Key Biscayne - Virginia Key - Stiltsville :)

Roark · October 20th, 2006, 11:06 PM

Check it out.
Here is the Sonesta Key Biscayne website where you can send feedback about the design of the buildings.
Click here
I've always been a fan of Sandy Babcock, but I'm pulling for the local boy done good, Oppenheim.

hello345 · February 5th, 2007, 08:03 AM

So which design has been chosen to replace the original hotel? When will the new one begin construction?

dave8721 · April 18th, 2007, 08:15 PM

The Sonesta project got approved as a condo and in related news, Fortune bought the Grand Bay resort next door:

http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/77744.html

Quote:

KEY BISCAYNE
Around South Florida
The Key Biscayne Village Council this week approved, with some conditions, a plan to redevelop the Sonesta Beach Resort as a four-tower residential condominium project.

As part of the project, the Sonesta/Fortune International Realty partnership, which is redeveloping the site, will make a $10 million contribution to the village.

The contribution consists of $7 million for open space and recreation, $1.5 million for the village Community Center and $1.5 million for the island's sewer system.

''This is by far the biggest contribution I have ever made or ever seen for a project that is not asking for any relief from the code,'' said Edgardo Defortuna, president and CEO of Fortune and a Key Biscayne resident.

Council members and some residents said they were disappointed that the 165-unit residential project would not include any type of hotel component, although the project will include a spa, restaurant and a beach bar and grill open to the public.

''Everyone would prefer a hotel,'' Vice Mayor Jorge Mendia said. ``But the reality is if it fits the code, it fits the code.''

On purchasing the Grand Bay:

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/070419/story1.shtml

Quote:

Fortune International purchases Key Biscayne resort

By Eric Kalis
South Florida developer Fortune International Realty last week bought the 12-acre Grand Bay Club and residential towers on Key Biscayne, Fortune Principal Edgardo Defortuna said.
The company closed the deal last week with a Venezuelan consortium that operates in Florida as Grand Bay Club Partners LLC. Mr. Defortuna declined to disclose the financial terms. "There are a few items still pending," he said.
A strong relationship between Fortune International and the consortium and the property's beachfront location were pivotal factors in the company's decision to buy the property, Mr. Defortuna said. "Obviously, we were attracted to the piece of property. Ö It is important for us to acquire waterfront property when it is available."
The fate of the property is undetermined, Mr. Defortuna said. Built in 1999, the condo tower has 94 units from 2,470 to 3,950 square feet. The private club has 450 members, he said. The club will be operated for now, Mr. Defortuna said.
One option for Fortune International would be to combine the Grand Bay site with the adjacent Sonesta Beach Resort, which Mr. Defortuna owns. The Key Biscayne Village Council on Monday unanimously approved the company's plans to redevelop the Sonesta site with 165 residences averaging 3,700 square feet in four or five towers supported by resort amenities. The company scrapped plans last year to build a condo-hotel at the site after concerns were raised by village planning department officials.
"If the opportunity to put [Grand Bay and Sonesta] together and have the club as an amenity comes up, we will analyze that," Mr. Defortuna said. "For now, we are prepared to run and improve the club."

southfloridamiamian · April 22nd, 2007, 10:14 PM

I think they should put the new musuems that are going to be built in bicentennial park should be put in virgining key instead along with the park they are planning to built as well. I think the city should make virginina key like our central park. They should rise mixed use retail condo hotel highrises sorroudning all of virgnia key and then in the middle a huge park. VK already has the seaquarium and schools and marinas. I dont know just a crazy thought. What do you guys think? What would you do to virgnina key?

