area. Also 55 MERRICK has Full start at construction , Now , the BLUE ON CORAL WAY is Also Started with its Foundation going in FAST. :cheers:
MIAballinboi, :) Your Next Photo Area should be Coral Gables, its HOT, and the Condos are just getting better each month that gose by, there's another Project mention here in the " CITY BEAUTIFUL " :cheers:

dave8721

March 23rd, 2005, 05:46 PM

The City of Miami develoment spreadsheet also listed a condo called "Byblos(Bird Road Khalil Condo)" at 3841 Bird Rd which is in a little peice of the City of Miami on the NW side of Bird Road and US-1. It will be on Bird Rd in the industrial area by the new MD Water and Sewer building. It was listed as 12 stories.

ChuckScraperMiami#1

March 23rd, 2005, 06:10 PM

Dave :) , have you checked out the BIG DIG, lately, they just completed and opened a fourth Lane Southbound on I-93 Central Artery tunnel, my mother was born in East boston, and I've been there when they completed the new Cable-stay bridge over the charles river. www.bigdig.com the website has moved , but it will lead you to it, ITS Almost completed , ALL 14.6 BILLION of American Tax dollars, the Largest D.O.T. Project EVER !!! :cheers:

dave8721

March 23rd, 2005, 10:46 PM

Dale

March 23rd, 2005, 10:49 PM

And on another forum certain forumers were opining that they get things done up north.

dave8721

March 24th, 2005, 04:11 PM

BK may move to Coral Gables. Even if they don't it looks like the Gables is getting a couple more office buildings. While everyone sits around and wonders why no offices get built in downtown Miami, everyday it seems another office tower gets announced in downtown Coral Gables.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/11213470.htm

Burger King eyes Coral Gables

Burger King's new home could be in one of two new office towers developer Armando Codina plans for Coral Gables.

BY ELAINE WALKER

ewalker@herald.com

Developer Armando Codina plans to build two multistory office buildings in Coral Gables on the site of the current City National Bank of Florida building and adjacent parking lots.

The larger of the two buildings could become the new world headquarters for Burger King.

Codina said he currently has no deal with the fast-food chain, but ``this is one of the places they are considering.''

''I would eat hamburgers for a month to get them as a tenant,'' Codina said.

Burger King has been mulling leaving Miami and moving to Texas, but Chief Executive Greg Brenneman said earlier this month he hoped to stay if Codina found a suitable site and the company received the financial incentives it was seeking from the Governor's Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development. Miami-Dade County Commissioners have already awarded the company a $5.38 million incentive package.

Even without Burger King, Codina Development has already submitted plans for the office project at 2701 S. LeJeune Rd. to the city of Coral Gables for preliminary review.

The plans call for knocking down the existing bank building and rebuilding an office tower at least 210 feet tall with 269,000-square-feet of space, including retail and parking on the lower floors.

But first Codina plans to build a smaller 45-foot-tall office building across Sevilla Ave., which would become the new City National Bank location. Codina said he expects to begin construction on this 48,000-square-foot building this summer for completion in about a year.

Codina has a contract to buy the entire property, which is approximately two acres, from current owner City National.

HOT PROPERTY

''We've been after this site for three years,'' said Codina, who has been seeking other opportunities in Coral Gables since finishing another office building at 355 Alhambra.

Codina doesn't expect to begin construction on the larger building until sometime in 2006 and it would take about 16 months to complete. Those dates could be moved up if Burger King agreed to become a tenant, Codina said.

LEASE EXPIRING

The fast-food chain needs to relocate by September 2007, when its lease at the Waterford office complex in Blue Lagoon expires.

If Burger King decides to go elsewhere, Codina said he would build the building and then lease it to multiple users.

''I don't need Burger King as a tenant to do that building,'' Codina said.

Burger King has said the problem with staying in Miami, which has always been the company's home, is the economic viability due to the high cost of real estate. That makes it tough for a company aiming to cut costs, clean up its balance sheet and ultimately go public.

Burger King spokeswoman Edna Johnson declined to provide any updates on the search for a new headquarters.

Brenneman has said if the company stays in South Florida, Codina will be the one to build the new headquarters.

''There a lot of issues on their end about what to do,'' Codina said. ``If Burger King is going to stay, this would certainly be an attractive option.''

DESIRABLE TENANT

Coral Gables city officials are anxious to see Codina and Burger King finalize a deal on the City National site.

''I heard they were very close, but I haven't heard it's a done deal,'' Coral Gables City Manager David Brown said. ``I would certainly love to have Burger King here.''

But Coral Gables has been spurned before by Burger King. Before finalizing a last minute deal in 2000 for its Blue Lagoon office, Burger King scuttled plans to move to Coral Gables.

Local real estate brokers say even if Codina doesn't land Burger King as a tenant, he shouldn't have any problem filling the space.

''As a long-term play, it's still going to be a successful building,'' said Edgar Jones, senior director of Florida operations for the Rockefeller Group. ``There are very few sites in Coral Gables where you can build a substantial building.''

Rents are going to need to be in the neighborhood of $40 per square foot, said Pete Harrison, senior vice president of Transwestern Commercial Services.

''There's definitely demand for new office product in Coral Gables,'' Harrison said. ``People are going to have to realize that's what they're going to have to pay to be in quality office space.''

MIAballinboi

March 24th, 2005, 04:46 PM

thats good news

nimbyhater

March 24th, 2005, 08:37 PM

great news... downtown coral gables is great and getting greater...

ChuckScraperMiami#1

March 25th, 2005, 04:45 AM

Remember DAVE :) , NIMBY :) , MIAballinboi :) , its the People and Residents of Coral Gables that are Guardian Angels of the 150 FOOT Tower Limit in the City Of Coral Gables. There will be a big huge Public Hearing Fight at the Comission Meeting for that approval. This should be Interesting !!! :cheers:
Wow Chuck :) , this is great news, Coral gables is getting the Home of the Whopper, wow a 250,000 sq. office tower on lejeune road just south of the Publix, to be built in 3 years, This has got to be the tallest and most bulky tower Coral gables will ever get to fit all its 600 headquarter employees, Fantastic !!! :cheers:

ChuckScraperMiami#1

May 13th, 2005, 05:56 AM

Dale

May 13th, 2005, 06:05 AM

SUPERSIZE IT !!!

Er, sorry. Wrong fast food franchise. Seriously, big gain for Coral Gables. And I thought Alhambra Place was 200 ft. tall or so.

ChuckScraperMiami#1

May 13th, 2005, 06:43 AM

SUPERSIZE IT !!!

Er, sorry. Wrong fast food franchise. Seriously, big gain for Coral Gables. And I thought Alhambra Place was 200 ft. tall or so.
DALE :) , bro, I think your Right, you are right ! , and guess what, Armando Codina Built that Alhambra Place tower, I think, or was that another Tower that Codina built, oh, I'm confused, lol. its Supersized, alright !!! :cheers:

The Mad Hatter!!

May 14th, 2005, 01:23 AM

the rendering for bk's hq was in today's herald

dave8721

August 5th, 2005, 08:17 PM

One of the new towers going up in Coral Gables, 1300 Ponce, has a website and a renderring out.

Website: http://www.1300ponce.com

Typical Coral Gables design:
http://www.1300ponce.com/images/amenities.jpg

renner01

August 5th, 2005, 10:02 PM

MUST BE THIS ONE:

Posted on Thu, Mar. 10, 2005

CORAL GABLES

Gables planning to improve neglected N. Ponce corridor

An area of the North Gables that some feel has been
neglected is now getting attention from the city and developers.

BY ELAINE DE VALLE

edevalle@herald.com

The redevelopment of the North Ponce de Leon corridor
-- between Miracle Mile and Tamiami Trail -- has been
on the minds of city leaders and planners for nearly a
decade and identified as one of the city's top
development goals in 2003.

On Tuesday, the Coral Gables Commission took two steps
toward improving one of the city's oldest and, of
late, most neglected business districts -- what many
consider the north gate to the city.

First, commissioners approved a plan for a major
office, retail and residential complex in the 1300
block of Ponce -- where the Washington Mutual home
loan center is.

Then they awarded a $1.8-million bid for improvements
to the road, sidewalks, median and landscaping between
Alcazar and Almeria avenues.

''This is the first phase of the North Ponce de Leon
project,'' said Public Works Director Alberto Delgado,
adding that construction could begin in late April.

Phase two -- for the portion between Alcazar and
Southwest Eighth Street -- is being designed now,
Delgado said. ``If funding is available, that phase
can start next year.''

The project was awarded to Southeastern Engineering Contractors, the lowest bidder, which did the portion of Ponce de Leon south of Bird Road, Delgado said.

Among the features: 14-foot wide landscaped medians
(wider than on Miracle Mile) with turning lanes which
could cut traffic flow by 26 percent, Delgado said.

That is important, said Commissioner William Kerdyk,
in light of the ongoing development.

The project includes lighting, crosswalks and ''bump
outs'' at seven intersections that will beautify the
corners with landscaping and provide new trolley
stops.

The bump outs will also result in the net loss of 28
street parking spaces, Delgado said.

Vice Mayor Ralph Cabrera said he was worried about the
28 parking spaces the city would lose once the stops
were made for the trolleys to pick up and drop off
their passengers.

''We already know that when the museum parking garage
is open to the public we will still have a deficit of
parking in the central business district of about 600
spaces,'' Cabrera said.

``Are we shooting ourselves in the foot by losing 28
spaces?''

He said the street lost five more spaces in front of
the Museum garage.

''If we start adding these figures up, it's a huge
problem,'' he later told The Herald.

But Delgado said the trolley had reduced the need for
parking: ``If we were to do a study today, the demand
for parking has dropped substantially because of the
trolley.''

Commissioner Maria Anderson asked that business owners
be provided with a construction schedule. Delgado said
there would be a preconstruction meeting within weeks.

The project will be funded by impact fees from area
developers, the half-penny surtax and contributions
from developers, Delgado added.

In fact, developers of the mixed use project in the
1300 block -- who took into account a charrette on the
North Ponce redevelopment -- contributed money to the
project and agreed to fund a study of traffic impact
and improvement needs for the area by July.

They also revised the plan to include additional
screening and reduce the width of the rear entrances,
which abuts a residential area.

The commission also asked to have area residents
notified.

''We sent a letter about two days after. We also
provided with 3D model graphics as an attachment to
the letter,'' city planning director Eric Riel said.

No residents came forward at the meeting, which was
also a public hearing.

The property owner and developers could have built a
16-story office building, Riel said.

That would have topped out at 190 feet on Ponce and 97
feet in the rear, where people live.

``In negotiations, working closely with the developer
and planning and zoning board, they have reduced the
height to 146 feet on Ponce and stepped the building
down from 97 to 79 when you get to the rear of the
property.''

Riel and attorney Zeke Guilford, representing
developer Randy Hill, said the building will be 12
stories on the side that faces Ponce, then six and
four stories to the west of the boulevard.

It is the second mixed-use project in the area,
following The Minorca, a 120-unit, eight-story condo
at Ponce de Leon and Minorca Avenue, four blocks north
of Miracle Mile.

The developer of the 1300 block project, Riel added,
will provide 60 more parking spaces than originally planned.

dave8721

August 9th, 2005, 03:20 PM

streetscapeer

August 14th, 2005, 01:28 AM

ooo...I like that glass in front :)

can someone screen capture it..I don't know how to

streetscapeer

August 14th, 2005, 01:29 AM

also...the Lofts at Mayfair have started, they're about midway through the foundation it seems

ChuckScraperMiami#1

August 16th, 2005, 09:35 AM

also...the Lofts at Mayfair have started, they're about midway through the foundation it seems
STREET :) , you must be back here in Miami, again and now, because I just drove by there Monday, yesterday, the 15th of august and saw that huge hole with the foundation going in, wow This project is going up fast. :cheers:

ChuckScraperMiami#1

August 16th, 2005, 09:38 AM

I think this is the TOD project that is going to go at the Coconut Grove Metrorail Station, thats where the address puts it. Terrazas Coconut Grove, 20-stories with 10,000 sqft of office and 10,000 sqft of retail.

http://www.urbanlandrealty.com/ then click on the link on the left of the page for "Terrazas Coconut"
WOW Dave :) , this is huge and nice, I believe it will be built, and a good place to put it, near the Metrorail station. Has this tower been approved ???, its Great !!! :cheers:

nimbyhater

August 20th, 2005, 07:13 PM

ooo...I like that glass in front :)

can someone screen capture it..I don't know how to

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/518/terrazas5lt.jpg

nimbyhater

August 20th, 2005, 07:16 PM

Villa Alhambra
saw an advertisement for this one in the paper, watsnt sure if id seen it before here on the site... pretty nice, has a nice dense urban design, if not that tall, and dont like that something so short is so close to downtown coral gables, but guess it could be worse... love the townhouses rite at the street
www.villaalhambra.com

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/3686/villaalhambra3aj.jpg http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/6223/villaalhambralocation2ek.jpg

ChuckScraperMiami#1

August 20th, 2005, 08:07 PM

Great Pics NIMBY :) , Good update, Coral Gables is just too expensive now to live in, you must will the lotto to move in a condo like the future ones here, lol. :cheers:

Toucano

August 21st, 2005, 05:53 AM

Ponce Tower (http://poncetower.com/)

nimbyhater

August 21st, 2005, 05:40 PM

pics of Ponce Tower from the site, save you guys some clicking

http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/3059/11fs.jpg http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/8397/20qd.jpg http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/2212/36nf.jpg http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/917/46cz.jpg http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/6065/50ww.jpg

you this building possibly b any more generic medditeranean coral gables? i think not, still kinda nice tho

dave8721

September 6th, 2005, 09:17 PM

Another office tower for Coral Gables:
I found some renderings for 20/20 Ponce, a 14-story office condo project to go at 2020 Ponce De Leon Blvd.

Its the project listed under "current project". Expansive balconies on an office building...interesting.
http://www.vistasinternational.com/

renner01

September 6th, 2005, 11:03 PM

better yet here is the website
http://www.2020ponce.com/

dave8721

September 7th, 2005, 09:56 PM

Renderings submitted to the City of Miami for Byblos, a 12-story (6 stories of double height lofts) 120ft condo midrise on Bird Road and 38th Ave in the Merrick Park area, right on the border of Miami and Coral Gables.

http://egov.ci.miami.fl.us/Legistarweb/Attachments/17398.PDF

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y19/dave8721/byblos2.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y19/dave8721/byblos1_1.jpg

south florida dave

September 8th, 2005, 01:04 AM

beh, it looks like a hospital or a government building something. but infill is infill, i guess, so i can't complain too much.

BornInTheGrove

September 8th, 2005, 04:59 AM

looks like a modern Howard Johnson

nimbyhater

September 9th, 2005, 02:20 AM

like dave said... infill is infill... not so bad, and will make a nice addition to this area that is starting to get denser with the new office building on bird and ponce, merrick park, the water and sewer department building, the new condos by merrick park, and this new one... all close to the douglas road metro station...

dave8721

September 21st, 2005, 09:42 PM

Lots more is coming to Coral Gables, including several more badly needed ones in the Merrick Park area.

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/050922/story2.shtml

Commercial development booming in Coral Gables

By Deserae del Campo
Commercial development in Coral Gables is booming as two projects totaling $128 million in construction costs move through city permitting processes and three others are planned nearby.
Developer Ralph Sanchez, along with a team of architects, is inching toward final approval from the city's Development Review Committee for the $82 million Ponce Circle Development at 2801, 2901 and 3001 Ponce de Leon Blvd.
The developer plans to demolish a 10-story and three-story commercial building and several one- and two-story single-family homes now occupying the site to build 10- and 16-story Mediterranean style mixed-used buildings and townhomes.
"We have to go back to the Development Review Board for a Level 1 preliminary review and a Level 2 comprehensive plan for the project," said Mr. Sanchez, an attorney who created the Miami Grand Prix auto race in downtown Miami.
With permitting and design planning set, Mr. Sanchez said construction could begin in about a year-and-a-half.
"Right now, we are listening to what the city and neighbors have said and are in a redesign phase of the project," he said.
The project is to be composed of 43,411 square feet of retail, 10,798 square feet of restaurant space, 501 residential units and 878 parking spaces.
The other big development in Coral Gables, at $46 million, is at 2701 S LeJeune Rd., where developer Armando Codina plans to tear down the City National Bank of Florida building and build two office buildings. The larger of the two will become headquarters for Burger King, which had looked at moving out of the area before the site became available.
The bank will move to a smaller building in the city.
"The project is going through the approval process," said Tadd Schwartz, partner at RBB Public Relations, representing Codina. "In the next couple of months, things should be finalized and moving ahead as planned."
Also in the works are a 69,660-square-foot commercial development at 1600 Ponce de Leon Blvd.; Villa Laguna, a mixed-use development at 4015-4135 Ponce de Leon Blvd.; and Gables Gateway, 4585 Ponce de Leon Blvd.
"Whether a corporate tenant or a condo purchaser, Coral Gables is considered a premier address not only because of its central location but also because it's a fabulous environment to live and work," said Catherine Swanson, director of the Coral Gables Department of Development.
"Our city provides an exciting location for commercial development," said Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick. "We have a clean environment and a secure downtown area that appeals to the urban masses of South Florida." "The city continues to receive significant interest from investors wanting to build in Coral Gables," Ms. Swanson said. "Their biggest challenge isn't the process but rather the availability of land."

dave8721

September 23rd, 2005, 04:19 PM

It looks like the plans to partially demolish the Coconut Grove Playhouse for condos are dead. This is probably a good thing. Why is it that all redevelopments of theaters in Miami always seem to involve making the theaters smaller? It would be great to hear someone say "I am going to renovate blah blah theater and add 500 seats". I know it needs some major work done, but why does that always mean removing bunches of seats? Any time I've ever tried to go to anything there (Jerry Seinfeld many years back or Dave Chappelle more recently) the show sell out forever in advance because the theater is already too small.

http://www.miamisunpost.com/secondstoryfrontpage.htm

Developer Backs Out of Proposal to Redevelop Coconut Grove Playhouse

“We have a playhouse that we need to bring into the 21st century.” – Shelly Spivack, chair of the Coconut Grove Playhouse Board of Trustees/Directors

By Mario Martinez
Staff Writer

As the Coconut Grove Playhouse celebrates the opening of its 50th season, its neighbors are celebrating the fact that plans to build 100 new condos and a parking garage on the property suffered a giant setback when the developer announced he was pulling out of the deal.

In May, the Playhouse’s Board of Trustees and Directors approved an $8 million deal with Henry Pino of the Strategic Property Group for construction of a 250 parking space garage with retail storefronts, 100 condominiums and two new theaters on the property at 3500 Main Highway. But the plan came under heavy criticism from county residents, historic preservationists and neighboring merchants when it was announced that some or all of the theater would have to be demolished to make way for the new construction.

Pino’s plans also would have converted the theater, which now consists of 1,100 seats at the main stage and a 135-seat “encore room,” into a 650-seat main facility and an intimate 250-seat stage area.

Originally built as a movie house in 1926, the Playhouse has been a fixture along Main Highway and on the national regional theater scene for the last 50 years and Groveites showed they were not willing to part with their theater without a fight.

Upon learning of the construction plans for the Playhouse, a group of residents urged the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board (HEPB) to designate the property as historic. On June 7, Playhouse officials went before the board and dozens of concerned Groveites to say they fully supported a historic designation for their theater. The HEPB then decided to prepare a site designation report that would be completed by the October 5 meeting.

But Pino and the Strategic Property Group are no longer interested in developing the Playhouse property, regardless of how the HEPB votes.

“Under the preliminary agreement between Henry Pino and the Playhouse, there was a period of due diligence established for the parties to explore the agreement and make sure it was a fair deal that could be worked out,” said Seth Gordon, whose firm Gordon & Reyes represents the Playhouse. “[Pino] wanted to have the due diligence period extended and although the Playhouse was willing to provide an extension, they could not agree on one.”

Gordon said it remained unclear whether the Playhouse’s directors would explore further development of the property and directed questions to the Playhouse’s new board chair, Shelly Spivack.

Spivack said the Playhouse has not made any decisions regarding redevelopment of the property and insisted the board’s main concern is the theater’s continued progress.

