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Bloommiami Set to Transform Little River Building

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Bloommiami is joining developers to bring new life to a handful of buildings in Miami’s Little River neighborhood. The adaptive re-use and mixed-use development will feature new restaurants, retail and office space.

Some 60-plus-year-old buildings in Miami’s Little River neighborhood are being transformed into retail through adaptive reuse.

Architecture firm Bloommiami crafted a plan to renovate the four buildings at 235 N.E. 79th Street into 42,000 square feet suited for restaurants, retail and neighborhood offices. Construction on Eden started in early September and should be completed in the first quarter of 2018.

The project is among a growing number of developments in a neighborhood that has been attracting more business and home purchases as people are priced out of areas like downtown Miami, Wynwood and the Design District.

“Eden will mirror the ‘grass roots’ development movement that is defining this unique neighborhood,” said Darin Held, partner at Bloommiami. “As a Little River based company, we’re excited to be a part of this project and bring to the community a space that reflects its people, culture and heritage, while offering a new retail and entertainment destination.”

Read the rest of the story on The South Florida Business Journal.

SoLē Mia Development Moves Forward with Wells Fargo Loan

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sole-miaPlans are coming together at the SoLē Mia site. South Florida’s next iconic neighborhood & North Miami’s largest project ever, just got a financial boost to build the development’s two luxury rental towers.

An ambitious, long-in-the-works project to turn one of the largest remaining parcels of undeveloped land in South Florida into a planned community just took a step closer to fruition.

Wells Fargo & Company has made a $101 million HUD-insured loan to SM Multifamily LLC, the developer of two luxury, 17-story residential towers with a total of 400 units and attached parking garage.

The towers will be part of the first phase of SoLē Mia Miami, the 183-acre master-planned community in North Miami being developed by Oleta Partners LLC, a joint venture between two well-capitalized and experienced developers, Turnberry Associates and LeFrak.

“It is a pleasure to be part of this important development through our work with long-time clients, LeFrak and Turnberry Associates,” said Alan Wiener, head of Wells Fargo Multifamily Capital, in a statement. “This initial residential project will jump start an important mixed-use development, which will generate sustained long-term economic development in Miami for many years to come.”

Since the 1960s, various attempts to develop the land parcel have failed. Previous plans for the site formerly known as Biscayne Landing have included an amusement park and indoor ski resort. From 1975 to 1981, the tract was used as a municipal landfill. Oleta Partners acquired the property in 2015.

To read the full story, visit The Miami Herald.

 

Bloommiami Designs Permanent Store For Spirits Leader, Diageo

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baja-1-1Bloommiami continues to enrich the in-store experience for consumers. The retail-focused design and production agency recently brought to life a permanent store at the world’s busiest land border crossing for global spirits leader Diageo. The design-forward store showcases Diageo’s marquis brands.

Diageo has opened a permanent shop-in-shop inside the Baja Duty Free store at the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry, the busiest land border crossing in the world located between San Diego, USA and Tijuana, Mexico.

The store opened earlier this month and was designed and completed by retail-focused design and production agency Bloommiami. The space features a number of Diageo’s brands including Johnnie Walker, Buchanan’s, Bailey’s and Captain Morgan, as well as the company’s luxury division, World Class.

Key design features were installed to attract customers to the Diageo store, including a ceiling treatment made from slatted hardwood and recessed LED strip lights placed in an irregular pattern.

To read the full article, visit The Moodie Davitt Report.

 

PCCSF Treats Infant with Rare Immunodeficiency Disease

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Pediatric Critical Care of South Florida recently treated a patient suffering from an underlying immune deficiency disorder. The life-threatening diagnosis was discovered when the patient was just three months old.

Ryan Norton looks every bit a happy and healthy infant, a positive turn of events that his parents desperately needed.

Life is a little more normal for Sarah and Kevin Norton of Naples, yet their guard is always up for coughs and sniffles from anyone who comes into contact with Ryan. They want to avoid a new round of chaos.

Ryan, who will turn 1 next week, has a rare immunodeficiency disease called x- linked hyper IgM syndrome CD40L. It could land him back in a hospital on a ventilator and feeding tube, needing blood transfusions and antibiotics. He came home in late March after being hospitalized for all of those frightening interventions since mid-December. His parents never knew whether he would make it.

