MIAMI | Development Thread

[NewAtlantisMiami]

You've done a great job with those pics. You've really shown how Marquis has come along by the different angles...its a very nice building. But my favorite is the one of the Four Seasons between Axis and Infinity. Nice work.


Thanks, Cityseed! That gives me a better idea of what to shoot. I just started doing this last week after not owning a camera in 25 years. Meantime, I have just called Bank of America in Downtown Miami and I have spoken to the property manager about getting roof access to take pictures. They have to check their schedule and then I make an appointment. Then, I go down and sign a waiver, and then I will be escorted to the roof by security. I have given him my email address so that he can email me all the details!

[NewAtlantisMiami]

I took this pic from the Juilia Tuttle Causeway yesterday.

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[bobdreamz]

very nice pic NewAtlantis! This view from the Tuttle causeway captures the entire skyline perfectly from downtown to the new scrapers in the arts district.

[NewAtlantisMiami]

very nice pic NewAtlantis! This view from the Tuttle causeway captures the entire skyline perfectly from downtown to the new scrapers in the arts district.

That is exactly what I was shooting for, but I didn't notice the rainbow above Opera Tower until now. :) :tup:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=666556&page=6

[NewAtlantisMiami]

I've been wanting to see somebody put shots from the Rusty Pelican on the skyscraper websites since I started, so I did it myself.

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[lviz]

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[colemonkee]

^ Fantastic pics, both of you. For the love of god, keep those shutter fingers healthy!

[NewAtlantisMiami]

^ Fantastic pics, both of you. For the love of god, keep those shutter fingers healthy!

I spoke to the property manager of Bank of America tower here in Miami yesterday. He emailed me, and I sent him the first pic above and this pic of Bank of America tower as well as the Rusty Pelican pic with the skyline view from my table as samples of my work so that he could see that I was legit. So now I wait to see where he can fit me into his schedule for a shoot.

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[Complex01]

That is good news. Great pics. Love Miami...

:yes:

[NewAtlantisMiami]

That is good news. Great pics. Love Miami...

:yes:

"I’d like to confirm that you are giving us the rights to use for our purposes. We attempt to credit all photographers as standard procedure so please verify your photo credit so I can include in metadata of each image.

Arva Moore Parks McCabe is updating her book, Miami the Magic City, and asked if I knew any photographers who might have shots of the entire city across water that she could us as two page spread.:previous: (first pic on this page) I can give you her contact if you’d be interested in possibly getting published in that book."

I got this email from Arquitectonica and told them I had forwarded it to an attorney. I haven't given them the rights to use anything just yet.

[JMO_0121]

:previous: I dont understand this Atlantis. Is someone using your photos without your permission? How aweful!!

[NewAtlantisMiami]

:previous: I dont understand this Atlantis. Is someone using your photos without your permission? How aweful!!

No, they are not! But I suspect they are trying to pull one over on me, so I'm letting them know they can't do that because I'm consulting an attorney about this.

[Cityseed]

It sounds as if they're just trying to see if you'd allow them to use the pictures. You can say no if you wish. But they said they'd give the photographer credit in the book.

[Austinlee]

Great pics everybody.

[NewAtlantisMiami]

It sounds as if they're just trying to see if you'd allow them to use the pictures. You can say no if you wish. But they said they'd give the photographer credit in the book.

I told them I had forwarded their email to a lawyer to consult with him. Meantime, I have emailed every pic I sent Arquitectonica to a business and real estate lawyer to see what he has to say about this. If Arquitectonica likes the way I showcase their projects and wants to use my photos, then they must feel they are something advantageous to them whereby they may be able to profit from them, and therefore, some kind of contract might be in order here. Having studied skyscraper architecture as a hobby for overy 30 years now, I have some idea of what I want to achieve when I photograph a skyline or a skyscraper. I don't just point and shoot, and I am not going to just give photos to an architectural firm as prestigious as this if they like the product. That is why I sent them to a business and real estate lawyer to see if he finds this worth pursuing. Meantime, here are some more pics I took just this Sunday.

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[bobdreamz]

NewAtlantis fantastic pics as always and Congrats that your photos are being considered for a book by Arva Moore Parks who is a respected historian on Miami. You should feel honored and your 5th pic is now my screen background.

[NewAtlantisMiami]

NewAtlantis fantastic pics as always and Congrats that your photos are being considered for a book by Arva Moore Parks who is a respected historian on Miami. You should feel honored and your 5th pic is now my screen background.

Thanks, Bobdreamz! I suspect lots of guys are using one or more of my pics as their screen background. You are just the first one to admit it. Yes, I do feel honored to have my work considered for a picture book, but I've always had some idea of what I wanted to shoot of the new Miami skyline and how to shoot it.

That is a vantage point I've wanted for a long time, and I pulled over onto the grass of the Julia Tuttle Causeway walked up the bridge (which does not have a pedestrian sidewalk) to make that shot. One of the SkyscraperCity forumers said if I didn't use the highest resolution to make the shoot, they wouldn't be able to use the photo, but I can always shoot it again. The only difficulty would be the weather and the sky conditions. It's hard to capture solar halos projecting rainbows over the skyline!

[NewAtlantisMiami]

NewAtlantis fantastic pics as always and Congrats that your photos are being considered for a book by Arva Moore Parks who is a respected historian on Miami. You should feel honored and your 5th pic is now my screen background.

Is that 5th in the last sequence or 5th on the page?

[lviz]

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[met3dreamer]

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[bobdreamz]

^ I see Brickell Financial Center is about a little more than half way up to it's 40 story height. Thanks for the update!

[Sulley]

It is my biggest dream to live in Miami in the next five years. What an amazing, global city.

[NewAtlantisMiami]

It is my biggest dream to live in Miami in the next five years. What an amazing, global city.

Just wait until you see what it looks like in the next five years. We're not done here just yet. Things have just cooled down abit. I have an ultralight tour of the skyline scheduled for this morning at 11:00. I probably won't be able to get to sleep thinking about it since it's already 1:45. I'm hoping to catch some kiteboarders in midair while I'm up there. I called a buddy to see if he and he friends couldn't coordinate it for my flyover if they want some pictures.

[Sulley]

Well, skyscraper or construction or not, Miami is a wonderful city. The culture cannot be found anywhere else in America.

The construction cranes are just an added bonus :)

[NewAtlantisMiami]

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[NewAtlantisMiami]

A rainstorm moved in right after takeoff, which made this a lot more difficult with the turbulence. I hadn't planned to do the extended tour over South Beach (which costs me an extra 25 bucks), but we had to in order to dodge the storm. A lot of pics came out blurred, but I just kept shooting trying to get as many as I could that worked.

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This building on the left is where I used to live on South Beach at 10th and West Avenue
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[NewAtlantisMiami]

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[bobdreamz]

fantastic aerials Atlantis!

[NewAtlantisMiami]

fantastic aerials Atlantis!

That is only a piece of what I took from air. We had to fly over South Beach because of the rainstorm. That wasn't part of the plan, but I got some great aeriels of South Beach. My full ultralight tour starts on page 14 of QuantumPX on SkyscraperCity, which is down right now.

[Cityseed]

Dude, scary!

Nice shots though.

[NewAtlantisMiami]

Dude, scary!

Nice shots though.

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[NewAtlantisMiami]

It's interesting how when you study everything that is in some of the pics, you can actually see how my pilot and I are circumnagivating this rainstorm.

[Dale]

Stunning shots, New.

As an aside, I always think it's spooky the way you can see the bottom of Biscayne Bay.

[NewAtlantisMiami]

Stunning shots, New.

As an aside, I always think it's spooky the way you can see the bottom of Biscayne Bay.

Thanks, Dale! It only goes to show how shallow Biscayne Bay really is, but that is also how clear it is.

What was really spooky to me though is here I am taking my first flight on an ultralight, making my first attempt at aerial photography, and I takeoff in a rainstorm. How do you roll up the windows in one of those things?

[Complex01]

Wow just brillant photos. I remember when the Biscayne "Wall" was just starting. Now it is just something else. Very Kewl shots...

:yes:

[NewAtlantisMiami]

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[futuresooner]

What are they doing to South Pointe Park?

[brickell]

^
vWJOvRN6wu4

and

http://web.miamibeachfl.gov/cip/scroll.aspx?id=14918

[NewAtlantisMiami]

Wow just brillant photos. I remember when the Biscayne "Wall" was just starting. Now it is just something else. Very Kewl shots...