“We have a playhouse that we need to bring into the 21st century,” Spivack said. “Everyone is focusing on developing the property and historic designation, but no one has focused on the fact that we’ve been doing live theater for 50 years now. We need to focus on the fact that we’re a part of the County General Obligation Bond (GOB) and that we have $15 million sitting with the county to refurbish the Playhouse and that needs to be our focus at the moment.”

In November voters approved a $556 million GOB for countywide art programs, museums and educational facilities and allocated $15 million for the renovation of the Playhouse. In 2003, the state conveyed the 2.3-acre site and the building to the Coconut Grove Playhouse, Inc., but a deed restriction demands the presence of a theater on the property.

It was unclear exactly how Pino’s proposed development would have stood up to the deed restriction; many neighbors felt it clearly breached the deal. Grove residents and activists greeted news of the developer’s withdrawal from the project with enthusiasm.

“We are very excited that the Playhouse can be restored and has the opportunity to be historically designated,” said Marc Sarnoff of The Grove First, one of the most vocal opponents of the proposed Playhouse development. “Hopefully this will also prevent the city manager from trying to move it to the waterfront.”

Sarnoff said City Manager Joe Arriola is backing an idea to relocate the Coconut Grove Playhouse to Dinner Key. Back in February at the monthly Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Arriola said although nothing was set in stone, plans to move the Playhouse to the Convention Center site were being considered. However, Arriola has not formally announced any proposed move for the Playhouse.

The Miami HEPB will present its historic designation report on the Playhouse during its meeting on Wednesday, October 5 at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall.

dave8721

September 28th, 2005, 08:00 PM

The Mile had a setback in its attempt to put a 22-story 240 foot tower at Douglas and Coral Way. Commissioners said it would be out of character for the neighborhood (keep in mind it will be right next to the 200 foot tall Gables Marquis).

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/050929/fyi.shtml

MILE AWAY: Developers of Mile, a commercial and residential project on Coral Way, must return with new plans, Miami city commissioners voted last week. The planning department had denied rezoning but the zoning board voted in favor 6-1 of rezoning 3622 SW 22nd St. and 3605-3625 SW 22nd Terrace from a 1.72 floor area ratio height to a 2.9 - almost three stories. According to records, planners said no because they felt the development would be out of scale with its surroundings. Commissioners last week set a Nov. 17 deadline to applicants M Three Corp. and the Key Real Estate Development Corp. to offer new plans.

MIAballinboi

September 28th, 2005, 10:11 PM

that sux, wow, would have been great there,

canine7

September 30th, 2005, 10:30 AM

does anyone know anything about the key coral way condo...
It is in the preliminary stage of getting its permits and should be at 3222 coral way.
GABLES MARQUIS IS AT 3232 CORAL WAY...
How is this possible?

Its not sergios,benjamin moore,etc.Anyone know what is located at 3222 coral way.

THE MILE,I think will still happen....It will be where the restaurant habana vieja and boston market are located---across from sears....4 blocks from gables marquis

Any info on key coral way condo would be greatly appreciated....

keystone villas 2 will hopefully go up at 3538 coral way and make the area even better

dave8721

September 30th, 2005, 05:55 PM

My guess is that it must be pretty small so it can squeeze between Gables Marquis and 32nd Ave.

nimbyhater

October 7th, 2005, 03:52 AM

not exactly a condo... but relavent to the neighborhood... looks like the big box thing is goin through

Gables mall ready to open one more time

By Marilyn Bowden
A mall at Coral Gables' doorstep that has failed three times in 12 years is nearly fully leased for re-opening, and officials are seeking reconstruction permits to capitalize on a residential boom.
Miracle Marketplace, 3301 Coral Way, the latest incarnation of the original Miracle Center, is to be open to the street. Working drawings are being fine-tuned, said Michael Mouriz, principal of Keystone Homes, and "we hope to be in for a permit by the end of the year. As soon as we get that, we will begin demolitions and start building."
Mr. Mouriz is in a joint venture with James Schlesinger of Talisman Cos., which resurrected Cutler Ridge Mall as Southland Mall.
Miracle Center, designed by Arquitectonica International, opened in 1989 with plans to add residences above it. But after eight years, it was reinvented as Paseos Mall, a Spanish Colonial shopping center with pushcarts, kiosks and specialty stores. That, too, failed.
In 2001, Swerdlow Group bought the site to convert the mall to offices for high-tech companies, but the dot.com crash scuttled those plans.
"Many factors are in place right now that didn't exist in the past," Mr. Mouriz said. "Coral Way itself is a very different world than it was a few years ago. Big-box retail has taken over, and with all the residential construction, there are a lot more people."
Bally Total Fitness gym, the only remaining tenant, will expand from 28,000 square feet to 50,000, Mr. Schlesinger said, and be joined by Marshalls, Bed Bath & Beyond, Office Max, Ulta, Designer Shoes Warehouse, Pay Less Shoes, PetsMart and Sweet Tomatoes.
Keystone is adding to the residential boom with Villas of Coral Way across the street. The first phase is done, Mr. Mouriz said, with all but a few units sold to end users, and Keystone last week began demolition for Villas II next door.

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/051006/story2.shtml

MIAballinboi

October 7th, 2005, 04:57 PM

^ yea i remember that mall right on coral way, the total failure, lets hope something good comes out of it.

rider_of_rohan

October 12th, 2005, 05:00 PM

Hotel-condo planned for Gables

By Sherri C. Ranta
A Tennessee hospitality company plans to build a 215-unit hotel-condominium with a Hilton flag near downtown Coral Gables and the city's Miracle Mile shopping district.
A subsidiary of Maximum Hospitality paid $16 million for the 1.7-acre vacant site at Salzedo Street and Navarre Avenue in late September and plans to franchise the project as a Hilton hotel, said Guy Trusty, president of Lodging & Hospitality Realty, a Miami commercial real estate and hotel development company.
Mr. Trusty described the project, in permit stage at the city, as "a purpose-built hotel condo, conceived and built from the ground up as a hotel condo." Many hotel condominiums, he said, are built as something else and then converted.
"There is a real need for new hotel rooms in Miami-Dade," he said. "Over the past five or six years, we've run out of land. All forms of real estate are now competing with condo developers - that's driving up prices.
"There's record land costs," Mr. Trusty said. "Consequently, almost every other form of commercial real estate has been pushed out of the market."
Miami-Dade property records show the acreage is an assemblage of at least three parcels - all parking lots - that include 317 Minorca Ave. and 320-322 Navarre Ave. The lots were purchased for $11 million in January by 2020 Salzedo Ltd., records show.
Almost the entire block bounded by Salzedo Street to the east, LeJeune Road to the west, Navarre Avenue to the north and Minorca Avenue to the south has changed hands in the past few months, Mr. Trusty said.
JHM Hotels of Greenville, SC, purchased the nearby Holiday Inn at 2051 LeJeune Road for $11 million in June. Built in 1971, the 95,774-square-foot hotel has 168 units, according to county property records.

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/051013/story1.shtml

Dale

October 12th, 2005, 05:10 PM

Did Burger King ever release a rendering for its new HQ ?

BornInTheGrove

October 12th, 2005, 09:44 PM

i remember they released some kind of rendering, of the front facade only, though

nimbyhater

October 13th, 2005, 06:23 AM

there was a pretty crude picture of it when they ran that little article about it in the herald... looked like ur typical gables generic medditerranean... nothing special... but like i said, it was pretty crude

dave8721

October 18th, 2005, 09:33 PM

streetscapeer

October 19th, 2005, 01:31 AM

great...this project will do wonders in extending the downtown area!...and it looks nice and urban too:)

dave8721

October 19th, 2005, 09:28 PM

Traditional NY or Boston style row houses for downtown Coral Gables:

http://www.almeriarow.com/

dave8721

October 20th, 2005, 04:31 PM

Thought I would post some pics of a forgetten collection of midrises (10 to 14 stories) at the extreme southern end of Coral Gables: Deering Bay off of SW 152nd St and 67th Ave. Its on the border of Pinecrest and Coral Gables but was annexed recently by Coral Gables. Known more for its golf course on the Bay designed by Arnold Palmer.

http://www.peggybrin.com/images/starterimages/1.jpg
http://www.deeringbayrealestate.com/images/starterimages/july-29-flyby.jpg
http://www.deeringbayrealestate.com/images/starterimages/veronasiena.jpg
http://www.deeringbayrealestate.com/Images/StarterImages/KIM.jpg
http://www.deeringbayrealestate.com/images/starterimages/stu-15.jpg
http://www.fashionweekamericas.com/html/magazine/2003_03/img_2003_03/deeringbay.jpg
http://www.tunspan.com/projects/images/deeringbay3.jpg

dave8721

October 20th, 2005, 05:14 PM

Pdf showing the project plans for the new 'bank' development in downtown South Miami that will feature restaraunts, row houses, and a bank. Will go accross the street from the just finished HSBC office building.

http://touzetstudio.com/pdf/Binder1.pdf

Of course no sooner to I post this it comes out today that the project is dead for now due to massively increased construction costs and the projects inability to adapt to them due to South Miami's restrictive zoning.

Its the headline article here:
http://www.communitynewspapers.com/2005/spapers/sm_index.html

streetscapeer

October 20th, 2005, 07:37 PM

^ oh fudge!

I like those rowhomes though!:)

dave8721

October 21st, 2005, 04:59 PM

Here's Diursa. 12 floors, 132ft at 3105 SW 3rd AVE (Coral Way west of Brickell in the Roads area)

http://www.gop.es/VIVIENDA/MIAMI/MIAMI%20v10000.jpg

http://www.gop.es/VIVIENDA/MIAMI/MIAMI%20v10001.jpg

Toucano

October 21st, 2005, 09:41 PM

I checked out Almeria Row, sent them an e-mail, these babies are running at 1.5 and 1.6 million...

dave8721

November 10th, 2005, 09:08 PM

A project I hadn't seen before: The Plaza at Coral Gables, 1505 Ponce De Leon Blvd. 13 floors, 142ft Rental Building. Approved last year but I haven't seen any progress.

http://citybeautiful.net/CGWeb/documents/planning_docs/CommMemos/01%2013%2004%20Plaza%20at%20Coral%20Gables%20change%20of%20zoning%20and%20mixed%20use%20site%20plan%201st%20Reading.DOC

dave8721

November 16th, 2005, 09:21 PM

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/051117/fyi.shtml

CORAL WAY RISING: 3,527 residential housing units in 32 buildings are in the pipeline along Coral Way west of Third Avenue in Miami, according to city statistics. Integra Realty Resources estimates 1,000 units are being built and marketed, said Managing Director Michael Cannon. The rest are in various planning stages or awaiting City Commission approval, he said. If all the units are completed, more than 8,000 residents will be added to the city's population, according to 2000 US Census data that reports an average 2.4 people per multifamily structure in the area. However, the estimate would fall, Miami-Dade County planning and zoning officials said, if more units than usual are second or seasonal homes.

streetscapeer

November 17th, 2005, 09:54 PM

^Whoa, whoa...that's very major. I'd like to see this developed.

3,500 units on Coral Way...I'm astounded!

dave8721

November 23rd, 2005, 09:02 PM

"The Mile" downsized and will try again for permits

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/051124/story4.shtml

Developer to try again for permit for Coral Way project

By Deserae del Campo
Developers are hoping for a second chance to win a major use special permit from Miami city commissioners next week to construct Mile, a 119-unit mixed-use project on Coral Way.
Mile at Coral Way LLC is to go before the commission Dec. 1 after altering its proposal for the structure, which now is to have 119 residences instead of 131 and stand 19 stories, one fewer than the original 20.
"Of the 119 units, 25% will have an affordable-housing component," said Eddie Avila, manager of Mile at Coral Way.
Mile is also to include 3,000 square feet of retail space and 234 parking spaces.
According to documents from the city, the cost to build Mile would be $32 million.
In September, commissioners denied the special permit, saying the building was too large for the site at 3622 SW 22nd St. and 3605-3625 22nd Terrace. Plans were changed to set square-footage at 112,000, down from the original 168,000.
"We have done everything the commission has asked us and complied to every single request," Mr. Avila said.
The city's planning department denied rezoning for the structure, but the zoning board voted in favor 6-1 to change the floor-area ratio from 1.72 to 2.9 - almost three stories for every square foot on land on the site.
Mile is now proposing to drop the floor-area ratio to 2.0.
According to records, planners disapproved because they felt the development would be out of scale with its surroundings, and commissioners agreed.
Commissioners gave developers until Nov. 17 to return with new plans, but the planning and zoning meeting was rescheduled for Dec. 1 at city hall.

BornInTheGrove

November 27th, 2005, 03:24 AM

Here's a rendering of the Burger King Headquarters via Spine 3D website

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a31/BornInTheGrove/Highrises%20and%20Construction/BurgerKingHead.jpg

dave8721

November 30th, 2005, 09:06 PM

Santona Corner: A mix use project (Office, Retail) to go on the opposite side of US-1 from the Miami Hurricanes Baseball field, just to the south-west of the Univeristy Inn condo complex.

http://www.santonacorner.com/home.html

http://www.santonacorner.com/IMAGES/ren1.jpg

http://www.santonacorner.com/IMAGES/ren2.jpg

Construction expected to start soon:

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/051201/story4.shtml

Work expected to start soon on project near UM

By Marilyn Bowden
Construction is set to begin soon at Santona Corner, an office and retail project across from the University of Miami on US 1.
The site, at 1430 S Dixie Highway, once was occupied by a Howard Johnson hotel. Project developer Taha Properties operated it as a Terrace Inn for the past few years while planning and getting permits for the new development.
"We have demolished one of the buildings," said Danny Taha, "and we hope to demolish the other in a couple of weeks.
"Once the demolition is complete, we will be about 18 months from completion."
Santona Corners, designed by Mateu Architecture, will house about 55,000 square feet of office condo space and 45,000 feet of ground-floor retail.
Bert Checa, a Holly Real Estate broker who is selling the office component, said everything that has been put on the market - about 75% of the space - is under contract.
"We're saving the best units in the all-glass tower to sell at the end of construction," he said. He estimated they will go for about $400 a square foot.
"Most of the buyers are end users," Mr. Checa said. "Many are small companies - mom-and-pops that are currently leasing. If they live in Pinecrest or Coral Gables, they would prefer to own closer to their homes to avoid the commute downtown."
The businesses, he said, are "entrepreneurial and professional - accountants, lawyers, architects, engineers, real brokers and investors. We won't have any medical offices or other high-traffic users." Among them are the project's architect, engineer and contractor.
Tenants get three spaces in the parking garage per 1,000 square feet of office, he said, with the option to lease more. There's a free visitor parking area.
With offices along US 1 and a residential neighborhood just behind it, Santona Corner is proving popular with retailers, Mr. Taha said - just under 40,000 square feet is under negotiation.
"Right now we have a real estate brokerage and a retail bank coming in," he said. "These kinds of users that don't only rely on foot traffic are ideal. We also have several letters of intent, from restaurant users, a kitchen and cabinet store, and trade retailers such as dry cleaners and a high-end hair salon.
"We think the retail space will fill up in a really great way."

streetscapeer

December 2nd, 2005, 01:31 AM

^that actually looks kinda cool.

canine7

December 2nd, 2005, 01:25 PM

what happened with the hearing yesterday regarding the mile did it get approved

dave8721

December 5th, 2005, 05:53 PM

Another office building for Coral Gables: 1600 Ponce. Looks to be about 14 floors.

http://newspaperads.miami.com/imagehandler/rop-ad/2309545

dave8721

December 8th, 2005, 06:22 PM

New Hotel for Coral Gables. La Palma: 13 floors in the vacant lot behind the new Minorca Condo.

http://www.bapdesign.com/portfolio/hospitality.htm (the second hotel listed)

streetscapeer

December 9th, 2005, 06:53 AM

^^ooo...that one's pretty nice:)

Toucano

December 9th, 2005, 08:55 PM

Looks sweet

dave8721

December 15th, 2005, 08:42 PM

Good news for the Gables:

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/051215/story2.shtml

Work on new Burger King campus to begin next month

By Suzy Valentine
Codina Group is to break ground next month on the first phase of a project that will house the Burger King Corp. headquarters beginning in 2008.
The Coral Gables developer is to break ground next month on a four-story building in a parking lot at 2855 LeJeune Rd. that will house City National Bank. When that 50,000-square-foot site is completed, Codina estimates within a year, the bank can move from 2701 LeJeune Rd. to make way for a 15-story building the fast-food giant will occupy.
Completion of the second phase is to follow two years later.
Codina can move forward after satisfying city officials Tuesday at what will be its last public hearing. The company won unanimous support from the city commission for matters that included traffic management and height concessions.
The developer's representative who attended the City Hall meeting said neighbors who raised concerns about traffic flow on LeJeune Road did not attend but sent a representative who thanked the company for its efforts.
"Concerns raised included parking, not for the building but for the area, on the west side of LeJeune Road," said Vice President Rafael Rodon. "The city approved staff recommendations for matters that included a drive-through at the smaller building and height bonuses for building in the Mediterranean style."
Codina is to pay up to $150,000 to commission a traffic study and resolve issues the investigation identifies. The city has granted Codina permission to build up to three stories higher than the 13 for which the Central Business district is zoned in exchange for a pledge to build the future Burger King headquarters in the Mediterranean style. Codina will build 15 stories rather than 16.
The group's founder said it was unfortunate that his company's efforts to negotiate with neighbors put the project in the spotlight. "The site is zoned for commercial building," said President Armando Codina, "but it is ironic that on a site where we have these advantages, when you try to do infill, neighbors don't like it. Our project has attracted a lot of attention because of our sensitivity to the neighbors."
Mr. Codina said he was happy to have resolved any differences. "The talks with the neighbors proved very constructive," he said, "but it's becoming more difficult to do any kind of construction."
Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick welcomed the addition. "It is good for the city to have this kind of new building development," he said. "It took the commission an hour to unanimously approve the conditions that the company has agreed to with regard to traffic-calming and general protection of the neighborhood because the site is directly opposite a number of single-family homes.
"Still, this area is zoned for this kind of project and had the city not embraced this, there could have followed another developer who was less sensitive to local needs," the mayor said.

nimbyhater

December 15th, 2005, 09:14 PM

same article as dave's, but the herald version

CORAL GABLES
Approval given for Burger King HQThe Burger King headquarters in the City Beautiful's downtown got a green light from Coral Gables commissioners Tuesday.
BY ELAINE DE VALLE
edevalle@herald.com

Developers who want to build in Coral Gables may want to take note of how Burger King got its $68 million Le Jeune Road headquarters approved despite concerns from nearby homeowners about their quality of life.
City commissioners unanimously approved the Codina Group project Tuesday after hearing from Burger King Chief Executive Greg Brenneman, Codina attorneys, city planners who recommended approval and a neighbors' representative who said residents were satisfied with promises and compromises made in planning the fast-food giant's new home at the site of the City National Bank of Florida building, 2901 Le Jeune Road.
The main dealmaker is Codina's commitment to fund any and all traffic calming improvements recommended by the city's traffic advisory board to mitigate the big concern: motorists who cut through the residential streets to avoid rush-hour congestion.
Though Codina pledged $150,000 for a traffic study and the solutions it suggests, Vice President José González said there is no cap on what the company may spend in total for traffic calming devices.
''We'll do whatever the traffic board requires,'' González said after the meeting. ``If the traffic study comes back and says we have to do every single block in that neighborhood, we'll do it.''
The company is also working with Miami-Dade County to get $500,000 in impact fees earmarked for Segovia Street improvements, González said.
''We are so confident the money can be used that we've committed ourselves. If the county denies our request, we will fund it,'' he said.
Neighbors want the traffic improvements in place before the building becomes home during the day to more than 600 employees.
Tim Plummer, a traffic engineer hired by Codina, said he will analyze vehicle usage hour by hour on three consecutive days next month from Almeria to Anastasia avenues and on Le Jeune Road and Salzedo Street.
''It's a pretty large area we're looking at,'' Plummer said, adding that Public Works Director Alberto Delgado insisted on the wide scope.
The site plan approved Tuesday covers two acres on Le Jeune.
On the north side of Sevilla Avenue, where the City National Bank is now, there will be a 15-story building, stepped back to seven and then three stories as it approaches the residential area. It will have 819 parking spaces and house the Burger King corporate offices.
On the south side of Sevilla, a 75-space parking lot will be replaced with a four-story building -- home to the new City National Bank -- with 172 parking spaces and four drive-through teller lanes.
Other conditions for approval included off-site street and landscaping improvements to surrounding roadways, a construction plan coordinated with nearby residents, and the installation of security gates, signage and pedestrian safety devices at the teller lanes.
The building can also have no lighted signs on the west side, illuminating the homes across Le Jeune Road.
''The Burger King logo isn't going to shine through our windows,'' said Rhonda Anderson, a Hernando Street resident and attorney representing the newly-formed Le Jeune Segovia Association of about 70 homeowners. ``So it doesn't look so commercial.''
This is the second time the burger chain has eyed the City Beautiful for its corporate home.
In 2000, city officials approved rezoning the property at 2500 Ponce de Leon Blvd., -- where Burger King proposed a 300,000-square-foot, 12-story office tower -- to make it exempt from a lengthy impact review. But the company chose its Blue Lagoon space instead.
CEO Brenneman, who lives in the Gables, said he doesn't know what happened. ''It's like asking the third wife what happened to the first wife,'' he said. ``I don't know what happened to the first wife.''
But he was proud of the way the company brought its current proposal to fruition.

