A plan to create a major mixed-use development in North Miami Beach took a step forward this month after the city commission agreed to a development agreement.
The proposed development would take up almost 30 acres and consist of luxury condo towers containing 2,000 residential units, a commercial area consisting of 575,000 square feet of retail and office space, as well as 250 hotel rooms, and a public promenade involving a harbor and central park.
The proposal also includes a grocery store, townhouses, police and fire substations, a community center, and other infrastructure. It would be built on the current site of the Intracoastal Mall and a three-story office building. Developments like this, transitioning traditional malls to mixed-used space, are becoming common across the country, sometimes using extensive advertising through media like banner printing to attract home buyers, renters, and shoppers.
The development is the brainchild of developer Gil Dezer, who recently constructed similar towers in the surrounding area. The North Miami Beach city commission reviewed and debated the proposal in a marathon session that lasted past 3:00 am. Ultimately, the commission passed a pair of ordinances approving the currently plan and making necessary zoning ordinances, with both votes passing by a 4-3 margin.
The Dezer development will require an additional vote of approval on second reading next month, in addition to approval from other government bodies like the Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management. The development plan calls for construction to take place over the next 10 years, with the first phase being complete after three.