coruna · April 22nd, 2007, 10:25 PM

Although it sounds like a good idea because Virginia Key has a lot of open land, I have to strongly disagree with that idea. It would be like having Central Park and all of the famous NYC museums on Coney Island. Unless there is a metrorail line built to Virginia Key, and all of the bay between the mainland and the key is filled in, it won't work. Virginia Key is just too far away from the core of the city, and it's not an urban environment at all. The downtown area is good for that stuff because it is serviced by public transit, and it's within the central core of the city, near all of the attractions. I like Bicentennial/Museum Park for that area, maybe build a museum or two west of the Biscayne Wall, but Virginia Key is WAY too far for that. It would require those trying to get to the museums and park to DRIVE at least 30 minutes across Rickenbacker Causeway to get to it. The museums and central park need to be built around downtown in order for it to become world-class like Central Park in New York. I think that the current plans will work out quite nicely with the Museum Park being located near the core of the city. Most world class cities have it that way, not the way where everything requires driving and is located on an island far removed from the center of the city.

southfloridamiamian · April 22nd, 2007, 10:53 PM

So what would be a good plan for virgnina key and key biscayne for that matter?

coruna · April 22nd, 2007, 11:44 PM

I'm not an expert in those areas. I don't follow Virginia Key as much as I do Miami Beach and mainland Dade county, but I think developing it would be the best thing. Doing it well by including retail, condos, etc. would be nice, as well as keeping the public beaches that exist now. For Key Biscayne, I don't think there is much that needs to be done. Cape Florida State Park should remain a state park, and there is a nice mix of residential towers, retail/hotel areas, and single-family homes right now. Just make the community over there better by adding more towers and removing some of the less-desirable retail centers, replacing them with ones that are more high-end.

Main point: There shouldn't be a "big plan" for Key Biscayne and Virginia Key. Those areas are good the way they are right now for the most part. It's always nice to add on to a community and make it better and they should do that for Key Biscayne. Virginia Key should start seeing some more development, but you can't just plop some of the nicest landmarks and parks in the city onto an island that's far removed from the core of Miami.

southfloridamiamian · April 23rd, 2007, 12:22 AM

i think virgnina key should be developed with the highest density possible....its connected on two sides to da mainland so its not that isolated. it could end up being a great destination for those who like to live next to the beach in a high desnity hise rise urban lifestyle beach atmosphere but dont like to live that clubland lifestyle pretty much a mini downtown with beaches in thbe middle of the ocean....i think virgnina key could be a great downtown miami beach hybrid...a concrete island jungle...key biscayne should somewhat stay the way it is. lol if real madrid does end up establishing miami as the soccer gateway to the americas i would love to see the thempark they plan on buiulding to be on key biscayne if space allows it. that or make it jsut like i insision virgnina key but instead of hisse rises i would put a max of 15-25 floor ground retial condos and hotels a nice community with alot of green space.......as for the museums yes i cant complain that site chosen would be great astheticaly to our skyline but i would of loved a new ballpark since i love baseball more than museums but hey i would of picked bayfront park as a marlins ballaprk instead and keep the museums on bicentennial

Rx727sfl2002 · April 23rd, 2007, 01:20 AM

rider_of_rohan · April 23rd, 2007, 04:09 AM

I dont think they should develop Virginia Key at all. Of course they should do something with the decaying and vandalized old boat race stadium there, but really it should stay as undeveloped as possible. I think you will get a fight if you try to develop Key Biscayne anymore than it is already. Key Biscayne is incorporated so they dont need to fight city hall, they have their own. I see a lot of Nimbys there and I dont blame them, they have paradise out there and want to save it. Again on Virginia key, you would have a major traffic issue trying to develop it, dont look at anything major happening there any time soon.

Rx727sfl2002 · April 23rd, 2007, 05:52 AM

i say bigbox retail incorporated with the marine stadium as a boardwalk promenade (perhaps eclose the marine stadium with glass and make a movie theater out of it)

Paul305 · February 27th, 2012, 02:38 AM

Twin 15 story towers are being planned for the Sonesta site on Key Biscayne (Source: condovulture.com)

***QuantumX*** · February 27th, 2012, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul305

Twin 15 story towers are being planned for the Sonesta site on Key Biscayne (Source: condovulture.com)

Wow! You made quite an effort to find this thread again. My hat's off to you!