renner01

December 16th, 2005, 03:13 PM

http://www.guardianfire.com/tools/jobmanager/jobImages/thumb_coralway_middle.jpg http://www.guardianfire.com/tools/jobmanager/constructionImages/gablesmarquis.JPG

renner01

December 16th, 2005, 03:18 PM

http://www.guardianfire.com/tools/jobmanager/jobImages/thumb_catalonia.jpg
http://www.guardianfire.com/tools/jobmanager/constructionImages/catalonia%20backside.JPG

renner01

December 16th, 2005, 03:40 PM

http://www.guardianfire.com/tools/jobmanager/jobImages/thumb_midtownlofts7iz.jpg http://www.guardianfire.com/tools/jobmanager/constructionImages/lofts%20topped%20off(1).JPG

renner01

December 16th, 2005, 03:47 PM

http://www.guardianfire.com/tools/jobmanager/jobImages/the_blue_on_coral_way.jpg http://www.guardianfire.com/tools/jobmanager/constructionImages/nexttolofts-bovis-blue.JPG

MIAballinboi

December 16th, 2005, 10:37 PM

great updates renner!

canine7

December 17th, 2005, 11:25 AM

seems like blue coral way wont do much until lofts(right next to it) is finished

streetscapeer

December 19th, 2005, 08:22 PM

thanksfor the needed updates:)

streetscapeer

December 19th, 2005, 08:25 PM

alotta things popping up in the gables

dave8721

December 19th, 2005, 09:00 PM

http://www.guardianfire.com/tools/jobmanager/jobImages/thumb_catalonia.jpg
http://www.guardianfire.com/tools/jobmanager/constructionImages/catalonia%20backside.JPG

This pic shows what is happening more and more in the Coral Way area. 15-story buildings next door to single family homes. This is the main thing that will be going away under Miami21.

brickell

December 20th, 2005, 04:42 AM

hopefully the way of the 15 story buildings though. Coral Way and 27th Ave should be high to medium density corridors. Hopefully miami21 makes them more pedestrian friendly and prettier to look at it, but should not in any way impede development where it's needed.

Just my 2 cents.

miami1

December 20th, 2005, 03:45 PM

This pic shows what is happening more and more in the Coral Way area. 15-story buildings next door to single family homes. This is the main thing that will be going away under Miami21.
Maybe that little house needs to be torn down so another 15 story building goes in its place or a 5 to 8 story condo to make the transition better, just a thought. Miami21 should not limit developmet... :)

dave8721

December 27th, 2005, 11:19 PM

This development was first posted like a year ago and a whole lot of nothing has been hapening on the site. But it looks like there is a little activity going on:

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/051222/fyi.shtml

DEEL DEAL: Berkowitz Development paid $24.6 million for a 4.5-acre site at 4811 LeJeune Rd. that was formerly the parking lot of the Deel Ford dealership. Developer Jeff Berkowitz said it will be incorporated into a 240,000-square-foot vertical shopping mall called Gables Station. The deal was orchestrated by a team of Colliers Abood Wood-Fay brokers led by Michael Fay. Berkowitz Development's retail projects in the area include Dadeland Station, Kendall Village and the planned Fifth & Alton in Miami Beach.

The Project for those that forgot:
http://www.berkowitzdevelopment.com/gablesstation.htm

http://www.berkowitzdevelopment.com/images/gablesstation-render5.jpg

DGM

December 28th, 2005, 04:58 AM

Berkowitz was one of the guys that pushed forward the Downtown Kendall Charette if I'm not mistaken. You've gotta love TODs. How close to the metrorail is this going to be?

FRITZ LANG

December 28th, 2005, 09:42 AM

please.....................

Toucano

December 28th, 2005, 04:19 PM

It's near the Douglas Road station...

Roark

December 28th, 2005, 05:46 PM

From Daily Business Review
Partner buys out Ralph Sanchez in $55 million project
December 28, 2005

Developer Jeff Berkowitz has bought out partner and auto racing promoter Ralph Sanchez in a deal to turn the Ford dealership on U.S. 1 in Coral Gables into a Dadeland Station-style, mixed-use project.

Berkowitz paid $24.7 million Dec. 15 for the 4.5-acre site under the name Gables Station LLC, an affiliate of Berkowitz Development Group. He also bought out Sanchez, who had been an equal partner in the planned $55 million project. The buyout details were not disclosed.

“Ralph Sanchez brought Jeff into the equation to be a partner, and ultimately they decided that Jeff would take over Ralph’s interest and Ralph would bow out for personal reasons,” said Berkowitz’s attorney, Arnold A. Brown, of counsel at Bilzin Sumberg.

He did not elaborate on Sanchez’s reasons for dropping out. Calls to Sanchez were not returned.

The three parcels at 215 and 251 S. Dixie Highway have been used to store cars for Ford of Coral Gables, formerly Deel Ford. The property on Dixie Highway between Ponce de Leon Boulevard and Blue Road is adjacent to Metrorail. Bank of America provided $26.4 million in financing for the transaction.

The retail component will be called Gables Station and include a 240,000-square-foot vertical site housing a grocery store, health club and big box retailers, according to Coral Gables based Colliers Abood Wood-Fay, the brokerage representing Berkowitz.

Colliers Abood Wood-Fay brokers involved in the deal were Owen Cone, Liran Friedman, John Crotty and principal Michael Fay.

“They still don’t know which big box they are going to include,” said Crotty, a commercial associate. “They are still working on fine-tuning everything.”

Crotty said the final plan could include office and residential space. He said the retail component will drive the project because 150,000 cars pass the property each day, and households within a five-minute drive have a median income of $100,000.

The seller, Samkle Holdings Inc., whose executives are Rafael, Michael and Leandro Klein, bought six acres, including the dealership, for $25 million in 2000.

Samkle Holdings sold the remaining land to Jupiter developer George de Guardiola for $13 million Dec. 21. He plans another project of retail, office and residential space on 2.3 acres between Ponce and Granello Avenue. De Guardiola could not be reached for comment.

He and investor Mike Garcia had the entire Ford parcel under contract since October 2003. Sanchez picked up the largest piece of de Guardiola’s contract in May 2004 around the time Berkowitz entered the picture, Brown said. Berkowitz developed Dadeland Station, Kendall Village and Aventura Commons.

The property, which is zoned for industrial use, is southeast of the Village of Merrick Park mall and near the University of Miami.

City officials said their goal is to coordinate the two projects to create a pedestrian friendly village and maximize resources such as the city parking lots under Metrorail, which runs between the two sites.

The developers have an incentive to include a residential component because it would allow them a substantial increase in height and density as long as they follow the city’s Mediterranean design guidelines. Heights could increase from 100 to 125 feet and densities from as low as 40 units to 125 units per acre.

Jeremy Larkin, president of commercial brokerage NAI Miami, said the retail market has improved in the two years since the site went under contract. Miami-Dade County continues to be underserved in retail space, and the factors that contribute to the property’s retail potential have intensified.

“It’s only getting better,” Larkin said. “The economy is booming, residential population growth in the area is increasing, and traffic congestion is increasing, so people want to stay close to home. It should be a home run.”

DGM

December 29th, 2005, 01:13 AM

I was wondering why they cleared out that parking lot. Does anyone know whats going up on the east side of US-1 between Lejune and Grand? Construction has started there.

nimbyhater

January 1st, 2006, 10:17 PM

deleted

dave8721

January 9th, 2006, 11:12 PM

The website for Terrazas Coconut Grove. A 21-story building to go on the Coconut Grove Metrorail site.

http://www.terrazascoconutgrove.com/

brickell

January 10th, 2006, 12:07 AM

So that exlains why the Terrazas River sales center took over fight club. Not crazy about the design, but Metrorail is right there with Coconut Grove and Coral Way a bike ride away. Should be interesting if the Coconut Grove transit village ever gets off the ground.

nimbyhater

January 11th, 2006, 02:59 AM

when you think itll start going up?

Toucano

January 18th, 2006, 04:25 AM

Via 27

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y19/dave8721/via27.jpg

Img from Dave8721 on Urbanplanet...

nimbyhater

January 19th, 2006, 05:03 AM

ooohhh... so very coral gables... at least its crazy freakin close to the metro

canine7

January 22nd, 2006, 03:29 PM

i think maybe the gables marquis on coral way is expanding.

I went to sergios restaurant9next door)and they have built a low mediteranean style wall with iron work on the back of the property all the way around to mcdonalds,

they just demolished the outside seating area and have started to rebuild that,and now the back half of the lot the restaurant uses for parking is being completely ripped up with another small structure being built.

The paint they used on the new wall is similar to the model of the gables marquis,I wonder if it is going to incorporate sergios in to the design.

They just started the 16th floor which i believe already makes it the tallest building in the area

Toucano

February 8th, 2006, 05:49 PM

Developer plans to spend $100 million on Burger King project

By Suzy Valentine
The Burger King headquarters project in Coral Gables, the first phase of which is under construction, is to cost almost $100 million.
Codina Group, which is also based in the City Beautiful, began work on a four-story development on a parking lot at 2855 LeJeune Road in the last week of December, days after receiving final approval from city officials.
The $18 million structure, which is to be completed this year, is to house City National Bank. Codina then plans to pull down the bank's current home at 2701 LeJeune Road to make way for the Burger King 15-story headquarters, which is expected to cost $80 million. In May, the company put construction costs at $65 million.
"It's becoming increasingly difficult to project," said President Armando Codina, "as the cost of raw materials spirals. The City National Bank building is scheduled for completion in 2006. The Burger King building is scheduled for completion in late 2008. We may have to revise costs when we break ground on the second phase. I hope construction costs stabilize, but we won't be breaking ground on part two for a year."
Construction of the Burger King headquarters cements the fast-food giant's links to the region. Company officials had considered leaving Miami-Dade County but last year cut a deal with the developer to move to the Gables from its Blue Lagoon Drive location. Last week, the company announced plans to go public.
Codina Group is ahead of schedule on the headquarters. City officials gave the final go-ahead Dec. 20 and Codina began construction on the parking lot a week later. At the time of the Dec. 20 meeting, company representatives had hoped for a January start.
"We've begun tearing up the site already," said Mr. Codina, "and I've received a lot of comments about progress on the site south of Miracle Mile. City National Bank is to get much better facilities with drive-in parking. As soon as we received the building permit and the zoning could not be appealed, we moved forward."
The city commission cleared the project after Codina Group undertook to pay up to $150,000 for a traffic study and measures the report identified as necessary for the development.
Residents' initial concerns about traffic flow in the construction area delayed but didn't derail the project, as has been the group's fate in another Kendall enterprise.
"No one showed up to oppose it," said Mr. Codina of the Dec. 20 meeting spotlighting the Burger King project, "but it's getting much more difficult to do any kind of construction. What we went through at Mission Bell Park in terms of objections from the neighbors cost us that project."
Mr. Codina was referring to a planned housing project in Kendall that the developer had to ditch as costs escalated beyond sale prices although the company had sold 75% of the 318 condominium units.

dave8721

February 23rd, 2006, 08:53 PM

A rendering of a nice dense project for the Coral Way/Miracle Mile area: The Mile, 3622 Coral Way (Coral Way & Douglas Rd). Was downsized to 14-stories and 164 ft (down from 20+ stories).

http://egov.ci.miami.fl.us/Legistarweb/Attachments/18379.PDF

dach2k5

February 23rd, 2006, 10:49 PM

I don't see how Via 27 gets done. They are asking $450 to $470 a sqft for those condos. That's a pretty mediocre area right now. It might be great in 10 years but look at that arial rendering and tell me what you see around the building? A bunch of old 1 story homes and duplexes, crappy industrial retail, and the metrorail running right by your condo.

nimbyhater

February 25th, 2006, 05:46 AM

hope they get it... and spur even more crazy and radical projects out there cause they can get the money to fund anything...

dave8721

March 3rd, 2006, 04:45 PM

Another office condo for Coral Gables: here is Lancaster Plaza to go at 250 Minorca Ave:

website (its the 5th one down):
http://www.villasalescenter.com/

http://specialsections.miami.com/imagehandler/rop-ad/2648387

dave8721

March 3rd, 2006, 04:48 PM

Also check out Phillip Park Villas to go on the corner of Mendoza Ave and Galiano St (behind the Douglas Grand/Publix). Its the 4th one down on the same website:

http://www.villasalescenter.com/

ChuckScraperMiami#1

March 4th, 2006, 01:52 AM

DAVE :) , you the Man , your " HOT " today, you really need that Cold Front tonight, lol, even tho its only going down to 63 degrees.

Also :) , anyone take a picture of 55 Merrick WAY twin tower condos lately, the twin towers are going up faster than I thought :cheers: .

Can't wait to see the Burger King Tower :) go up looking like a WHOPPER !!! :cheers:

dave8721

March 10th, 2006, 09:28 PM

A new resiential for the Merrick Park area:

Villa Laguna will be 10-stories, 125 feet tall with 96 condos and 20,000 sqft of retai. Located at 4015 - 4135 Launga Street which is directly west of the getting ready to start Village Place and just to the north of Merrick Park.

http://www.citybeautiful.net/NR/rdonlyres/DF4B2E7C-0413-465E-8F39-6F78868A95F3/377/020806Staffreport.pdf

dave8721

March 10th, 2006, 09:42 PM

Here's another one for the Merrick Park area, though its been posted before. Here are some details on Gables Gateway to go on the corner of Le Jeune and US-1 (the north side) where the Ford dealership used to be. Basically it will bridge the gap between US-1 and Merrick Park. It will be 10 stories and 110-feet tall and feature 36,000 sqft of retail to go with 230 condos and 675 parking spaces.

A power point presentation by the City of Coral Gables on the project:
http://www.citybeautiful.net/NR/rdonlyres/DF4B2E7C-0413-465E-8F39-6F78868A95F3/382/GablesGateway.ppt?bcsi_scan_7FC3C74FD9762EFF=0&bcsi_scan_filename=GablesGateway.ppt

Image posted a few months ago:
http://www.berkowitzdevelopment.com/images/gablesstation-render5.jpg

dave8721

March 14th, 2006, 04:39 PM

A website for the new 10-story St.George Hotel & Residences to go up between Navarre & Minorca Ave's behind the current Holiday Inn:

http://www.stgeorgecoralgables.com/

http://host373.ipowerweb.com/~citycent/images/miamirender2.jpg

dave8721

March 17th, 2006, 04:52 PM

Here is the first rendering I've seen for the Bird Road Project to go at 3760 Bird Rd. That puts it in an industrial area just north of the Douglas Rd metrorail station and the Water & Sewer building. Its to be 17 stories, 197 feet which will make it about 12 stories taller than most of its neighbors. Merrick Park (and the 10 story buildings going up around it) is several blocks to the West. It will have 254 residences, 67,800 sqft of office space, 19,600 sqft of retail and 631 parking spaces. It goes before the commission for approval on the 23rd of March.

http://egov.ci.miami.fl.us/Legistarweb/Attachments/20831.PDF
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y19/dave8721/birdrd.jpg

dave8721

April 6th, 2006, 05:33 PM

A rendering for the new 12-story Domain Douglas can be found here (not the most attractive thing in the world but its a nice improvement over the industrial stuff in the Douglas Metrail station area now):

http://www.domain64.com/Credibility_Board.pdf

dave8721

April 6th, 2006, 10:05 PM

A new development for Downtown South Miami. A 4-story parking/retail building to feature Coldstone, Outback and others and 400+ parking spaces on what is now a parking lot behind where Sushi Maki is across from Bouganvillias.

http://www.communitynewspapers.com/2006/spapers/index.html

dave8721

April 18th, 2006, 09:50 PM

The first phase of the new Burger King HQ complex is now well underway. The first phase is building a new buiding for City National Bank so they can vacate their large parcel on which the BK building will be built.

dave8721

April 20th, 2006, 08:11 PM

Gables Marquis is officially topped off:

http://www.miamisunpost.com/groundwork.htm

A Home for the Spirits

The odds of ancient homeless spirits daring to nest anywhere near Coral Gables are pretty low, but Coscan Construction, the general contractor of Gables Marquis, wasn’t taking any chances. Last week they threw a party onsite at 3232 Coral Way to celebrate the topping off of the 20-story, 177-unit luxury condominium and town home development. Following a 1,000-year-old Scandinavian legend, a tree was fixed to the building’s roof to appease the spirits and ensure good luck. All construction halted at noon and hundreds of workers tucked into a barbecue buffet, enjoyed the music and aimed to win prizes donated by the project’s subcontractors. Gables Marquis, being developed by Boca Raton-based EB Development with one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 792 to 1,575 square feet and priced from $360,000. Amenities include a Palazzo pool, landscaped pool deck, clubroom, health and fitness center, and spa. The building offers vistas of Coconut Grove, Sailboat Key and the Miami skyline.

dave8721

May 3rd, 2006, 07:41 PM

Am I the only one who has noticed that Hometown Station has stalled for like a year now? A big hole was dug and a fence was put up next to the South Miami Metrorail station but I haven't seen anything done since. No workers either in at least 6 months. What gives?

nimbyhater

May 4th, 2006, 04:04 AM

dade county was allowed to have influence in building something... and this is the result...

dave8721

May 4th, 2006, 03:30 PM

The county has nothing to do with the construction. They just allow a private builder to build on their land in exchange for rent...etc. The private developer is responsible for funding and buiding their own project.

dave8721

May 4th, 2006, 07:49 PM

Article on the condo towers to go on the Mercy Hospital land:

http://www.miamisunpost.com/seventhstoryfrontpage.htm

Neighborhood Payoff?
Village Council Uneasy About Secret Deal Between
Hospital and Homeowner Associations
“You can say taking a payment is a payoff but my clients were the ones that stood up to the plate.” — Attorney Tucker Gibbs

By Tiffany Rainey

When representatives of the Related Group, Ocean Land Equities and Mercy Hospital attended Tuesday’s Cocoanut Grove Village Council meeting, the plan was to give a complete presentation on the tri-building, 300-unit upscale condo development proposed to sit adjacent to the hospital.

But soon, amid a discussion of design details, lurking questions revolving around a confidential agreement between neighboring homeowners came to the forefront, leaving council members a bit disconcerted with Grove development trends and putting attorney Tucker Gibbs on the defense.

“This is a private document between private entities,” said Gibbs, representing the Natoma Manors Homeowners Association and the Bay Heights Improvement Association. “There are confidential portions and I don’t want to breach that [confidentiality] because I don’t want the developers to come back and say all deals are off.”

Council members were far from impressed with the confidential nature of the agreement, which is presumed to include an undisclosed sum paid to residents. Village council members Michelle Niemeyer and Ron Nelson, in particular, recalled similar agreements at the Grovenor House and along Grand Avenue in which Grove residents received money in exchange for support of zoning variances, a trend that they claimed was getting out of hand.

