MIAMI | Island Gardens | 527 + 367 FT | 39 & 24 FLOORS

[chris08876]

New Renderings:






Credit: NXT

[caltrane74]

anyone who buys a condo, gets a super-yacht?

[SLO]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

anyone who buys a condo, gets a super-yacht?

Nope, anyone who buys a super yaght gets a condo...

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by SLO

Nope, anyone who buys a super yaght gets a condo...

Miami or really Miami-Dade is one of the few places in the world where extreme wealth is in your face. But on the flip side, poverty can also be seen. Last time I've seen that many yachts was when I visited Monaco. (Lovely place btw, and picturesque). Lets just say Monaco to me made New York look poor. Where talking 500k + cars just lined up, and 20 million plus yachts just chilling there. Only difference is, its super hard to not find one and in Monaco, and being rich or wealthy applies to almost everyone there. Its a sanctuary city for wealthy folks.

[chris08876]

On Miami’s Watson Island, long-dormant development projects may come to life in 2016

For many years, a handful of initiatives to redevelop a broad swath of city-owned, semi-derelict Watson Island have lurched along the MacArthur Causeway like zombies, never quite dead or alive.

Now it seems 2016 could be the year when the undead — the old Chalk’s seaplane terminal, a long-abandoned heliport, and a megayacht marina and resort plan that’s been stalled for 14 years — spring back to at least some sort of half-life on the island just off downtown Miami, long known as a burial place for sketchy development schemes looking to exploit public land. But the long-term prognosis for each remains unsettled.

[...]

Next door, after years of controversial delays and extensions by the city, Flagstone Development is nearing completion of the piers for its megayacht marina, which its representatives insist will soon be operational. The firm has also begun to clear its upland leasehold for Island Gardens, the $600 million hotel and retail complex Flagstone is supposed to build under an agreement with the city — even though financing has not yet been identified, at least publicly, a year after Flagstone agents said they hoped to have it nailed down.

[...]

“I think it’s part of my legacy. It will not be my doing. It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “But I think I’ll be very proud of leaving office with things going on in Watson Island.”

Regalado and city officials have defended extending the life of stalled or troubled projects on Watson Island like Island Gardens even after they’ve missed contractual deadlines or rent payments, saying previous administrations locked them into binding agreements which they’re obligated to make work as well as possible.

But to skeptics and critics, all that progress is anything but positive. They say the Watson Island projects cement a legacy of seat-of-the-pants planning and questionable deals, with most of the publicly owned island effectively privatized.

“It’s really sad to me to see the evisceration or the loss of any kind of public space there,” said Greg Bush, a co-founder of the Urban Environment League and history professor at the University of Miami. “You could have a real park out there, or at least buildings with a public use. Instead what I see is the long-term lack of good planning and public benefit going over several generations, kind of endlessly.”

Those leery of the Watson Island projects include Miami Beach officials concerned about traffic impacts on the frequently clogged MacArthur Causeway, which bisects the island, as well as the new city commissioner for the district, Ken Russell. During his campaign, which was run by a lobbyist for a group critical of Flagstone, he criticized extensions for Island Gardens, which his predecessor, Marc Sarnoff, supported.

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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/loca...#storylink=cpy

[chris08876]

Credit: NXT

[chris08876]

Miami Commission allows seaplane base expansion

Plans to build a new Chalks seaplane base on Government Cut, stymied for years by litigation and zoning restrictions, may finally take flight.

Miami Commissioners voted Thursday to remove a major obstacle blocking the construction of a new Government Cut aviation center by rezoning the southwest corner of Watson Island. The 4 to 1 decision, with Frank Carollo dissenting, allows Chalks owner Nautilus Enterprise to seek approvals for its new headquarters.

Early seaplane base designs were unveiled publicly for the first time Thursday.

“We’re going to start doing an amazing seaplane base serving Miami and all our visitors and friends who come to Miami. We’re looking forward to it,” said Ignacio “Nacho” Vega, whose Nautilus Enterprises bought Chalks from its previous owner.

Vega will have to return to City Hall for subsequent design approvals before he can build anything. But he presented preliminary plans Thursday at the urging of newly elected Commissioner Ken Russell, who was uncomfortable with the idea of rezoning the property without first knowing what Vega planned.

