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
Brickell City Centre Construction Set to Begin
Earlier this week, The Miami Herald reported that Swire Properties has closed on a $140M line of credit which would allow them to fund the initial construction of Brickell City Centre, a $1B mixed-used development to be located just north of Mary Brickell Village along 8th Street. There’s no doubt that the addition of Brickell City Centre to the neighborhood will have a profound impact on Brickell and that real estate values in the immediate area will be positively impacted. The residential component of Brickell City Centre will be comprised of two towers: Brickell City Centre Reach and Brickell City Centre Rise.
The first phase of Brickell City Centre is expected to be completed in late 2015 and will include about 4.3 million million square feet. Plans call for 520,000 square feet of retail shops, 800 condominium units divided between two towers, a hotel with 243 rooms, two small office towers of 110,000 square feet each and 93 full-service apartments. The first phase will also include 3,100 parking spaces and design feature known as the “Climate Ribbon” that will provide a covered walkway to navigate the project. The second phase calls for an office tower of 750,000 square feet that will be built as market conditions permit.
