Empira Group Purchases Building Site for an 85 Unit Residential Project-CoralGrove Brickell
Empira Group, a Swiss company, has recently invested $9 million in a multifamily building site in Miami’s The Roads neighborhood as part of its introduction into South Florida’s real estate market.
According to a news release from the developer, Empira plans to erect the eight-story CoralGrove Brickell project on a half-acre plot of land adjacent to Coral Way, between 3025 and 3051 Southwest Third Avenue.
The property currently consists of a two-story and a one-story apartment structure, both of which are vacant and scheduled for demolition this year.
CoralGrove will contain 85 units, ranging from one-bedroom to three-bedroom homes, and 900 square feet of ground-floor retail space.
According to Rafael Aregger, Empira’s head of investments in the U.S., the previously approved 79-unit proposal for the site is being modified by Empira to add more units and relocate a pool that was originally planned for a mezzanine level to the rooftop.
According to Aregger, Empira, which has its headquarters in the town of Zug, manages investments on behalf of German organizations like pension funds, insurance companies, and banks. Empira, led by CEO Marcus Bartenstein, manages $7 billion in assets.
The company entered the United States two years ago, but its primary area of interest is real estate in German-speaking regions of Europe. Together with its joint venture partner Zidan Management Group, it has since built up a 2,100-unit apartment portfolio in the Midwest. The company’s American headquarters are in Empira’s Miami location. Additionally, it maintains offices in Stockholm, Dubai, and London.
According to Empira, the business is considering future development in Sun Belt states including Arizona, Texas, and Florida.
Construction on CoralGrove Brickell is anticipated to begin in 2023 with a completion date in 2025.
Co-Owner of E11even Nightclub and Partner at Titan Capital Acquired Land at Miami Worldcenter
For $30 million, Lynd Living acquired a Miami Worldcenter development site from a business run by Marc Roberts, co-owner of the E11even nightclub, and Ira Saferstein, a partner at Titan Capital.
The $4 billion master-planned mixed-use project spanning 27 acres in the Park West neighborhood of downtown Miami has added the San Antonio-based company as the newest multifamily developer to the group of apartment builders.
According to public documents, a Lynd associate purchased the roughly 0.5-acre parcel of land at Northwest 10th Street and North Miami Avenue and secured a $22.7 million financing through TIG Romspen US Master Mortgage. According to a news statement, Kevin O’Grady and Justin Neelis from Concord Summit Capital handled the finance and Lynd has hired the company to find a construction loan. Additionally, Concord Summit mediated the sale.
IRR Parkwest Investments, led by Roberts and Saferstein, was sold by the Miami-based legal firm Adams Gallinar, which was represented by attorneys Michael Gallinar and Jason Camps.
A 650-unit apartment building is permitted on the site of the development. A residential tower is being planned, according to David Lynd, CEO of Lynd. “For the time being, we are keeping it quiet. We’ll release more information as we prepare to enter the market.
According to records, the vacant property was a component of a 1-acre assemblage that IRR purchased in 2020 for $26.7 million. The remaining property is still owned by Roberts and Saferstein. Roberts, a former boxing promoter, joined master developers Art Falcone and Nitin Motwani as an early investor in the Miami Worldcenter project in the early 2000s.
In March, the Miami Worldcenter development property at 1016 Northeast Second Avenue was purchased for $40.5 million by the New York-based Naftali Group and Chicago-based Akara Partners. The CEO of Naftali, Miki Naftali, is constructing two residential towers, but the company hasn’t said whether the structures would house condos or apartments.
Adam Neumann, a co-founder of WeWork, received $108 million in construction financing in February for a new apartment building on a bare lot at Miami Worldcenter. It shares a boundary with Caoba, a 40-story apartment complex at 698 Northeast First Avenue. Both the development site and Caoba’s ownership organization were purchased by Neumann.
New York Developers Purchase Site to Build a Two Tower Residential Project for $40.5 Million
The Namdar Group recently purchased a development site for $40.5 million with plans to construct a two-tower residential and apartment project in downtown Miami.
According to county records, the New York-based company purchased 1.3 acres in two agreements at 50 and 60 Northeast Third Street and at 222 and 234 Northeast First Avenue.
Namdar additionally obtained a $195 million loan for the purchase and development of the skyscrapers. Scale Lending, a subsidiary of Slate Property Group, supplied the funding.