:yes:

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[futuresooner]

I'm glad the Biscayne Wall was built w/o that one built behind the freedom Tower. Hopefully, when all is good to build more, that one will not happen. Building practically upon THE Miami landmark is totally a no in my book.

[NewAtlantisMiami]

I'm glad the Biscayne Wall was built w/o that one built behind the freedom Tower. Hopefully, when all is good to build more, that one will not happen. Building practically upon THE Miami landmark is totally a no in my book.

We have so little older architecture here in Miami. I'm originally from Jacksonville, and I think they do better in that regard. Living in San Francisco made me appreciate Jacksonville's older architecture more. Thank God the powers-that-be had the wisdom to keep Freedom Tower.

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[met3dreamer]

ICON BRICKELLhttp://i35.tinypic.com/10woff7.jpg

[B]MET 2http://i38.tinypic.com/x5a51l.jpg


[B]MET 2http://i35.tinypic.com/rhjvw0.jpg

[B]MET 2 HOTEL 11 STORIEShttp://i38.tinypic.com/4vh5y9.jpg

MET 3 SITEhttp://i37.tinypic.com/2hcqk9h.jpg

WIND MINT IVYhttp://i36.tinypic.com/2rhtniw.jpg

[NewAtlantisMiami]

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[UrbanImpact]

Thanks for all the pictures. What is the building between the new courthouse on the right and goverment center in the last picture?

[brickell]

Q, you should create a photo thread in the photo section so everyone else can see these.

[NewAtlantisMiami]

Q, you should create a photo thread in the photo section so everyone else can see these.

You mean like I did on SkyscraperCity? How do I get there on here?

[NewAtlantisMiami]

Q, you should create a photo thread in the photo section so everyone else can see these.

Ok, I created a thread in My City Photos. I just posted pics there that I went back to Bank of America's roof yesterday to shoot because it was a nicer day.

[lviz]

Happy Labor Day everyone! :tup:

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w356/lviz_photo/brickell/brickellaug2008.jpg

[GREGGYMIAMI305]

nice updates on MET 2

[lviz]

Here's Icon, 500 Brickell, Brickell on the River and a little bit of Epic:

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w356/lviz_photo/brickell/icon-500-briver-epic.jpg

[MIAMISKYLINE]

Thanks for all the pictures. What is the building between the new courthouse on the right and goverment center in the last picture?

wHICH one?

[MIAMISKYLINE]

Leon Cohen, the Miami Beach developer who proposed a 93-story skyscraper in downtown Miami, faces default judgment in New York State Supreme Court over fraud allegations related to a former hotel redevelopment project.

New York Judge Walter Tolub wrote the decision against Cohen, his father Maurice Cohen and other defendants on Wednesday in connection with alleged fraud at the Flatotel in midtown Manhattan.

According Tolub’s ruling, the “defendants’ long-standing patterns of default, lateness, and abject failure to comply with court orders amounts to willful … conduct which not only warrants but necessitates … award of default judgment.”

Cohen received initial approval from a Miami panel in January for the Empire World Towers project, slated to have 1,557 residential units. At the time, real estate analysts questioned the project because of hurricane codes, height restrictions, the ongoing credit market crunch and the downturn in real estate markets.

The impact of Wednesday’s decision in New York was not immediately apparent. Miami spokeswoman Kelly Penton said no one at the city had heard about the New York case.

Cohen’s New York attorney, John Gleason of Gleason & Koatz, declined to comment on Friday.

The plaintiff in the suit against Cohen is a French lender, CDR Creances, represented by Douglas A. Kellner of Kellner Herlihy Getty.

Court documents show Cohen, his family and their companies borrowed $92 million in 1991 to fund acquisition of the Flatotel. CDR received a security interest as part of consideration for the loan. The suit alleges that Maurice Cohen orchestrated the unauthorized transfer and eventual sale of shares of stock in which CDR held a security interest, without CDR’s knowledge.

According to Kellner, the Cohens “sold the New York Flatotel to a Bahamian company controlled by hotelier Simon Elias in 2000 without disclosing the transaction to CDR and without making any payment on the loan.”

The details behind the case involve foreign bank accounts and “extremely complicated business transactions,” the judge noted.

Kellner told the Business Journal of Friday that he plans to file a motion seeking $264 million in actual damages from Cohen and punitive damages of $2.5 billion.

Kellner said he is very interested in Cohen’s Florida company, Maclee Development, and its funding to pursue the Empire World Towers project.

“Where those funds came from to acquire his property has been of great interest to us,” he said.

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2008/08/11/daily53.html

[MIAMISKYLINE]

Banco Itaú Europa International has leased 38,143 square feet of Class A office space in downtown Miami’s Wachovia Financial Center. It will occupy most of the 21st floor and all of the 22nd floor.

Banc Itaú’s international private banking and wealth management area is affiliated with Banco Itaú S.A, Brazil’s second-largest non-government commercial bank. It will employ 150 employees in its Miami operation.

The lease is for more than 10 years. Its value was not disclosed.

The lease follows Banco Itaú Europa International’s acquisition of the Miami-based edge arms of BankBoston and ABN Amro.

Banco Itau is an Edge Arms bank, which means it is alloed to engage in international banking through federally chartered subsidiaries.

ABN Amro’s branch had been a long-time tenant in Wachovia Financial Center, and the bank’s lease was set to expire in 2012.

California-based Gensler Architecture and Design is redesigning the space.



http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2008/08/18/daily38.html

[MIAMISKYLINE]

Residents vote for politicians who support new park for Fish

MIAMI -- Miami-Dade County residents had their say last week, and they voted in favor of those who support a new stadium for the Marlins.

The Aug. 26 elections in Miami-Dade County had a direct connection to the Marlins efforts to get construction under way on a retractable-roof stadium in the Little Havana section of Miami.

At a time where there is a legal challenge to the project, several local politicians who voted in favor of the baseball park were up for re-election on Aug. 26. All of them won.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez won by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, and several county commissioners also were voted back into office by comfortable margins.

"The night of Aug. 26 was very, very important in the timeline of the stadium project, as well as, really, the success of Miami, which is a great city," Samson said.

Auto dealer Norman Braman is legally challenging some aspects of funding for the new ballpark, along with the financing of a $3 billion mega-plan for a number of ambitious projects. Not just a Marlins' stadium is at stake here for Miami. There are a number of projects impacted by the lawsuit, including a Port of Miami tunnel and revamping Bicentennial Park.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jeri Beth Cohen, who also was re-elected on Aug. 26, still has to make two final rulings in the case. The decisions should come by the middle of the month.

Braman has said he would consider dropping his lawsuit if the projects were put to the public vote.

The political process did come into play last Tuesday, because the county residents had their chance to have their voices heard in the voting booths.

Elected back into office were Alvarez, along with Miami-Dade County commissioners Audrey Edmonson, Joe Martinez and Bruno Barreiro.

"There was a referendum, and it was called the Mayoral election," Samson said. "Mayor Alvarez was convincingly re-elected by the people of Miami-Dade County, thereby showing their support of him, the mayor, and these projects, including our stadium.

"The fact is the people did vote, and the judge can see that these commissioners and this mayor have time and time again supported not only this stadium, but other downtown projects. The people in each district had a chance to review what their commissioners stand for, and how they have voted in the past, and how they have voted on the projects. The people have spoken."

Even with the lawsuit in a holding pattern, the Marlins have remained active on the stadium front.

When the team was in Arizona recently, Samson and representatives for the Marlins park, including Miami-Dade County manager George Burgess, took a tour of two facilities with roofs: Chase Field (Diamondbacks) and University of Phoenix Stadium (NFL's Arizona Cardinals).

"When we were in Arizona, everyone got a chance to see what a downtown stadium [Chase Field] can offer and a rural stadium, which is what University of Phoenix Stadium is. That helped them see what what a new stadium could be like in Little Havana, which is maybe a mile-and-a-half from downtown Miami.

"We wanted everyone to see the roof at Chase Field, and the University of Phoenix Stadium, which has a fabric roof, a very unique roof."

University of Phoenix Stadium has already been the host of a Super Bowl, and the annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

So many new ballparks are making major economic impacts in their respective communities. The Arizona Cardinals, for instance, contribute $150 million to the local economy each year, and the Fiesta Bowl brings in another $140 million.

These big economic numbers are not being lost on South Florida officials. For instance, the second round of the 2009 World Baseball Classic will be played at Dolphin Stadium, the Marlins' current home. The event is expected to pour $25 million into South Florida for those few days.