Ryan will have a bone marrow transplant, planned for next summer when he is a little stronger and older. His sister, Sophie, is a perfect bone marrow match. Sophie is 2½ years old.

The sibling match is a blessing that helps Sarah Norton, 27, and her husband, Kevin Norton, 29, stay upbeat that all should turn out well.

“We stay positive because we have to,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to take care of him.”

She does Ryan’s immunoglobulin replacement infusions at home, and the family stays close to home to avoid Ryan being exposed to ill people. The sacrifices are hardest on Sophie who wants to go and do fun things, she said.

Finding more current research and medical information on Ryan’s condition also was difficult, Kevin Norton said.

The family has a good support network.

Sarah Norton’s parents live in the main house off Oakes Boulevard, with Sarah and Kevin in the guest house.

Publix has been a help — Kevin Norton is a grocery manager at the Publix at the Vineyards shopping center in North Naples.

Sarah Norton stays home now to take care of Ryan, but colleagues at her former job as manager of Pavilion Royal Scoop Ice Cream — near Paragon Pavilion theater in North Naples — did a fundraiser.

The couple has health insurance, but out-of-pocket expenses will mount when the bone marrow transplant gets done for travel and other costs. A GoFundMe account was established by Sarah Norton’s sister.

Broadly speaking, Ryan’s disease means part of the body’s immune system is missing or does not function properly, according to the Immune Deficiency Foundation in Towson, Maryland. These conditions are caused by hereditary or genetic defects. Some conditions affect a single part of the immune system. Others might affect more components of an individual’s immune system.

“He has a problem making the proper amount of immunoglobulins, which are vital for the body to fight infection,” Dr. Allan Greissman, a specialist with Pediatric Critical Care of South Florida at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida. He admitted Ryan last December into Joe DiMaggio after he was transferred from NCH North Naples Hospital.

To read the full article, visit Naples Daily News.

Concrete Beach Launches Brew Views Dinner Series

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arroz-con-calamaresIn life, almost everything is better when it’s paired with something equally great – fried chicken & waffles, Netflix & chill, and Concrete Beach beers & delectable dishes created by Chef Michael Beltran of the locally-famed Ariete.

Lucky for us, Wynwood’s Concrete Beach Brewery has partnered with Coconut Grove’s Ariete to launch a new event series consisting of a six-course, beer-paired dinner dubbed Brew Views, and the carefully thought out meal is sure to tingle your taste buds. The intimate dinner hosted by Chef Beltran and Brewmaster Joseph Reynolds will take you through six incredible courses that include popular Ariete dishes including the arroz con calamares and the Ariete short rib, as well as other plates.

The Chef Beltran curated specialties will of course be paired with some of your favorite Concrete Beach brews, in addition to a few limited edition beers including Eezypeezylemonsqueezey, an American Wheat Ale with you guessed it – lemons, and Violet Jane, a lemon lavender wit beer.

The first installment of Brew Views will take place this Thursday, August 24 at 7pm inside of Concrete Beach’s private tank room. The intimate event seats 20 guests and is priced at $85 – less than $15 per course! Those interested in attending are encouraged to purchase tickets online as they are expected to sell out.

To check out the full menu, read the full story published by Miami food blogger, The Food-e.

 

