Posts filed under 'Pieces to the Puzzle'
Image: Formerly Fairwind Seafood Bar and Grill
On May 17, last year, I wrote a post on the Collins Avenue Shopping District’s relatively rapid emergence and unique attributes. I ended the post by stating:
“The shopping district currently ends at 10th street, but there is room for it to expand northward. Collins, between 10th and 15th streets represents an underutilized segment of the storied avenue.”
Since then, the area north of 10th street on Collins has begun to transform as the anticipated northward expansion of new retail and hotel activity takes place. Structures are getting bought, restored, or demolished to make way for new businesses.
South Beach as a neighborhood and international brand has continuously redefined itself. It’s in these subtle changes, the motifs within the theme, that you see the redefinition taking place, so that every time a New Yorker or Londoner visits SoBe they feel like the experience has improved. This adaptability, along with the endowments nature has granted the island, is the key to its continued success.
Let’s see what this expansion looks like on the ground:
Continue Reading January 29, 2008
The chart below is one of several I prepared that are based on the latest DDA Development Activity Breakdown Report. It represents office/retail development (built, under construction, and approved) from 2002 to mid-2007 in Brickell Village. In an effort to compare DDA data with with an alternative source (to get the best overall picture), I deferred to CBRE’s market outlook. Let’s look at the DDA derived chart first:
Continue Reading November 14, 2007
The New Landlord of Parkwest
Under normal circumstances, Falcone’s plans for Parkwest would be astounding, but in Miami, normal circumstances are hard to come by. There are other projects that resemble Falcone’s vision for a city-within-a-city nearby: CitiSquare, Omni, and Midtown. In fact, his vision is simply the latest of Miami’s mega projects. This does not change the fact that his vision is unprecedented in scale and scope…
Continue Reading November 6, 2007
I have spent a considerable amount of time evaluating Parkwest’s prospects. Its location in the heart of the CBD, proximity to the proposed Museum Park, new ultra-luxurious condos, among other things, makes the neighborhood an important piece of Miami’s urban puzzle. Boca Raton builder Art Falcone, the latest billionaire in the Miami development mix, has, according to the latest Herald article…
Continue Reading November 5, 2007
Image: Midtown Four and Midblock
The Foremost Symbol of Miami’s Emerging Urbanism
Midtown Miami is, in many ways, the most obvious symbol of Miami’s rapid urban transformation. It exhibits Miami’s architectural star power, represents the most ambitious push west for urbanism in the city thus far, sits on a formerly blighted and infrastructureless area of the city, and incorporates large-scale commercial and residential elements. For all intensive purposes, it is a city-within-a-city.
Image: The shops at Midtown Miami’s northwest side
The Skeptics Viewpoint
Yet, despite this, there are those that recall the past failure of the much hyped Omni Mall when considering Midtown’s prospects for success. However natural this historic allusion may seem, the Omni, which never had the residential component Midtown has, is currently owned by a New York-based firm with billion dollar plans that span 10-15 years. Suffice to say times have changed. Then there are those that claim the project is…
Continue Reading September 25, 2007
Let’s take a tour through Miami Beach to take a look at the third quarter status of recently topped off buildings, ongoing construction, and recently started foundation work:
Continue Reading September 17, 2007
Image: Section of Biscayne Boulevard in the Upper East Side undergoing an extensive reconstruction.
Biscayne Boulevard is undergoing extensive work along the CBD, but the area north of the I-395 up to 36th street, represents a separate phase of Biscayne Boulevard’s enhancement, and is currently unaffected by the Boulevard’s improvement initiative. According to DDA records, the work in the Uptown section of Biscayne Boulevard is expected to begin sometime this year with completion slated for 2008. An area that is currently affected by resurfacing work is Biscayne Boulevard north of 55th Street where stores with US-1 frontage are facing bulldozers, barricades, and crawling auto traffic. There’s little doubt as to the negative effect that the resurfacing initiative is having on those businesses. As a retailer, you don’t want a construction site situated on your front door step. As a consumer, you don’t want to have to traverse through construction traffic, dust clouds, and fragmented roads unless you have to…
Continue Reading September 14, 2007
Image 1: An under utilized retail structure with blue awnings on NE 24th street and Biscayne Boulevard is shown in the foreground with new developments surrounding it.
Continued from Signs of Urban Life: Development Outlook (Uptown’s Woes)
Uptown is the largest of the three primary urban core segments (CBD and Brickell Village being the other two). It contains four unique sub-segments:
- Media and Entertainment District
- Edgewater
- Wynwood Arts District
- Midtown Miami & vicinity
Map: Uptown and its four subsegments are shown above. The Media and Entertainment District is shown in blue, the Midtown Miami vicinity is shown in yellow, Edgewater in green, and Wynwood in red.