Representatives from HOK Sport, hired to design the Marlins new ballpark, and Hunt/Moss, the construction manager for the project, were part of the team's contingent that traveled to Arizona. The group also had representatives from companies that make retractable roofs.

"It was a very, very important trip," Samson said. "We're also going to make a trip to Minute Maid Park [in Houston] to see another roof facility."

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080901&content_id=3400902&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[MIAMISKYLINE]

With retail complexes in nearby Brickell and Coral Gables stealing the spotlight, Coconut Grove business and civic leaders agree the area needs a transformation.
Some blame merchants for the turnover, insisting retail owners give up too fast on the Grove and don't do enough to reach potential shoppers.
"Sometimes people come from another country wanting to open up a store or restaurant," said Liliana Dones, president of the Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce and member of the Coconut Grove Village Council, but said some fail to market their business well. "Market consistency is key and you have to do it in any number of ways."
Grove merchants' pending approval of the business improvement district could inject much-need vitality into the retail corridor, supporters say.
David Collins, executive director of the Coconut Grove Business Improvement Committee, a city-funded group formed in 2004 with the intent to transition it into the now-proposed business improvement district, said other factors exist.
Mr. Collins said some open businesses but fail to invest enough time and money in marketing the space and proactively inviting the community to visit them. He said these types of owners usually don't last long. Another factor to consider is that sales are cyclical, meaning the Grove has always had its high and low periods in shopper traffic and sales.
The Grove's commercial arm includes two open-air malls, CocoWalk and Streets of Mayfair, and other street-level shops and boutiques.
The Grove's competition is fiercer than in the past, with nearby shopping destinations such as Miracle Mile. Its own Business Improvement District was re-approved in August 2007 and it has launched a marketing campaign to re-energize the brand locally and regionally.
Another younger competitor is Mary Brickell Village, and tourist hot-spot Miami Beach, which Mr. Collins said make it tougher for the Grove to pull the numbers of visitors it did in earlier decades.
"The Grove is not going to come back as part of the natural cycle because competition has changed," he said. "The BID is the only plan on the table in terms of improvements, and that's why many small businesses and big property owners are participating in the efforts."
He warns the effort is a "non-ending" one.
The area needs to reinvent itself and grow with the times, he said.
For example, the retail mix needs more variety that fits the needs and wants of not only tourists and visitors but of Grovites too.
And the local restaurant industry needs new menu selections, Mr. Collins said.
That's especially the case with the Grove's core benefiting from incoming office tenants, such as Sony BMG, set to move into the Mayfair complex in October.
Its 120 employees are going to need more lunch options. Mr. Collins said he is encouraging some existing restaurants to open for lunch to accommodate them.
Ms. Dones, the president of Coconut Grove Chamber, said she is confident that Sony Music's presence is going to help stimulate the area.
If the proposed business improvement district gains approved, Mr. Collins said, it plans new retail recruitment programs to "go after restaurants and stores people want."
With the focus at hand to bring more tenants to suit the shopping wants of residents, the to-be-voted-on district is to hold focus groups of Grove residents to learn what businesses they want to see coming in.
The current retail mix includes restaurants, high-end jewelry stores, boutique shops, brand-name apparel stores, hair salons and other beauty-oriented businesses.
"I've never seen a beauty place go out of business in the Grove," Ms. Dones said.
Recent additions to the Grove's retail mix include a Chili's restaurant, Steven Anton Rehage, Anokha Indian Restaurant and Congas Guayaberas store, Grove officials said. Meanwhile, the likes of Qdoba Mexican Grill, Lavish and clothing store Life is Good have said goodbye to the Grove's tree-lined streets.
The Grove needs to be more aggressive to lure in new tenants, Mr. Collins said. "I am looking to stabilize that influx and take some calculated gambles, not just big risks."
He said one clear candidate would be Trader Joe's, a specialty retail grocery that currently has no stores in Florida, and the area could use more women's apparel stores.
"I am going to be excited about having new stores come in based on the interests Grovites have," he said.
Mayfair in the Grove, a largely hotel and retail complex, recently got its wish to convert a sizeable chunk of retail space into offices.
The Miami City Commission approved Grovites' request to convert some street-level retail space into office use, with hopes to fill empty storefronts and lure office workers to become patrons of area retail stores and restaurants.
Mayfair transformed about 43,000 square feet of retail into office space, said Sim Wilson, first vice president of the brokerage services division of CB Richard Ellis in Miami, the real estate management company for Mayfair.
When the retail market began to shrink in Coconut Grove, Mr. Wilson said, the firm had to decide how to lease the space.
Turning some of the ground-level retail into office space seemed the best option, he said.
And so far, Mr. Wilson said, the switch has proven successful, "a lot more activity as office."
The real estate company has secured leases with advertising agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky, which relocated its Grove offices to the complex, Mr. Wilson said. The Sony BMG space is wrapping up construction as the group is moving in soon, and Marc USA, a national advertising agency, is also inked.
"It's been a snowball effect. Once you get these types of names there it validates the area," he said.
Mr. Wilson said the shortcomings in retail are prompting other changes in Mayfair. It plans to bring more restaurants and boutique retail shops to the retail side.
"There is still less retail overall in the Grove then there ever was, and the economy is probably not helping us," he said. "If people aren't spending money, retail suffers."



http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/080911/story4.shtml

[MIAMISKYLINE]

BY MATTHEW I. PINZUR
mpinzur@MiamiHerald.com
Tax breaks meant to lure businesses into distressed areas could be handed to developers of some of Miami-Dade's most luxurious new condos -- with a cut going to County Hall -- under a plan recommended by Mayor Carlos Alvarez and endorsed by county commissioners.

The proposal could give an estimated $47 million in sales-tax rebates to developers of six projects by moving the boundaries of the county's Enterprise Zone -- more than was given to every business in every enterprise zone in the entire state in 2006-07, and a sum the program's statewide coordinator called ``staggering.''

Tax breaks in the Enterprise Zone are supposed to attract new business to distressed areas. But the proposed changes would admit posh new condos backed by some of Florida's most influential developers, including Icon Brickell, a Miami River-front tower built by Jorge Pérez's Related Group, and the massive Biscayne Landing project on the Intracoastal Waterway in North Miami.

One project, Quantum on the Bay, built by Pedro Martin's Terra Group, is already occupied by condo owners who paid as much as $500,000. Just two of the six projects promise to build homes that meet the county's definition of ``affordable.''

''I am completely offended and appalled by this,'' said Commissioner Natacha Seijas, the only commissioner to vote against the boundary change last Tuesday.

During the '07 fiscal year, all of Florida's enterprise zones combined to provide $45 million in tax breaks. At the cap of $5,000 in rebates for every condo unit, the six new projects in Miami-Dade could exceed that.

''Wow, that's staggering,'' said Burt Von Hoff, who oversees Enterprise Zones as the community development liaison in the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development.

Von Hoff said he had never seen a community try to give Enterprise Zone tax breaks to projects already well underway. ''The public intent is to attract new business,'' he said.

The state still needs to approve the boundary change, which would also make the projects eligible for corporate income tax breaks.

Terra, Related and Biscayne Landing officials did not respond to interview requests last week about the program.

The county approved any project that met the state's minimum requirements for joining the Enterprise Zone. The ones that are in municipalities have already received approval from the local city commission -- a point emphasized by Alvarez's spokeswoman when The Miami Herald asked about the program.

Miami-Dade had an incentive to encourage applicants: Developers agreed to give 10 percent of their rebates to the county for a new affordable housing trust fund.

''I think probably the commitment to the affordable housing or contributing to the trust fund was a benefit of the investment,'' said Cynthia Curry, senior advisor to County Manager George Burgess.

Tangie White Jackson, an official in the county's Office of Community and Economic Development, publicly told commissioners that Von Hoff approved the arrangement.

''He said it sounded fine,'' she said during Tuesday's commission meeting.

Von Hoff denied it.

''That's the first I've heard of that,'' he told The Miami Herald on Wednesday. ``I'm not familiar with that conversation at all.''

Jackson later said she thought she was being asked about the general practice of allowing companies to ask for admission to the zone.

The policy of requiring the developers to either build affordable housing or give the county 10 percent of their tax break was only vetted by the county's own attorneys.

That idea developed in 2007, when the Biscayne Landing developers asked the city of North Miami to help include them in the zone.

The 193-acre project has only completed a tiny portion of its plans to construct 12,000 homes, a hotel, shopping and office space, and the tax breaks could inject fresh energy into the plans.