Paul305 · February 27th, 2012, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuantumX

Wow! You made quite an effort to find this thread again. My hat's off to you!

Didn't want to make a new thread for a project that will probably get canceled when there was a perfectly good one here for the taking.

***QuantumX*** · February 27th, 2012, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul305

Didn't want to make a new thread for a project that will probably get canceled when there was a perfectly good one here for the taking.

What usually happens is I end up digging up the pre-existing thread and merging the new redundant thread into it that somebody has created because they hadn't made as gallant an effort as you did.

exMiami · February 27th, 2012, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul305

Twin 15 story towers are being planned for the Sonesta site on Key Biscayne (Source: condovulture.com)

The towers have moved past the proposed stage and commenced construction this month.

Paul305 · February 28th, 2012, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by exMiami

The towers have moved past the proposed stage and commenced construction this month.

Wow. This property has been in the planning stages since I first joined this forum. It's amazing that they're finally going to start construction. Are there any rendering of the planned buildings?

brickell · February 28th, 2012, 10:40 PM

http://oceana-keybiscayne.com/

skyscraperhighrise · February 28th, 2012, 11:20 PM

It will be brillant.

exMiami · February 29th, 2012, 07:54 PM

There are also photographs of the groundbreaking ceremony a few weeks ago.

October 20th, 2006, 11:06 PM	#1
Roark BANNED Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3,919 Likes (Received): 0	Key Biscayne - Virginia Key - Stiltsville :) Check it out. Here is the Sonesta Key Biscayne website where you can send feedback about the design of the buildings. Click here I've always been a fan of Sandy Babcock, but I'm pulling for the local boy done good, Oppenheim.

April 23rd, 2007, 12:22 AM	#8
southfloridamiamian Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: the 305 Posts: 371 Likes (Received): 0	i think virgnina key should be developed with the highest density possible....its connected on two sides to da mainland so its not that isolated. it could end up being a great destination for those who like to live next to the beach in a high desnity hise rise urban lifestyle beach atmosphere but dont like to live that clubland lifestyle pretty much a mini downtown with beaches in thbe middle of the ocean....i think virgnina key could be a great downtown miami beach hybrid...a concrete island jungle...key biscayne should somewhat stay the way it is. lol if real madrid does end up establishing miami as the soccer gateway to the americas i would love to see the thempark they plan on buiulding to be on key biscayne if space allows it. that or make it jsut like i insision virgnina key but instead of hisse rises i would put a max of 15-25 floor ground retial condos and hotels a nice community with alot of green space.......as for the museums yes i cant complain that site chosen would be great astheticaly to our skyline but i would of loved a new ballpark since i love baseball more than museums but hey i would of picked bayfront park as a marlins ballaprk instead and keep the museums on bicentennial Last edited by southfloridamiamian; April 23rd, 2007 at 12:27 AM.

April 23rd, 2007, 01:20 AM	#9
Rx727sfl2002 BANNED Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: MIAMI Posts: 1,304 Likes (Received): 0	Stiltsville Last edited by Rx727sfl2002; April 23rd, 2007 at 01:29 AM.

April 23rd, 2007, 04:09 AM	#10
rider_of_rohan Savior of Gondor Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,513 Likes (Received): 0	I dont think they should develop Virginia Key at all. Of course they should do something with the decaying and vandalized old boat race stadium there, but really it should stay as undeveloped as possible. I think you will get a fight if you try to develop Key Biscayne anymore than it is already. Key Biscayne is incorporated so they dont need to fight city hall, they have their own. I see a lot of Nimbys there and I dont blame them, they have paradise out there and want to save it. Again on Virginia key, you would have a major traffic issue trying to develop it, dont look at anything major happening there any time soon. __________________ Reform is affirmative, conservatism negative; conservatism goes for comfort, reform for truth. Ralph Waldo Emerson

February 27th, 2012, 02:38 AM	#12
Paul305 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Miami/Gainesville Posts: 567 Likes (Received): 8	Twin 15 story towers are being planned for the Sonesta site on Key Biscayne (Source: condovulture.com) __________________ *GO GATORS!!!*

February 5th, 2007, 08:03 AM	#2
hello345 Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 367 Likes (Received): 0	So which design has been chosen to replace the original hotel? When will the new one begin construction?

