...

NIMBY's are going to come out of the woodwork on this one! It'll never get appoved at 52 stories but it's great that they set the bar really high, so hopefully it'll still be a very tall tower.

But I think bulldozing that shopping center at 79th street and redeveloping it into a massive high-rise is great news!

I hate the complainers who complain about every new development going up. That part of town is largely a shithole now!

I agree that the area needs some work. They have that project the Bank across the road from there but I agree that the height is far too much for the area. This part of town doesnt have a lot of high rises. What the the tallest building in the area, 10 floors? Its too tall, maybe they should build twin 25 story buildings. That would be more in tune with the area.

Well...it is very true that the neighborhood needs revitalization, but how can a project there possibly compete with anything currently available or due in the next 12 months??
That area has very little density....and that...oh forget it. I don't believe in Midtown being viable, how in the name of Mary Brickell is that area going to work in the next 10 years??

maybe thisll b a catalyst for more development in the area and then wont be criticizable (thats a word) for its isolation

roark im not sure how good of a realestate agent you are but have you noticed that there is no shopping areas anywhere in the middle between aventura and downtown miami...

midtown-79street-and 125street towncenter will add shopping areas in a much closer proximity for biscyane park-miami shores-shorecrest-bellmeade-morningside residents.....

oh god no............i'm sorry but i know this area very well as my dad once owned some property right behind the US immigration building,which would be right next door to this 52 story building....it would totally be out of place and would stick out more than a sore thumb,that propoerty is big enough to build several highrises,so instead why don't they just build 5 or 10 20 story buildings which would create some nice density and help the area without trying to overdo it,anyways whatever they build there i hope they included some affordable housing,since that area can use it.....

anyways after all is said and done,i think this is an ok project just a bit out of scale,i do think this area is just one good prject away from becoming another good neighborhood and getting rid of that crappy shooping plaza and making something more pedestrian friendly would liven up the area..

Posted on Sat, Dec. 03, 2005
REAL ESTATE


Developers unveil massive plan for Biscayne Plaza's property

The Easton Group wants to build more than 2,400 residential units -- many in a 52-story tower -- at 79th Street and Biscayne Boulevard.

BY STEVE HARRISON

sharrison@herald.com


Two Miami real estate moguls want to bulldoze the Biscayne Plaza shopping center and build a massive retail and residential complex -- including a 52-story tower -- on the northwest corner of Northeast 79th Street and Biscayne Boulevard.

The $430 million project would dwarf the neighboring single-family homes in Miami Shores and Little Haiti, a lone skyscraper halfway between Miami's downtown and Aventura's condo canyon.

The project is far from approval. Already a City of Miami committee has requested the architect, Arquitectonica, shrink the height of the main tower.

''That site warrants relatively high-density, but I don't know about 50 stories,'' said Miami City Commissioner Johnny Winton, whose district includes the area. ``We're not creating a new downtown at 79th street. It's a perfect site to do something special and spectacular, but it has to meet our needs.''

The Easton Group, one of two landowners, bought the shopping center in 1981. Though the center has been highly profitable, chairman Ed Easton said the approval of Miami Midtown 36 blocks to the south spurred plans for redeveloping 79th Street with condos.

''This is the largest site remaining in the city of Miami,'' said Easton, who is partnering with Allen Greenwald in the deal. ``We're really just doing what Midtown has already done.''

The target for the development is 2,470 residential units and 200,000-square-feet of retail. Easton said the height of the main tower could be lowered, though it's important it be tall to maximize views of Biscayne Bay.

The Related Group plans two 20-story towers with 430 units immediately north of Northeast 79th Street on Biscayne Bay. Residents have said those towers are too tall, but one activist said the shopping center development is worse.

''It's a monstrosity,'' said Allyson Warren, president of the nearby Shorecrest Homeowners Association. ``It's just so out of scale. And there's no way we can handle the traffic.''

Plans call for a bridge across the Little River Canal to the FEC railroad tracks if those are ever used for mass transit. The project also aims to include a stop for a proposed streetcar that has been discussed for along Biscayne Boulevard.

Easton said the project would be ''price-sensitive'' with many units costing under $300,000.

According to design plans filed with the city, the 52-story tower would be set back from the street, surrounded by much shorter buildings. That's to minimize its impact to pedestrians.

The city's pre-application design review committee also suggested that because the complex covers so large an area -- 20 acres -- designers rebuild the original streets wiped out by the shopping center. The committee suggested the architect mimic parts of City Place in West Palm Beach, which has parks and walkways to encourage pedestrian traffic.