A 41-story structure with 640 units and a 43-story building with 714 units would make up the proposed Namdar Towers, which would have combined square footage of more than 1.2 million.
According to records, entities led by Daniel Stone paid $30.5 million for the parking lot and land at 50, 60, and 222 Northeast First Avenue as well as the parking lot at 50 and 60 Northeast Third Street.
The retail building at 234 Northeast First Avenue was sold for $10 million by a partner of Jaime and Esther Waserstein, who founded the ShoeGallery company in Miami. There is a ShoeGallery store on the premises.
According to its website, Namdar is a family-owned development company that was established in 1979. Ephraim Namdar, who has previously been named in media sources as the company’s founder and CEO, is in charge of running the LLC that bought the Miami property.
Igal Namdar’s commercial real estate investment company, Namdar Realty Group, which buys bankrupt retail centers, also has a New York address that is shared by Namdar.
The Journal Square district of Jersey City has seen activity from the corporation. According to the real estate website Jersey Digs, Namdar completed the tops of two mixed-use towers with a total of 27 stories and 667 residences in July.
Namdar Towers would be the newest development in downtown Miami, which has attracted the attention of multifamily developers.
A 48-story tower with 1,200 flats is what Jorge and Jon Paul Pérez’s Related Group and ROVR Development hope to erect at the site of the College Station Garage at 190 Northeast Third Street. The Namdar Towers location is direct across the street from this one.
The 57-story, 675-unit M Tower is what Lions Group NYC and Fortis Design + Build hope to erect at 56, 70, and 65 Southwest Second Street.
Hyatt and Gencom plan to transform the James L. Knight Center and adjoining Hyatt Regency Miami hotel into a three-tower complex called Miami Riverbridge as part of another downtown redevelopment. 1,500 apartments, a new Hyatt hotel with 615 rooms and 264 service-branded flats, as well as a 190,000-square-foot conference center are all part of the plans.
A referendum on the plan will be held in November.
Related Group Requesting Permission to Develop Mixed Use Project on Miami River
The Related Group’s affordable housing division, Related Urban Development Group, is requesting permission to develop a mixed-income housing development on Miami-Dade County property close to the Miami River.
The ground lease and development agreement with the Miami-based developer for the 1.05-acre site at 395 N.W. 1st St. and 25 N.W. River Drive will be up for consideration by the County Commission on September 1. There is a two-story county office building there right now.
The site is close to Interstate 95 to the west, Flagler Street Bridge to the north, and Lummus Park to the south.
In January 2021, the county released a request for proposals (RFP) to find a developer for the land, and Related Group was selected as the successful bidder.
The developer would lease the land from the county under the proposal for 75 years in exchange for a $1.54 million down payment and annual fee equal to 16.5% of the project’s revenue flow. Over the course of the lease’s 75-year term, the county calculated that the payments would total $238.8 million.
The Gallery at Lummus Parc was a project that Related Group predicted would cost $151.7 million to complete.
It would include 439 apartments in two 30-story towers, as well as 5,400 square feet of retail space, a 478-place parking garage, and a cultural installation showcasing Lummus Park’s heritage. An overpass over Northwest First Street would connect the towers.
On the eleventh floor, there would be an amenities deck with a pool, a club room, a workout facility, Zoom rooms, a game room, and a lounge.
Some of the apartments would have cheaper rents and be income-restricted. According to the agreement, 20% of the flats would be reserved for residents earning up to 50% of the area median income and another 20% for residents earning up to 140%. There would be no constraints on income for the remaining flats.
Miami’s average household income is $44,268. The Gallery at Lummus Parc is anticipated to fill some of that demand as local workers have found it more and more difficult to afford residences in the city due to recent double-digit rent increases.
The sizes of the flats would be between 495 and 1,220 square feet. There would be 28 three-bedroom homes, 99 studios, 177 one-bedroom units, and 135 two-bedroom units.
The Related Group representatives declined to comment. According to the proposal, a federal opportunity zone investment fund, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, and low-income tax credit equity from JPMorgan Chase and Raymond James would all contribute to the project’s partial funding.
The concept was created by Miami-based CFE Architects. The developer is represented in the application by Miami attorneys Terry M. Lovell and Al Dotson Jr.
New York Developer Acquires Belmar Condominium in Edgewater for a Potential New Development Site
Another potential development site in Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood has been acquired by a New York condo and multifamily developer.