“I have a real problem with neighborhood associations negotiating for money and I’ve seen this happen before,” Niemeyer said. “Maybe it’s a matter of course but we’re selling ourselves short.”

Gibbs, visibly upset by the councilwoman’s comments, was quick to defend the deal.

“You can say taking a payment is a payoff but my clients were the ones that stood up to the plate,” Gibbs told the council. “Your issue isn’t money. It’s the merits of this project — 300 units instead of 1,000, residential instead of a hospital.”

The supposed payment, which Gibbs neither admitted nor denied before the council, would be in an effort to gain support for a variance sought to re-zone the property from government/industrial (GI) to R-4 (intensive multifamily residential). As it stands, developers will automatically receive an R-3 (medium multifamily) zoning according to an ordinance passed following the sale and re-use of GI land to make way for the Grovenor House at 2627 South Bayshore Drive. The ordinance states that any GI property converting to other uses reverts to the lowest abutting zoning.

“That [ordinance] changed GI zoning without telling Mercy Hospital, the [Coconut Grove] Playhouse or any other GI property,” Related Group attorney Lucia Dougherty said in defense of the up-zoning the developers plan to seek. “They basically down-zoned their property.”

Nelson, who voiced concerns that supporting variances on GI properties could set a bad precedent and negate the original ordinance, reminded the council to keep the intent of the regulation in mind.

“We always forget about intent for some reason,” Nelson said. “The people living next door to government-institutional don’t want and shouldn’t have to live next to unlimited zoning when [an institution] leaves.”

Other council members were bothered by the agreement because they felt the entire Grove should have been privy to what was happening on the Mercy Hospital land under contract.

“In the future, we as a council should be involved at the time that negotiations are taking place,” said councilwoman Yvonne McDonald, “so we can obtain as much information as possible [to] inform the community. What happens in the north Grove effects the south and central Grove as well.”

Though the council was wary of the deal, members seemed to have no real problems with the project itself. Since it stands to occupy land that Mercy Hospital has long planned to use as a new home for office towers, council members generally agreed with developers and the neighborhood associations involved that the sale was a beneficial one.

“It’s truly to the benefit of the Grove to engage in this project with Related Group rather than an expansion of Mercy Hospital,” said Councilman Gary Hecht before making a motion to pass a resolution in support of the project.

The council agreed unanimously to approve the resolution regarding the project which, in addition to posing less significant traffic congestion and density than a medical office building would, promises to create a more pedestrian-friendly bay walk along its waterfront.

“It’s a good project whether someone got paid to accept it or not and it should stand on its own merits,” said council member Marc Sarnoff. “At the end of the day traffic is traffic and a dollar in your pocket is not going to change that. This is something we need to think about and stop right now.”

Also passing unanimously was a resolution in support of the Coconut Grove Playhouse’s designation as a historically significant structure. The Playhouse appealed the original designation made by Miami’s Historic and Environmental Preservation board to the city commission and has yet to announce whether they will continue to resist the designation.

“Given the gravity of the situation, there’s a concern,” Zilber said in hesitation of placing increased burden of the institution that is already facing a $4.6 million dollar debt, as has been recently revealed in the media. “Is something like this going to affect their viability? I would hate to do anything that would affect the situation of the Playhouse.”

When other council members indicated that they wanted to vote on the designation regardless of the Playhouse’s current financial problems, Zilber admitted he was only raising the point to make sure it had been considered.

“You can, in a cost-effective manner, comply with designation,” Niemeyer said.

Lynn Martenstein, one of two co-chairs on the Playhouse’s board, admitted to the council that she had little knowledge regarding the designation given all the other problems the board was currently facing. Martenstein also told council members that the board has been meeting almost daily for the last two weeks and has resorted to using personal checks from board members to supplement income from parking, ticket sales and fundraising to keep the Playhouse’s skeletal staff operating.

“We’re fighting to keep the doors open and the lights on,” Martenstein said.

Comments? E-mail tiffany@miamisunpost.com.

dave8721

May 11th, 2006, 08:10 PM

http://www.miamisunpost.com/groundwork.htm

St. George for Hilton

Location, luxury and the hotel flag are the basics that grab buyers’ attention in the condo-hotel market. A new project fits that bill but unlike many other South Florida condo-hotels, the planned St. George Residences and Condo-Hotel, 2020 Salzedo St. in Coral Gables, isn’t on the ocean or bay, but decidedly downtown. The St. George, located close to Miracle Mile, will be managed by Hilton Hotels as a first-class property catering to sophisticated buyers and hotel guests looking for urban shopping, dining and entertainment options.

The hotel component will have 117 studio and one-bedroom condo suites, ranging from 428 to 928 square feet, preconstruction priced from the mid-$200,000s. There will also be 83 traditional condominium residences of one, two and three bedrooms, ranging from 792 to 1,418 square feet and priced from the mid-$400,000s.

Amenities at the St. George include stylish lobbies with a private residents’ entrance and owners’ lounge, restaurant, heated swimming pool in a landscaped pool deck and spa/club and fitness facilities. Residents will have full access to both the hotel and spa amenities and services including round-the-clock concierge, valet and security staff, “on-call” 24-hour repair and maintenance housekeeping, in-room dining and banquet catering, laundry/dry cleaning and more. Construction on the St. George is scheduled to begin in this summer when the on-site sales center will open. A temporary sales center is located at the Coral Gables office of Fortune International Realty at 2401 Douglas Road.

dave8721

May 17th, 2006, 05:09 PM

A new 7-story building for the Miracle Mile area called Alhambra Gardens:

http://thegrandrealty.com/alhambra.html

dave8721

May 30th, 2006, 08:25 PM

Another office building for Coral Gables: The developer who bought 396 Alhambra Cir (SE side of Alhambra & LeJeune intersection)plans to redo the exterior of the current 7-story office building to make it comply with mediterranean standards and then construct a 15-story office building on the site of the current buildings' parking garage. The new tower would include 23,423 sqft of retail, a 4347 sqft restaurant, and 174,030 sqft of office space and a new parking garage with 951 parking spaces. To be designed by Fullerton-Diaz.

http://www.citybeautiful.net/CGWeb/documents/bnz_docs/agendas/devrevcomagenda20060324.pdf

dave8721

May 31st, 2006, 03:24 PM

Rendering of yet another office building for the Gables. Here's 1600 Ponce:

http://www.1600ponce.com/rendering.html
http://www.1600ponce.com/images/ren-rendering.jpg

dave8721

June 5th, 2006, 09:33 PM

ChuckScraperMiami#1

June 6th, 2006, 12:49 AM

Great INFO DAVE :rock: :hi: , thanks
also 55 Merick Way condo project :righton: is so Bulky at the beginnning of Coral Gables accross the street from Sears, wow
I didn't know that was going to be so huge !!! :runaway:

construction is almost topped off at 55 Merrick :okay: ,
Please someone get a picture !!! :cheers:

Toucano

June 6th, 2006, 01:57 AM

That would be fantastic, a great Link between the CBD and the Merrick area just a little south...

dave8721

June 7th, 2006, 08:21 PM

"Project Sunset" in South Miami has made a return but in a smaller stripped down form. The new version is to be less glassy, its office portion has been dropped and the residences are to be larger.

Article
http://www.communitynewspapers.com/2006/spapers/index.html

page 1
http://www.communitynewspapers.com/2006/spapers/images/01_060606_sm.gif

page2 (at the bottom)
http://www.communitynewspapers.com/2006/spapers/images/02_060606_sm.gif

Toucano

June 8th, 2006, 12:32 AM

Lame...It has no style, its way to drab...South Miami should step up the architectural requirements...Even the street interaction is failry lame...

dave8721

June 15th, 2006, 07:40 PM

Coconut Grove Nimbys have moved on from Home Depot and are now going after the idea of a TOD at the Coconut Grove metrorail station. A TOD is by definition a high density development or at least much higher than the surrounding area. Grovites are against high densities anywhere, even if (such as in this case) the development is not actually even in the Grove. This one will be in the County's hands more than the City's though so the Grove's influence is much much less.

http://www.miamisunpost.com/forthstoryfrontpage.htm

Shadow-Rises
Questions about Possible Grove High-Rises Force County Commissioner From His Own Meeting

“I’m not saying it’s a 37-story building but it is high-density.” — Frank Talleda, Miami-Dade Transit

By Tiffany Rainey

County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez may not be able to talk about zoning issues before voting on them, thanks to the “Jennings” law, but that didn’t stop several District 7 residents from doing so even if it meant that the commissioner had to leave his own Coconut Grove Town Hall meeting for a few minutes on Tuesday evening.

Concerns stem from a development being proposed for 5.2 acres of land owned by Miami-Dade Transit adjacent to the SW 27th Avenue Metrorail stop. Given its position in a rapid transit zone, the property currently has no zoning designation, said Frank Talleda, chief of joint development and leasing for Miami-Dade Transit.

According to Talleda, zoning is recommended as a set of development standards by an impact committee before going to the county Development Inspection Committee for approval. An initial meeting has already taken place between the city of Miami and county officials, he said.

“Right now I don’t know if there is a specific plan,” Talleda told residents amid rumors that several high-density towers will be built on the land. “What’s being done is creating zoning for the site.”

Coconut Grove resident Jim McMaster, who lives a few blocks from the proposed Metrorail stop, said, to his knowledge, two 35-story towers and one 25-story tower were planned. Included in the proposed development is office, commercial and hotel space, plus almost 1,000 residential units, McMaster said.

Talleda could not confirm what is in store for the site.

“I’m not saying it’s a 37-story building but it is high-density,” Talleda told residents.

McMaster also pointed out that a request for proposal was issued in 1999 for a development to include an 18-story tower, a 15-story tower and a Publix. How, he asked, could this larger project now be considered?

“The proposal accepted becomes a minimum. The county can’t accept less,” Talleda said. “In some cases, if it’s determined to be in the best interest of the county, it can accept more but nothing has been accepted yet.”

McMaster, concerned that residents wouldn’t have time to meet and discuss the project before it goes to the Development Inspection Committee on July 5, requested a deferral.

“This process is at the beginning,” Talleda assured the roomful of concerned residents. “It’s not going to break ground tomorrow. There is plenty of time to make your concerns known.”

Some residents, fearing automatic approval by the Miami commission, disagreed.

“Historically the city pretty much rubber-stamps you,” resident and Cocoanut Grove Village Council chair Marc Sarnoff said. “They’ve never rejected you.”

Talleda said city of Miami officials were more approving of the project than county officials at the initial meeting, explaining further that “… there’s some disagreement between the city and county.”

In an e-mail sent to various neighbors prior to the meeting, Sarnoff stated that the project being proposed is to be developed by Carlos Rua. According to Sarnoff, Rua will develop an office building 350 feet in height as well as two hotels “one described as a Marriott or Marriott Courtyard.”

“The size we are talking about is 1 million to 1.4 million square feet of development not including parking,” Sarnoff wrote. “To once again give perspective, Mr. Rua advised me that the Datran Center is 2 million square feet. So this project is big. The DIC does not approve the site plan on July 5, however it does approve the size of the project.”

Rua will go to Coconut Grove’s NET office, aka the Glass House at 2820 McFarlane Road, on Tuesday, June 20 at 5 p.m. “to answer any questions,” states Sarnoff’s e-mail.

Though Gimenez couldn’t comment on the specific project, before he left the room he did respond to a hypothetical question concerning where he stood on high-density projects.

“I don’t think you have to have 30-story buildings to increase density,” Gimenez said. “It’s premature to say whether I am for or against [density in the area]. I’m not in favor of development that doesn’t keep the flavor of the community. I will say that.”

Comments? E-mail tiffany@miamisunpost.com.

brickell

June 15th, 2006, 08:11 PM

High density development next to high density transit??? The horror!

I like the Grove but this area is already densifying rather quickly.

Here's part of the original vision.
http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/jointcoconut.asp

Also this isn't Rua's first run-in with Coconut Grove nimbys
http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/031002/story5.shtml

Toucano

June 15th, 2006, 10:58 PM

Ha! I wrote all about it in today's blog...check it out:

www.transitmiami.com

archifreese

June 15th, 2006, 11:52 PM

edit toucano took care of it ! :)

dave8721

June 16th, 2006, 09:42 PM

http://www.citybeautiful.net/NR/rdonlyres/0B838C9D-859E-4438-BE5D-D11EBFFFCC28/491/June14.pdf

I've been waiting for this one ever since I saw some developer bought up 3 entire continguous blocks at the southern end of downtown Coral Gables. They are going before the Coral Gables planning board on June 14th try change with some zoning changes. One of which is to upzone the area to "Commercial, High-Rise intensity" and also to extend the boundary of Coral Gables' "mixed-use district" a block to the south to fit in the project. The project is being called "Old Spanish Village" for now and here is the area covered (probably the biggest single project Downtown CG has ever had) on the East side of Ponce De Leon Circle Park:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y19/dave8721/pdlcircle.jpg

A couple of power point presentations on the project:

http://www.coralgables.com/NR/rdonlyres/DF4B2E7C-0413-465E-8F39-6F78868A95F3/533/OldSpanishVillagewebversion1of2061406.ppt
http://www.coralgables.com/NR/rdonlyres/DF4B2E7C-0413-465E-8F39-6F78868A95F3/534/OldSpanishVillagewebversion2of2061406.ppt

Some details:
It is to have 3 structures totaling 173 condos and 31 townhouses along with about 28000 sqft of office space and 19,000 sqft of restaurant space.
There was 1 single family homeowner that refused to sell so there is 1 parcel that will remain single family and the developer proposes building the project completely around te house. The zoning staff recommended denial of the project as having the 1 single family house in the middle would violate just about all of Coral Gables' laws.

The building at 2801 Ponce is to be 16 stories and 191 feet tall, the one at 3001 ponce is to be 9 floors and 87 feet tall.

dave8721

June 22nd, 2006, 09:58 PM

About the Coconut Grove TOD, the developer is seeking zoning from the County (he needs approval from the County not the City) for 30-stories and 350 feet.

http://www.miamisunpost.com/secondstoryfrontpage.htm

Village of the Future
Developer Claims Million-Plus Square-Foot Project Will Benefit Coconut Grove

“It may actually be a very good project and something we should support.” —Michelle Niemeyer of the Cocoanut Grove Village Council

By Tiffany Rainey

After a week of e-mail blasts and unconfirmed details about a development proposed to occupy land surrounding the Coconut Grove Metrorail Station at SW 27th Avenue, developer Carlos Rua met Grove residents face-to-face on Tuesday evening to put an end to the rumor mill.

Rua, who acquired a 90-year lease on the 5.2 acres in 2000, is in the process of getting standards, or zoning designation, from the county. The developer is seeking BU 3 zoning with a height limit of 350 feet that would allow for the three mixed-use towers Rua is proposing for the site. At approximately 32 stories tall and with a total square footage of around 1.4 million, Rua said the proposed development would be slightly smaller than the Datran complex.

“The project is highly valuable to this community,” Rua told residents packed into the NET office in Peacock Park. “There will be no interference with your quality of life except to enhance it.”

Chris Alger, who lives in one of the homes adjacent to the parking lot that currently serves the station, agreed.

“I don’t care if he wants to build 40 stories,” she said. “I’m in absolute support.”

According to Alger, the city of Miami has long promised residents of the immediate area development on the site, something that would put an end to the criminal activity that takes place in the parking lot at night.

Deciding a standard for the site would also allow the city to determine a zoning designation for Alger’s property, something that planning officials have been putting off pending the county’s decision for zoning of the transit station.

“The city said [we] wouldn’t have to live across from the station,” Alger said, “and 20 years later we’re still living across from [it].”

Michelle Niemeyer of the Cocoanut Grove Village Council pointed out that similar developments surrounding public transportation have been successful in many cities.

“I have lived in places where these types of developments work,” Niemeyer said. “I know Miami people are different but in five or 10 years we won’t have a choice [of whether or not to use public transit]. It may actually be a very good project and something we should support.”

Others, pointing to the developer’s plans for a 4.0 gross floor area ratio (FAR), were a little more reticent.

“If you go to Brickell between 15th and 24th [streets], those high-rises are 1.72 FAR bulked up to 2.0,” said resident Jim McMaster. “What you’re proposing is the [highest] density outside of the core.”

Rua, citing the county’s comprehensive plan, said the federal government is pushing for density around the transit stations it helped fund.

“They want you to be thinking 30 to 50 years ahead,” Rua said. “The station is supposed to be the highest around there. They want it to stand out.”

Lourdes Slayzak of the city’s Planning Department confirmed Rua’s claim.

“The city felt that this should be built at higher density and intensity,” she said before adding that the city relinquished all rights to the land to the county, who will ultimately be responsible for what happens on the site.

City commissioners, however, will hold a hearing to make a recommendation to the county.

“As a community what we want there is what other communities have gotten — 18 to 20 stories,” McMaster told the developer.

Rua, saying that he would be willing to work with residents to find a compromise that would suit everyone, agreed to meet with a committee established at the meeting.

“I don’t want to get confrontational at all,” Rua told residents. “I want your backing [because] this is going to go on one way or the other.”

The county will hear Rua’s proposal for standards at its July 26 Development Impact Committee meeting.

Comments? E-mail tiffany@miamisunpost.com.

dave8721

June 27th, 2006, 04:11 PM

A couple of power point presentations on the project:

http://www.coralgables.com/NR/rdonlyres/DF4B2E7C-0413-465E-8F39-6F78868A95F3/533/OldSpanishVillagewebversion1of2061406.ppt
http://www.coralgables.com/NR/rdonlyres/DF4B2E7C-0413-465E-8F39-6F78868A95F3/534/OldSpanishVillagewebversion2of2061406.ppt

Some details:
It is to have 3 structures totaling 173 condos and 31 townhouses along with about 28000 sqft of office space and 19,000 sqft of restaurant space.
There was 1 single family homeowner that refused to sell so there is 1 parcel that will remain single family and the developer proposes building the project completely around te house. The zoning staff recommended denial of the project as having the 1 single family house in the middle would violate just about all of Coral Gables' laws.

The building at 2801 Ponce is to be 16 stories and 191 feet tall, the one at 3001 ponce is to be 9 floors and 87 feet tall.

Suprisingly the Coral Gables planning board OK'd the project despite the single family home that will remain in the middle of it. The project goes before the Commission for final approval on July 11th.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/miami-dade/cities_neighborhoods/coral_gables/14864663.htm

CORAL GABLES
Owner won't sell to Spanish Village
One of the biggest developments in the City Beautiful passed the first green light -- despite one family's refusal to sell their home for the project.

BY ELAINE DE VALLE
edevalle@MiamiHerald.com

The small, peach-colored house with the barrel tile roof on Coconut Grove Drive is not particularly spectacular. Built in 1951, the two-bedroom Coral Gables home has been the Capote family residence for the past 17 years.

But it also sits smack dab in the middle of the proposed Old Spanish Village -- an $82 million complex of offices, shops, condos and town houses which was approved last week by the planning and zoning board, against the advice of city planners.

City Commissioners get the final say next month. The Capote house -- which the family refuses to sell -- is one reason city staff recommended against changing the zoning and land use on all the properties to allow for condos and town houses.

Planning Director Eric Riel said the change would amount to spot zoning, where one small island would be surrounded by seven acres of commercial and mixed-use buildings.

Developer Ralph Sanchez already bought the commercial buildings along Ponce de Leon Boulevard, as well as 20 other single-family homes between Sevilla and Malaga avenues, and Galiano Street and Ponce -- many of which were already demolished.

But Orlando Capote -- whose parents bought the home in the 2900 block of Coconut Grove Drive for $130,000 in 1989 -- doesn't want to move. He wouldn't say how much the developers offered, but a house the same size two doors down sold last year for $1.5 million to Ponce Circle Development LLC, Sanchez's company.

It's more than just a matter of money, though the offer he got, Capote said, won't let him purchase something comparable in the Gables near downtown. It's also about family: Capote's father died seven months ago after a long illness and his mother simply can't tear herself away from the home they shared.

''I see him everywhere inside this house,'' Lucia Capote said this week. ``Even outside. He put in the sprinklers himself.''