Vega showed commissioners a circular, nine-story building with a hangar and terminal on the bottom floor and a hanging garden in the center. Roughly 50,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and office space were included, an exhibition garden was planned on the fifth floor, and a media room and steakhouse completed the upper levels. The ninth floor was an observation deck, where people can watch seaplanes take off over Government Cut.

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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/loca...#storylink=cpy

[chris08876]

Watson Island parking additions studied

With more people expected to make Watson Island a destination, the Miami Parking Authority is looking at the parking needs for all of those visitors.

The authority, doing business as the city’s Off-Street Parking Board, oversees two existing surface parking lots on the city-owned island between Miami Beach and the mainland.

At its March meeting the parking board approved spending up to $50,000 for a parking study on Watson Island.

Four shareholders on the island chipped in to help fund half the cost of the study, according to Rolando G. Tapanes, director of planning and development for the authority.

The authority has had discussions with the stakeholders on the island in regard to parking over the past two years, he said.

With all the recent activity on the island, staff determined it was time to move so “our position” is in the forefront of meeting parking needs on the developing island, Mr. Tapanes told the board.

He said the authority received a cost estimate for a full parking study and sought financial contributions from the main users on the island to pay for half of the study. The authority will pay up to $25,000, he said.

Mr. Tapanes said the parking agency has received commitments from four stakeholders to help fund the study.

The Flagstone group, developer of the large mixed-use residential, retail and marina project Island Gardens, has promised to contribute $15,000, he said. The seaplane operator will pay $5,000. The heliport operator will pay $2,500. And Jungle Island rounds up the tally with $2,500, Mr. Tapanes said.

The study will examine current parking usage on the island and anticipated future needs.

“There’s a lot of activity on that little island,” said Mr. Tapanes. “The time is right for a robust study, to be prepared to meet all those needs.”

Mr. Tapanes told the board the authority wants an independent, professional and substantive parking study of the island, so the agency can share it with the stakeholders and show them “this is your true need.”

Parking exists on the island now but it’s a mess.

“There are literally cars parked everywhere,” said authority CEO Art Noriega.

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http://www.miamitodaynews.com/2016/0...tions-studied/

[chris08876]

Island Gardens Racing To Beat Construction Deadline

The developer of Island Gardens has submitted revisions to a MUSP for the project, in an attempt to break ground before two key deadlines.

Flagstone, the project developer, must break ground on elements of the project by certain dates, or the ground lease on the city-owned land is considered null. In addition, a MUSP approval for the project has a time limit.

In an October 2015 letter, the developer’s attorney wrote that those dates were extended by 6 months and 60 days due to a state emergency declared in 2015 from Tropical Storm Erika, in line with the state’s Permit Extension Law. The new deadlines are as follows:

* MUSP expiration – July 7, 2016

* Marina completion – September 7, 2016

* Commencement of construction of retail/parking – April 31, 2017

* Commencement of construction of hotel, if no option exercised (can be extended up to 10 years with option) – April 31, 2019

The developers met with city planners in a Coordinated Review Committee meeting on June 21 over a MUSP modification, which the architect says is a minor change.

Credit: NXT

[chris08876]

Flagstone Requesting Permission To Modify 2007 Approval For Island Gardens

Flagstone is asking the city to approve a modification to the 2007 MUSP approval for the Island Gardens project.

Plans were submitted on September 19. The major change is the replacement of a seven-story parking garage with one that is two levels, including one that is below grade.

Activists have challenged the city over the developer’s lease to the land, with over a decade passing since the lease was awarded without construction.

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NXT

[chris08876]

City of Miami and Watson Island resort and marina developer score court victory against project opponents

In a setback that was anticipated by court rulings in previous similar cases, a group of Venetian Island homeowners trying to block the development of a megayacht marina and resort on publicly owned Watson Island lost their appeal of a lawsuit filed against the city of Miami.

On Tuesday, the Third District Court of Appeal upheld an earlier lower court ruling that the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue the city because they could not demonstrate how they had suffered injuries as a result of the development deal between Flagstone Property Group and the city. Flagstone intervened in the lawsuit as a party with the city.

Previous lawsuits aimed at stopping the Miami Skyrise observation tower and an $18 million marina and restaurant project at the Coconut Grove Marina were tossed for the same reason. In the Watson Island lawsuit, plaintiffs Stephen Herbits, Philip Glatstein, and five others — who have filed several complaints in connection with Flagstone’s project over the last 15 years — accused the city of failing to turn over public records, including new appraisals for the development site.