According to public documents, a company managed by Joseph Stern, the principal of SB Development, paid $12 million for all 13 apartments of the Belmar Condominium at 419 Northeast 19th Street. The price per condo for the group purchase is $923,076. To pay for the transaction, the buyer got a $14 million loan from Rok Lending, a company based in Aventura.
Between the 1970s and the 1990s, several of the sellers who bought units made substantial profits on their purchases. In 1973, when Belmar was finished, Francesca, Monica, and David Vila paid $36,000 for a two-bedroom apartment, according to documents. Leopoldo Colon and Kenneth Merker, who are on the board of the Belmar condominium, paid $40,00 and $41,00 for their respective apartments in 1993 and 1994. After Stern’s company completed the bulk sale, the condo association was disbanded, according to records.
The five-story Belmar, which is tucked up against the Cité on the Bay Condominium, might be SB Development’s upcoming renovation endeavor in Edgewater. There are no plans on file with the city of Miami.
For $12.2 million, SB and its joint venture partner Hazelton Capital Group purchased a five-bedroom home at 480 Northeast 29th Street as well as two nearby vacant properties. The land is zoned for up to 38 floors, and the partnership aims to build a boutique apartment tower with a bayfront restaurant on the ground floor.
According to the company website, SB, which was founded in 2010, has more than 500,000 square feet of projects in various stages of development, from townhomes to high-rise buildings. For a construction site in Long Island City where the company intends to construct a $70 million, 24-story apartment tower, SB paid $15.2 million in 2019. SB also contributed to the development of Williamsburg’s Dime, a mixed-use housing and retail complex.
Cipriani Residences Miami Reveals New Interior Renderings
With the newest condominium project in Miami, Cipriani Residences Miami is adding to its illustrious portfolio once more with its exclusive first glimpse at the exquisite interiors of the highly anticipated development.
The renowned hospitality organization chose the internationally renowned studio 1508 London to design the interiors of Cipriani Residences Miami, which is the group’s first residential skyscraper built from the ground up. 397 homes with one to four bedrooms will be available in the building, all of which have views of Coconut Grove, Brickell, and Biscayne Bay.
The Cipriani Residences Miami exudes a stylish, contemporary ambiance, similar to the burgeoning Brickell district, but with a European flair. Consider furniture covered in Italian leather, chandeliers from Venice, and rooms with beautiful walnut finishes. The enormous curved glass high-rise by Arquitectonica blends seamlessly with the city’s financial district’s skyline.
The double-height foyer, which modernizes Venetian design, is one of the building’s most alluring aspects. The elegant area is layered with Italian terrazzo floors, oak accents, and an actual Murano glass chandelier. It was designed to transition from day to night. The color scheme combines distinctive Cipriani tones with warm camel and blue tones.
Each house, which ranges in size from 1,213 square feet to 3,495 square feet, includes floor-to-ceiling glass windows, large terraces, and lofty 10-foot ceilings as standard features. Among the opulent features you’ll discover inside are open eat-in chef kitchens, integrated Wolf Sub-Zero appliances, and light pendants with Art Deco influences, as well as Dornbracht fixtures in the main bathroom and, of course, handcrafted Italian cabinetry designed to reflect the Cipriani aesthetic.
CEO and Founder of Mast Capital stated, “The interior design of Cipriani Residences Miami demonstrates a fundamental richness that recalls the timeless elegance of four generations of the Cipriani family. 1508 London has envisioned an offering that captures both the inherent spirit of Cipriani and the sophisticated lifestyle of Miami.”
The developer is expecting a sellout of approximately $1 billion. The groundbreaking is anticipated for the end of 2022 with a top-off date in 2025 with a completion date in 2026. Reservations are expected to be converted to contracts next month which will coincide with the launch of their sales center.
If you or someone you know have an interest in purchasing at Cipriani Residences Miami, please contact Lucas Lechuga via email at [email protected] or by phone at (786)247-6332.
Plans for a 30 Story Tower in North Miami Beach are Announced by BH Group
After purchasing land in North Miami Beach, developer BH Group is planning a 30-story residential structure located at 2261 N.E. 164th Street.
The 1.96-acre site was sold by CK Prive Group 164 LLC, controlled by Bruno Bloch in North Miami Beach, to the BH Group in Aventura for $11 million. The property increased in value since it was last sold for $8.3 million in 2016.