Continue Reading September 12, 2007
Uva 69 is a quaint euro-style cafe located on Biscayne Boulevard and 69th street. The popular cafe’s interior is modern and gives little sense of the origin of the building it resides in, which is a Mediterranean style structure built in the 1920’s. Although the building is not MiMo per say, it is located in the Upper East Side’s MiMo District and is a fine example of adaptive reuse. The building’s main (lower) space is where the restaurant is situated.
The construction on Biscayne Boulevard and unsightliness of its surrounding is covered by a banner ad and blinds surrounding the dining area. Once inside, the cafe’s decor and ambiance captures the attention–not what’s outside. In addition to the restaurant below, there is office and gallery space upstairs. The unassuming old structure has been excellently adapted to suit rather than hinder the evolution of the Upper East Side. Importantly, it serves as an example of use-innovation in area now designated to preserve and adapt the use of MiMo-era motels.
More from BoB:
Continue Reading September 10, 2007
Image: The empty gap between Parkwest’s towers on the right and the Financial District to the left (Firefox users right click to view larger image).
In 2005, the Parkwest side was flat. Today, four towers are jutting into the sky. Most skyscraper enthusiasts have been envisioning this “Parkwest Wall” since the towers were announced, but now that they are a reality, there is a pronounced gap between Everglades on the Bay and Marina Blue…
Continue Reading September 10, 2007
Image: Site of the under construction Staples store. Paramount Bay is seen under construction to the right.
The new Staples store will stand on Biscayne Boulevard and N.E. 22nd Street next to Paramount Bay (under construction). Cite, with its new ground level retail space is one block to the South. Already, pedestrian activity in and around Cite has increased since its ground level retail space began filling. Neighboring Paramount Bay’s plans call for the incorporation of ground level retail space with the Edgewater Square aspect of the project.
September 9, 2007
Image: FEC Corridor facing north toward Midtown
There are many factors that influence retail and development activity. This installment is intended to describe those factors that are negative and may slowdown progress in the Uptown area, which is east of the I-95, north of the I-395, south of the I-195, and west of Biscayne Bay (the area includes: the Media and Entertainment District, Wynwood Arts District, Midtown Miami, and Edgewater)…
Continue Reading September 6, 2007
Image: FDOT-owned parcel being cleared (PAC is seen in right corner of image)
Weeks ago I noticed the demolition of an abandoned building across from (south of) the Carnival Center. Then I started getting questions emailed to me regarding this same issue. The building sat on FDOT owned land (1200 Biscayne - former site of Opus 2)–directly in the path of…
Continue Reading September 4, 2007
Image: Active construction site for the Shops at 5th and Alton
The Shops at 5th and Alton, which will include 185,000 sq. ft. of vertical retail space and a 943 space parking garage at the 5th street entrance to South Beach, has begun to see activity on its site. U.S. Century Bank is financing development for the Berkowitz Development Group and Potamkin family. The Shops at 5th and Alton will…
Continue Reading September 4, 2007
Let’s take a tour through North Bay Village to take a look at the third quarter status of recently topped off buildings, ongoing construction, and recently started foundation work:
Continue Reading August 31, 2007
Image: Biscayne Boulevard cruisin’
At a ULI conference last May, a V.P. of Cushman Wakefield mentioned a bike and scooter shop in Uptown on 19th street and Biscayne Boulevard as being an indicator of urban progress. He said, “a few years ago I would never have imagined a bike shop in that area.”
Continue Reading August 23, 2007
Image: (from left to right) Infinity, Axis, and Vue on South Miami Avenue
Envisioning Brickell During the Boom
Since the inception of the surge in construction activity that later became known as the boom, I have envisioned how the skyline would transform. As activity picked up, so many projects were being announced that I found it increasingly challenging to remember them all off the top of my head. Still, I would look at the skyline and consider the height and design of those projects that were anticipated to fill in the sky. Now that the boom has dissipated, it has become clear that many projects that were announced may never come to exist. Several examples of this can be readily found on South Miami Avenue. Let’s see what I mean on a map:
Continue Reading August 22, 2007
Map of the area: N.E. 2nd Avenue is shown in green and Midtown Miami in blue
Economic Artery in the Making?
N.E. 2nd Avenue, which runs parallel to Biscayne Boulevard and the FEC Corridor in Uptown, has remained largely untouched by new development. This north-south thoroughfare is important because it links to the Performing Arts Center, Midtown Miami, the Design District, and is next to Edgewater and the Wynwood Arts District. Currently, the Avenue is mostly dotted with vacant lots and decrepit buildings for sale, which indicates a ripeness for transformation, but change, although small, is already turning N.E. 2nd Ave into something of an economic artery. Let’s take a quick gander:
Continue Reading August 21, 2007
The sales phone number on the sign is disconnected. That’s not encouraging. In 2005, Renzi’s plans for the Beacon were reportedly expanded from 38 to 50 stories. However, the unimpressively designed website doesn’t reflect the expansion while the sign on the parcel does (but at 53 stories). The reality on the ground shows no activity on the site. Some sources point towards a 2008 completion, but it seems that the project could be heading towards the scrapped book.