''There may come a time when it's right to go. But this is not the time,'' Orlando Capote said.

Capote never mentioned his family's personal attachment to the home when he went before the Gables planning and zoning board last week to ask the board to maintain his block's zoning as single family and follow existing code.

''By keeping that block single family, it gives future homeowners the option to choose between single family, condos and town houses,'' Capote argued, adding that he did not want his land use and zoning changed because of tax consequences.

While some property owners within 1,000 feet support the project, Capote and other nearby homeowners say it is too big: Old Spanish Village consists of three city blocks, about seven acres, with 458 residential units -- almost twice what is allowed there now -- and an estimated population of about 1,100. The 20 single-family homes bought by developers will be replaced with 51 townhomes.

''It's a very nice looking project, but we would like it to have less density,'' said Robert Kirk, a Santander Avenue resident who also brought letters from six of his neighbors.

''Traffic is going to be an issue,'' Kirk said, adding that workers at nearby businesses on Ponce already park in the swales.

While the development met some city objectives -- such as mixing residential and business uses -- Riel said there was insufficient parking, landscaping, traffic improvements, green space and buffering from the single family zone that borders the project.

But despite the staff recommendation to deny the six applications, the board voted 4-1 on June 14 to approve them after Sanchez, flanked by attorneys Zeke Guilford and Laura Russo, agreed to provide more green space, additional parking, $1 million and a design for improvements to Ponce Circle Park and a sum for a future fund for affordable housing.

Only Eibe Aizenstat voted against it because, at almost 1 a.m., he said he felt the issues were being rushed through.

Sanchez said he had met with city officials 68 times in the past year to iron out the details and that his company would spend $5 million to 8 million in landscaping, sidewalk and street improvements.

Sanchez also said that the development would be a financial windfall for the city, bringing in close to $500 million in taxes, up from the current $32.5 million.

''The city is always looking for funds. This is one way to do it without raising taxes,'' he said.

When he first got the properties, Sanchez went to historian Arva Moore Parks to learn about the history of that area of the Gables, known as the Crafts Section. Moore spoke in favor of the project in a video presented by Sanchez last week and compared the developer to Gables founder George Merrick, who aimed to create themed villages throughout the city.

Said Sanchez: ``We have basically taken the vision that George Merrick had for different villages within Coral Gables and decided to bring the Old Spanish Village.''

The proposal will go before city commissioners July 11.

ChuckScraperMiami#1

June 28th, 2006, 12:40 AM

DAVE :wave: my friend :cool: , Have you taken a drive down Ponce De leon blvd Lately :hm: :llama: :cheers1: ,

WOW, I say Wow, so many cranes and construction, Is this the second greatest city with Cranes and Consruction in the United States Now,

Puerta de Palms condo tower :hi: Is Fantastic and beauitful :applause: , I love this tower going up at the Douglas Entrance :righton: ,
One of my Best Towers under construction in the Gables :okay: :cheers2: ,

Go Cranes !!! :banana: :cheer: :pepper:

dave8721

July 5th, 2006, 07:58 PM

Another development for the southern part of the Gables on the site where the EWM office currently is along the Gables Waterway.

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/060706/story6.shtml

Developer changes plans for Gables waterway project

By Eric Kalis
After conducting a series of meetings with Coral Gables officials and residents, a developer made sweeping changes to plans for a mixed-use project facing the University of Miami on US 1 with hopes of bringing it before the city's Board of Architects this month.
According to plans, hotel areas along Caballero Boulevard and South Alhambra Circle will give way to Gables Waterway, a mixed-use Amace Properties development with 80,000 square feet of Class A office space and 108 Mediterranean-style condominiums in the 1300 block of South Dixie Highway.
Planners are moving slowly to make sure concerns of neighbors are addressed, said managing agent Frank Siberio, president of Realbloc Inc. Amace hired RE Chisholm Architects to do renderings, released in a newsletter this week along with a list of plan modifications.
The process has been delayed by a backlog of projects under city review, said lead architect Robert Chisholm, who recently earned the support of the Riviera Neighborhood Association in a public meeting. The project was expected to go before the Board of Architects six months ago.
The planners are awaiting a city vote on a zoning change from hotel use to permanent residential use, he said. One-fourth of the complex will be devoted to commercial space with the rest including residential and open spaces.
Among the fundamental changes described in the newsletter:
NThe first building along South Alhambra Circle was moved from 10 feet to 45 feet away from the property line.
NThe first building along Caballero was moved to 100 feet from the property line.
NAll commercial space will be at least 300 feet away from single-family homes.
The newsletter details a traffic study conducted by project planners that determined the complex would have a negligible impact on local traffic.
The delay in securing city approval has not deterred prospective tenants, Mr. Siberio said. The developer expects Esslinger Wooten Maxwell and Metro Bank to buy office space.
"As far as I know, (EWM and Metro Bank) will be there," Mr. Siberio said. "Several of the current tenants have expressed desire to continue to have offices there and possibly purchase a condo to reside a short distance from their workplaces."
Plans are to retain the 24 boat slips at the property and possibly to add as many as six, Mr. Siberio said.
"I have stated all along that we will not build more than 30 boat slips," Mr. Siberio said. "If people own bigger boats within what can fit in the canal, we will most likely have less slips."
Mr. Siberio said construction is not expected to begin until the end of 2008 and construction costs will not be determined until after the Board of Architects votes on the project.

dave8721

July 13th, 2006, 04:10 PM

Suprisingly the Coral Gables planning board OK'd the project despite the single family home that will remain in the middle of it. The project goes before the Commission for final approval on July 11th.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/miami-dade/cities_neighborhoods/coral_gables/14864663.htm

I'm shocked that this thing passed in Coral Gables but it did even though it will literallty be built around a single family house. The Coral Gables commission officially approved the project on Tuesday.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/miami-dade/cities_neighborhoods/coral_gables/15017519.htm

CORAL GABLES
Commissioners approve zoning changes
The Old Spanish Village development, slated for an area near Ponce Circle Park, will proceed -- thanks to a Tuesday vote by commissioners.

BY ELAINE DE VALLE
edevalle@MiamiHerald.com

Developers of an $82-million complex of apartments, townhomes and shops across three city blocks near Ponce Circle Park say the project is just an extension of Coral Gables founder George Merrick's master plan.

Old Spanish Village was sold to commissioners Tuesday as one of the city's theme villages -- like the French and the Chinese villages -- originally conceived by Merrick when he shaped the City Beautiful in the 1920s. Historian Arva Moore Parks -- hired by Ponce Circle Developers, which is led by racing enthusiast Ralph Sanchez -- said it was one of 12 unbuilt villages in Merrick's original plan.

'One of the very first ideas he had in his first advertisements was that Coral Gables was to be `a place where your castles in Spain are made real,' '' Parks said.

''There are many things that did not get built,'' she said, and a sampling of unbuilt villages includes Tangier, Persian and Mexican-styled enclaves, and a ``Spanish Town.''

Commissioners approved several zoning and land-use changes that allow Sanchez's firm to build two condominiums along Ponce de Leon Boulevard on property now zoned commercial and used as offices. There will also be townhomes built on properties now zoned single-family residential.
Only Commissioner William Kerdyk voted against the changes.

He also voted against the site plan that turns the three city blocks -- from Sevilla to Malaga avenues between Ponce de Leon Boulevard and Galiano Avenue -- into a micro community of palm-lined paths with plazas, fountains and promenades between Mediterranean revival structures. The site plan was approve 4-1.

Sanchez was able to purchase all the homes in the 6 ½ acres that comprise the development -- except for a house on Coconut Grove Drive owned by Orlando Capote. Capote would not sell and told the commission Tuesday that he has no problem with the project, although he would like to see it include a single-family-home component.

His house is one of the main reasons why Gables Planning Director Eric Riel said he recommended against the application, although the planning and zoning board voted 4-1 to override the staff and urge the commission to approve the site plan and the land use changes.

''It's a good project,'' Riel said. The developer added 50 more spaces for a total of 100 extra spaces above and beyond what is required by law, said Jorge Hernandez, the project's architect and a longtime city historic preservation activist.

He also showed diagrams of pocket parks and pool decks above the parking structures, which will not be counted as public space. Hernandez also noted that the developers will make landscape and streetscape improvements even beyond the project's boundaries, in addition to $1 million in improvements to Ponce Circle Park, which could include a stage and a water feature.

A few people spoke in favor of the project, even though they don't live near it, and the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce -- which just purchased its headquarters on nearby Catalonia Avenue -- endorsed it. But Martha Puente, who works in the 200th block of Valencia Avenue, asked commissioners to defer action.

''My biggest concern with the project was the density and the heights of the buildings,'' Puente said, referring to the two buildings on Ponce that are proposed to be 16 and nine stories tall. ''Although the area could use the redevelopment, and we certainly want to grow into the future, I think it still needs a little more work regarding the density,'' Puente said.

That was exactly Kerdyk's concern: The project would double the square footage in the area now and the change in land use and zoning would triple the square footage.

''Philosophically, I have somewhat of an issue with developers coming in and buying up and then wanting to rezone the area,'' Kerdyk said, adding that property owners on the other side of Galiano have started to entertain similar type projects.

``I'm not saying this area shouldn't be looked at on a greater basis. But I think we need to drive that from the city's standpoint and not from the development standpoint.

``This is a precedent-setting vote. I can't support it.''

But Vice Mayor Maria Anderson said she was excited about the project.

''This is a project that is going to change that area of town in a very positive way,'' Anderson said. ``It is a project that can, hopefully, probably, leave a legacy to the city.''

bro305

July 15th, 2006, 12:34 AM

bro305

July 15th, 2006, 01:32 AM

i dunno if this has been posted before
Villa Sidonia, a new development in Coral Gables at 24 Sidonia Ave., continues the Mediterranean look that defines the “City Beautiful.” The local firm of Bellin & Pratt Architects has designed a five-story building with only 35 units of two-, three- and four-bedroom condos. Floor plans range from 1,384 to 2,668 square feet with private terraces.

Kitchens are as lavish as expected loaded with granite countertops, stainless steel appliance, and imported custom Euro-designed cabinets. The marble-floored baths include bidets (beloved by Latins and Europeans), Roman soaking tubs, and separate marble- and glass-enclosed showers, in addition to custom-designed cabinetry and designer lighting. Amenities include a landscaped fifth-floor entertainment and recreation deck with a built-in barbecue/kitchen area and fully equipped fitness center. (Residents can eat in and work out, or vice versa.)

The Miami-based developers, headed by partner Jorge de la Osa, recently developed Tuscan Villas at SW Eighth Street at 84th Avenue. Construction on Villa Sidonia is scheduled to start in winter 2006 with completion by early 2008. Pre-construction prices range from $550,000 to $870,000. The sales center, where a full-scale kitchen is on display, is at 1101 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables. Real Estate Sales Force of Coral Gables is handling sales.
http://www.miamisunpost.com/groundwork.htm

ChuckScraperMiami#1

July 15th, 2006, 01:46 AM

Thanks BRO from the 305 :wave: , Coral Gables :cool: , is the " City Beautiful " :) , fantastic renderings :okay: , I hope they all get built in this Beautiful cty of George Merrick :angel: . He would of loved them :lovethem: all built " His Way ". :cheer:

dave8721

July 15th, 2006, 04:57 AM

found sum renderings for the old spanish village in coral gables
http://www.oldspanishvillage.com/images/inside1_03.gif

2801 Ponce Circle
http://www.oldspanishvillage.com/images/mainmap_04_2801.gif

Palermo building
http://www.oldspanishvillage.com/images/mainmap_04_palermo.gif

townhomes
http://www.oldspanishvillage.com/images/mainmap_04-town.gif

3001 building
http://www.oldspanishvillage.com/images/mainmap_04_3001.gif

all found at: http://www.oldspanishvillage.com/3001.html

I like this

A great improvement for the area, and as was stated earlier will help bridge the gap between the downtown Miracle Mile area and the Merrick Park are to the south. Those few blocks needed some sprucing up IMO (id still like to see how the one single family home fits in to it). This pic from the site shows the area now with the unsightly and very un-coral gables-like white building set to come down:

http://www.oldspanishvillage.com/images/over.jpg

bro305

July 15th, 2006, 07:18 AM

yea the 2801 building will be replacing it

BornInTheGrove

July 15th, 2006, 09:44 AM

http://www.oldspanishvillage.com/images/Architectural-Landscape-5_1.jpg

You can see the single family home, just up right of center.

bro305

July 16th, 2006, 12:18 AM

i hope it blends in well with the village

dave8721

July 20th, 2006, 07:47 PM

http://www.miamisunpost.com/sixthstoryfrontpage.htm

http://www.miamisunpost.com/images/J3_rendering%20of%20the%20palace%20at%20coral%20gables.jpg

Twilight Palace
City to Negotiate With Senior Housing Complex Developer

“When you take away the two props for the department stores, Miracle Mile will be crippled.” — Jackson Rick Holmes, Miracle Mile business owner

By Bonnie Schindler

It is not just a myth that the elderly flock to Florida. Indeed, it may have been a factor Tuesday when the Coral Gables City Commission unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to begin negotiations for a luxury senior housing complex adjacent to Miracle Mile.

According to a 2004 demographic profile posted on the city’s Web site, 27 percent of the Gables population is over the age of 55, which is also the minimum age at which folks may move into the Mediterranean-style Palace at Coral Gables, the subject of the resolution.

If approved, The Palace at Coral Gables will be the second posh senior living facility OK’d in recent months.

On May 9 the first luxury senior living complex in the city, Sunrise at Coral Gables, located at 1505 Ponce de Leon Blvd., was approved by the City Commission.

The Palace would be erected at 45 and 50 Andalusia Ave., currently the location of two city-owned parking lots (Municipal Lot No. 9 and Municipal Parking Garage No. 5). The complex would comprise 196 units – 156 independent living units and 40 assisted living units – according to Adam Rosenblum, vice president of sales and marketing for The Palace Management Group.

And while 42 percent of the units would be designed as studio apartments (which Commissioner Rafael Cabrera worried might be hard to sell), project architect John Fullerton of Fullerton Diaz Architects Incorporated said some of the single spaces could be modified into one-bedrooms if necessary.

The Palace offers peaceof mind for seniors, as well as their adult children who could rest assured their parents are safe, Rosenblum said during the meeting. And residents won’t just have help cooking their meals, cleaning and getting around, according to Rosenblum — they will also have fun.

Commission members viewed a slideshow presentation featuring some of the project’s public spaces: an art gallery, a library, a theater, an arts and crafts studio, and a piano bar, as well as a large restaurant decorated to the nines and resembling any five-star eatery.

It will cost approximately $75 million to complete The Palace – and even at that price, the city will have a tight rein on the developers, who are putting $15 million of their own money upfront and borrowing the other $60 million.

In February of 2006, the Senior Citizens Advisory Board, a panel of residents who advise city departments on issues related to the elderly, put out a call for senior living housing. Proposals were sent to 300 developers.

The bid request asked that only experts in senior housing compete. In addition, the proposals had to comply with the Gables’ Mediterranean design, have ground-floor retail, stay within the 97-foot height limit, as well as be responsible for replacing the city parking spots that would be taken over by the development.

Only one candidate applied: The Palace Group Management.

The Kendall-based company began its now award-winning senior living track record in Opa-locka, where founders Jacob and Helen Shaham opened a 20-bed facility. Nearly a quarter of a century later, they now operate four campuses in the United States and one in Tel Aviv.

But not everyone attending the meeting was happy with the design.

Jackson Rick Holmes, a Coral Gables resident who said his father was not only an acquaintance of the city’s founder, George Merrick, but had also owned property in the area since 1937, felt city parking lots should not be converted into housing units; they ought to be developed into department stores, he said.

As a business owner on Miracle Mile, Holmes said local businesses are hurting because they need at least two large chains to anchor the Mile, which could then mirror Rodeo Drive, and would be guaranteed to be more productive.

“If you vote to go forward with this project, as is, this will be the day the retail will be killed by 50 percent,” he warned the five commission members. “When you take away the two props for the department stores, Miracle Mile will be crippled.”

The Palace, if it gains final approval at the next meeting on Tuesday, August 22 and has a lease in place by January 2007, will open by 2010, a city official said.

The Palace Management Group’s Oscar Roiz, who is in charge of the financial aspects of the project, indicated that tax revenues from the facility would net about $120,000 per year for the city, and continue to increase annually. By the year 2036, the total intake should reach the $1 million mark.

And while raising money for the Gables is no doubt a good thing, Mayor Donald Slesnick reminded the public and the commission of their duty to older residents. “One of our driving factors, long before we get financial [gains], is the giveback to the senior citizens.”

Comments? E-mail letters@miamisunpost.com.

dave8721

August 9th, 2006, 08:53 PM

Grove-ites upset with density next to the metrorail.

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/060810/story3.shtml

Grove residents, Miami commissioner peeved with transit project plans

By Charlotte Libov
A high-density mixed-use project planned for a Coconut Grove transit station has residents and a Miami city commissioner protesting that the development would be too big for the community.
Residents say they were alarmed by reports that two of three residential towers in the project would be 35 stories and the other 25.
Linda Haskins, appointed to the commission earlier this summer to replace the suspended Johnny Winton, said she is puzzled why the project has become so large.
"I really don't understand how it got to this point, and I have posed this to the Miami-Dade transit folks," said Ms. Haskins, whose district includes Coconut Grove. "It was at significantly lower density, and now the developer is talking maybe 35 stories. How did that happen?"
Ms. Haskins said she sympathizes with county transit officials' desire to create high-density developments that stimulate mass-transit ridership. "Everybody knows that the new urbanism approach is to encourage higher density near transit, but 35 stories in that area is just ridiculous."
She said she has been urged to oppose the project by area residents worried about its magnitude.
Felice Dubin, chairwoman of the 27th Avenue Metrorail Project, a neighborhood group fighting it, said the project has grown substantially. "Originally, in 1999, it was for a 10-story building, a 14-story building and a one-story building. I have the resolution. Then, the lease ended up being for two 19-story buildings and a supermarket. Now it's for two 35-story buildings and a 25-story building," she said.
Rua Enterprises of Miami is planning the project. Although no site plan is required at this point, an application filed with the Miami-Dade County Department of Planning and Zoning proposes 1,554 housing units. Plans reportedly also include office, commercial and hotel space and parking facilities that would be built on a 5.2-acre parcel owned by the county next to the Southwest 27th Avenue Metrorail station.
Frank Talleda, chief of joint development and leasing for Miami-Dade Transit, said developer Carlos Rua responded to a request for proposals in 1999 with a smaller project. "The biggest change is the density. They are now asking for a much higher density," Mr. Talleda said.
Mr. Rua signed a lease with Miami-Dade Transit in 2001 to build the smaller project. Mr. Rua's son, Charlie, who works with his father, said Tuesday that he nor his father could answer questions about the project at the advice of their lawyer, Gilberto Pastoriza.
Mr. Pastoriza wrote in an e-mail that Mr. Rua is working with several county departments to establish development parameters that would serve as a master development plan. When it is approved, "the specific project will then undergo review by the Rapid Transit (Development Impact Committee) and the Board of County Commissioners," Mr. Pastoriza wrote.
Mr. Talleda said the Rapid Transit Development Impact Committee, or DIC, must review the developer's application because the parcel is in a Rapid Transit Zone, created without zoning to foster high-density developments near mass-transit stations.
The proposal is reviewed by the DIC's lower committee, which includes representatives of the county planning and zoning department, the school board, the police department, the county public works department and others.
It then moves to the DIC's executive committee, which would send it with a recommendation to the Miami City Commission. If the commission approves, the application would go to the county commission for site-plan review and approval.
A site plan, showing the specific design of the project, does not need to be submitted until then, Mr. Talleda said.
The DIC's lower committee has reviewed the proposal and a meeting of the executive committee was scheduled for this month. But Mr. Rua's attorney has asked for it to be delayed until September.

dave8721

August 28th, 2006, 10:31 PM

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/classifieds/real_estate/15364581.htm

Villa Alhambra in the Gables gets city approval
Villa Alhambra at 32-50 Alhambra Cir. in Coral Gables is starting construction now that the project has received city approval.

