CORAL GABLES & CORAL WAYS CONDOS?

[The Mad Hatter!!]

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

[dave8721]

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:

[renner01]

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]

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"

[streetscapeer]

ooo...I like that glass in front


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

[streetscapeer]

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

[ChuckScraperMiami#1]

Originally Posted by streetscapeer

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.

[ChuckScraperMiami#1]

Originally Posted by dave8721

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 !!!

[nimbyhater]

Originally Posted by streetscapeer

ooo...I like that glass in front


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

[nimbyhater]

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

[ChuckScraperMiami#1]

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.

[Toucano]

Ponce Tower

[nimbyhater]

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



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

[dave8721]

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]

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

[dave8721]

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/Legistarw...ents/17398.PDF

[south florida dave]

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]

looks like a modern Howard Johnson

[nimbyhater]

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]

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."