Roark, what will make this viable is the price. Sub $300k units will be sold....very quickly regardless of location in Miami.

There is HUGE demand for sub $300k product that is new and high-class.

When are they going to figure out that people dont want skyscrapers in an area with single family homes? What is that other project by Morningside park..kube I think, its only about 9 stories and they are fighting it tooth and nail and these guys think that nobody will care? I only lived about a block from the site when I was in Miami and I personally wouldnt have wanted it there. It would have felt like it was right on top of me being that tall. Hatter is right, build several buildings that will fit into the area better..and while your doing it buy some land that is cheaper around it (west of Biscayne) maybe along the west side of the canal to develope later..a riverwalk aspect could be added later (once they clean the canal). They need to take a community approach to this not just plunk down a skyscraper and expect everyone to be happy.

roark im not sure how good of a realestate agent you are but have you noticed that there is no shopping areas anywhere in the middle between aventura and downtown miami...midtown-79street-and 125street towncenter will add shopping areas in a much closer proximity for biscyane park-miami shores-shorecrest-bellmeade-morningside residents.....Yes, I have noticed that.
I've also noticed the Eskimos aren't buying much ice water, because they don't need it. Although licensed as a Real Estate Broker, I'm not exactly a real estate agent, more about commercial and multifamily development. I study rooftops, income, car counts, ingress/egress, and compactness of shopping options in a given area for retail and quality of life/competition, land use for residential.
The reason that there isn't any shopping between Aventura and Downtown right now is because it wouldn't make any sense. Maybe someone will take a risk and build megacenter and hope people come. I'm not that guy, I can't think of a single developer that would take that risk. Perhaps someone will do that in 2006, but I think that it is early.
The biggest mistake that I've ever heard from would be developers or entrepenuers is, "Well, this place doesn't have any ____________, so that is why I'm opening one". Lot's of times, the reason why we don't have something is because it is not wanted or needed. That's the way it is. I wish we could have a Taco Bell on South Beach, but well....you get the point. The collolary, if a business can make money build a bunch of 'em...Blockbuster on Alton & 15th and 2 blocks north on Alton & 17th. South Beach Starbucks on 2nd street, 8th street, 15th street, 16th street, & Lincoln Road.

Maybe the developers are hoping that a large amount of young, well-off people will move into the midtown area and will sustain commercial development in that area. It may be a little more risky to invest in the area right now than say five years from now, but by then the real estate prices of the area will probably have skyrocketed so the return wouldnt be as high.

My guess is they'll have to cut it down to 25 to 30 stories at the tallest. Rail72 is planned for 72nd street (a couple of blocks west of biscayne) at 30 stories, 396ft. And the Palm Bay Yacht club at NE 69th ST has two 27-story condos since the 1970's. Lafayette Square was just approved on 79th street a couple of blocks away at 19 stories as was Villa Patricia a block away from that at 17 stories.

The traffic in the area is already ungodly with no relief in site so I'm not sure how good of an idea it would be to add 2,000+ units to the area. I'm sure all the new residents of North Beach and North Bay Village will love having that many more cars in line ahead of them heading toward I-95 in the morning.

My guess is they'll have to cut it down to 25 to 30 stories at the tallest. Rail72 is planned for 72nd street (a couple of blocks west of biscayne) at 30 stories, 396ft. And the Palm Bay Yacht club at NE 69th ST has two 27-story condos since the 1970's. Lafayette Square was just approved on 79th street a couple of blocks away at 19 stories as was Villa Patricia a block away from that at 17 stories.

The traffic in the area is already ungodly with no relief in site so I'm not sure how good of an idea it would be to add 2,000+ units to the area. I'm sure all the new residents of North Beach and North Bay Village will love having that many more cars in line ahead of them heading toward I-95 in the morning.


Yes true dave, but then Miami is so dense anyway where else can they put units? I agree that the buildngs need to be cut down, not doubt about that. It would be nice to see things happen in that area. All the projects you mention are exciting to me. Downtown and Brickell are great and places where 50 story buildings should be, not Shorecrest. If Miami can turn this area around, especially west of Biscayne then that would be a gigantic achievement in my eyes. We can all watch and see what happens.
Dave has there been any word if the residents around Rail72 are going to put up a fight about the height?

Dave has there been any word if the residents around Rail72 are going to put up a fight about the height?

They probably don't know about it yet. It has yet to go before the planning board, much less the full commission.