Normally the boundary can only be moved once every three years, but the city, county and developer hoped for special dispensation from the Legislature. To sweeten the deal, they offered the county $3 million of their projected $30 million in sales-tax rebates.

Commissioners, led by Sally Heyman and Dorrin Rolle, approved the deal.

The Legislature refused to act, probably because the three-year window was closed, but others took notice.

'A couple of developers called the office and said, `We want the same thing,' '' said José Cintrón, who was running OCED at the time.

When the three-year cycle was up, the county let any business apply under the same terms, a process approved unanimously by the commission in January.

Beyond Biscayne Landing, four other developers submitted a total of five projects:

• Icon Brickell, two condo towers and a hotel, under construction overlooking the Miami River and Biscayne Bay.

• Quantum on the Bay, two condo towers on the bay, one of which is already occupied and the other well into construction.

• Floridian Key, a town house community in Florida City, which has finished its first 71-unit building and is now planning the second. It ultimately plans 614 units.

• Alto Plaza and Altos Pointe, a housing, office and retail complex.

• Terrazas Coconut Grove, a residential and office project.

Heyman now says she did not research the projects other than Biscayne Landing, which she said needs the breaks to fulfill its promises of creating jobs and homes.

''I would assume that in our administration someone scrutinizes,'' she said. ``It leaves me really concerned on how this came forward.''

Only two projects, Biscayne Landing and Floridian Key, offered to set aside at least 5 percent of units for affordable housing.

The rest, including Biscayne, pledged the 10 percent donation to the county.

''The board chose to treat it this way,'' Cintrón said. ``We took our cue from that.''

Altos Pointe, Alto Plaza and Terrazas, all being built by B Developers, are the only projects in the new deal not already under construction.

Company president Miguel Angel Barbagallo -- who has built affordable condos inside the existing zone -- said the tax breaks are crucial to build in-town homes that middle-class families can afford. Many units in his existing buildings sold for under $200,000.

''If you can reduce a little bit of operating costs, it's very important,'' Barbagallo said.

In addition to the sales tax rebates, which are funded by the Department of Revenue after the developer provides receipts for construction materials, businesses can get other deductions.

Companies in the zone -- whether the developers themselves or their business tenants -- can take deductions from their corporate income taxes for 20 to 30 percent of the salary of any employees who live in the zone.

Those businesses might be able to take further corporate tax deductions for up to $50,000 of the property taxes they pay, for up to five years.

Curry, who oversees the development office, said the rules might be changed before 2011, when the county can next alter boundaries.

''More strategic thinking might obviously be more appropriate the next time around,'' she said.

The law does limit the size of enterprise zones, and every piece of land added to the zone requires taking one out. Most of the new projects have small footprints and are replacing tiny doughnut holes taken out of the zone in undevelopable areas such as public parks, a cemetery and a water treatment plant.

Biscayne Landing won its application by suggesting a single 200-acre cut from the existing zone: the north runway at Miami International Airport.

''I think somebody has made a sublime error here,'' Seijas said of the entire plan to amend the zone. ``I'm not accusing anyone of doing anything wrong -- that would be unfair -- but there's been a huge, huge mistake.''

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/676892.html

[MIAMISKYLINE]

Miami-Dade economic stimulus plan moving full-speed ahead, is to help move $113 million worth of projects

By Risa Polansky
A Miami-Dade economic stimulus plan designed to jump-start the local construction industry is moving full-speed ahead.
About $31.5 million worth of projects are already in the pipeline, capital improvements head Johnny Martinez told the county's Citizens' Advisory Committee last week.
Within weeks, that number is to jump to $113 million, he said.
The stimulus plan, which commissioners approved in July, allows for expediting planned capital projects.
Under the plan, Mayor Carlos Alvarez has the power to advertise for bids and award them.
Rather than the lengthy process of OKing such measures prior, commissioners would later ratify his decisions.
Mr. Alvarez can approve change orders so long as they don't exceed contract amounts and is allowed to expedite procedures related to small business procurement programs.
The county estimates the plan will speed up the contracting process by as much as six months.
"There used to be a backlog of work, and now the backlog is not there," Mr. Martinez said.
Because the county needs to get its projects moving, and the construction industry is hurting for work due to the bursting of the real estate bubble and the dragging economy, "the timing is right to get the work out there," he said. "It's a win-win situation."
The plan comes as the national unemployment rate is at a nearly five-year high.
The US saw a net loss of 84,000 jobs in August, on top of the 60,000 lost in July, the Department of Labor reported Friday.
The local stimulus plan includes $625 million worth of capital projects.
About 18% of that total is to be in progress within weeks, Mr. Martinez said.
About 10% of the stimulus projects are to be backed by general obligation bond dollars, he told the advisory committee, which advises county officials on the $2.9 billion Building Better Communities Bond program, approved by voters in 2004.
According to a third-quarter report on the program submitted by County Manager George Burgess, 99% of the initial 2005 $266 million bond sale — about $263 million — has been disbursed.
About 792 projects are under development, with 95% of the projects running on time, the report shows.
The next bond sale, $325 million, is expected late this year.
With so many capital projects running smoothly, "we have statistically provided an economic stimulus through the GOB (general obligation bond)" program, said advisory committee Chair Robin Reiter.
To date, $203 million has been approved to accelerate 261 project sites moving faster than planned, Mr. Burgess said in his memo.
The funds are shifted from projects that are moving slower than anticipated.
But, Mr. Burgess wrote, "it is important to note that no projects have been delayed by the acceleration of other projects."
http://www.miamitodaynews.com/images/grey-line.gif

[MIAMISKYLINE]

qpldbOKdJrI

nmjaQQ76-_w

[MIAMISKYLINE]

I can believe this project was never built.:hell:

Here you can see more information on Emporis:

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/cx/?id=brickellciticentre-miami

Is it true that they are going to place a CVS or Walgreens instead?

To hell with that!!!!!!!!!!!:yuck:



http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x59/bobmiami/brickell-citi-centre-main.jpg

[MIAMISKYLINE]

Any news on Capital?

http://www.sunnyislesmiamirealestate.com/images/Brickell/Capital_At_Brickell_1.jpg

[MIAMISKYLINE]

Developers Hope A Planned Panhandling Ban Will Help With Security Issues


MIAMI (CBS4) ― In major cities around the nation you'll find communities where people work and live in the same area. In South Florida that is extremely rare. You need a car to get just about anywhere but there is an initiative underway to turn Miami into a 24-hour city.

When the sun sets on Downtown Miami, so do the gates. Scores of stores shut down and by the time the lights come on at night, you can walk down Flagler Street all by yourself.

Historically, Downtown Miami has been a place of business, but after hours, all those business people are off to the suburbs, but that may all be changing.

Alyce Roberts, the Executive Director of the Downtown Development Authority says Miami is on the "cusp of change."

It's called the 24-hour city, and The Downtown Development Authority, retailers, and developers are pushing it.

"It's exciting because it means people," said developer Loretta Cockrum from the Forum Group.

In just a couple of years, 13,000 new apartments have been created in Downtown Miami. The massive inventory has led to foreclosures and fire sales, but it also has introduced thousands of new residents to the area.

The massive introduction of people has led developer Loretta Cockrum to build even more. When Brickell Financial Center is done it will have 91 times the space of the Bank of America building.

"I hope that it continues to allow Miami to become the great city that it will become. We're not there yet. But we are definitely on our way," said Cockrum.

Mary Brickell Village is also benefiting greatly from the influx in residents.

"The area is growing. There is a lot of development in this area. It's created a nightlife within the Brickell area itself. We are a part of that," said Fernando Perez from Mary Brickell Village.

The brand new mall is 85-percent occupied and despite a downturn in the economy, a new Publix Supermarket and an LA Fitness gym are expected to open in early 2009.

While the people are coming, Miami's biggest hurdle is likely still ahead of it and that's safety.

The remarkable new half million dollar condominiums are not only home to new tenants, but hundreds of homeless who have plagued the city for decades. This is where the battle between the Miami of the past and future are meeting.

Jay Solowsky of the Downtown Miami Development Authority says, "When we are trying to encourage people to frequent the area, to move into the area, to enjoy the area, their experiences are negatively affected when they are constantly being panhandled. And therefore we need to do this."

This is the city's attempt to create a safer downtown. In a few weeks, a new law will be enforced that outlaws panhandling. In other words, someone asking you for money in Downtown Miami would go to jail.