Currently on the property is a 1969-built warehouse of 35,538 square feet. The warehouse will be destroyed, according to BH Group, and a skyscraper with 400 luxurious residential units will be built in its place.
CFE Architects of Miami Lakes will be the architect for the project.
After the city rezoned a significant portion of its east side to allow for higher density and mixed-use development, North Miami Beach has been experiencing an increase in commercial and residential developments.
BH Group has been purchasing sites all over South Florida. The business frequently collaborates with Miami-based Related Group including District 225 condo in downtown Miami, a condo on Fisher Island, a waterfront condo in North Miami, the Transit Village mixed-use project in West Palm Beach, and condos on Bay Harbor Islands.
Melo Group Tops Off Construction of URBAN 22
Seven months after breaking ground, the Edgewater twin-tower apartment building known as URBAN 22 has officially topped off on construction. The developer for the project, the Melo Group is a well-known development group in the Miami area. After completing 6,000+ residential units in Miami over the years, they currently have 2,000 units under construction.
Multiple parcels making up the 1.94 acre site stretch’s from Second Avenue, 22nd Street, to 23rd street. The Melo Group started purchasing these sites in 2011 that is now making up the site for URBAN 22.
The project call for twin 15-story towers that will total 708,119 square feet with an 8-story podium connecting between the two. The towers will feature 441 residential units, 7,168 sq. ft. of retail, 5,692 sq. ft. of office space, and 529 parking spaces.
The units will range from 725 to 1,200 square feet of living space with each unit featuring a private balcony with glass surround railings. There are 4 studios, 243 one bedroom, 152 two bedroom, and 42 three bedroom units available.
The garage will feature a pool deck on the roof, indoor/outdoor spa, garden terraces, and a fitness center with a social room for gatherings. The Melo Group stated that project would enhance the pedestrian experience through the bridge between the two buildings as well as the retail and commercial aspects.
Developers File Coastline Review for a 30 Story Mixed Use Tower
In North Bay Village at 1755 Kennedy Causeway, B Developments under the LGE NBV, LLC submitted a request to Miami-Dade County for a coastline review. Arquitectonica was hired by the developer to create a mixed-use structure that would be 345 feet tall, 30 floors tall, and directly face Biscayne Bay.
Due to the property’s frontage on Biscayne Bay and its compliance with Article III, Section 33D of the Miami-Dade County Code of Ordinances, the application is necessary. The coastline setback and side setback are subject to variance requests from the developer. A structure with 30 floors must be 75 feet away from the main shoreline and 25 feet away from the side shorelines, according to the County Code’s setback requirements.
The property can’t be developed strictly in accordance with the criteria due to the tower’s height, the property’s size, and the lot’s proportions. To build in compliance with the site plans, the setback from the beach would have to be decreased to 25 feet, resulting in a 50-foot variance.
The developer is offering to construct a public bay walk behind the property along Biscayne Bay as leverage to get the variances allowed for the project because the County standards cannot be met. On the plus side, the proposal complies with the 2020 Island Walk Design Criteria as well as the North Bay Village Unified Land Development Code.
According to floor designs submitted in February 2022 to the North Bay Village Planning & Zoning Board, the distinctive two-story waterfront restaurant would occupy 19,455 square feet of area between the ground floor and mezzanine level. From the mezzanine level to floors 2 through 5, 8 and 9, the majority of the west podium would be occupied by offices. There are five storeys of parking on the podium’s remaining surface.
On the 6th and 7th floors are the residential amenity levels, which have a landscape deck with three pools, barbecue spaces, fire pits, kids’ splash pads, party lounges, residential lounges, game rooms, sky lobbys, and fitness centers. On the south and west sides of the sixth level, there will be a separate amenity deck that the office tenants can use.
BuildingPlans Description
473,252 square feet project
201 residential units
32,654 square feet of amenities
19,455 square feet for a 2-story restaurant with a waterfront terrace
1,860 square feet of office space
408 parking space in a parking structure podium
The landscape architect is listed as Arquitectonica and the civil engineer as Kimbley-Horn.
Residential units would start on the 10th level and range in size from 670 to 2255 square feet, including 104 one-bedroom, 83 two-bedroom, 8 three-bedroom, and 6 four-bedroom units.
