Brickell City Centre is Expanding North and East but Not West

When Swire Properties bought a small piece of land west of its Brickell City Centre megaproject, the Miami real estate media went bonkers. Everybody including the Miami Herald wondered if the megaproject was getting even bigger. And it is. Phase II is planned to include additional blocks to the north and east, including a ‘super tower’ on Brickell Avenue, but that’s all old news. That block off there to the west is just going to be a fire station they’re building for the City of Miami. Stephen Owens said as much at a recent conference, and The Next Miami dug up official documents confirming.

Stephen Owens, Builder of Brickell Key and Brickell City Centre, is Retiring

Photo courtesy Swire Properties.

Stephen Owens, President of Swire Properties, builder of Brickell City Centre and Brickell Key, as well as JADE at Brickell Bay (through a joint venture), and just a really nice guy, has had more of an impact on the development of Brickell than just about anybody, with the possible exceptions of the Related Group and Mary Brickell herself. Upon completion of City Centre in 2017, Mr. Owens will be retiring from his role as President, while remaining on the board of the company and providing council on U.S. projects. He’s being replaced as President in January of 2017 by one of the Swire bigwigs in Hong Kong named Kieren Bowers who is the General Manager of a Swire megaproject there. If and when Swire decides to build yet another urban megaproject in Miami, it sounds like the new guy will know what he’s doing too.

All the Stores & Restaurants Coming to Brickell City Centre’s Mall

Recent photo of construction of the mall portion of Brickell City Centre. Photo by Sean McCaughan.

The good people at Miami’s megaproject-of-the-moment Brickell City Centre (the hotel is opening, Akerman moved into a brand new office tower, they’re getting bikes and donating to the Underline, an Italian food hall is coming, the first condo tower opened. Headlines are everywhere!) have announced 11 new tenants coming to its shopping mall. The three levels of open-air retail will be connected together by gigantic skybridges and shaded by a super-duper high tech awning called the ‘climate ribbon.’ The mall opens in November. Here are the eleven new recruits:

Baldinini
Boglioli
Bruno Magli
Carmen Steffens
Hugo Boss
Lafayette 148
Samsonite
Sephora
SPARIS
Tommy Bahama
Violetas/ Baccarat

And the rest of the announced tenants:

ANCHORS
Cinemex
Italian Food Hall
Saks Fifth Avenue

APPAREL
100% Capri
120% Lino
Addict
Adolfo Dominguez
Agent Provocateur
Armani Collezioni
BDBA
Crocus Studio
Chopard
Cole Haan
Intermix
In-Sight
Kiton
Koko & Palenki
LIVE!
Lululemon
Mirto
Orlebar Brown
Onda de Mar
Rhythm of Grace
REISS
SportsAction
Sundek
Ted Baker
Vilebrequin

FASHION AND PERSONAL ACCESSORIES
Addict
Audemars Piguet
Acqua di Parma
APM Monaco
Bally
Caudalie
Capritouch
Coach
Diptyque
Designer Eyes
Font
Harmont & Blaine
Giuseppe Zanotti Design
Italia Independent
Illesteva
IRO
Kendra Scott
Kreations
Leetal Kalmanson
Michele Lopriore
Nars
Nest Casa
Pandora
Porsche Design
Richard Mille
Santa Maria Novella
Stuart Weitzman
Westime

DINING
American Harvest
Big Easy Winebar & Grill
Calissons du Roy René
DAVIDsTEA
Dr. Smood
Haagen-Dazs
Luke’s Lobster
Pasión del Cielo
Pubbelly Sushi
Quinto La Huella
Santa Fe Ca Café
Sugar
Taco Chic

ARTS AND SERVICES
AT&T
Bojanini Art Gallery
Brickell Nail Bar
Musart
Sean Donaldson Hair

First Look Inside the Completed East Hotel at Brickell City Centre

Underneath the climate ribbon, the incomplete mall is visible from the hotel. Photos by Sean McCaughan.

Last night we were lucky enough to attend an event, the PAMM Corporate Cocktail, at the brand-spanking-new East Hotel at Brickell City Centre, which is currently in its soft opening. The party and the venue were both spectacular, and the service was wonderful. Although not a full tour of the building (that’s coming soon) we did get a good look at some of the more spectacular elements including the lobby, the pool deck, the incomplete mall, and of course the famed ‘climate ribbon’ sun shade. The hotel has begun taking reservations for dates starting May 31st. And now, a quick tour in thirteen photographs.

On the Eve of Opening, Brickell City Centre Gets Bicycles And Gives Money to the Underline

Brickell City Centre-branded bicycles.