Alan Dimond, a Greenberg Traurig shareholder who represents Flagstone, said his client is pleased with the appeals court decision. “The company looks forward to getting the project up and creating something our community will be very proud of,” Dimond told The Real Deal. “After more than a decade of fighting this project, the objectors should be getting the idea that it is going to be built, it is going to be successful and this constant litigation is not productive for anyone.”

However, Sam Dubbin, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said the fight is far from over, especially if Miami voters pass an amendment to the city charter on Nov. 8 that would automatically grant residents standing to sue the city over violations of Miami’s Citizens Bill of Rights. If it passes, Herbits and company can refile their lawsuit.

“The appeals court provided a road map to challenge the final lease agreements,” Dubbin told TRD. “That makes voter approval of the amendment all the more important because it will empower residents to enforce the charter against the city and developer wrongdoing.”

In 2001, Flagstone won a city bid and a referendum to build its $1 billion project, which includes a megayacht marina called Island Gardens Deep Harbour Marina, that opened earlier this year and two hotels and a 221,000-square-foot mall that are supposed to break ground in 2017. In 2013, the city and Flagstone renegotiated the lease terms with the company, paying a minimum annual base rent of $2 million. Company representatives also say the project will generate more than $5 million in revenue sharing and parking surcharge income to the city.

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http://therealdeal.com/miami/2016/10...t-opponenents/

[chris08876]

NEW RENDERING OF ISLAND GARDENS RELEASED, SETTLEMENT DEAL UP FOR VOTE THIS WEEK

Island Gardens has released a new rendering.

The project appears to have undergone significant value engineering, the new rendering shows.

Mehmet Bayraktar won approval in 2002 to build a twin-tower and retail project on taxpayer-owned land, but never built it. Only floating docks for super yachts have been installed, along with a private club.

Public access to the waterfront property has been closed off by Bayraktar for years. Miami normally requires a baywalk to be built behind any new development even on privately owned land, but none was opened to the public as part of the Island Gardens marina and club.

The developer is suing the city after commissioners voted to hold the developer in default of a lease for the land, which could cost the city $200 million should it proceed to trial. A settlement that would cost the city $20 million is scheduled to be voted on by commissioners May 9.

According to Globest.com, the project is slated to include:

Twin towers, 575 feet and 375 feet
200 hotel rooms and 105 timeshares in taller tower
300 hotel rooms in shorter tower
Shopping center with 221,000 square feet of retail
Parking garage with 1,500 spaces in three stories

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NXT

[chris08876]

Noise claims drown out plans for Island Gardens growth

The sweeping development known as Island Gardens is moving forward with plans to turn a choice piece of waterfront property in Biscayne Bay into a first-class resort destination.

But it can’t seem to shake its history of controversy.

Last week the city’s Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board (PZAB) was set to hear a request from Island Gardens’ developer Flagstone Property Group LLC for an exception to allow a waterfront specialty center in an Urban Core Transect Zone.

The City of Miami owns Watson Island and leases a portion of the island’s northwestern corner to Flagstone, generally at 888, 730, 700 and 954 MacArthur Causeway.

The request for a zoning exception was ultimately deferred to the board’s July 20 meeting after prolonged debate about the uses on the property, currently and when the project is fully built.

An attorney for Flagstone asked for the deferral to afford more time to work with their architect and tenants to refine the planned retail spaces, amounting to 221,000 square feet with a mix of general retail and food and beverage establishments.

Deferral votes are often quick matters, but a complaint of loud noise emanating from the current uses on the property led to lengthy discussion.

James Torres, president of the Downtown Neighbors Alliance (DNA), objected to the deferral and asked the board to consider a condition of granting the waterfront specialty center noting that the city’s noise ordinance would be enforced at Island Gardens.

Mr. Torres was allowed to submit a letter to PZAB via city staff that reads: “The applicant, doing business as Island Gardens, has on occasion blasted loud music at residential communities in Park West and Downtown’s Central Business District until 3 a.m., taking advantage of the exemption in the city’s noise ordinance for city-owned properties.”

The letter points out that the city’s noise ordinance exempts city-owned properties from its requirements.

An assistant city attorney explained that the city cannot cite itself. That same attorney acknowledged to the board that this self-exemption “oftentimes creates frustration for neighbors and the like who have to hear the noise … they are told ‘we can’t cite ourselves.’ The city commission has tried to address it, perhaps removing the exemption for city-owned property, but I don’t believe the issue has been resolved.”