The four-story building will have 36 residences adjacent to Las Palmas restaurant. Nearly all the single-story condos are sold, but a few of the townhouses are still available.

The two-story townhouses by Weitzer Communities are 2,800 square feet, with three bedrooms and 3 ½ baths. Prices for the town homes start at $1 million.

The sales center is at 1940 Ponce de Leon Blvd. in Coral Gables.

Information: 786-552-0065; www.villaalhambra.com.

ChuckScraperMiami#1

August 28th, 2006, 10:50 PM

DAVE :) is Back, In fact we :) are all back, Thanks for the Update, Dave !!! :cheers:

brickell

August 31st, 2006, 10:53 PM

I don't think this has been mentioned yet. They tore down 3 dilapitaed apartment buildings on US1 in Coral Gables (just south of Merrick Park). Looks like GC Homes is going to put an 8 story office condo there. There's not a whole lot of info about it so I could be wrong.
http://www.gchomes.com/

They also show Gables Gateway at the corner of Ponce and LeJuene. I think the ford dealership currently occupies this corner. Nice density for the area.

http://www.gchomes.com/uploads/Links/LinkFile65.jpg
http://www.gchomes.com/uploads/Links/LinkFile66.jpg

dave8721

September 1st, 2006, 05:44 PM

One of the many U/C buildings along SW 27th Ave around Coral Way:

http://img.travidia.com/rop-ad/3407238

dave8721

September 6th, 2006, 03:10 PM

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15451405.htm

Two hotels planned for downtown Coral Gables
By ELAINE DE VALLE
edevalle@MiamiHerald.com
For the last two decades, development in Coral Gables has meant new restaurants or shops, retail and office complexes or townhouses and condominiums.

Now add two hotels to the horizon.

Sherwood ''Woody'' Weiser -- who developed the Grand Bay Hotel in Coconut Grove and theRitz-Carlton in Key Biscayne -- wants to build what he calls a ''luxury boutique hotel'' in the city's industrial zone, right across from Nordstrom in the Village of Merrick Park.

A joint venture between Weiser's The Continental Companies and Codina Development -- which has built an apartment building in the city's downtown and is currently developing the Burger King corporate headquarters -- has proposed a hotel that consists of 120 units, of which 30 are condominium units for sale and the rest are upscale hotel suites.

It is also expected to have a nationally renowned restaurant on the ground floor and several boardroom type meeting facilities.

'A unique, luxury type hotel will be compatible with the elegance and style of The Village of Merrick Park, which we believe will continue to fulfill its promise as Coral Gables' premier shopping experience,'' Weiser and Codina said in a joint statement.

Detailed plans should be submitted soon, said Assistant Building and Zoning Director Dennis Smith. ''I expect them to walk in any day now,'' Smith said.

If approved, the hotel would become the second new one built in the city in 20 years. The St. George Residences and Condo-Hotel, a $70-million project on the corner of Minorca Avenue and Salzedo Street, has been approved and got a building permit in June. Gables officials say developers expect to break ground next month.

Developed by Atlanta-based City Centre Properties, the Mediterranean-style St. George will have 83 one-, two- and three-bedroom units priced from the mid-$400,000s. There also will be 117 studio and one-bedroom hotel-condo units -- sold with furniture -- with prices starting in the $200,000s.

Managed by Hilton Hotels, St. George will have housekeeping, a fitness center, pool, a restaurant and concierge services, among other features.

It is expected to be completed by summer 2008.

But is there room for another inn in the City Beautiful?

There are already 10 hotels in the city, from the inexpensive (Terrace Inn, 80 rooms, $69-$89) to big and luxurious (Biltmore Hotel, 280 rooms, $239-$399) to even small and quaint (Hotel Place St. Michel, 27 rooms, $150-$200).

Many hoteliers -- some of whom fought to keep a hotel component out of the Village of Merrick Park -- would say no more are needed.

''The inventory in Coral Gables is adequate,'' said Dennis Doucette, general manager of the Biltmore Hotel, which he says averages a 76 percent occupancy rate.

That's just below the 78 percent rate for the county, according to the Greater Miami Visitors and Convention Bureau.

''During certain times of the year, of course, there are peak periods when additional inventory might be acceptable. But shoulder periods or summer periods are such in this area that an overabundance of inventory will do harm to everyone,'' Doucette said, adding that the greater Miami market is capable of handling Gables overflow if and when there is any.

But Gables Economic Development Director Cathy Swanson Rivenbark disagreed.

''We believe additional hotel product will be beneficial for Coral Gables as we continue to draw mini conferences and as we continue to grow as a leisure market destination,'' said Swanson, who will unveil a new brochure that promotes the city as a cultural tourism destination at the city commission meeting next week.

''We have a very special market and we're trying to positions ourselves for people who perhaps don't want all the excitement of South Beach,'' Swanson said.

The city, instead, promotes its rich history, fine dining, great shopping, safety, recreational activities, art galleries and live theater.

Shopping was the number one favorite feature among 40 percent of the approximate 220,000 tourists who stayed overnight in the City Beautiful in 2004, according to a survey done by the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The city's ''international ambience'' was rated second.

dave8721

October 5th, 2006, 10:57 PM

The zoning board cleared a hurdle for an office building to go up next to the MD Water & Sewer Building on Douglas & US-1 by allowing it to go up to 146 feet tall (120 feet is the limit in the area). Its to be called Miami Green.

(item #8)
http://egov.ci.miami.fl.us/meetings/2006/9/1334_M_Zoning_Board_06-09-25_Verbatim_Minutes_(Long).pdf

The plans:
http://egov.ci.miami.fl.us/Legistarweb/Attachments/28579.pdf

dave8721

October 11th, 2006, 02:47 PM

Yet another office building for the area. Here is the Ponce Medical Plaza to go at Ponce De Leon & Flagler (on the City of Miami side of the border, which is why it looks so un-Gables-like):

http://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/B/2/4/B242AED3-F7B4-4557-B071-CCC3F8F9B52D_or.jpg

arch photographer

October 11th, 2006, 03:08 PM

IT'S NOT THAT UNGABLES LIKE. It has arched windows up there and a big honking castle.... turet.... crown.... mother thing stuck on top. I wonder what function that form is following??

BornInTheGrove

October 11th, 2006, 09:08 PM

ponce and flagler?

dave8721

October 12th, 2006, 02:37 PM

ponce and flagler?

Yes (actually where Ponce & Douglas sort of merge together at Flagler). This pic shows the location:

http://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/9/B/3/9B3BA317-110C-4518-9C1A-AF505785356A_or.jpg

dave8721

October 12th, 2006, 02:50 PM

The Coconut Grove TOD project was downsized:

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/061012/story2.shtml

Developer scales down plans for project at Grove transit station

By Charlotte Libov
The developer of a mixed-use complex proposed for a Coconut Grove transit station has reduced the project's density and height in hopes of gaining approval when it goes before a planning board next month.
Gilberto Pastoriza, a lawyer representing developer Charles Rua, said his client has reduced his request to 125 residential units per acre from a previous 300.
In addition, the height of the buildings for the 27th Avenue Metrorail development has been reduced, he said.
Mr. Pastoriza said he wanted to limit the focus to the issue before the Rapid Transit Development Impact Committee — the standards that would enable the project to be built.
"The developer has not filed any plans. We're at the stage of setting the parameters so that with those parameters, you design a project that is consistent with the lease. The parameters are the rules of the game," he said.
Earlier reports described the proposal as two 35-story and one 25-story residential towers, designated for high-density projects to provide passengers for the mass-transit station.
The proposal will go before the committee at a meeting Nov. 29. The time and location have yet to be determined because the hearing needs to accommodate what is expected to be large numbers of residents opposed to the plan, according to a committee staffer.
Among those in opposition is Felice Dubin, chairwoman of neighborhood group 27th Avenue Metrorail Project.
"We're a lot more prepared, a lot more adamant in what we're going to present, and we have a lot more information that is going to come to light eventually about the project," she said.
The development would be built on a 5.2-acre parcel owned by the county next to the Southwest 27th Avenue Metrorail station.
The special transit zones were created without zoning to foster high-density development near mass-transit stations.
There is a two-stage review process. First, the proposal goes before Rapid Transit DIC's lower committee, comprised of representatives of the county's Planning and Zoning Department, the school board, the police department, public works and all other designated agencies for review. Then it is sent on with a recommendation to the Rapid Transit DIC's executive committee, which also reviews it and sends it with a recommendation to the Miami City Commission.
If the commission approves, the application then goes to the Miami-Dade County Commission for site-plan review and approval. A site plan showing the specific design of the project does not need to be submitted until then.

dave8721

October 16th, 2006, 03:27 PM

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/miami-dade/cities_neighborhoods/south_miami/15758302.htm

CORAL GABLES
8-story complex may be built on Giralda

Eateries on Giralda may soon be joined by a block-long midrise office and apartment building on the only street marked for low-rise in downtown Coral Gables.

BY ELAINE DE VALLE
edevalle@MiamiHerald.com

Planners in Coral Gables gave the first green light Wednesday for a mid-rise residential and office building on Giralda Avenue -- in downtown's only low-rise section.

Coming soon to Restaurant Row, if the city commission agrees: A building a block long and eight stories tall, with 200,000-plus square feet of offices, apartments and shops on the ground floor across from Caramelo restaurant and the future Coral Gables Museum.

The planning and zoning board unanimously approved a site plan for the development, referred to as Giralda Complex, and a change in land use from commercial low-rise to commercial midrise for the property, which begins at 2222 Ponce de Leon Blvd. and takes up the southern half of that block to Salzedo Street.

City staff recommended approval with several conditions, including adding more pedestrian amenities -- such as publicly accessed walkways and plazas. The developers also need to beef up the infrastructure and landscaping, including the urban plaza on the west side of the future city museum on Salzedo Street, and install a traffic light at Le Jeune Road and Giralda.

But the project must first be heard by the commission at two public hearings, one next month and one in December.

Nobody objected to the change in land use or the project at Wednesday's meeting and the only correspondence the planning department has received has been in favor.

''This project is a nice addition to the downtown,'' said Mari Molina, executive director of the Business Improvement District, a group of downtown core property owners who tax themselves additionally for shared marketing and advocacy. While Giralda is not within the group's boundaries, it is within a possible expansion area, Molina said, and would have an impact on the area's businesses on adjacent streets.

''The addition of residential units so close to downtown supports the growing urbanization of downtown Coral Gables and bodes well for our retailers and restaurateurs who will have more customers to cater to,'' Molina said. The land-use change gives the developer two more floors, said Assistant Building and Zoning Director Dennis Smith. Current regulations allow for four floors, but with the Mediterranean bonus -- a city incentive for specific architectural design -- the building could be six floors. The land- use change allows the building to be eight floors.

While there's no increase in the square footage allowed, which is set by zoning, it gives the developer the ability to set back, or place the structure farther from the street as the building gets higher, Smith said. ''They wanted to set their building back at different levels so it would look better, so it won't have this massing,'' he said.

Even though they could build right up to the curb with the zero setback due to the Mediterranean bonus, the fourth floor is set back about 15 feet, said Zeke Guilford, an attorney for the developer.

''Then when you get up to the seventh level, it's set back about 40 to 50 feet,'' he added.

Board member Jack Coe asked if the project could be done as a low-rise, but architect John Fullerton said it would look more massive.

Guilford said the current low-rise land use is inconsistent with the area.

''These two blocks are the only low-rise in the central business district,'' Guilford said of the 100 and 200 blocks of Giralda. ``It makes no sense to have high-rise, then low-rise, then go back to high-rise.''

Board member Cristina Moreno suggested that it was because of the street's predominant use that it was kept low-rise. ``Isn't that whole area known as Restaurant Row? And could that be justification for keeping it low-rise?''

But Guilford noted that most of the eateries are in the 100 block, east of Ponce, and said a building's height did not dictate its use, citing the 10 Aragon building, which has restaurants and an ice cream shop on the ground floor. The project does not include a restaurant, he added.

Planning board member Robert Behar said it was good to have residents on that street, but there was also some concern on the board that the change would start a domino effect. And the staff report acknowledges it ``could result in similar future requests for increased height.''

But Planning Director Eric Riel said the alternative -- what they could legally build with zero setbacks given by the city's Mediterranean bonuses -- would have been worse. ''The original project was much more bulkier,'' Riel said, adding that the developers and architects worked with the city for about a year to get a final design.

Merchants on the south side of Giralda have mixed feelings. They're mostly happy about ready customers living and working across the street. But many worry about parking problems and possible increased traffic.

''More retail right on the street will be good for all of us, it will bring new people and new strollers by,'' said Joan Reitsma, owner of The Giving Tree. She also likes the idea of more residents in downtown.

''But I'd like them to be able to accomplish that in a two- to three-story building,'' she said. ``I love the Coral Gables that allows the free sky to shine on all of us. Eight stories is not very tall, but it's tall.''

For comprehensive coverage of Coral Gables, go to www.MiamiHerald.com, click on News, Miami-Dade Neighbors and Coral Gables.

ChuckScraperMiami#1

October 18th, 2006, 01:28 AM

DAVE, My friend, thanks for another Great Update, of the " City Beautiful ", Coral Gables,
also , to let everyone know, The Burger King Headquarters Tower should be starting in January after the City Bank moves to its new location accross the street Next month, The new 4 floor bank is just about completed !!!

I'm sure you can get more INFO on this Tallest in Coral Gables Tower soon.

Go Cranes !!!

DAVE:) , my friend:banana: , Thanks for all this Great INFO in the City Beautiful:lol: ,

PLEASE :nuts: , the New Bank is almost completed on Lejeune Road, Update US on the Burger King Headquarters Tower site at the old Bank on Lejeune road, I know the old bank is still occupied, How much longer before they move out and demolishing of the old bank, When please, ???:cheers:

Thanks Dave :) !!!:cheers:

Renderings Oh, PLEASE ????

dave8721

October 20th, 2006, 05:23 PM

http://www.thepaladincoralgables.com/home/default.asp

http://www.thepaladincoralgables.com/images/pop_rendering.jpg

dave8721

October 23rd, 2006, 02:45 PM

From the Herald:

http://img.travidia.com/rop-ad/3659401

dave8721

November 3rd, 2006, 06:24 PM

A whole lot of development in the Gables:

http://cggazette.com/absolutenm/templates/indextemp.aspx?articleid=3012&zoneid=1

Study: Development in city still strong

3,000 units, 8m square feet of property in works

By Sebastian del Marmol

A new development report released by the Coral Gables Building and Zoning Development shows that the city remains inoculated from an impending development crunch in South Florida and the rest of the country, even if time will tell how much so.

Assistant Building and Zoning Director Dennis Smith, with the help of a University of Miami intern, created the report during the summer which gives a complete picture of commercial and multi-family development as of Aug. 31.

According to Smith, the report breaks development up into four categories – commercial, residential, mixed-use and the University of Miami’s Campus Area Development Plan (UMCAD).

The categories are further broken up into three areas which show projects in the preliminary stages, permitting process and projects already with a building permit.

What distinguishes the report from others of its kind completed in the past, according to Smith, is that it includes square footage totals for the projects and total number of units.

And that, says Smith, is what turns out to be most impressive about the city’s current development snapshot.

“The report shows nearly 3,000 new units and almost 8 million square feet of commercial and multi-family projects – that’s a lot of development,” Smith said, “And a lot of that is under construction right now or already permitted.”

A closer look shows that of the near 8 million square feet planned in the city, reveals that 3.6 million will be for commercial space while about 4.4 million square feet will be made up of for residential space.

Although Smith acknowledged that some of the projects on the list might not come to ultimate completion he said the picture the report paints still bodes well for the city.

“Even where the (real estate) economy is today I haven’t heard any developers say that they are not moving forward with their plans or doing something different,” he said.

Of the projects already issued building permits – about 2.6 million square feet of development – Smith estimated that at least 75 to 80 percent, or at least 2 million square feet, of them would be built.

Even projects that were in the permitting process or in other preliminary stages stand a good chance of being completed, Smith said, especially if they are larger projects.

“Some of them are so large that they have a life of their own,” he said, “They are going to happen – they have gone too far already and developers are willing to wait for the market to catch up with them.”

The assistant director did say that having a snapshot of the commercial and multi-family development planned in the city this year would serve as a useful tool in the future to see which projects get done and what percentage of them fall by the wayside.

Of the 95 projects that are listed in the report, 38 percent (36 projects) already have building permits, 30 percent are in the permitting process and 32 percent are in the preliminary phases of design.

There are 43 multi-family residence projects listed comprising 788 total units, with an average of just over 18 units per project. Eleven of those projects already have building permits, 15 are in the permitting process and 17 are in the preliminary stages.

The list includes 28 commercial only projects with 2.2 million total square feet – 15 with building permits, 6 in the permitting process and 7 in preliminary stages.

While there are only 16 mixed-use projects, they total more than 3.5 million square feet (964,000 square feet of commercial and 2.6 million square feet of residential) and average 125 units each.

S ix mixed-use projects already have building permits, while 5 are in the process and 5 are in the preliminary stages.

Finally, there are 7 projects slated in the UMCAD plan with 4, including the University Village complex, having their building permits, 2 in permitting and one in the preliminary stages.

nimbyhater

November 7th, 2006, 04:05 PM

From the Herald:

http://img.travidia.com/rop-ad/3659401

am i mistaken or is this directly across the street from the douglas road metro station? that would b awesome? is it one of those transit developments or not even related? independent development that close to the metro is very encouraging, hopefully well see more of it, and it advertises as being steps from the metro, buses, and the coral gables trolley, so it shows that people are looking at mass transit as a selling point... very encouraging...

Toucano

November 16th, 2006, 11:56 PM

From Today's Miami SunPost:

http://www.miamisunpost.com/images/n3_Giralda3.JPG

By Cynthia Archbold

City officials have gotten over their shock that the Coral Gables Building and Zoning Department became a crime scene two months ago.

Now they want to make sure that cleaning it up doesn’t drag on forever.

On Wednesday the Coral Gables City Commission granted City Manager David Brown permission to waive bidding requirements to expedite hiring a consultant to conduct a customer service focus group and perform a survey for the users of the building and zoning department.

Instead of going through the lengthy request for proposal process, the city manager will be able to spend up to $25,000 to hire a firm to get the job done right away.

It was Vice Mayor Maria Anderson’s idea to conduct a customer survey, but when city staff presented their plan of attack at the commission meeting, including hiring a firm by posting a request for $20,000 proposals, she worried that the process would take too long to be effective.

Commissioner Ralph Cabrera echoed her concern. “We’re looking at 16 weeks,” he said. Conducting a focus group, which he estimates to cost as little as $1,400, would be much “quicker and cheaper,” Cabrera said.

But Anderson insisted on the need for architects, contractors and residents to make their criticisms anonymously through a survey.

The mayor and commissioners decided to do both the focus group and the survey. “We have to have feedback,” Anderson says.

In recent months the building and zoning department has had to deal with a record amount of construction applications. In the near future one of them will be for the Giralda Complex, proposed by developer Jeffrey E. Lehrman, Esq., which was approved Wednesday by the commission on first reading.

The complex will soar eight stories above restaurant row, offering 44 new multifamily homes and 474 parking spaces.

The new construction means extra congestion in an area already choked with gridlock. Traffic studies show a new traffic light will be needed at the intersection of Giralda and Le Jeune Road.

To accommodate the Giralda Complex, designed by Fullerton Diaz Architects, the commission approved a change of land use from “commercial, low-rise intensity” to “commercial, mid-rise intensity” on Giralda Avenue between Salzedo and Galiano streets.

The Giralda Complex had been passed 6-0 by the Planning and Zoning Board, and was recommended by the planning department staff.

Still, commissioners balked at the 97-foot height towering over a block that consists of single story restaurants, and which involves knocking down a parking garage and two commercial buildings.

Anderson voted for the proposal on first reading but asked the city to propose incentives to prevent other property owners from also building taller buildings.

Zeke Guilford, Lehrman’s attorney, said allowing the extra height enables the architect “to build a better architectural product.”

John Fullerton explained that if he were forced to design a shorter building it would appear squatter — a massive block instead of a more graceful Mediterranean plaza, with aesthetically pleasing colonnades, pedestrian areas, setbacks and terraces.