There’s lots of action happening at the $1.05 billion Brickell City Centre, as the East Miami Hotel gears up for its May 31st opening and sales close at Reach, the megaproject’s first residential tower.

Swire Properties, BCC’s developer, announced today that residents of Reach and Rise Brickell City Centre, the project’s two residential towers, will have complementary access to a fleet of Brickell City Centre-branded house bicycles for jaunts around town. Each building will initially have ten bikes, which will be kept in a designated area near the parking garage. Residents will be able to rent them for unlimited lengths of time, but will be responsible for the bikes while in use. There’s no word yet on whether hotel guests will be provided with bicycle privileges too, but that would make sense.

Swire has also just announced a $600,000 donation to the Underline, Miami’s planned 10-mile linear park underneath the Metrorail, and a perfect place to ride those bikes once completed. As the press release says “The Underline will focus on transforming the space around Miami’s urban infrastructure and is set to be one of the city’s most ambitious projects. ”

“Swire’s donation will be earmarked for the construction of the Brickell portion of The Underline and will seamlessly connect with Swire’s renovation of the Eighth Street Metromover station and surrounding green space, which is located adjacent to the 5.4-million-square foot Brickell City Centre.”

Brickell City Centre’s East Hotel Opens its Doors May 31st

Brickell City Centre’s much anticipated East Hotel has completed construction and has announced they are accepting reservations for the hotel’s opening on May 31st. The hotel occupies the south east corner of the City Centre megaproject and, along with the widely discussed climate ribbon, is probably one of the marquee features of Brickell City Centre’s first phase. Photos of some interior public spaces and guest rooms were also released, showing a modern, understated decor focusing on plush fabrics, woods, materiality, simple stripes of muted colors, and the views out of expansive floor-to-ceiling windows.

EAST, Miami offers 352 guest rooms to include eight suites and 89 residence suites all owned and operated by Swire Hotels. Ranging in size from 300 to 1,800 square feet, the contemporary rooms, suites, and residence suites feature balconies with views of the Miami skyline and Biscayne Bay, floor-to-ceiling windows, walk-in rain shower, and complimentary WiFi. The one-, two- and three-bedroom residence suite options also offer fully equipped kitchen and laundry facilities along with access to all amenities and services of the hotel.

Brickell City Centre Reach Tower Is Officially Open

At long last, Brickell City Centre’s first residential tower has opened! Reach Tower has received its certificate of occupancy from the city and closings have begun. The closings just began this week and the first residence to hit the public records was apartment 2109. That closed on Monday, April 11, according to The Next Miami.

Sources with the development have indicated an average sales price of $650/square foot for the 390 residences, 335 of which are currently under contract. The first investors to commit to the development were offered lower prices in exchange for believing in the project when it was in the conceptual phase. Apartment 2109 is a 2 bedroom with 1,501 interior square feet that closed for $884,300, or $589/square foot.

At the time of this post, we have not yet seen any of the apartments come to the rental market although they are expected soon. Some investors have mentioned to our agents that they intend to list the rental units for $3500/month for one bedroom options and $4500/month for two bedroom options.

The apartments are being delivered finished and ready for furniture, so we will not have to wait for interiors to be built out before seeing new neighbors occupying the tower. If you would like a tour of the development for purchase or lease, we are happy to arrange it.

East Hotel Taking Reservations Starting May 9, Reach Tower 95% Sold As Brickell CityCentre Begins to Open

Just three days after the ribbon cutting and official opening of Three Brickell CityCentre, we have exciting news about the other phases of the opening. All three remaining components of the much-anticipated development will be opened within the next six months. Here is the timeline we are working with:

Hotel: The East Hotel is currently accepting reservations with availability beginning May 9, 2016. Rates for the first night begin at $279/night including complimentary wifi and continental breakfast for two according to the booking section of their website. Separate packages are available for business travelers, offering a complimentary welcome cocktail, dry cleaning credit, wifi and continental breakfast for one.

Residential: Sales remain strong at both residential towers, Reach and Rise. Reach is currently 95% sold and awaiting their certificate of occupancy to begin closings this month. For buyers who wish to move-in within the upcoming weeks, a few opportunities remain with pricing averaging at $650/square foot. Rise tower is not far behind, boasting 50% sold status and similar pricing. We expect to see Rise opening later this year.

Retail: The impressive list of tenants have already begun their interior build-out to prepare for the grand opening of the mall, which is expected to be in September of 2016. The mall will be anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue and Cinemex luxury movie theater with a gourmet dining component. Other retailers will include Apple with their largest store in Florida, Valentino, Chopard and Lululemon. Sources have been buzzing since 2014 about the addition of an Eataly location although representatives of Swire have been unable to confirm this claim. Here is a full list of retailers that has been released by Swire.