Panhandler Rob Rollins says some people don't have a choice. "I mean they are living in the street. They can't get a job, so what else can you do? It's better than hitting someone over the head and robbing them."

Rob Rollins makes an interesting point. The law is also hotly contested by the ACLU calling it a violation of first amendment rights whether the person is homeless or not. In response, the city will restrict the ordinance to 7 miles.

"Right now it's critical that we protect the interest of those people who have invested their money, who have invested their lives, who are moving here so that they will have an enjoyable experience," explained Solowsky.

The Homeless Trust, an initiative started 15 years ago to end downtown's homeless problem, hopes the law will be the end all.

"We're enabling them to stay on the streets by putting money out there. We've got to stop that. If they don't have money to eat it gives our outreach teams a better opportunity to bring them into our homeless assistance center and get them the care, get them the treatment, get them re-educated, get them re-trained, get them into a job and permanent housing," said Ron Book from the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust.

In a few months, homeless meters will dot Miami-Dade County. They are parking meters used in cities around the nation like Denver. The money people donate goes to organizations ending homelessness.

"We are going to do this in a big way," says Book. "The goal is to have several hundreds of meters."

So the recipe for the 24 hour city is services, safety, and lastly affordability.

"The affordability issue is very key to that because if you can combine the cost of your home and you can combine the cost of your office for an entrepreneur, that's a big cost, " said Gladys Margarita-Diaz of the Miami-Dade Housing Financing Authority. "And if you can shave the commute time down all the sudden you are collapsing into one number what would be three different numbers, very large ones."

With 8,500 more units expected to come online by the end of 2009, prices are likely to continue to be pressed downward which will help the 24-hour city become a reality.

"Miami is a young city. It's like a teenager just becoming a woman. It's like wow, we're here at the beginning of everything and that's what I think is really exciting," said Margarita-Diaz.

[MIAMISKYLINE]

Thousands of owners of second homes see taxes rise


Over the last two years, South Florida home prices have been in a tailspin, plunging by double-digit numbers.

How, then, did the value of Diane Jacobs' modest rental home in North Miami jump by 7 percent, or about $18,000 -- from $258,709 to $276,678.

The question is flummoxing a multitude of second home owners and investors who don't enjoy the benefit of homestead exemptions and tax breaks under Save Our Homes. Thousands have seen their assessed values rise, defying the expectations of tax relief a declining market could bring.

''I just couldn't believe it when I got it in the mail,'' Jacobs, 57, said, referring to her estimated tax from Miami-Dade County. The home's higher assessed value raises her tax liability by an additional $373 to $5,615.

The confusion lies in the oddball market of 2007, in which home prices went from super hot to almost frozen -- and not in all parts of town at once.

The complex appraisal methods local officials use to calculate a home's worth may also be to blame.

By law, public appraisers are required to value all homes as of Jan. 1, with assessments of individual homes largely derived from analyzing sales of comparable properties over the previous 12 months.

Sales slowed considerably in 2007 and, in many cases, happened only early in the year. Back then, prices had not yet begun to slip in some neighborhoods and condo buildings.

''Most areas saw a decline [in sales],'' said Marcus Saiz de la Mora, property appraiser for Miami-Dade County. ``But for a lot of properties, the decline wasn't prevalent enough to indicate a reduction in the assessment, and some areas indicated still a slight increase in value over the previous year.''

The scenario means higher tax assessments this year for about 80,000 homes among some 470,000 residential properties that did not qualify for homestead exemptions in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. For another few thousand homes, values remained virtually flat.

For homesteaded owners, assessment increases are capped annually at 3 percent under Save Our Homes and generally rise until reaching market value. For owners of second homes, investors and landlords, the taxable values shift in tandem with prevailing home prices.

The system, meant to protect primary homeowners from skyrocketing taxes during years of rapid growth, clobbered investors during the recent boom and created huge tax disparities among owners of similar properties. Some investors saw their taxes rise by more than 100 percent.

Voters approved tax reform earlier this year that now caps assessments for nonhomesteaded properties at 10 percent. It takes effect next year.

A wrinkle in Save Our Homes, however, brings a reversal of fortunes, of sorts. Despite quickly falling home prices, most primary homeowners are still seeing their assessments rise under the law's so-called recapture provision. Most second homeowners believed their market values -- and therefore their taxes -- would fall this year.

M.J. Stone, a property tax consultant who helps homeowners challenge their assessments, said the frustration among her clients was the worst she's seen, primarily due to a misconception that values had plummeted by up to 30 percent across the board, as indicated by some widely-reported home price indexes this year.

''That may be true in the luxury condo market, but not necessarily the single-family home market,'' Stone said. ``The county, which is doing a mass appraisal technique, can't simply apply 30 percent reductions.''

Low sales volume in 2007 contributed to the confusion. ''Everybody knew the market was declining in 2007, but there was little tangible evidence. Nobody was buying because sellers weren't lowering their prices. In 2008, there is tangible evidence in deeply discounted sales prices,'' Stone said.

County property appraisers admit this has been a particularly tricky year for valuing property. In Broward County, for instance, only 26,000 qualified sales were used to value a total of 430,000 homes. In Miami-Dade, qualified home sales fell from about 75,000 in 2006 to 43,500 last year of the 700,000 homes assessed.

''When the market was up and things were selling like hot cakes, it was a whole lot easier because you had a lot of comparisons to use,'' said Lori Parrish, Broward's elected property appraiser.

County appraisers calculate values by comparing sales of similar properties within the same subdivision or block, among homes roughly equivalent in size, age, structural features and other measures prescribed by law. Each year, they are required to physically inspect 20 percent of all properties. For the remaining homes, they use various software programs that employ algorithms and other complex analyses, Parrish said.

Also, appraisers analyze how much it would cost to replace the property, accounting for depreciation as well as the value of the raw land. Approaches vary by property type, Saiz de la Mora said. But automated appraisals were nonetheless reviewed and approved by a certified appraiser.

''A lot of human interaction is still involved in this process, along with the aid and assistance of computer data systems,'' Saiz de la Mora said.

Saiz de la Mora said there was no danger, as some have feared, that whole blocks and buildings might be revalued on the basis of a single sale. Appraisers have ways of valuing properties in tiers, allowing them to pull comparable sales from nearby buildings and similar neighborhoods.

Parrish said most assessed values come in about 15 percent less than market value to account for non-real estate costs such as closing fees and sales commissions.

That might explain why Scott Needelman's valuation bounced right back to last year's amount on the three small apartment buildings his family owns on Miami Beach, even though he had appealed the assessment last year and won.

''I don't know how it works, but I would assume the [taxable value] would be at least last year's appealed amount or lower. But it was higher,'' Needelman said, adding his tax bill was about $80,000.

As for Jacobs, she called the property appraiser's office to discuss her concerns and was put on hold for an hour before being told she would need a day to meet an appraiser. Because she was recently laid off from her job as a legal secretary in a real estate company, she has the time, she said.

[MIAMISKYLINE]

Lincoln Road’s west end closes to traffic as construction begins
The western end of the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall is closed to traffic permanently as commercial expansion starts across from its iconic Art Deco-style movie theater.

The city of Miami Beach’s July 22 closure of the area coincides with the plans of developer Robert Wennett, who is adding a garage to his 10-story office building at 1111 Lincoln Road. Wennett’s expansion also calls for an upgrade to the first floor of the office building, the construction of a two-story building for tenant SunTrust Bank and the addition of 20,000 square feet of new retail.

Swiss architect firm Herzog & DeMeuron, which conceptualized the Bird’s Nest stadium for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, is the architect behind the garage and office upgrade. Wennett, president of UIA Management, did not return repeated calls for comment.

Restaurants will be on the first floor and rooftop of the existing building, which is currently home to SunTrust bank. Elevators available at street level will take people to the rooftop restaurant, said Jorge Gomez, Miami’s Beach planning director.