To comply with the city’s open space requirements and mitigate the additional height, the developer is also providing landscaping and site improvements for the City Museum’s urban plaza.

But Ralph Cabrera said, “The fact that the developer wants to give money to the museum….doesn’t help me think it’s not going to increase density.”

As far as the idea of more height improving the architectural quality, he said, “If the citizens of Coral Gables knew about this product they wouldn’t want this product.”

The Giralda Complex comes back for final approval on Tuesday, Dec. 12.

dave8721

November 17th, 2006, 04:43 PM

Great ground level design for the Giralda Complex.

On another note, Old Spanish Village takes another step forward:

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/miami-dade/cities_neighborhoods/south_miami/16018926.htm

Old Spanish Village project moves forward

By ELAINE DE VALLE
edevalle@MiamiHerald.com

The ball began to roll for the Old Spanish Village development off Ponce de Leon Boulevard in Coral Gables Wednesday when city commissioners gave developers permission to use two unpaved vacant lots for construction and project tenant parking.

The lots are currently obscured from view with canvas fencing and not on the main roads, said Laura Russo, an attorney on behalf of Ponce Circle Developers, LLC, owners and developers of the property.

''We want to keep as many vehicles as we can off the street and keep the area as clean as possible as we start construction on the project,'' Russo said, referring to an 860,000-square-foot retail, office and residential complex envisioned by auto racing promoter Ralph Sanchez. The project was approved by the city in August.

Commissioners will also allow a temporary decorative construction fence around the project, which encompasses three city blocks between Ponce and Galiano Street near Ponce Circle Park.

Russo said that the developers would soon provide the city with a staging plan, which City Manager David Brown said was required before they could get a building permit.

Demolition of the building at 2801 Ponce de Leon Blvd. could begin as early as February, Russo said. ''All the current tenants will be out by the end of the year,'' she added.

City administrators recommended the approval of the requests Wednesday but with certain conditions that include no advertisements on the fence and that parking on the vacant lots be exclusively for construction and tenant parking for the development.

Developers must also maintain the fence and lots in good condition or the city can come in and maintain them, or remove the fence, at the developers' expense.

Mayor Don Slesnick asked Russo if the developers accepted those conditions and she said that they did.

dave8721

November 17th, 2006, 09:05 PM

Article on Terrazas Coconut Grove:

http://cggazette.com/absolutenm/templates/indextemp.aspx?articleid=8&zoneid=1

http://cggazette.com/absolutenm/articlefiles/3035-TCG-Rendering.jpg

http://cggazette.com/absolutenm/articlefiles/3035-TCG-Exterior-Metrorail.jpg

Construction for Terrazas Coconut Grove is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2007 with completion in 2008.

brickell

November 17th, 2006, 09:25 PM

I really wish they'd start sprucing up these blank walls that face Metrorail and US1. I can understand wanting the thick concrete wall there, but why not at least put some advertising up. Better yet, a nice mural. Other than it's about what I'd expect.

arch photographer

November 17th, 2006, 09:39 PM

That's nice, The pedestal may not be great, but I like the black box torqued off the axis of the rest and it's nice how it is kind of top heavy, in a good way.

umiami305

November 17th, 2006, 10:13 PM

Are they actually planning on renovating the Coconut Grove Metrorail Station as the ^above^ photograph depicts or is the developer just trying to spruce up there renderings?

dave8721

November 22nd, 2006, 09:31 PM

A new 11-story office building for 1000 Ponce De Leon and a 9-story hotel for a vacant lot next door to Merrick Park.

http://www.citybeautiful.net/CGWeb/documents/bnz_docs/agendas/devrevcomagenda20061127.pdf

dave8721

November 28th, 2006, 04:50 PM

Think the land prices are getting a little high along Coral Way? The Miracle Plaza development is up for sale, asking price: almost $100 million.

http://listing.loopnet.com/14505138

dave8721

November 28th, 2006, 06:27 PM

Groundbreaking ceremony for "Green" office building for Dec 6th.

http://cggazette.com/absolutenm/templates/indextemp.aspx?articleid=3054&zoneid=1

Holly Real Estate announces groundbreaking on Miami Green

Holly Real Estate, one of Miami?s leading commercial real estate firms, is developing the first green office building in South Florida. A groundbreaking ceremony for this project is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 6 with sales commencing the following day.

Currently there are no LEED-designated buildings in South Florida, and only ten in the state, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.

?South Florida enjoys one of the country?s most unique and beautiful ecosystems with the Everglades, our beautiful beaches and lush tropical climate. Green building is not only good for the community and the environment, it also benefits the end-user as well, for example, by reducing operating costs,? said William H. Holly, President of Holly Real Estate. ?It just makes sense, and I believe there will be a strong demand for space in Miami Green.?

Holly has high hopes for the 120,000 square foot, 13-story office condo (approximately 9,250 square feet per floor) project that will be located at 3150 SW 38th Avenue, Miami Florida 33134 in the City of Miami adjacent to Coral Gables and US-1. Not only is the project directly across the street from a main line of the Metrorail, but it?s adjacent to a Coral Gables Trolley stop and Metro Dade Bus stop as well. The green glass building will feature a unique L-shaped design allowing each office to have window space, while providing ample parking on the interior of each floor. It will also feature a roof deck that can be used for company function and events.

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System? is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. The rating level a project achieves is based on a points system which looks at six categories: sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; and innovation and design process.

Construction on the building is slated to begin in 2006 and the anticipated completion date is Summer 2008.

For more information, visit the project web site at www.miamigreenoffice.com.

dave8721

December 4th, 2006, 09:35 PM

55 Merrick is topped off:

http://cggazette.com/absolutenm/articlefiles/3077-55Merrick-Aerial-3x4.jpg

Coral Gables’ mixed-use 55 Merrick announces top off

Mixed-use development of luxury condos and commercial establishments will help anchor growing downtown Coral Gables urban lifestyle

55 Merrick, a luxury residential and commercial condominium in the heart of downtown Coral Gables, has been topped off. The development is the largest currently under construction in the City of Coral Gables, and is now in its final stage.

Located on historic Merrick Way, one block off Miracle Mile, 55 Merrick touts 167 impeccably appointed units within eight-stories, along with two-story townhomes on the eighth floor with standard 18’ ceilings.

Less than two-dozen residential units remain for sale, priced from $389,000 for a one-bedroom, one-and-one-half bath; to $599,000 for two-bedroom, two-and-a-half baths. Townhomes are priced from $739,000.

The ‘smart’ building will feature amenities such as a 23,000 square foot private pool deck, a multi-purpose clubroom and fitness facilities.

Co-developed by Coral Gables-based Southern Hill Real Estate and Dayco, commercial tenants are expected to occupy their space in early 2007, and residential units scheduled to be delivered some time in the spring of 2007.

“What’s happening in downtown Coral Gables is nothing short of astounding,” said Randall L. Hill, president of Southern Hill Real Estate. “While Coral Gables has always been an extremely desirable single-family residential community, we are seeing a growing urban residential market in the heart of the City. 55 Merrick will be a key component of the area’s growing urban-lifestyle.”

“Downtown Coral Gables is now one of Miami-Dade’s most compelling residential real estate markets,” added Luis Lamar, President of Dayco. “We are seeing a new class of people – off all ages – who wish to be in a downtown area, but within an upscale environment. We have sold units to single professionals, young couples, and empty-nesters alike.”

55 Merrick is one of three existing projects for the team of Southern Hill Real Estate and Dayco. The companies are also developing 1600 Ponce, a 13-story, Mediterranean inspired office condominium, and 1300 Ponce, a 125-unit luxury residential condominium.

“We’re extremely bullish on Coral Gables,” concluded Hill and Lamar, “and look forward to ongoing success in what we view as one of South Florida’s most important cities.”

ChuckScraperMiami#1

December 5th, 2006, 10:13 AM

dave8721

December 5th, 2006, 08:28 PM

DAVE:) PLEASE UPDATE, I :nuts: need to know, Thanks, Very Important,

This Burger Headquarters:banana: will be the tallest Tower in Coral Gables when completed in my Dreams of 2012 ???, I can see it, Its there :nuts:

I pass by all the time and the new bank building is still under construction so they haven't torn down the old one yet.

nimbyhater

December 6th, 2006, 04:24 AM

sucks about 55 merrick... one of the worst buildings being built in all of miami on a great site...

im loving miami green... especially the area its in, great for future development...

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/9272/miamigreenbu9.jpg

dave8721

December 11th, 2006, 06:38 PM

Another incarnation of Gables Station goes before the Coral Gables Development Review Committee on December 21st for approval at 8-stories with 243,000 sqft of retail space and 206,000 sqft of office space.

http://www.citybeautiful.net/CGWeb/documents/bnz_docs/agendas/devrevcomagenda20061221.pdf

dave8721

December 14th, 2006, 04:34 PM

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/miami-dade/cities_neighborhoods/south_miami/16226310.htm

CORAL GABLES
Leaders want to redevelop 2 downtown lots

City commissioners set things in motion to redevelop two parking lots in the downtown core, but not at the loss of current parking space.

BY ELAINE DE VALLE
edevalle@MiamiHerald.com

Attention developers: There's a new opportunity in downtown Coral Gables.

City commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to send out a request for proposals on two city-owned parking lots on Giralda Avenue that straddle a privately-owned lot.

The leaders had asked city administrators last summer to draft a request for proposals to redevelop municipal parking lot 3, at 380 Aragon Ave. next to LaSalle Cleaners, and municipal lot 18, at 330 Aragon Ave. next to Cafe Abracci.

Together, the two small lots have a total of 53 spaces, and any proposal submitted must not only replace existing spaces but also add more, said Economic Development Director Cathy Swanson Rivenbark.

Not much can be built on either lot individually, but attempts by the city to purchase the property in between both lots have been unsuccessful. Owner Stanley Davidson, who did not return several calls from The Miami Herald, does not want to sell, Swanson said.

Davidson has also expressed an interest in buying the city lots, she said, and the city expects he will pitch a proposal for the three lots together. But Swanson said the city had to go public for ideas because of city rules and that there were other possibilities if someone purchased the properties to the east or west.

The two lots were among six public downtown parking lots and garages put on the block in 1999 when city leaders sought proposals. None of the proposals made then, including one from Davidson, were accepted.

This time, the city has not included any required uses in the project, Swanson said. The only condition is that the public parking not only be replaced, but increased.

''We didn't put an arbitrary number at this point. We just want a higher number than we had before,'' Swanson said, adding that parking rates had to be the same as public rates.

But Commissioner William ''Bill'' Kerdyk Jr. said he would like to see a garage component.

''The No. 1 issue in the downtown area is parking and whether Mr. Davidson or another person or the city builds a parking garage there, that's what I'm going to be looking at -- what kind of parking the city gets,'' he said.

ChuckScraperMiami#1

December 28th, 2006, 04:13 AM

Happy Holidays DAVE:) !!!
^^
thanks for these very Important Updates, and Please more updates on the Burger King Headquarters and
Renderings PLEASE !!!:nuts:

Any DAVE ???:cheers:

dave8721

January 4th, 2007, 10:24 PM

Progress pic of Puerta De Palmas (expected completion date Feb 2007):

http://www.puertadepalmas.com/images/aerial_3.jpg

(from July)
http://www.puertadepalmas.com/images/aerial_2.jpg

dave8721

January 12th, 2007, 03:58 PM

On Old Spanish Village:

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/16440144.htm

Builder aims to complete a vision
A developer who snapped up seven acres near the center of Coral Gables is banking on the spirit of city founder George Merrick to propel a new residential project.

BY MATTHEW HAGGMAN
mhaggman@MiamiHerald.com

How do you buy seven acres near Coral Gables' densely developed Miracle Mile?

''You do it very quietly,'' says builder Ralph Sanchez.

For nine months Sanchez went door to door asking homeowners if they would sell. After shelling out roughly $75 million, 17 homeowners agreed to part with their homes and move away. One person held out.

All told, Sanchez assembled 20 parcels -- the others were commercial properties, including a 13-story office building -- on three blocks bounded by Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Galiano Street and Malaga and Sevilla avenues. The Coral Gables-based developer now plans to build pricey condominiums, townhomes and possibly offices around Ponce Circle in a bid to do what Coral Gables' founder and famed builder George Merrick failed to complete some 80 years ago.

Called Old Spanish Village, the project is to resemble one of the ''thematic villages'' Merrick planned for the city before the 1920s' real estate boom turned bust, quashing the developer's ambitious plans and ultimately putting Merrick into lifelong debt.

DEFYING MARKETS

Sanchez intends to build mid-rise buildings with a Mediterranean design with plazas, grand entrances and cobblestone streets. He is betting there is a market for large, high-end condos and townhomes -- some units will be 6,000 square feet, Sanchez said -- near downtown Coral Gables despite the broad housing market slump.

Indeed, there is a large inventory of unsold homes with more condos nearing completion -- and likely coming back onto the market for resale -- this year. Many home builders are struggling in the stagnant market, raising the question whether now is a bad time to launch a new residential project.

''We are still digesting all of the new construction,'' said Mike Pappas, president and CEO of The Keyes Co., a South Florida brokerage. ``There is no question there is more inventory than demand. Whoever is building in today's environment has got to be very cautious.''

Yet others contend Sanchez is targeting an attractive niche market. Luxury real estate broker Helen Jeanne Nicastri said empty-nesters want luxury condos the size of single-family houses in Coral Gables, but there are not many for sale.

''Real estate is location, location, location,'' said Sanchez, whose previous projects include the Miami Grand Prix and building the Homestead Miami Speedway. ``Condo units this size don't exist in Coral Gables right now, especially near downtown.''

Sanchez also hopes buyers will be drawn to something with a connection to Coral Gables' founding father.

Merrick master-planned and built large swaths of Coral Gables during Miami's first great land boom. In November 1921 he started selling property in Coral Gables, launching the affluent Miami suburb. The boom reached its height in 1924.

The developer's projects included the Biltmore Hotel and thematic villages fashioned after architecture from around the world. Merrick built an Italian village, a Chinese village, a Dutch South African village, among others, said Miami historian Paul George.

''He completed seven,'' said George, professor of history at Miami Dade College. ``More were left on the drawing boards.''

The real estate boom started to collapse in 1926 and then, ensuring the market would not return soon, hurricane winds whipped South Florida that same year. Merrick's fortunes ultimately crumbled, turning one of Florida's wealthiest individuals into a penniless businessman.

Yet Merrick, who died in 1942, is now considered a visionary for creating one of Miami's most admired suburbs. The developer's unbuilt thematic villages included a Spanish Town and Spanish Bazaar village.

`UNFINISHED SYMPHONY'

No specific plans remain for each, but Sanchez hired Miami historian Arva Parks, author of a book on Merrick, and plans were devised for Old Spanish Village in the spirit of Merrick's never built Spanish-themed villages. Parks said the project is part of completing what Merrick called his ``unfinished symphony.''

''He said in 1925 he needed 10 more years to finish everything and then he was going to go back to writing,'' said Parks, noting that Merrick published a book of poetry. ``But he had two more years, and it was over.''

Sanchez, who has already won approvals from city officials to build the project, said he intends to start sales this month. Prices range from $400,000 to $6 million. He plans to demolish the office building 2801 Ponce de Leon Blvd. in March. Construction is to start in June with the first townhomes and condos delivered in 2008, he said.

dave8721

January 16th, 2007, 06:30 PM

Happy Holidays DAVE:) !!!
^^
thanks for these very Important Updates, and Please more updates on the Burger King Headquarters and
Renderings PLEASE !!!:nuts:

Any DAVE ???:cheers:

Here is a smaller rendering of the BK building I found from the site below: http://www.costar.com/imageviewer/GetThumbnail.aspx?id=6655639B0DA7912642C829FACF92AA67&atype=4

http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=8801BA3B9C3D46A6E308BE6EAC7234E0

They are still completing the new City National Bank building next door. Demolition on the current City National building wont commence (and construction commence on the BK building in its place) until CN has moved into their new buiding.

rider_of_rohan

January 16th, 2007, 09:21 PM

Here is a smaller rendering of the BK building I found from the site below: http://www.costar.com/imageviewer/GetThumbnail.aspx?id=6655639B0DA7912642C829FACF92AA67&atype=4

http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=8801BA3B9C3D46A6E308BE6EAC7234E0

They are still completed the new City National Bank building next door. Demolition on the current City National building wont commence (and construction commence on the BK building in its place) until CN has moved into their new buiding.

Dave is that a drive through on the side? :lol:

dach2k5

January 17th, 2007, 05:24 PM

Anyone been by Nordica recently (coral way and 25th) in the roads area?

This is a building i'm potentially looking at. It's been a couple of months since i've been by and seen its progress.

Rx727sfl2002

January 17th, 2007, 07:53 PM

that building wont have a certificate of occupency they have law suits pending...

dach2k5

January 17th, 2007, 08:32 PM

Interesting... thanks Rx.

That's too bad... it's a really nice location.

Rx727sfl2002

January 17th, 2007, 08:45 PM

i love the building and location but they caused damage to neghboring properties plus encroached on others property line the neighbors tried settling but the developer ignored them... now they are sueing and the developer is now trying to settle but to late to play nice with the neighbors...

dach2k5

January 17th, 2007, 10:24 PM

dave8721

January 17th, 2007, 11:41 PM

Might as well ask about another building.

Any info on the Gables Marquis? I see a lot of listings on the MLS. Looks pretty close to done from the photos i'm seeing. Anyone know where i can see pdf's of the floor plans?

I'm not sure about the sizes of the units but I know that Midtown Lofts which is basically next door also just finished and is quite a bit less expensive from what i've seen:

http://www.midtownloftsmiami.com/

Here is a table that lists lets you see the units on sale at Nordica, Midtown Lofts & Gables Marquis:
http://www.miamicondolifestyle.com/coral_way_condos-coral_way_condos.php

dach2k5

January 18th, 2007, 12:17 AM

Thanks for the links... i've looked at midtownlofts. The level of finish (as a loft) is significantly less than what i'm seeing on the gables marquis in the pictures and the text in the listings. Also, my fiance doesn't like the open lofts style floorplans.

I'm also thinking that the majority of the MLS units at the gables marquis are developer units. If this project is anything like what i've been hearing about from the banks, they can probably go a lot lower than the $400 to $440k they are asking for the 2 bedroom units. The units appear pretty big (1100 to 1200 sqft) and i like the layouts of the 2 floor plans that i have seen. I'm also pretty sure you could get pretty big incentives for one of these units... i've seen some of the following from developers:

- 1 year free condo fees.
- all closing costs covered.
- decorating allowances (pretty big ones $5 to 15k).

who knows... looks like a nice building. i'll swing by their sales office and see if they have brochures.

Rx727sfl2002

January 18th, 2007, 01:51 AM

plenty of homes for under 400k and you can get better equity out of them and use that to purchase a loft-condo... only a suggestion

i personally like being up high but i like spanish-med houses or art deco or modern homes...

brickell

January 18th, 2007, 02:08 AM

I'd love to see where you are finding plenty of homes for under 400k in half-way decent neighborhoods.

Rx727sfl2002

January 18th, 2007, 03:22 AM

design district near midtown
and
miami shores bordering biscayne park

dach2k5

January 18th, 2007, 03:46 PM

canine7

January 18th, 2007, 08:19 PM

gables marquis is incredible,one of the best floor plans they offer is the A3,which is a one bed,one bath,with a den--but the den is as big as a second bedroom (only no closet or window),they are 1095 sq ft....Cool floor plan,building should be completely done in 8-12 weeks.
checkout the surrounding area,even the mcdonalds was just rennovated to mesh better with the "mediterranean" look of coral gables,sergios restaurant(next door)being rennovated,staples just opened,miracle plaza is currently being rennovated across the street and will have marshalls,dsw,payless shoes,officemax,balleys,sweet tomoatoes,etc.
Same architect cohen,freeman,encinosa did the one across the street-but it pales in comparison to the gables marquis is my opinion-never the less,it improves the area,,,If they can just do something about the 2 mechanic shops.....once the miracle plaza opens in 2008,these units will go even higher-check it out you should start to see more units in about 8 weeks

dach2k5

January 18th, 2007, 10:43 PM

Thanks for the info canine... i can't the floor plans anywhere online... looks like their original website is down and the developer website has no real info. I'm going to swing by the sales office on saturday to pickup some brochures to see the floorplans better.