Office: Three Brickell CityCentre was officially opened on March 1 with a ceremonial ribbon cutting attended by Mayor Regalado along with executives from Swire Properties and Akerman. Akerman is the anchor tenant of the office component of the development with 290 attorneys on staff. The new space will allow them to grow by 10%. Two Brickell CityCentre is the second office tower that is currently awaiting their certificate of occupancy.

It is important to note that these are prospective dates, considering everything goes as planned with the weather, contractors and permit delivery. We will be sure to be on top of any changes. Should you be interested in space in the residential, retail or office components, we are here to help.

Week in Review: How to Avoid the Federal Disclosure Law for Cash Purchases and Other News…

Rendering from Paramount Miami Worldcenter

Week of January 17-23, 2016.

The US Treasury announced this week that starting in March, title companies will be required to disclose the identities of buyers to government regulators for all cash purchases above $1 million in Miami’s residential real estate market. They are hoping to put a stop to illicit funds being laundered through the cash purchases, but effectively are also spooking legitimate buyers who simply do not wish to have their buying habits publicly disclosed.

Fear not, fancy condo shoppers. The ink is not even dry on the new order and The Real Deal has already compiled a list of 7 ways that the rule can be circumvented. [The Real Deal]

Last week, the developer of Miami Worldcenter announced that it is scrapping the plans for an enclosed mall just days after Macy’s announced multiple store closings due to slow sales. After this announcement Taubman and Forbes cancelled their contract with Worldcenter, causing a flurry of rumors and news stories stating that the project would be scrapped. It turns out that everyone jumped the gun. According to the developer and this Taubman release, the project is not scrapped. The contract just needs to be renegotiated to reflect the new building plans. [Zacks]

While everyone was up in arms about the potential drama at Miami Worldcenter, Brickell CityCentre released their updated list of all retailers, shops and restaurants that will be opening with the mall. The shops will begin individual build-out soon and is scheduled to open later in the year. [The Next Miami]

In possibly the least surprising news of the week, Car2Go finally announced that they are suspending service effective March 1. They say that the reason for the service-shuttering is low ridership and high state taxes, locals have not wasted time or minced words with their own theories. It seems they have been in trouble with their client base for some time due to poor handling of a PR incident involving a drunk driving accident, not offering service in many important areas of the community, poor customer service and unreliable service. We think it can be easily explained by simple economics… why pay more to drive yourself in a shared smart car with a complicated service when you can pay less and have an Uber car pick you up at your doorstep and drop you off wherever you want to go? The choice is simple. [Curbed]

Brickell City Centre Saves The Trees

Photo courtesy: Jami Reyes Facebook

Of all the developers in the greater Downtown Miami area, we have to give kudos to Swire for their efforts in preserving the oak trees on their development sites. This weekend, they began the landscaping for Brickell City Centre using the existing oak trees from their site that will one day be One Brickell City Centre. As you can see, the project was quite the undertaking but was well worth it for everyone.

This isn’t the first time we have seen such community-friendly activity from Swire either. Some Brickellians may remember that before Brickell City Centre was Brickell City Centre, a big portion of the land was the lushly landscaped Brickell Tennis Club. Have a look at the promotional video from Social Buzz TV that was released in 2011.

Video courtesy: http://SebastianRusk.com

When the tennis club was demolished in 2012 to make way for Brickell City Centre, Swire again opted for relocating the greenery rather than cutting it down. See below for an updated photo of the trees from the Brickell Tennis Club. Does this look familiar?

Photo courtesy: Jami Reyes Facebook

The same trees are now thriving in Museum Park. Downtown’s Museum Park had previously been in desperate need of the face lift that Swire helped to achieve with their trees. Before the renovation, Museum Park had been a haven for transients despite its bayfront location and views. The grass was crispy and brown, not very welcoming to the neighbors of the nearby luxury high rises who may want to have a jog or an afternoon picnic.

Today, the park’s renovation is nearly complete. The trees helped to breathe new life into the abandoned space, as did the Perez Art Museum which opened in 2013. The Patricia and Philip Frost Museum of Science should open within the year, completing the transformation into a fully usable space that is enjoyed now by thousands.

Here are some additional photos of the Brickell City Centre trees getting their new home in the shopping center that is scheduled to open very soon now:

Photo courtesy: Jami Reyes Facebook

Photo courtesy: Jami Reyes Facebook

Photo courtesy: Jami Reyes Facebook