MCAD's Active Design Miami Helps Make Key Biscayne a Healthier Place to Live

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The Miami Center for Architecture & Design worked with the Village of Key Biscayne to implement its latest initiative Active Design Miami and make the village a healthier place to live, work and play for all residents.
With its small size, natural beauty and health-conscious population, Key Biscayne is an ideal place for an innovative program aimed at using design to encourage active lifestyles.
Active Design Miami, a program inspired by New York City’s Active Design Guidelines, sets policy and design strategies to create healthier streets, open spaces and buildings. In Key Biscayne, it found an advocate in Village Council member Brett Moss, whose day job is an architect, general contractor and founder of MOSS Architecture + Design.
Moss, who frequently puts the Active Design standards into play for buildings his firm designs, said the Village joined several other South Florida communities earlier this year in adopting the standards as guiding principles. He would like to see that lead to development that promotes parks, outdoor activity, walking and biking, etc.
“I’m hoping that as we update our vision in Key Biscayne, we keep encouraging people to be outside and walk and bike to different places,” he said. “We should be looking at that in future policy making, zoning, codes and ordinances.”
Moss noted the Active Design philosophy focuses on parks and open spaces, development patterns, transportation and mobility. “I think it’s something that we’re always looking at in Key Biscayne anyway, so it was kind of a no-brainer for me to bring this to the Council.”
Cheryl Jacobs, executive vice president of Miami Center for Architecture and Design, which spearheads the Active Design Miami initiative, agreed Key Biscayne is the perfect place for the guidelines to play out. She applauded the Village for being an early adapter, becoming one of the first of 10 municipal governments and the Miami-Dade County government to sign on.
“Quality of life is really important in Key Biscayne, and anything a municipality can do to give residents an opportunity to have a better quality of life is a positive for that community,” Jacobs said. “Highlighting things like bike share, park access, golf cart access paths is really a quality of life issue. Key Biscayne adopted the concepts so readily, because they have already done some of these things.”
To read the full story, visit Islander News.

Brickell’s First New High-Rise Apartment in Over a Decade Opens This Fall

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After 12 years without a new high-rise apartment building, Brickell will soon welcome its first in November. OBR took The Real Deal South Florida on a private tour of the neighborhood’s newest luxury rental project, Solitair Brickell. Read the full story below!

Multifamily developer Zom just launched pre-leasing for Solitair Brickell, a 50-story, 438-unit building located at 86 Southwest Eighth Street. Residents will begin to move into the first 20 floors of the building in November, and the remaining floors will be delivered by February.

Because Solitair will still be under construction when the first phase is completed later this year, Zom is offering a discount on rents. Studio apartments will start at $1,600, one-bedrooms at $1,850 and two-bedrooms at $2,500.

When the second phase opens early next year, monthly asking rents will increase by about 16 percent for studios and one-bedrooms, up to $1,900 and $2,200, respectively. The pre-construction incentive is higher for two-bedroom apartments, with monthly rents increasing by 19 percent to $3,100. Zom just opened an off-site sales center at Mary Brickell Village.

Stantec is designing the building, which will include a pool and amenity area on the 50th floor rooftop and retail on the ground floor. The Orlando-based developer paid $16.8 million for the site in 2014 and broke ground on the project last year with a $108 million loan from JP Morgan.

Solitair is a joint venture between Zom and AIG Global Real Estate, an affiliate of the insurance provider AIG that both develops and invests in real estate. It’s one of three rental projects Zom has underway in Greater Downtown Miami, including Maizon, Avant at Met Square and Luma at Miami Worldcenter.

A number of rental projects are in the pipeline in a market that’s been dominated by condo development. “There’s more viability for rental housing than there has been before,” West said. “Regardless of their age, [renters will be] people who value pedestrian proximity to the things they do in their life.”

Solitair is across the street from Brickell City Centre, and surrounded by new development like SLS Lux and Brickell Heights.

Panorama Tower will open soon after Solitair in January, a spokesperson said, adding another 821 luxury apartments to the Brickell market. The 85-story mixed-use tower will also become the tallest residential building south of Manhattan in the U.S. Apartment rents at Panorama will start at about $2,420 a month, and to encourage residents to ditch their cars, developer Florida East Coast Realty will offer a $1,000 bonus for renters who do not require a parking space.

This year alone, nearly 13,500 new apartments will be delivered in South Florida, marking the fifth most active U.S. metro for multifamily construction, according to a recent report. During the first half of this year, the supply of new inventory outpaced demand with rents increasing at a slower pace, Berkadia reported. Landlords are also expanding average concessions on rent by 10 basis points to 0.6 percent of asking rent.

Oleta Partners Makes College Attainable for North Miami Students

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The developer of SoLé Mia, Oleta Partners, continues its commitment to support the City of North Miami community by helping students attain post-secondary education.

During a recent City Council meeting, 16 students were awarded $3,000 scholarships after meeting the required criteria, which includes earning a GPA of 2.75 or above from high school, or a letter grade of “C” or above in college as a full-time student.