I'm very familiar w/ the area. I work in Coral gables just off ponce and miracle mile.

canine7

January 19th, 2007, 12:10 AM

once the building finishes,you should see more units being resold from investors-they started selling 3 years ago.
i think the smallest units are facing the back street(22nd terrace i think)-792 sq feet or something.
If i had alot of money to hold onton a property for appreciation,this is the one area more then any other(in my opinion)that has the potential to go much much higher.
I think the gables has a restriction of building no higher then 14 floors,this beauty is 20 floors and is coming out killer...
Definitely check it out for yourself,just from the exterior you can see it is a step up from midtown...

Architek

January 19th, 2007, 12:17 AM

midtown is still poop, imo. That area needs a good 5 years until I'd even consider living there. I've been in that area a lot recently and you are still basically in the hood. More power to anyone that is an early adopter. I'm sure you'll make some money and i'm sure it will be much improved over the next 5 to 10 years, but that is not the area for me and my fiance.

Your not a smart investor, thats an obvious remark from your statement,if you wait five years it will be overpriced. I currecntly live on 40 st in the design district which is right across from the D. districts main road and its def. not a hood, I dont see crackheads or guns or drugs, most of the people who live in the neighborhood work around the design district or on the beach.

dach2k5

January 19th, 2007, 12:51 AM

I'm looking for a home to live in... not an investment. There's a big difference.

Your not a smart investor, thats an obvious remark from your statement,if you wait five years it will be overpriced. I currecntly live on 40 st in the design district which is right across from the D. districts main road and its def. not a hood, I dont see crackheads or guns or drugs, most of the people who live in the neighborhood work around the design district or on the beach.

thetallerthebetter

January 20th, 2007, 12:20 AM

Your not a smart investor, thats an obvious remark from your statement,if you wait five years it will be overpriced. I currecntly live on 40 st in the design district which is right across from the D. districts main road and its def. not a hood, I dont see crackheads or guns or drugs, most of the people who live in the neighborhood work around the design district or on the beach.

dont tell people about the best upward potential area in dade I'm still not finished buying low!!! I love the fact that there are still people who don't understand what is happening to the whole area from the pac all the way into north miami, east of 95 ... more buying opportunities for us smarties

by the way the area isn't for everyone if you still like faux so fla mediterranean style with lots of walls and low ceilings then the arts and design districts are probably not for you.

dave8721

January 22nd, 2007, 04:23 PM

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/miami-dade/cities_neighborhoods/east/16504605.htm

COCONUT GROVE
Metrorail skyline plans go to board
A committee will recommend zoning standards Wednesday for a development at the Coconut Grove Metrorail Station.

BY DAVID SMILEY
dsmiley@MiamiHerald.com

The scope of development at the Coconut Grove Metrorail Station -- which has fluctuated over the past year -- should finally come into focus Wednesday when a Miami-Dade County committee recommends zoning standards for the site at 2780 SW 27th Ave.

For the second time, The Rapid Transit Development Impact Committee -- made up of staff from the county and the municipalities with Metrorail stations -- will hear site-standard proposals from the developer and those opposing the project. The committee discussed the project in November, but didn't vote because neither the county nor the city of Miami had prepared recommendations.

The developer's proposals, which include a 250-foot height limit -- or about 15 stories -- haven't changed since the November meeting, according to developer Carlos Rua's son, Charlie Rua, who is in charge of the project.

The city's recommendations, dated Jan. 3, are consistent with the developer's in height and density -- 125 dwelling units per acre -- but also grant bonuses in density and square footage on the condition the project includes affordable housing, which Rua has said he plans to do.

The county's recommendations had not been finalized as of Friday 5 p.m. But a preliminary recommendation drafted for November's meeting would have allowed for the height the developer is suggesting.

Those recommendations would allow a project too massive for the liking of many of the neighborhood's surrounding residents, who have asked the committee to hold Rua to his initial proposal for a 14-story building, a 10-story building and a supermarket.

Felice Dubin, a Cocoanut Grove Village Councilwoman who has led the project's opposition, said the original proposal -- approved by the Village Council -- is large enough.

''Anything larger than that isn't even necessary,'' Dubin said, adding that there's a condo glut in the Miami real estate market.

Since 1999, Rua's vision for the site has grown several times up to, at one point, two, 35-story towers and one 25-story tower.

And that's where the issue becomes confusing.

Many Grove residents didn't realize that the original proposal outlined a minimum development size -- not a final plan or a maximum -- and became angry when the county manager and commission amended the lease to allow for a larger project.

Dubin has said the lease shouldn't have been changed without public input.

Miami City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, who was part of the Village Council that approved of the initial project, said he understands that residents are worried about the process to approve the development.

''I think everybody's just nervous that they're not going to be listened to,'' Sarnoff said.

Sarnoff wouldn't discuss the project's specifics because the committee's recommendations will go before the City Commission for approval. He cited the Jennings Rule, a court decision that said elected officials shouldn't comment on pending zoning issues.

Rua has said he proposed a larger development because the county encourages high-density developments at its Metrorail sites -- to encourage people to take public transportation -- and sets minimum standards. Though much of the surrounding neighborhood is residential, Rua has said his proposal is consistent with other, nearby developments like Terrazas, 2900 SW 28th Ln., which consists of one 200-foot-tall tower and another 270-feet tall.

Rua's attorney, Gilberto Pastoriza, said there has been too much focus on past proposals because building plans can't be solidified until zoning standards are set.

''Everybody is getting hung up on the project,'' Pastoriza said. ``We're just setting parameters.''

canine7

January 22nd, 2007, 11:07 PM

dach,
check your messages.

dave8721

January 24th, 2007, 08:47 PM

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/070125/fyi.shtml

HEIGHT FIGHT: A developer's plan to build a 250-foot, 25-story residential and commercial tower on 5 acres next to the Coconut Grove MetroRail station at US 1 and Southwest 27th Avenue is being scaled down by the county's planning and zoning department. County officials were expected to detail their proposal to limit Coconut Grove Station Development's tower to 19 stories and 200 feet at the Rapid Transit Developmental Impact Committee Wednesday (11/24). The county also wants to reduce density and increase parking for the project, which has triggered seven years of debate.

canine7

January 26th, 2007, 09:37 AM

Gables Marquis(3232 coral way) added the trees atop the seventh floor TODAY -around the pool and spa....Also crownmolding to the front of the garage....Completion should be right around the corner.

dave8721

February 1st, 2007, 09:32 PM

Yet another office building to go next to Merrick Park. Here is Merrick View, its already under construction just east of Merrick Park at 135 San Lorenzo Ave:

http://www.merrickview.com/files/index.html

http://www.merrickview.com/files/img/building4.jpg

http://www.merrickview.com/files/img/building3.jpg

dave8721

February 8th, 2007, 10:47 PM

It looks like Sergio Pino's Century Homebuilders has completed a massive property buy in the Merrick Park area buying 3 entire blocks of land for a total of 193,000 sqft (about 15 acres) of land at $61 million.

http://www.communitynewspapers.com/coral/2007/020607/index.asp

What they are planning for the blocks include: "office condominium locations, retail space, a banking center, and the possibility of new residential condominiums"

Here is the land in question. The peice that is a vacant dirt lot in the picture fronting Salzedo street is where One Village Place is currently under construction:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y19/dave8721/laguna.jpg

brickell

February 9th, 2007, 12:22 AM

Have they come up with a name that's stuck with this area yet? I've heard Merrick Park, but that sounds so suburban. How about Downtown Douglas?

dave8721

February 14th, 2007, 09:15 PM

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/070215/fyi.shtml

GOING GREEN: Gables Waterway, a mixed-use development at 1390 S. Dixie Highway, is the first project in Coral Gables to seek green status, asking the US Green Building Council for its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification this week. To receive the designation, the project must offer water savings, energy efficiency and other environmental provisions. Gables Commissioner William "Bill" Kerdyk Jr. brought up the need for green buildings at Tuesday's commission meeting, prompting Commissioner Rafael "Ralph" Cabrera to ask, "Which green building?" Laughing, Mr. Kerdyk informed him, "We don't have any yet. It's something I want to make sure we are on the cutting edge of." The project is planned to have 80,000 square feet of Class A offices, 95 luxury condominiums and 25 boat slips.

nimbyhater

February 16th, 2007, 05:51 AM

dave8721

March 12th, 2007, 02:42 PM

http://www.miamiherald.com/499/story/37513.html

CORAL GABLES

PROPOSED CODE CHANGE MEANS MORE HIGH-RISES

In the midst of the booming development in Coral Gables, city commissioners could make it easier to build high-rises in the city's two mixed-use areas Tuesday.

An amendment to the zoning code -- pulled from the zoning code rewrite last year because it needed further review -- would reduce by half the minimum lot size needed for buildings over 45 feet in height, or typically four stories.

Current regulations require 20,000 square feet with 200 linear feet.

Planning Director Eric Riel and the planning and zoning board have recommended the change.

At least 17 properties in the two mixed-use districts -- one in the industrial zone near the Village of Merrick Park and another along North Ponce de Leon Boulevard -- can be developed into high-rises if the zoning amendment is passed. That includes one city property.

''The commission had asked for it to be taken out of the zoning code. They didn't have a comfort level on what [the change] would do,'' City Manager David Brown said. ``We were instructed to do an analysis and then bring it back to them.

''We are prepared to show now what can happen and then the decision can be made,'' Brown said.

The meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 405 Biltmore Way.

ChuckScraperMiami#1

March 13th, 2007, 10:34 PM

merrick park is getting nicer and nicer by the day... and i hope the grove metro project get approved nice and tall but it better have an urban design... you dont get a prime spot like that and build a huge parking pedestal with a tiny sidewalk and two palm trees with a huge concrete wall
^^
NIMBY:) , my friend,
We need a picture of this Great 55 merrick tower complex,
PLease, Me johnny 5:nuts: need Info , Input, Pictures, :cheers:

dave8721

March 14th, 2007, 04:02 PM

A new project in the works called Valencia Royale which will include an 8-story condo building and 7 row house style townhomes on an adjacent property. The project spans from 717 to 741 Valencia Ave. It will contain a total of 35 units with 87 parking spaces (a little excessive for 35 condos if you ask me).

http://www.coralgables.com/CGWeb/documents/bnz_docs/agendas/devrevcomagenda20070323.pdf

canine7

March 20th, 2007, 10:25 AM

gables marquis should be finished in about 3 weeks.

floridian-will

March 23rd, 2007, 05:08 AM

Wow, Coral Gables looks alot like West Palm Beach, or I guess what I mean is West Palm Beach looks alot like Coral Gables, anyways, that looks like a very pretty town, and the buildings going into WPB really resemble these ones, they are just as low too:ohno:

dave8721

March 26th, 2007, 04:31 PM

dave8721

March 30th, 2007, 09:49 PM

http://www.coralgables.com/CGWeb/documents/bnz_docs/agendas/bdofadjagenda20070402.pdf

-An 8-story Zyscovich designed building for 2001 Galiano St/20-42 Navarre Ave/33-47 Alhambra Cir
-A midrise for 300-308 Majorca Ave
-A midrise for 315-317 Madeira Ave

ChuckScraperMiami#1

March 31st, 2007, 01:24 AM

An update on the Burger King HQ, the new City National Bank building has opened and the old building has been under demolition the last week or so. They are almost finished after which they will clear the site and the new BK building can rise in its place.

DAVE:) , my friend,
This is Great news !!!
Nice Update, Thanks again,
This Tower will be the tallest in Coral gables at over 200 feet
Wow:nuts: , Burger King is going to be a " Super Whopper " when this tower is completed by Late, 2009 !!!:ohno:
Go Cranes:banana: in the "City Beautiful ":cheers:

dave8721

April 27th, 2007, 07:27 PM

DAVE:) , my friend,
This is Great news !!!
Nice Update, Thanks again,
This Tower will be the tallest in Coral gables at over 200 feet
Wow:nuts: , Burger King is going to be a " Super Whopper " when this tower is completed by Late, 2009 !!!:ohno:
Go Cranes:banana: in the "City Beautiful ":cheers:

Just an update that the site is cleared and they now have one of those drilling machine things driving piles on the BK site.

ChuckScraperMiami#1

April 29th, 2007, 11:35 AM

Just an update that the site is cleared and they now have one of those drilling machine things driving piles on the BK site.
^^
DAVE:) , my friend,
This is the One:banana: ,
I drove by there on friday, this past week,
Yes, there's one drilling machine driving piles into the ground.
Thanks again for these great updates,
Miami Green Office Tower has not started anything yet on it's foundation in south Coral Gables on S.W. 38th ave next to the MetroRail station of the Grove.
Please keep us updated on that project,
Thanks again !!!:cheers:

arch photographer

April 29th, 2007, 04:17 PM

Does someone have a rendering of the future BK HEADQUARTERS??

intresant

April 29th, 2007, 05:31 PM

ChuckScraperMiami#1

April 30th, 2007, 04:41 AM

I didn't know they were moving away from blue lagoon! This is great, I hope they build something really interesting, coral gables will get incredible exposure world wide. It's going to be so good to see such an american company in a coral gables design, it will really show off the architectual richness miami has.
^^
Interesan,:) My friend,
I believe The " Burger King Tower " tower 's Developer is Jorge Perez,
CEO of Related Group, and
Yes, It's going to have an Inpact on the City of Coral Gables when completed in 2009 !!!
it will be the Tallest tower in the City itself,:banana:
But not as tall as the Biltmore Hotel.:cheers:

Yes:) , and Please someone,
Dave:) , my friend,
Any renderings of this Fantastic Tower on the rise ???

arch photographer

April 30th, 2007, 04:47 AM

No images of BK HQ on the related website. Anyone know how it will look????

dave8721

April 30th, 2007, 07:45 PM

No images of BK HQ on the related website. Anyone know how it will look????

Basically just the typical Coral Gables office building: Short at a little over 200 feet but with large floor plates. 250,000 sqft of office space.

This is the only rendering I've ever found:
http://www.costar.com/imageviewer/GetThumbnail.aspx?id=6655639B0DA7912642C829FACF92AA67&atype=4

dave8721

April 30th, 2007, 07:58 PM

12-story Lumiere gets approved for Coral Way & 13th Ave in the Roads.

http://www.miamiherald.com/492/story/89619.html

SHENANDOAH
Vote for mid-rise heightens many residents' wrath
Lumiere, a planned mid-rise, residential tower on Coral Way, is one step closer to breaking ground after the Miami City Commission gave the project preliminary approval Thursday.

BY DAVID SMILEY
dsmiley@MiamiHerald.com

Anti-development activists who came to Miami City Hall on Thursday hoping to stop the development of another Coral Way mid-rise left wondering if the thoroughfare is destined to be a concrete canyon.

''They want to destroy the neighborhood with high-rises,'' said Luis Herrera, president of the Vizcaya/Roads Homeowners Association.

Miami City Commissioners gave preliminary approval Thursday to a zoning change that would allow a controversial, 12-story, 66-unit, residential project on the corner of Coral Way and Southwest 13th Avenue, also known as Cuban Memorial Boulevard.

Despite recommendations to deny the project from city staff, the Miami Planning Advisory Board and Miami Zoning Board, the commission voted 3 to 2 in favor of the development, called Lumiere.

Commissioners Marc Sarnoff and Tomás Regalado voted against the project.

Some residents have opposed the development because the property is surrounded by low-density, residential neighborhoods.

Commissioner Joe Sanchez asked the commission to approve the project on two conditions: that the building retains three murals proposed by the developer, and that the zoning change would be voided should Lumiere not be built.

Sanchez said he understood neighbors' concerns.

But he said the disparity in height between the project and nearby homes would be mitigated by two townhomes included in the project and by the width of Southwest 21st Terrace.

Some on the dais disagreed.

''This, what they call a transition, is a blatant attack on the residential areas,'' Regalado said.

Luis Fernandez, pro bono attorney for the Vizcaya/Roads Homeowners Association, said up-zoning the lot would create a domino effect throughout the area.

Fernandez alleged that Sanchez made a promise in 2005 not to rezone Cuban Memorial Boulevard, which was being restored, and called upon the commissioner to keep his word. At the time, Fernandez and Sanchez were running against each other for the District 3 Commission seat.

''I ran against you because I didn't believe you,'' Fernandez said. ``Prove me wrong.''

Fernandez also suggested Sanchez had a conflict of interest because of his work with the now-defunct Friends of Little Havana, of which Lumiere developer Luis Palomo was a member.

Sanchez said there was no conflict of interest and called Fernandez disrespectful.

At one point, Sanchez accused Fernandez of focusing more on attacking him than on making valid points.

Sanchez downplayed the association's opposition to the project.

''I guarantee you there are some people here who wouldn't support a four-story project there,'' Sanchez said.

Mercedes Palomo, part owner of Palomo Holdings, said as a resident of the area, she understands the resistance to change.

But she added that Coral Way is a major corridor.

''Yesterday will never be,'' she said.

``We can't bury our heads in the sand and say I don't want things to change in my neighborhood.''

Rx727sfl2002

May 16th, 2007, 11:02 PM

VETOED VETO: Miami Mayor Manny Diaz denied Commissioner Marc Sarnoff's plea to veto recent commission action allowing for the go-ahead of a high-density residential project on Mercy Hospital land in Coconut Grove. "The power of the veto is one which I take very seriously. I have never nor will I ever use this power for political expediency, political retribution against a commissioner or for any other purpose not in the public interest," Mayor Diaz wrote in an e-mail. He also reminded Mr. Sarnoff "the fact is, you chaired a meeting where a unanimous Cocoanut Grove Council voted in favor of the project," to which Mr. Sarnoff responded, also via e-mail, that, as chair at the time, he was not a voting member of the board.

GUESS MR SARNOFF IS QUICKLY LEARNING THAT HE HAS NO REAL POWER...

dave8721

June 7th, 2007, 08:25 PM

George Merrick's old office, built in 1926, gets a new lease on life as the Old Spanish Village Sales center:

http://www.miamisunpost.com/0607Sales-Center-Exterior.gif

http://www.miamisunpost.com/0607groundwork.htm

George Merrick Would Be Proud

By Helen Hill

A historic structure that once belonged to Coral Gables founder George Merrick — the site where he first laid out plans for the city — has gained a new lease on life as the Old Spanish Village Sales Center.

Merrick’s Art Center and architectural headquarters at 2901 Ponce de Leon Blvd. was once so dilapidated that it was “red-tagged” by the city of Coral Gables as likely to collapse. After its acquisition by Ponce Circle Developers, the building was returned to its original grandeur under the direction of Jorge Hernandez, AIA, a renowned architect and University of Miami professor who specializes in historic Mediterranean design. Local historian Arva Moore Parks also served as a consultant on the project to ensure its authenticity.

The $1.7 million restoration began in November 2005 and required a complete gutting of the building, extensive structural repairs and new interior everything. Hernandez’s plans also included the addition of a balcony, which had been part of the building during Merrick’s tenure but had been removed over the years.

The landmark building will provide potential buyers with a glimpse of the Old World splendor planned for Old Spanish Village, including cobblestone streets filled with fountains, vine-covered porticos, courtyard entrances and other intricate features typical of historic buildings in Spain. Developer Rafael “Ralph” Sanchez , managing partner of Ponce Circle Developers, LLC, and the man behind the Miami Grand Prix and the $100 million Homestead Motorsports Complex, announced that sales are under way for the Merrick-inspired, seven-acre community of condominiums, townhouses, offices and shops that will take shape a few blocks south of Miracle Mile.

Construction of Old Spanish Village will be completed in phases, with Phase I consisting of 38 three-story townhouses, each with a two-car garage, elevator and rooftop terrace with panoramic views. Plans also call for several other components, including Casa Palermo, a residential condominium with views of the Village, and Ponce Circle Condos, two towers that will be located at 3001 Ponce de Leon Blvd.

All residences will include a variety of amenities, including luxury finishes, oversized balconies, European-style wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, walk-in closets and high-speed elevators.