[MIAMISKYLINE]

Arellano Construction Joins the OHL Group to Expand Healthcare Construction Services in the Southeast


MIAMI, Sep 12, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- OHL and Arellano Construction announced today their strategic alliance in the form of a stock purchase agreement. With 35 years of experience in the industry and a business volume surpassing US$100M in 2007, Arellano Construction is a leader in healthcare and institutional construction and renovation services in Florida. In an effort to capitalize upon its recent exponential growth, Arellano Construction found an ideal strategic partner in OHL USA.
"We are confident that the union of OHL and Arellano will create added value for our customers and employees. OHL will provide us with the financial support necessary to take on larger projects throughout the Southeast," said Agustin Arellano, President of Arellano Construction.
The newly signed agreement with Arellano Construction will provide OHL local expertise in hospital construction, a market niche in which the company holds a leading position in Spain and internationally. Healthcare construction is one of the OHL Group's pillar services, constituting 30% of its global production in the vertical construction industry. A recently signed US$2.5 billion project in Qatar involving one of the most advanced hospitals in the world is the largest hospital project that the OHL Group has ever undertaken.
"Thanks to this strategic alliance with Arellano, an experienced and renowned local player in the industry, OHL has succeeded in consolidating our portfolio of services in Florida and throughout the U.S.," said Francisco MarAn, Chairman of OHL USA.
Under the stock purchase agreement, OHL has acquired a controlling interest (70%) in Arellano so that current management shareholders may retain a substantial stake in the company. The consideration paid by OHL consists of an initial disbursement of US$ 25 million and a variable component of no less than US$ 11.5 million which shall depend on the future performance of the company.

[MIAMISKYLINE]

Potential bumps lie ahead for Florida Marlins stadium deal

A judge's ruling Tuesday opened the door to construction of a Florida Marlins stadium, but county commissioners still could derail the project.


Miami, Miami-Dade and Florida Marlins leaders boldly say they are moving ahead with construction of a baseball stadium in Little Havana after a crucial judicial victory this week.
But are they rolling the dice?
Though Circuit Court Judge Jeri Beth Cohen's finding that a stadium would serve the public good was a giant leap forward in the ball club's decade-long attempt to secure a permanent home, several obstacles remain.
Chief among them:
• For the stadium to be built, a supermajority of county commissioners -- 9 of 13 -- must approve construction and management contracts.
The commission approved the stadium in a 9-3 vote in February, with one commissioner absent. But with the smaller contracts coming back for approval, some commissioners will likely seek concessions before voting yes. If one of the yes votes changes to a no and all other votes hold up, making an 8-5 tally, the issue would fail.
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria seemed well aware of the hurdles when he said, ``We will proceed immediately to finalize discussions with the county and the city to put in place all the long-awaited final agreements.''
Commissioner Dennis Moss -- a likely yes vote -- said he will fight for more affordable housing in the community before supporting the stadium once more.
Moss said major cities need a mix of sports and culture. ''Those are the things that make those particular communities the great cities that they are,'' he said. ``I'm OK with the stadium.''
Yet ''the public's interest is waning on this baseball stadium,'' said Commissioner Katy Sorenson, a likely no vote. ``And in spite of the judge's decision, I don't necessarily think there's a will for a baseball stadium.''
LAWSUIT NOT DEAD
• Also pending: a ruling on the only remaining count of auto dealer Norman Braman's lawsuit aiming to derail the stadium plan.
Braman contends that the county plans to improperly use property tax money to pay off a $484 million bond debt for the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. While that debt is not directly tied to the $515 million stadium, it is a key piece of the financing puzzle in the Megaplan for Miami that includes the new ballpark.
If Cohen sides with Braman, the county faces the tricky question of how to pay off the debt -- and whether the domino effect could affect stadium financing.
The Marlins facility is part of a $3 billion package that also includes building a tunnel to the Port of Miami, a park next to the museums at Bicentennial Park, possibly a streetcar system in downtown and the Arsht Center construction debt payoff.
Braman has lost all six of his lawsuit counts so far, but the legality of the construction debt payoff remains to be decided.
County Manager George Burgess intends to pay off the debt using money created from expanding two Community Redevelopment Agency special taxing districts.
Even if that final count goes against the team and government, they say such a ruling would not affect the stadium. The reason: The ballpark will be financed with an array of tourist and convention-development and sports-franchise taxes, private money from the Marlins, plus a $50 million bond voters approved in 2004 for Orange Bowl renovations -- but no CRA funds.
Burgess, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and Marlins President David Samson say even with the Arsht Center payoff method in limbo, it won't halt construction plans.
Even if Cohen rules the arts center payoff illegal, the Marlins hope to break ground by year's end, and open the stadium in 2011.
Before issuing her last ruling, Cohen is awaiting a state Supreme Court decision involving a potentially similar case in Escambia County.
FUNDING DISPUTE
The arts center payments and a contractual link with the ballpark -- noted in an agreement signed by Samson -- are at the heart of Braman's contention the deal was a ''shell game.'' He argues a ballpark couldn't be built without the Arsht Center using the CRA money.
Burgess disagrees.
He rightfully says no CRA money is being used to build the Marlins' stadium, and that with Tuesday's ruling it's full speed ahead.
Burgess says the CRA money he plans to use to pay off the yearly arts center debt goes beyond what is required from the original bond deal, and that there is enough tourist tax money -- which he had hoped to use to strengthen reserves -- to help cover the construction debt.
''It's still stable. Everything's fine,'' Burgess said.
The other hurdle involves concession, construction, nonrelocation and other contracts that must be approved by a two-thirds majority of county commissioners. That vote is required because the Marlins did not seek formal bids in selecting architects and contractors, requiring a supermajority to waive bid rules.
The County Commission approved the stadium in a 9-3 vote in February, with Carlos Gimenez, Sally Heyman and Javier Souto voting no, and Sorenson, ill that day, absent.
But now that the issue is coming back, to formally approve the smaller contracts, some commissioners are likely to seek further concessions before going along. Again, nine yes votes are needed.
Heyman wants to know who is responsible for roadway and utility improvements that could run to tens of millions of dollars, and if the county would have to foot the bill for cost overruns that exceed $20 million.
''Those are critical questions that have gone unanswered,'' Heyman said. ``I've sent out memos.''
Moss, one of the earlier yes votes, wants to be sure the larger Megaplan benefits Overtown in a concrete way.
''We have to make sure Overtown gets something,'' said the South Dade commissioner. ``I'm not going to support the program unless there's an additional plan for west of the Boulevard.''
[B]MARLINS' SHARE
Gimenez has said the Marlins should contribute a share greater than the $120 million the team is putting into the $515 million deal. The team will borrow another $35 million from the county and repay it through ``rent payments.''
Commissioner Joe Martinez, who voted yes in February, could be a key swing vote. Earlier this week he seemed to be leaning against the plan. Martinez couldn't be reached for comment Thursday.
Commissioner Jose ''Pepe'' Diaz said he trusts ``management and the mayor when they say they have the money.
``People enjoy baseball. It provides many jobs and it's a game for a lot of people.''

[met3dreamer]

Builder MDM Development Group is moving forward with plans to open a Whole Foods Market in downtown Miami by spring 2011.

The 14-story Met 3 would house the Whole Foods on the ground floor, a 2,000-space garage above that and Shaquille O’Neal’s fitness center on top. The company plans to start construction in June 2009, said Tim Weller, MDM’s VP of development at Metropolitan Miami.

Met 3 was to feature a 74-story residential tower with 650 units, but that plan is on hold. Weller said the development group redesigned the building structurally to allow for its construction without the tower. Possible future uses for a tower could include office and residential space.

“Our plan is to build that final tower as soon as possible,” he said. “We have never considered not building it.”

South Florida Business Journal - by Oscar Pedro Musibay

[met3dreamer]

Builder MDM Development Group is moving forward with plans to open a Whole Foods Market in downtown Miami by spring 2011.

The 14-story Met 3 would house the Whole Foods on the ground floor, a 2,000-space garage above that and Shaquille O’Neal’s fitness center on top. The company plans to start construction in June 2009, said Tim Weller, MDM’s VP of development at Metropolitan Miami.

Met 3 was to feature a 74-story residential tower with 650 units, but that plan is on hold. Weller said the development group redesigned the building structurally to allow for its construction without the tower. Possible future uses for a tower could include office and residential space.

“Our plan is to build that final tower as soon as possible,” he said. “We have never considered not building it.”

South Florida Business Journal - by Oscar Pedro Musibay

what the hell

[MIAMISKYLINE]

YOU BETTER BE KIDDING.

14 STORIES?

THAT'S A HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why?!?????????????????????


why

[MIAMISKYLINE]

What an embarrasment.

[Complex01]

:previous:

So its only going to be 14 floors now, or can they build later. That suxs i really wanted to see Met 3 rise...

[MIAMISKYLINE]

MET 3 was too much I think.

[Cityseed]

With the demand for residential units being non-existent, they should change the plans to office.