Continue Reading August 20, 2007
One of Brickell’s most impressively designed projects is under going work on its foundation. Capital at Brickell, designed by Fullerton Diaz Architects, has an award winning design, will include retail, office, and residential space, and is situated across from One Broadway. It’s being developed by Cabi Developers.
Image: Foundation work on the site of Capital at Brickell
August 20, 2007
The BCC site, which is bisected by South Miami Avenue, is up for sale. The land owner, Kevin Reilly, was supposedly affiliated with NY-based Millenium Partners–builders of the Four Seasons–, but the project gained little momentum. This would have been amazing to see come to fruition, but now it’s a pipe dream it seems.
Image: West lot (above)
Image: East lot (above)
August 20, 2007
Image: Rendering on fence banner–notice the lily-pad dotted moat surrounding the building
I stumbled upon this proposed 32-unit loft project on 92nd Street in Surfside called Lanai. It appears to be another
Continue Reading August 14, 2007
Let’s take a tour through Sunny Isles to take a look at the third quarter status of recently topped off buildings, ongoing construction, and recently started foundation work:
Continue Reading August 14, 2007
Image: Vagabond Motel with Transit Shop clothing store (right side)
With the Mimo designation now intended to preserve the strip of funky motels along Biscayne Boulevard, the potential of adaptive reuse has been brought to question. It has been reported that motel owners are getting innovative with their properties. The motel use has become incompatible with development/economic conditions on the ground. Increasingly, restaurants and new businesses are popping up in and around the Boulevard along the Mimo corridor. Not long ago, it was discussed here that retail may be one of the likely reuses–following in the track of the Collins Avenue shopping district where Art Deco apartment complexes and hotels have been transformed into retail stores. On 74th street and Biscayne Boulevard there is what may be one of the first examples of reuse in the form of retail with the Vagabond Motel.
Continue Reading August 13, 2007
Image: The Marquis (left) and ten Museum Park (right)
This installment was supposed to be about Brickell Village, but I shuffled the order a bit and decided to start my retail potential focus at the center of the Core.
Parkwest has many problems. Let’s address them in no particular order:
Image: Greyhound Station with the Marquis tower looming in the background
Continue Reading August 8, 2007
The oldest of Downtown’s sacred spaces, the Gesu Church and Rectory is a beacon of faith in the heart of the CBD.
Image: Church pinnacle
Here’s why the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board considers it special:
“Located in downtown Miami, this imposing Mediterranean Revival style church houses the city’s oldest Roman Catholic parish…
Continue Reading August 6, 2007
Image: View of the Miami River from the rear of the Miami River Club Townhouse Community
Miami River area development is challenging to track and this post is definitely not my attempt to do so but a brief prelude to an incoming River profile. I recently stumbled upon an interesting section of the River that caught my attention. It’s where the river splits in two. In the south side of the split, there is an old townhouse development called the River Club.
Continue Reading July 30, 2007
A 120,000 square foot multi-level retail complex planned for 32nd street and Biscayne Blvd is now leasing. The project, which is unnamed in the display sign, is located directly south of the proposed 3333 Biscayne office/condo development. With the advent of so many high density residential units and the absence of new retail on Biscayne Blvd. (except the rapidly filling spaces at Cite), Uptown has become an area ripe for retail activity. Seth Gadinsky is the broker assigned to the project. The project is within walking distance from Midtown Miami and the Design District.
More:
Continue Reading July 30, 2007
Continued from Part II of Under Utilization in the CBD
Historic but not Designated
In the last Under-Utilization post I discussed buildings that are designated as historic by the HEPB and the set of eight criteria used to officially distinguish them. It was noted that there are a few examples of impressive and well-known antiquated buildings that are not officially designated historic. In considering these un-designated but old structures, I will only refer to those that either are being well utilized or demonstrate favorable utilization/restoration conditions. Let’s consider some of them.
Continue Reading July 17, 2007
Image: Blue, white, and canary yellow diamonds, rose and white gold, and platinum bracelets; all found in the Jewelry District. Just in case Fat Joe is in town and in a spending mood. From Elias Akar’s collection (Seybold Building)
The name “Haimov” (pronounced: Hi - Moff) brings to mind notions of an underground industry, movement, and capitalistic culture steeped in secrecy and familial bonds. One of diamonds, gold, and pearls, and run by international, broken-English speaking, multiple-luxury-car-owning, young and wealthy businessmen.
Continue Reading July 10, 2007
Previous Posts
