Maple & Ash Steakhouse will Open at Miami Worldcenter

Miami Worldcenter leases its first restaurant, Maple & Ash Steakhouse at the block H retail building. This building, located between 7th Street and 1st Avenue Northeast. Maple & Ash will allocate 15,000 square feet of space on the ground floor of the building.

Former Michelin-starred chef Danny Grant and Michael Beltran are the creators behind the Chicago-based steakhouse. The rent for restaurant space is asking $100 per square foot.

Maple & Ash offers an eclectic menu featuring seafood towers, Waygu beef, Filet Mignon, and raw bar options. The menu will resemble Maple & Ash’s Chicago counterpart.

Salads & Starters

• Crispy glazed bacon, blue cheese, marinated cherry tomatoes & ranch dressing
• Dry-Aged Meatballs
• caramelized tomato sauce, cheese curds & garlic bread
• Wood-Grilled Spanish Octopus

Raw / Chilled

• Oysters on the Half Shell
• horseradish, cocktail sauce & champagne mignonetteWild Blue Prawn Shrimp Cocktail
• cocktail sauce, drawn butter & aioli
• Beef Tenderloin Steak Tartare
• smoked egg yolk, white soy & grilled sourdough
• Wagyu Beef Carpaccio

Entrees

• Ricotta Agnolotti
• (pillows of love) winter truffle
• Roasted Skuna Bay Salmon
• chanterelle, turnip & brown butter apples
• Fire-Roasted Chicken
• spring onion, potato purée & pan jus
• Whole-Roasted Branzino
• fennel capers & preserved lemon

I Don’t Give a F*@K

• let Maple & Ash take care of you (per person$200.00)

Wood Fired Steaks & Seafood

• Petit Filet Mignon 6oz
• Filet Mignon 10oz
• Bone-In Filet Mignon 16oz
• Maple & Ash Surf & Turf

Butcher’s Reserve

• The Eisenhower
• 40+oz porterhouse cooked directly in the coals
• Slagel Farms Dry Aged Bone-In NY Strip18oz
• 45 Day Dry-Aged Tomahawk40oz
• Miyazaki Wagyu

Michael Beltran will also be opening two additional restaurants including a Cuban-inspired bistro and a cigar bar. Their locations place them directly across the street from Maple & Ash. All restaurants are expected to open by Winter 2022.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Closing Percentages for Brickell Flatiron, Paramount Miami Worldcenter, and One Thousand Museum

The Reboot

Back in November 2007, I started a series of blog posts called “New Construction Closing Rates” where I shared with my readers the closing percentages of the vast number of condo developments that were being delivered at the time. It became a very popular series with my readers mainly due to the transparency it offered to the public. As some may expect, in times of market trepidation, condo developers tend to safeguard their sales and closing figures.

Well, at the beginning of this year, mainly out of my own curiosity, I began tracking the closings of three of the newest condo developments in Greater Downtown Miami: Brickell Flatiron, Paramount Miami Worldcenter, and One Thousand Museum. As this post is named “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”, I’ll begin first with Brickell Flatiron, the condo development that has fared the best of the three condo developments.

Brickell Flatiron

Of the three condo developments, Brickell Flatiron was the most recent to begin closings. Its first closing took place on November 1, 2019, while closings for Paramount Miami Worldcenter and One Thousand Museum began on August 13, 2019 and July 15, 2019, respectively.

Since November 1, 2019, according to public records, the developer of Brickell Flatiron has successfully closed 433 of 527 total units (an 82.2 percent closing percentage) as of this writing. The most recent closing that appears in public records took place on March 6, 2020. It’s important to note that there can be a lag of two to three weeks between the time a property closes and when it appears in public records. As of late, the developer of Brickell Flatiron has averaged around 6 closed units per week. In the month of February, the developer closed a total of 25 units. At this pace, the developer of Brickell Flatiron should hit the 90 percent closed mark by the end of next month. And even if closings were to significantly slow due to the nightmarish economic conditions posed by the Coronavirus, the developer would be in a solid position to ride it out given that the construction loan for Brickell Flatiron was paid off three months ago.

In numerical order, here are the 433 units at Brickell Flatiron that have closed and been recorded as of March 19, 2020.