[MiamiJR]

Hey there my Miami people ... I'm back. The Met3 is an ambitious project as all residential. It might still work out if they make it a mixed-use tower. Make it like the 4 Seasons, 1/3 office, 1/3 hotel & 1/3 residential.

In other news:
Huge Miami Worldcenter project heads to planning board
BY MATTHEW HAGGMAN
At a time when banks and builders are struggling for survival, two developers are seeking government approval for Miami Worldcenter -- a nine-block, 25-acre mixed used project that would be Miami's biggest urban development in years.

On Wednesday, the developers, Boca Raton-based Art Falcone, a one-time suburban home builder, and Marc Roberts, a former sports agent who lives in Jupiter, are scheduled to go before Miami's Planning Advisory Board, the first step in the approval process for their project.

City commissioners are expected to vote on the massive development later this fall.

The project, which would be located between the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and the central business district, calls for a mix of high-rise offices, hotels, shops, restaurants, entertainment and conference venues, schools and eventually residences -- all built within a framework of plazas and broad sidewalks.

The proposal comes at a time when there is a renewed desire for city living and the process of revitalizing downtown Miami is underway, but also runs smack into the current economic downturn when credit markets have seized up, lenders have gone under and many developers are struggling to stay afloat.

''We certainly agree that the market in its current form is challenging,'' said Nitin Motwani, managing director of the project. ``But we know real estate goes in cycles and will turn around, especially in a dynamic international gateway city like Miami.''

The developers have already spent $100 million on the project and that will grow as they close on parcels currently under contract in the nine-block area.

Getting financing in the current environment will be challenging, but Motwani said the developers plan to seek investment partners soon. Even if other partners come in, he said, Falcone and Roberts will remain the master developers of the project.

''What this [difficult] market situation has allowed us to do is that we have not been rushed,'' Motwani said. ``It has allowed us to . . . work more closely with the city and county, to understand what they want and what we want.''

The project, to be built in multiple phases over many years, would include upward of 12 million square feet of new construction -- about the size of eight Dadeland Malls. The first phase would include the hotel, shopping, restaurant and entertainment components.

But what will characterize the development, says its architect Howard Elkus, is its pedestrian focus and emphasis on public spaces.

The plan includes a roughly half-acre park, a traffic circle like New York City's Columbus Circle and a walking strip similar to Miami Beach's Lincoln Road. The developers envision that decaying Northeast First Avenue will achieve the ''urban role, presence, and spirit'' of Paris' Champs Elysees, according to plans filed with the city.

Today the Park West area is largely parking lots and one of the most run-down parts of downtown.

Falcone and Roberts are betting their development will be the missing piece in a downtown that includes the Brickell financial district and central business district as jobs centers and cultural and entertainment venues such as AmericanAirlines Arena, the performing arts center and the proposed art and science museums on the waterfront.

Three Metromover stops are within the development area, and the city's proposed streetcar line would bisect it.

''It's hard to imagine a site that is more central or better served by a diversity of assets,'' said Elkus, the project's Boston-based architect who has designed many large urban mixed-use projects, including West Palm Beach's City Place and Victory Park in Dallas.

For nearly two years Elkus and Michael Cohen, both of the firm Elkus Manfredi, quietly master-planned the site and met with local politicians and planners, collectively making more than three dozens visits to South Florida since January 2007.

Cohen said it's ''extremely rare'' to find such a large assemblage of land within a major urban center.

Real estate analyst Michael Cannon said developing such a large, multiyear project is a tricky balancing act. Each phase must not only be completed as a viable, stand-alone project but also integrated with future phases and the existing downtown infrastructure. Another important factor, he said, is whether the master plan has the flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions.

Worldcenter's developers are asking for not only approval of a special zoning district that binds each of the nine blocks to strict development and design standards while allowing for flexibility on how each building is used but also a contract that would cement the deal for 20 years.

The developers say such an arrangement would give assurances about what each building would look like while allowing latitude to adjust to market conditions such as whether shops and hotels would be more viable at a given time than condos. ''To make this type of commitment time-wise and financially, we need to feel comfortable we can execute the plan through it's entirety,'' said Motwani, who moved to Miami this year to oversee operations.

The Worldcenter project attempts to follow Miami 21, the proposed city-wide rezoning that stipulates screening of garages so pedestrians don't see pipes and other infrastructure, and storefronts that are 70 percent glass, so passersby aren't confronted with stark walls. Incentives also would be offered for using green building techniques and for constructing affordable housing within the nine blocks.

Roberts and Falcone, who made about $1 billion when he sold his home-building company Transeastern to TOUSA, began acquiring land in Park West about a decade ago.

[MiamiJR]

This is what I've been wishing for this city for years. Will it work ... I seriously hope so. Is it ambitious ... hell yes it is.

[NewAtlantisMiami]

This is what I've been wishing for this city for years. Will it work ... I seriously hope so. Is it ambitious ... hell yes it is.

I think these guys are visionaries who know that Miami still has lots of future potential.

[lviz]

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[MAH4546]

Hey there my Miami people ... I'm back. The Met3 is an ambitious project as all residential. It might still work out if they make it a mixed-use tower. Make it like the 4 Seasons, 1/3 office, 1/3 hotel & 1/3 residential.


Four Seasons is less than 15% office space, and it's pretty much all occupied by just HSBC.

The 14-story Met 3 is being built so that a taller tower can be built on top of the structure when the market is right. It's a smart solution, because it allows critical retail components of the project to be built ASAP.

[futuresooner]

Four Seasons is less than 15% office space, and it's pretty much all occupied by just HSBC.

The 14-story Met 3 is being built so that a taller tower can be built on top of the structure when the market is right. It's a smart solution, because it allows critical retail components of the project to be built ASAP.

That's what they're going to do to the new Riverplace Tower parking garage here in JAX, it'll allow for vertical expansion when needed.

More projects should be done like this right now, build needs, yet build for future wants.

[drew11]

I decided to make this neat little chart showing all the projects. I have so far completed the one for downtown, enjoy. :)


Downtown Recently Completed Height Floors Completion Date
900 Biscayne Bay 712' 65 2008
Marina Blue 615' 57 2007
Opera Tower 543' 56 2007
Plaza on Brickell 610,525' 56,48 2007
50 Biscayne 552' 55 2007
Infinity at Brickell 630' 52 2008
Ten Museum Park 585' 50 2007
Avenue Brickell tower 480' 47 2007
Brickell on the river 423, 482' 46, 42 2006-2007
The Ivy 512' 45 2008
Latitude on the River 476' 44 2007
500 Brickell 426, 426' 42, 42 2007
Wind 501' 41 2008
Axis at Brickell Village 418, 418' 40, 40 2008
Met 1 440' 40 2007
Asia 483' 36 2007
Avenue Southeast Tower 365' 35 2007
The Loft 2 433' 35 2007
Latitude One 305' 23 2007

Downtown Under Construction Height Floors Completion Date
Maraquis 679' 63 2008
Icon Brickell 586-465' 58, 58, 46 2008-2009
The Epic n/a 54 2009
The Capital at Brickell 649, 756' 56, 52 2009
Everglades on the Bay 538, 538' 49, 49 2008
Park Place at Brickell 2 540' 40 n/a
Met 2 647, 367' 46, 31 n/a
Skyline at Mary Brickell Village 376' 34 2008
Brickell Financial Center P 1 484' 40 2009
Downtown Approved Height Floors Completion Date
One Bayfront Plaza 1,049' 70 n/a
Brickell Financial Center P 2 903' 68 n/a
Paramount Park 756' 68 n/a
Infinity 2 736' 65 n/a
600 Biscayne 650' 62 n/a
Villa Magna Condominiums 574, 574' 57, 57 n/a
The Chelsea 649' 53 n/a
Cima 601' 52 n/a
Urbana Tower 549' 48 n/a
Riverfront West Phase 3 533' 45 n/a
Shangri-La Hotel Miami n/a 43 2011
Riverfront East Phase 3 500' 41 n/a
The Beacon 396' 39 n/a
Island Gardens Business Hotel n/a 29 2011
Coral Station Residences n/a 28 n/a
1001 North Miami Avenue n/a 27 n/a
Elipse 273' 24 n/a
Riverfront West Phase 4 334' 22 n/a
Urban River 1 197' 19 n/a
Summit Brickell Apartments 2-3 n/a 15, 15 n/a
Urban River 2 141' 14 n/a
Coral Station Office Building n/a 12 n/a