April 22nd, 2007, 10:14 PM	#4
southfloridamiamian Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: the 305 Posts: 371 Likes (Received): 0	I think they should put the new musuems that are going to be built in bicentennial park should be put in virgining key instead along with the park they are planning to built as well. I think the city should make virginina key like our central park. They should rise mixed use retail condo hotel highrises sorroudning all of virgnia key and then in the middle a huge park. VK already has the seaquarium and schools and marinas. I dont know just a crazy thought. What do you guys think? What would you do to virgnina key?

April 22nd, 2007, 10:25 PM	#5
coruna BANNED Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Coral Gables Posts: 656 Likes (Received): 0	Although it sounds like a good idea because Virginia Key has a lot of open land, I have to strongly disagree with that idea. It would be like having Central Park and all of the famous NYC museums on Coney Island. Unless there is a metrorail line built to Virginia Key, and all of the bay between the mainland and the key is filled in, it won't work. Virginia Key is just too far away from the core of the city, and it's not an urban environment at all. The downtown area is good for that stuff because it is serviced by public transit, and it's within the central core of the city, near all of the attractions. I like Bicentennial/Museum Park for that area, maybe build a museum or two west of the Biscayne Wall, but Virginia Key is WAY too far for that. It would require those trying to get to the museums and park to DRIVE at least 30 minutes across Rickenbacker Causeway to get to it. The museums and central park need to be built around downtown in order for it to become world-class like Central Park in New York. I think that the current plans will work out quite nicely with the Museum Park being located near the core of the city. Most world class cities have it that way, not the way where everything requires driving and is located on an island far removed from the center of the city.

April 22nd, 2007, 10:53 PM	#6
southfloridamiamian Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: the 305 Posts: 371 Likes (Received): 0	So what would be a good plan for virgnina key and key biscayne for that matter?

April 22nd, 2007, 11:44 PM	#7
coruna BANNED Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Coral Gables Posts: 656 Likes (Received): 0	I'm not an expert in those areas. I don't follow Virginia Key as much as I do Miami Beach and mainland Dade county, but I think developing it would be the best thing. Doing it well by including retail, condos, etc. would be nice, as well as keeping the public beaches that exist now. For Key Biscayne, I don't think there is much that needs to be done. Cape Florida State Park should remain a state park, and there is a nice mix of residential towers, retail/hotel areas, and single-family homes right now. Just make the community over there better by adding more towers and removing some of the less-desirable retail centers, replacing them with ones that are more high-end. Main point: There shouldn't be a "big plan" for Key Biscayne and Virginia Key. Those areas are good the way they are right now for the most part. It's always nice to add on to a community and make it better and they should do that for Key Biscayne. Virginia Key should start seeing some more development, but you can't just plop some of the nicest landmarks and parks in the city onto an island that's far removed from the core of Miami.

April 23rd, 2007, 05:52 AM	#11
Rx727sfl2002 BANNED Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: MIAMI Posts: 1,304 Likes (Received): 0	i say bigbox retail incorporated with the marine stadium as a boardwalk promenade (perhaps eclose the marine stadium with glass and make a movie theater out of it)

February 28th, 2012, 10:40 PM	#18
brickell Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: miami Posts: 1,650 Likes (Received): 7	http://oceana-keybiscayne.com/

February 28th, 2012, 11:20 PM	#19
skyscraperhighrise Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida Posts: 690 Likes (Received): 2	It will be brillant. __________________ F*ck the two party dictatorship aka democrips and rebloodlicans. Left/Right it doesn't matter anymore, you still get bigger government, no matter who's in power.

February 29th, 2012, 07:54 PM	#20
exMiami Registered User Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 40 Likes (Received): 0	There are also photographs of the groundbreaking ceremony a few weeks ago. __________________ http://exmiami.org

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