Paramount Miami Worldcenter

As mentioned above, Paramount Miami Worldcenter closings began on August 13, 2019. Since then, the developer has closed 336 of 569 total units (a 59.1 percent closing percentage) as of this writing.

This past week, the Paramount Miami Worldcenter sales team sent out a marketing email stating that it had $7 million in sales in the month of February. Well, according to public records, the developer of Paramount Miami Worldcenter closed seven (7) units in the month of February totaling $6,964,000 (close enough in my book). Kudos to the sales team! The most recent recorded closing took place on February 24, 2020. The bad news, of course, is that at a pace of 7 units per month, the last of the developer inventory won’t be sold until the end of 2022.

In numerical order, here are the 336 units at Paramount Miami Worldcenter that have closed and been recorded as of March 19, 2020.

One Thousand Museum

Of the three condo developments, One Thousand Museum began closings the longest ago. Closings began on July 15, 2019. Since then, the developer, as of this writing, has closed 45 of 84 total units (a 53.6 percent closing percentage). While that may not be too surprising given the price point of the development compared to the neighborhood average (~$1,200 per square foot vs. ~$425 per square foot), what I do find worrisome is that One Thousand Museum hasn’t had a single closed sale year-to-date, according to public records. The most recent recorded closed sale was on December 27, 2019. At a pace of one closed unit per every three months, the developers won’t close out the remaining inventory until the start of 2030!

What I find puzzling is that on February 18, 2020, the One Thousand Museum Instagram account shared news of having four sales in four weeks. Sounds great, right? Definitely! But not a single one of those four sales has been recorded. So what happened to the four sales? Given that there’s only a two to three week lag between when a unit closes and when it appears in a public records, all four of those sales should have shown up by now. As mentioned earlier, the closings that took place on March 6th and February 24th at Brickell Flatiron and Paramount Miami Worldcenter, respectively, already show up in public records.

If you go even further back, in December 2018, the sales director of One Thousand Museum told The Real Deal that One Thousand Museum was 82 percent presold (69 of 84 units). So what happened to the other 24 units that didn’t end up closing? Did those contract holders all default, losing huge deposits in the process, or was it all hogwash?

In numerical order, here are the 45 units at One Thousand Museum that have closed and been recorded as of March 19, 2020. Those 45 units are comprised of 1 duplex townhouse, 40 half-floor residences, and 4 full-floor penthouses. That means that the remaining developer inventory at One Thousand Museum is comprised of 3 duplex townhouses, 30 half-floor residences, and 6 full-floor penthouses.

Photo Tour of Paramount Miami Worldcenter

Heralded as having “the Most Amenities in the World,” the developer of Paramount Miami Worldcenter is almost ready to showcase them. That’s almost because, despite closings beginning over two months ago, the building still remains under construction. However, from what I’ve heard, the developer of Paramount Miami Worldcenter is aiming for 100 percent completion by mid-November. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if that proves to be true.

As of last week, the lobby at Paramount Miami Worldcenter still remained under construction as well as the resort-style pool deck, BBQ area, tennis courts, soccer field, jam room, food market, and dog park. Additionally, all of the amenities located at the top of Paramount Miami Worldcenter – such as the Skydeck lounge, observatory, 56th-floor sunrise pool and poolside bar, Tai Chai deck, and rooftop infinity-edge pool – are all also still under construction (although my photographer and I were able to get sneak-peek photos of those areas as you will see near the bottom of this post).

As more and more of the amenities and common areas are completed at Paramount Miami Worldcenter, I will update this post in the weeks and months to come. For now, you will find below photos of the fully-equipped fitness center and boxing ring, yoga room, spa, children’s playroom, game room with golf simulator, conservatory, and mailroom. Please note, the basketball half-court and racquetball court are completed at this time but we did not get photos of them.

A Sneak Peek at the Rooftop Amenities and Views from Atop Paramount Miami Worldcenter

Spacious Floor Plans Rule the Day at Paramount Miami Worldcenter

Last week, clients of mine closed on two separate units at Paramount Miami Worldcenter – unit 4305 (a 1 Bedroom + Den, 2 Bath residence) and unit 4312 (a 3 Bedroom + Den, 4 Bath residence). According to the developer floor plans, the one-bedroom unit has 1,386 interior square feet while the three-bedroom unit has 2,320 interior square feet – both very large floor plans compared to what we’re used to seeing from developers in Miami. At each unit’s walk-through, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the actual square footage seemed to match what was stated in the developer floor plans…such a breath of fresh air to see a developer actually deliver to buyers the square footage that was promised.

And the two above-noted floor plans are not the exception but the rule; all of the standard floor plans at Paramount Miami Worldcenter are very spacious. I italicized the word “standard” because the developer sub-divided some of the floor plans near the pool deck to create studios and smaller one-bedroom residences. However, even those smaller floor plans are quite sizeable. The standard one-bedroom units at Paramount Miami Worldcenter range from 1,294 to 1,386 interior square feet; the two-bedroom units from 1,630 to 1,753 interior square feet; and the three-bedroom units from 2,320 to 2,376 interior square feet. Additionally, all standard residences at Paramount Miami Worldcenter have 10-foot high ceilings with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a full-size laundry room.

Above and below are photos of unit 4305 at Paramount Miami Worldcenter – the 1 Bedroom + Den, 2 Bath residence – which I recently listed for rent for $4,200 per month. Keep in mind, this unit has 1,386 interior square feet. That’s larger than most two-bedroom units in Miami, and the den that it has is the size of most second bedrooms. The owner of this unit is in the process of building out all of the closets, installing wall-mounted shelving in the laundry room, installing shades on all windows, and tiling the balcony.

With 1,386 interior square feet, the 05 line is the largest one-bedroom floor plan at Paramount Miami Worldcenter. However, what really separates it from the other one-bedroom floor plans is the view. The 05 line is the only one-bedroom floor plan at Paramount Miami Worldcenter that faces east, meaning that it is the only one that overlooks the huge resort pool deck and has views of the water.

All units at Paramount Miami Worldcenter include two parking spaces (one assigned space plus one valet-only space). Additionally, covered by the HOA dues, each unit includes high-speed internet, cable TV, water, sewer, and trash removal.

Paramount Miami Worldcenter Releases Brochure For Penthouse Collection

The developer of Paramount Miami Worldcenter has released their exclusive penthouse collection with a sneak-peek brochure and renderings. The 26 units will be priced from $3.5 million up to $9.5 million.

As shown in the key plan featured in the brochure, four of the units will be located on the apex of the tower, offering those units expansive rooftop sky decks overlooking the bay and city. The plans are between 3,500 square feet and 6,000 square feet and will each have four or five bedrooms. All plans will have private elevator entry, Gaggenau appliances, and custom finishes.

The project is currently under construction with expected delivery in 2019.

Paramount Miami Worldcenter Penthouse Brochure by Sarah Elles Boggs on Scribd

Tips For Foreign Investors Seeking EB-5 Visas & Paramount Miami Worldcenter Update

EB-5 can be a great opportunity for foreign investors who seek American citizenship to be able to do so, but the investment visa is not without risks. It is very important to choose the right project to invest in, so that the investor does not lose their investment without securing the visa. As a rule, the investment money must be considered an at-risk investment, but savvy investors can review their potential projects and choose the one most likely to end in the visa PLUS the return of their funds.

What Are Some Tips To Ensure Success?

When reviewing EB-5 opportunities, it is important to choose a project that actually creates a minimum of 10 full time jobs per visa issued. Good intentions are great, but the project has to actually happen in order for the visas to be issued. Because of this, it is important to invest with an experienced developer who is well-funded and already under construction.

If a developer is not experienced, the project is unlikely to come to fruition, leaving the EB-5 funds at risk. In this case, the investor may or may not be able to recover their $500,000 in investment money, but the $50,000 in administration fees are nonrefundable.

If the project comes to fruition but does not create the required amount of jobs per hopeful EB-5 investor, then a portion of the investors will receive their visas, but those who signed on later in the project would lose their administration fee and may or may not be able to recover their $500,000 investment. Investing in condos is safer in this instance, since investors are more likely to recover their money through the condo sales. Recovery of the funds is more tricky for parking garage or infrastructure projects.

Don’t be greedy. It is extremely rare to find an EB-5 investment program that will provide the investor with the visa AND a healthy financial return. Many times, investors receive a small return and the visa. This brings me to Paramount Miami Worldcenter, which has an interesting offering that is one of the best I’ve seen.

How Does The Paramount Miami Worldcenter EB5 Opportunity Work?

The developer of Paramount Miami Worldcenter is offering a limited number of EB5 investment opportunities to buyers of condos in the project, which is currently under construction in Downtown Miami. There are around 35 opportunities remaining of the original 150. The opportunities are funding just 14% of the capital required for the project, which has already secured its $285 million senior loan and is 60% sold with 50% deposits due prior to closing.

With 150 available investor visas, 1,500 jobs are required to be created. The project is estimated to create over 5,000 total jobs, so investors should have no problem securing their visa upon completion.

At the time of closing, EB5 Investors are offered two options:

1 – They can close on their condo separate of the investment and move in immediately.

2 – For the investors who prefer to roll their investment funds into their condo purchase, they have the option to delay closing by three years on a leaseback program with the developer. The developer will offer the apartments for lease and split the income from that rental with the investor. After the three year term, the investor can close with the use of their investment funds.

The remaining residences start at $626,000 for a 1 bedroom plus den with 1,095 interior square feet up to $1.8 million for a 3 bedroom plus den with a southeast view and 2,376 interior square feet. Overall, prices average $675/square foot and penthouses are available upon request.

If you or someone you know is interested in more information on the EB5 program, please contact our office for a full presentation.

Paramount Miami Worldcenter Brochure by Sarah Elles Boggs on Scribd

VIDEO: Paramount Miami Worldcenter Construction Update

Paramount Miami Worldcenter from the north side construction entrance April 25, 2017.

Phase one vertical construction is now underway at Paramount Miami Worldcenter, according to the developer. The seven story pedestal has reached its final height at a rate of about one floor per week, now they begin construction on the tower portion of the project. When completed, the residential tower will bring 522 residences to Downtown Miami in a glistening 60 story tower atop a 27 acre high street retail promenade. The tower boasts the most amenities of any residential tower in the world.

The residential condos are currently 62% sold at an average of $650/square foot. Some of the available purchase opportunities that remain are:

a 1,095 square foot 1 bedroom with a den at $626,000 is the least expensive apartment currently available. Considering the typical 1 bedroom in the area is 700-800 square feet, this would probably be considered a 2 bedroom in many competing developments.

Two bedrooms start at $1,287,000 for a 44th floor apartment with 2 bedrooms, 3 baths and a den over 1,753 square feet.

Three bedrooms start at $1,581,300. There is one available on the southwest corner that is 2,230 square feet and has 3 bedrooms, 4 baths and a den.

The entire project is expected to be finished in 2019. Here is a video that Bryan Glazer put together that shows the scope of the project and offers a preview of how much the neighborhood will change with its addition. Last year, the developer also released a movie preview that highlights the projects amenities in dramatic form. I am very excited to see this one start to take shape!

Video overview of Paramount Miami Worldcenter by Bryan Glazer

New Miami Condo Buildings With Tennis Courts

This time of year brings one of our favorite events to Miami. The Miami Open runs from March 19-April 1 this year, and to commemorate it, let’s have a look at our favorite buildings in the greater downtown area that have tennis courts!

If living in a brand-new condo is important to you, there are several in the pipeline. Key International’s 1010 Brickell is slated to open within a few weeks. They have an indoor tennis court and 3 remaining presales starting at $950,000. All are 3 bedroom layouts. There is one resale unit on the market so far. SLS Lux is also on track for completion this fall/winter. They have only four penthouses remaining that have recently been repriced.

In Downtown, Paramount Miami Worldcenter is going to bring every amenity imaginable to their mega-project. They are about 60% sold and have residences priced at an average of $750/square foot. Because of their strong sales figures, they were recently able to secure the second largest construction loan in this build cycle. They are currently in vertical construction and should deliver keys at the end of 2018.

If you’re looking for something sooner, you could head up to Edgewater and check out Biscayne Beach. They have 2 tennis courts over their parking deck and a bayfront beach club. They have 5 remaining presale opportunities, and we will be listing an amazing high floor 3 bedroom on the southeast corner.

For people who are looking for an integrated community, I would suggest the waterfront Paraiso complex. There are five residential sections to the complex, totaling 1400 units. Paraiso Bayviews is the most affordable section, with remaining inventory starting at $470k (as of today). They just passed the 42nd floor of construction and should be ready by the end of this year. Paraiso Bay was the first of the towers to open sales. They are currently all sold out and on track to open this summer. GranParaiso is the most luxurious of the towers. It will be finished in Spring of 2018 and has 2 bedroom residences starting at $1 million. One Paraiso is the sister building to Paraiso Bay. They have 3 remaining penthouses, starting at $1.9 million. Aside from the towers, there is also a small enclave of bayfront beach homes. There are only 8 in total and 1 remains at $2 million.

Hyde Midtown is going to be the first project in Midtown to offer a tennis court for residents. They recently topped off at 80% sold. Their prices start in the mid $400,000’s and the rooftop penthouses start at just $735,000! The penthouses have rooftop terraces as well.

Come back tomorrow and we can take a look at the existing buildings who also offer tennis courts!

Paramount Miami Worldcenter Secures $285 Million Construction Loan

Despite the fact that the preconstruction market is cooling off and construction loans are notoriously difficult to obtain, the developers of Paramount Miami Worldcenter have secured a massive $285 million construction loan to fund their luxury project.

“Construction financing is definitely deteriorating,” said Aaron Kurlansky, a principal at FM Capital, a commercial real-estate investment firm told the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Kurlansky said that while at the peak, developers could finance up to 75% of the cost to build a project, now that is down to about 50%.

The construction cost of Paramount Miami Worldcenter is said to cost upwards of half a billion dollars, and the developers have contributed a lot of equity plus raised funds through the popular EB-5 Visa program, which offers an investor visa that transfers to a green card for those foreign investors who contribute $500,000 to a project that creates jobs.

According to the developer’s representatives, the residential tower is 60% sold and is continually selling at a rate of around 10 units per month. While this number is not as impressive as the 20 sales per month that they had become accustomed to during previous years, it is far better than many other developers are faring. In some less-popular projects, we have seen months pass with only a handful of sales. Paramount Miami Worldcenter will have 562 units priced at an average of $750/foot.

This construction loan is the second largest in the last two years, according to The Real Deal. The only loan secured that was larger was The Residences at Armani Casa, which was $305 million.

Paramount Miami Worldcenter Offers an EB-5 Program That Includes a Condo

With all the excitement surrounding Congress’s vote to extend the EB-5 Visa program through December, it is important to note that not every project that markets as an investor visa opportunity is in fact approved as such. Investors must choose wisely when going into any investment, but even more so with the EB-5.

I have seen agents advertising resale condos as an EB-5 opportunity. Going into this transaction will get you the condo, but since the necessary 10 jobs are not created through that purchase, no visa will be granted.

Aspiring developers will sometimes also collect EB-5 funds in order to raise capital to purchase the land for a project but have not yet obtained any of the permitting for the project or for the EB-5 offering. This is extremely risky as the project could never happen. The funds could be lost, time would be wasted and no visa would be granted.

Other opportunities will secure the visa, but not pay a return during the construction of the project.

I have only seen one EB-5 opportunity that will grant the investor a visa, a condo and a return. The Paramount Miami Worldcenter EB-5 offering seems to be the most beneficial and secure investment currently on the market.

Their program is a 5 year offering with 0.5% interest paid annually. Paramount Miami Worldcenter will be completed in 2.5 years, in which case the client could close with cash, finance the remainder of the balance or delay the closing and lease the apartment through the developer’s rental program. The initial visa arrives after the investor’s application is approved, and the investor can apply for citizenship after 5 years.

I like this project because it is already under construction and 55% sold. This is happening. Only 10% of the project financing is coming from EB-5, so over 40 jobs will be created per applicant. The condos are really amazing and the project is transforming the Downtown Miami area, so it is very exciting.

Of course, there are other EB-5 offerings available in the area… SkyRise Miami, Panorama Tower, a few restaurants (including Dunkin Donuts, Tap 42 and Meat Market) and I’ve heard One Thousand Museum has begun its application.  Paramount Miami Worldcenter is still my favorite since they offer relative security, the return, the condo and the visa.

Here is more information from their presentation. Let us know if you would like a presentation as well.