As part of its community benefits package, Oleta Partners committed to donating $750,000 to support the vision of the North Miami Educational Foundation, Inc.: To make higher education and learning a reality for North Miami students in need of an opportunity to attend college.

Since 2014, Oleta Partners has donated $650,000 to the foundation, and in total, 33 students have received scholarships and are on their way to completing their college education.

SoLé Mia is the latest development by Turnberry Associates and LeFrak. The premier 184-acre master-planned community is the largest project in the City of North Miami’s history and is set to become South Florida’s next iconic neighborhood, as well as an economic driving force for the City of North Miami.

Ralph Choeff Sits Down with Indulge Miami

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Photo By: Nick Garcia Photography

Photo By: Nick Garcia Photography

The August/September issue of Indulge Miami is finally out and we’re thrilled to share the article featuring our client, Ralph Choeff of Choeff Levy Fischman. 

Ralph Choeff, Miami’s maven of tropical-modern architecture, is seated on a creamy, plush Minotti sofa inside a 10,500-square-foot, seven-bedroom, seven-bath spec home, known as Casa Ischia, that he designed on Miami Beach’s Hibiscus Island. The architect wears a bespoke navy Tom James suit with an open white-collared dress shirt and speaks in that self-assured, clipped manner characteristic of a Brooklyn native.

“What I want to do is, I want to open all of this up for you because — I’ll blow your mind,” he said, springing to his feet. He darts toward a wall of pocketing sliding-glass doors that run along the home’s southern perimeter, revealing panoramic views of Biscayne Bay and downtown Miami’s skyline.

“You cannot imagine, sitting here, what this space transforms into,” he said, sliding each of the living room’s eight glass panels into one another, completely removing the barrier between outside and in. The home’s ipe wood floors give way to the limestone pool deck. The glittering blue mosaic, wet-edge infinity pool does just what its name suggests, flowing seamlessly into the bay.

It’s about an hour before sunset. Miami’s blue skies are stitched in a soft muslin of clouds casting a hazy, pre-twilight glow onto the bay. This view was mesmerizing before opening the doors. Now, there’s a palpable peaceful feeling of floating with the current and the bay breeze. “You become part of the architecture of Miami,” Choeff said. “You really have to experience it to understand it.”

This is what Miami’s tropical modern architecture is all about. Choeff, 61, principal at Choeff Levy Fischman Architecture + Design, has spent the past three decades perfecting the style for discerning and high-profile clients, including Alex Rodriguez and his Coral Gables home. The style combines the clean lines and sharp angles of mid-century modern architecture with tropical wood, stone and stucco indigenous to Miami.

“It’s very conducive to South Florida living because of our surroundings,” Choeff said. “Our climate, our views — you can literally live like this all year.”

To read the full story, visit Indulge Miami.

Miami Beach Mansion Designed by Choeff Levy Fischman Gains National Attention

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7-17-17A spec home on Miami Beach’s North Bay Road, where many celebrities have owned homes, returned to the market this month for $26.95 million.

Designed by Choeff Levy Fischman, the two-story residence features an abundance of expansive glass windows to connect indoor living with the entertaining spaces edging the Biscayne Bay.

The 15,000-square-foot mansion has a 40-foot wide living room, seven bedrooms, as well as nine full bathrooms and two half bathrooms. There is also an indoor-outdoor gym, private yoga deck, an office, a home theater, dining and kitchen and a 600-bottle wine cellar. The exterior of the tropical modern residence features Ipe wood and white stucco finishes, warm limestone cladding and custom Italian doors.

Outdoor amenities include an infinity pool, full-kitchen and cabana, three-car garage, lush landscaping, and a dock with 100 feet of water frontage.

One of the home’s most unique features is a 2,500-square-foot rooftop deck designed for entertaining with views of Biscayne Bay and Downtown Miami to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east—a rarity in Miami real estate.

The developer bought the site in 2013 for $6.6 million, according to property records.

North Bay Road is filled with celebrity residents, including NBA player Dwyane Wade, fashion moguls Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein and former baseball star Alex Rodriguez.

To read the full article, visit Mansion Global.