Noise complaints from residents are certainly not uncommon in a growing city, and Miami is in the sound mix, from the everyday buzz of activity and construction and traffic to the temporary blast of the Ultra Music Festival now reestablished in its longtime home in Bayfront Park.

The Downtown Neighbors Alliance has been battling the boom for years and is already voicing its concerns about what ultimately will be allowed at Island Gardens.

In his letter to the city, Mr. Torres, on behalf of the DNA, is requesting added wording in a list of proposed conditions for the waterfront specialty center at Island Gardens.

Mr. Torres said the city’s Planning Department has included a condition regarding loud noise.

“The exception use before you today includes a condition (see Condition 4) prohibiting the playing of music between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. We thank the City Planning Department for including this important condition. However, this condition does not control the volume of music that can be played by applicant daily, until 11 p.m., leaving a significant loophole for the applicant to exploit,” wrote Mr. Torres.

He added, “Condition 7 states ‘Any noise generated on site shall conform to Chapter 36 of the City Code noise regulation.’; however, since Chapter 36 exempts city-owned properties from its requirements, this condition is self-exempting, and thus rendered meaningless.

“Therefore, on behalf of the 30,000 residents of Park West and the Central Business District, we request that PZAB add the following at the end of Condition 7: ‘The exemptions to city-owned properties or facilities in Chapter 36 shall not apply to this exception,’” he wrote.

Attorney Iris Escarra, representing Flagstone, noted that current uses at the property are allowed under a temporary use permit and entirely separate from the request for an exception to allow the waterfront specialty center.

Under Miami 21 zoning, the waterfront specialty center is a type of specialty district for alcohol service establishments.

Waterfront specialty centers allow 50% of all establishments within the center to have certificates of use (CUs) or temporary certificates of use (TCUs) for alcohol service establishments. Under the same section, waterfront specialty centers must be located on city-owned property.

Ms. Escarra told the board, “The application before you is tied to the upcoming development. I just want to be clear, what’s happening there today is happening under a different permitting criteria than the proposal before you.”

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https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2022/...ardens-growth/

[dave8721]

This developer has been sitting on this PUBLIC land for 20 years now (that is not an exaggeration) and built nothing. It sucks that the city can't evict them (they tried once already).

[chris08876]

Island Gardens Signs Utilities Deal For Giant Project

The developers of Island Gardens have signed a deal with the county to supply water and sewer utilities.

According to the November 3 agreement with Miami Dade’s Water and Sewer Department, Island Gardens will include:

455 hotel rooms
150 apartments
221,000 square feet of retail store
136,140 square feet of full service restaurant
13,800 square feet of banquet hall (without kitchen)
10,340 square feet of bar or cocktail lounge
50 marina slips
The developer will pay a connection charge estimated $1,519,535.13. An additional Biscayne Bay Sanitary Sewer Special Connection Charge is estimated at $921,720.88.

Nathalie Goulet-Fusco signed on behalf of developer Flagstone. Art Noriega signed on behalf of the City of Miami, which owns the land that is being leased to Flagstone.

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NXT

[chris08876]

Two Hotels Submitted To FAA At Island Gardens Site, Up To 535 Feet Tall

A filing with the Federal Aviation Administration last week proposed two towers at the Island Gardens site.

One of the towers is listed as a luxury hotel, in a filing received by the agency on February 10.

The luxury hotel is proposed to rise 527 feet above ground, or 535 feet above sea level.

A second filing is for a lifestyle hotel.

The lifestyle hotel is proposed to rise 367 feet above ground, or 375 feet above sea level.

In November 2022, the developers of Island Gardens signed a deal with the county to supply water and sewer utilities.

According to the November 3 agreement with Miami Dade’s Water and Sewer Department, Island Gardens will include:

455 hotel rooms
150 apartments
221,000 square feet of retail store
136,140 square feet of full service restaurant
13,800 square feet of banquet hall (without kitchen)
10,340 square feet of bar or cocktail lounge
50 marina slips

=================
NXT

[dave8721]

We will see, this developer has been "proposing" buildings that are going to break ground "next quarter" for over 20 years. Yes over 20 years.

[wanderer34]

The proposals looked nice, but you might as well stick a for in it if the developers cannot develop the parcel. It's bad enough that there's nothing going to be built for G-D knows...