Downtown Proposed Height Floors Completion Date
Empire World Towers 1,022x2 93, 93 2010
One Herald Plaza 649, 649' 64, 64 n/a
City Square Tower 640' 62 n/a
Cardinal Symphony 600' 60 n/a
Opera Center Tower 649' 57 n/a
Columbus Center 710' 56 n/a
Max Tower 508' 55 n/a
1080 Brickell 491' 43 2010
Miami River Renaissance Towers n/a 36, 36 n/a
River House Lofts n/a 32 n/a
The Loft 3 398' 31 2010
Nathan Lofts n/a 13 n/a

Downtown On Hold Height Floors Completion Date
Met 3 828' 76 2009

Downtown Canceled Height Floors
Brickell CitiCenter 808-740' 76-69
Lynx 746-295' 76-30
1101 Brickell 849' 74
Brickell Flatiron 794' 70
Omni 644-584' 65-58
Dupont Tower 609' 60
Opus Towers 620' 57
Brickell Station East Tower 568' 53
Premiere Towers 513, 513' 52, 52
330 Biscayne n/a 50
1390 Brickell Bay 478' 49
Miami Flatiron Building n/a 16

[brickell]

via mileageman at SSC

1401 Brickell

http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:9Dg4cXu7geEJ:www.dailybusinessreview.com/news.html%3Fnews_id%3D49211+Santander+Global+Property+1401+Brickell&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
One of the most recent examples of the heft shown by Spanish investors — and the strength of Spain-based financial institutions — was the May sale of the 1401 Brickell office building. The real estate arm of Banco Santander Central Hispano paid $114 million for the 14-story tower the bank currently anchors. The $606 per square foot purchase price set a South Florida office building record for price per square foot.

Santander Global Property plans to raze the building to construct a 50-story tower on the 2.02-acre site. The property holds development rights for more than 800,000 square feet of office space.

Helping push the 1401 Brickell transaction along was the relationship between Banco Santander and the seller, Testa Inmuebles en Renta, a subsidiary of Spanish real estate giant Sacyr Vallehermoso Group. Testa had bought the building for $61 million in July 2006 at a then-record price per square foot of about $325 per square foot.



http://www.nbww.com/office.php?id=92&start=0&view=thumbs
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[futuresooner]

Very nice. Looks like steps leading up to the Four Seasons.

[Complex01]

Wow that is different. Well hope it all goes through. It will be nice addition to the area...

:yes:

[bobdreamz]

via mileageman at SSC

1401 Brickell

http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:9Dg4cXu7geEJ:www.dailybusinessreview.com/news.html%3Fnews_id%3D49211+Santander+Global+Property+1401+Brickell&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us




http://www.nbww.com/office.php?id=92&start=0&view=thumbs
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http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/2917/14033vf3.jpg

holy crap! where did this come from? I always thought the 14 story Banco Santader was stubby being in the middle of the Four Seasons & Espirito Santos tower. If it's a 50 story office tower it looks like it is about 600 feet at the minimum. Incredible news to say the least! Thanks for posting Brickell.

[gelu1123]

Look at the news that found on the Internet, do not know if what he says is true but I would very much like to see a type of building well in a city like Miami:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------A Shapeshifting Skyscraper in Miami's Skyline?
Mon Nov 10, 2008 at 10:04:22 AM
A PR flak in New York left a cryptic voicemail on Riptide's machine late last week: Florence-based superstar architect David Fisher is planning a "major press conference" in Miami on Tuesday, she said, to announce plans for a project here.

The mysterious news is even more intriguing given the project Fisher's been shilling in a few other major cities for the past year: an insane-looking rotating skyscraper. Each floor in the building would spin independently, creating a constantly changing shape on the skyline.

Fisher told the New York Times a couple weeks ago that he's looking for a place in Manhattan to build a rotating tower. And he's supposedly breaking ground for another one in Dubai in a few weeks.

Could Miami be next? Has Fisher heard about the little condo bust that's left half-built towers packed with empty units up and down the bayfront?

We'll get some answers tomorrow.

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2008/11/a_shapeshifting_skyscraper_in.php

:slob: :slob: :slob: :slob: :slob: :slob:

[brickell]

Miami’s Wind by Neo condo in foreclosure
http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2008/12/01/daily34.html

[MiamiSpartan]

Whole Foods has pulled out of the Met Miami project...:(

[MiamiJR]

new renderings after article
Vote set on Florida Marlins stadium; final sketches released
BY CHARLES RABIN
Two World Series titles aside, the most pivotal day in the Florida Marlins' history may be Feb. 13 -- when Miami and Miami-Dade commissioners are finally scheduled to vote on the remaining contracts that would give the team the permanent home it has craved for a decade. On Tuesday, the new stadium's renderings were released for the first time, showing how the stadium would help reshape Little Havana. Separately, County Manager George Burgess released the five contracts needed to close the deal Tuesday, saying the Marlins agreed to a host of concessions that make the $515 million stadium plan much easier to accept at the county level. ''We got more because I felt like we needed to get more,'' said Burgess, noting the baseball stadium agreement signed by the parties over a year ago, was just a "starting point.'' Among the changes in the agreement:
• If Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria sells the team in the seven years after the agreement has been reached, the county would almost double its share of any profits.
• The ball club's $2.3 million a year in rent will go up by 2 percent each year.
• Extra costs due to scheduling or problems between the contractor and subcontractors will now be paid by the Marlins.
Still, the county's share of the stadium's cost is sure to jump from the previously stated $347 million. The county and Miami are each in for infrastructure costs like moving electrical lines and road improvements that are expected to cost up to $10 million each. And both governments will also shell out $1.7 million in an attempt to keep the Little Havana ballpark as green as possible. The Marlins -- consistently among the lowest salaried teams in Major League Baseball -- have complained for years of the bad deal they get from renting Dolphin Stadium from H. Wayne Huizenga. They say a permanent home with fixed concessions and suites will allow them to compete financially with other ball clubs. They hope to be able to play in a 37,000 seat, retractable-roof stadium by Opening Day 2012. It will include 1,000 standing room only tickets. The team's lease at Dolphin Stadium runs out after 2011, but Marlins executives hope to renegotiate for another year with soon-to-be new Dolphin owner Stephen Ross. To finance the stadium, the county will spend $347 million in mostly tourist created taxes, the city will spend $13 million and the Marlins will pony up $155 million -- though $35 million of that will be fronted by the county and repaid through rent payments. Burgess said the dire economy shouldn't impact construction plans, saying he has personally met with the banks competing to loan the team its share. Commissioners from both the city and county are expected to vote on the management, construction, assurance, nonrelocation and parking contracts on Feb. 13. Because the management and construction contracts were not bid out, it requires a two-thirds vote of county commissioners to pass. Though Burgess said he has no concerns regarding the Marlins' ability to finance their end of the deal, there is a new clause in the deal that allows any of the three entities to pull out of the agreement by the middle of 2009 should the financing be in jeopardy. Burgess said the term was added, "to err on the cautious side.''
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j38/jirodrig/MarlinsBallpark0.jpg
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[Jonovision]

That's quite a unique roof. I've never seen one slide right off of a stadium like that. Lots that open, but non quite like that.

[bobdreamz]

interesting design but it is flanked on both sides to what appears to be 4 very large paraking garages. I just hope it doesn't wall itself off from the rest of the urban fabric of Little Havana. It's going to be a nightmare getting in & out of that area.

[brickell]

It at least looks like some retail on the bottom floor, but I would not be surprised if they cheaped out.

[Complex01]

Hmm were are the Miami updates. I have not seen any in a while. Someone update please...

Thanxs...

:D

[NewAtlantisMiami]

Hmm were are the Miami updates. I have not seen any in a while. Someone update please...

Thanxs...

:D

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[NewAtlantisMiami]

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[NewAtlantisMiami]

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[-ZT-]

Thanks NewAtlantisMiami!

Miami looks great. I miss being there.

[Complex01]

Ah thanks very much for the updates. Miami just looks freaken awesome. I so wanted to go there for the Winter Music Conference. Oh well next time. Thanks again for posting...

:tup:

[NewAtlantisMiami]

You are welcome! These are from the BOA roof last Thursday.

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[NewAtlantisMiami]

And since this is the Miami Development Thread after all, here are my zooms on our 3 office towers under construction: Met2, Brickell Financial Center 1 (680 Brickell), and 1450 Brickell from top to bottom

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[colemonkee]

Wow. The density created in just the last 5 years is amazing.

[Complex01]

Wow, thanks again. Always nice to see Miami in all her glory...

:tup: