MIAMI | Development Thread

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by Dale

My great-great grandfather was one of the early settlers of Miami.

Wow! I didn't realize know that. You have your great-great-grandfather who live in South Florida for a long time. Is he dead or alive?

[Dale]

Originally Posted by N830MH

Wow! I didn't realize know that. You have your great-great-grandfather who live in South Florida for a long time. Is he dead or alive?

Hehe, no, I think he died in 1911. He apparently got run over by a horse-drawn wagon, while in Miami, and later died as a result of those injuries.

But fortunately not before having my great-grandfather ... so that I could exist.

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by bobdreamz

^ thanks for the article & it's amazing that just a little while ago people thought it would take years for the condo glut to be absorbed. Tomorrow the city of Miami gives final approval for the massive Brickell CitiCentre project proposed by Swire properties. Miami has the advantage over other overbuilt cities in that it attracts many International investors from South America & Europe.

And Canada! - Actually the largest share of the purchasers of international origin are from Canada. Guess Canada is not considered International or Foreign.

[bobdreamz]

A Mini-Housing Boom For Miami, With Foreign Flavor
by NPR Staff
August 21, 2011

While housing demand sputters among Americans, foreign buyers are flocking here for cheap deals.

For the 12 months ending in March, sales to foreign buyers totaled $82 billion, up from $66 billion in 2010, according to the National Association of Realtors. And while international buyers are unlikely to turn the US housing market around, they are making a big difference in states such as Florida.

Today, thanks to foreign buyers, home sales are so good in Miami that more houses and condos could sell this year than during the boom year of 2005.

"All of the buildings that everybody thought would never fill up, they're all full," Oliver Ruiz, a managing broker of Fortune International Realty in Florida, tells Sullivan.

read more: http://www.npr.org/2011/08/21/139835...foreign-flavor

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by bobdreamz

"All of the buildings that everybody thought would never fill up, they're all full," Oliver Ruiz, a managing broker of Fortune International Realty in Florida, tells Sullivan.

Sure they are -- if by "full", he means "purchased by foreigners who will likely never live in them or only periodically occupy them".

I don't really see more part-time residents as a positive thing at all for creating a more vibrant downtown Miami.

[dave8721]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

Sure they are -- if by "full", he means "purchased by foreigners who will likely never live in them or only periodically occupy them".

I don't really see more part-time residents as a positive thing at all for creating a more vibrant downtown Miami.

They are "full" of the people those foreigners rented the units out to which is a positive thing for creating a vibrant downtown Miami.

[Dale]

Originally Posted by dave8721

They are "full" of the people those foreigners rented the units out to which is a positive thing for creating a vibrant downtown Miami.

Smackdown!

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by dave8721

They are "full" of the people those foreigners rented the units out to which is a positive thing for creating a vibrant downtown Miami.

Really? From what a South Florida real estate broker friend of mine tells me, the vast majority of the new wave of foreign buyers are buying them as second homes and as investment properties, and not renting out. Most of the condos-turned rentals are being rented out by management companies for the developers and original owners to recoup some revenue lost over the past few years, since many of them were purchased as investment properties to begin with.

[bobdreamz]

The Port of Miami has given the greenlight to begin reinforcements of its cargo port — work required before its deep dredge project begins next year. The U.S. unit of Brazilian giant Odebrecht S.A. has clinched the project.


Port of Miami officials say the upgrades to the cargo wharfs, including steel and concrete reinforcement to the piers where ships tie up, are needed before the port is dredged beginning next year.
Peter Andrew Bosch /Photo

By Martha Brannigan
mbrannigan@MiamiHerald.com

The long, narrow island port that boasts an outsized role as a key economic engine for Greater Miami is about to get a major upgrade.

Odebrecht Construction Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of the giant Brazilian conglomerate, Odebrecht S.A., is set to begin work this month on improvements to the Port of Miami’s wharfs after Miami-Dade County Commissioners last week awarded a $57.1 million contract to the firm.

Officials for the county-owned port say the upgrades to the cargo wharfs, including steel and concrete reinforcement to the piers where ships tie up, are needed before the port is dredged beginning next year.

“What this project does is it deepens and strengthens the wharfs,’’ said Juan Kuryla, deputy director of the port, which will deepen the port to 50 feet from the current 42 feet. The dredging project — slated to begin next summer and finish by early 2014 — is designed to help the port compete for business from the large ships that will begin crossing the Panama Canal in 2014 after that channel is expanded.

The dredge is one of several improvements designed to help the port maintain a competitive edge as it bids for an increased share of cargo business. Other changes include a tunnel under the bay to connect I-395 directly with the port and relieve truck congestion in the downtown area and rail service to link the port directly to the Hialeah railyard.

Aside from its glamorous role as a top cruise port, the Port of Miami is one of the top 11 container ports in the United States. The facility, which sits on a 522-acre island, handled some 7.4 million tons of cargo and 850,000 TEUs, or ton equivalent units of cargo in 2010.

Kuryla said Tuesday the port plans to issue a notice to proceed, the greenlight for Odebrecht to begin work, “within 15 days.’’

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/0...#ixzz1XO2l7CW1

[bobdreamz]

Malaysia targets Port of Miami for regional shipping hub
By Scott Blake

Malaysian trade officials have high hopes for Miami. They aspire to make the Magic City a stronger entry point for shipping Malaysian imports throughout the United States, Latin American and the Caribbean.

Since opening five years ago, the Malaysian Trade Center near Miami International Airport has been working toward that goal. However, progress has been hard fought due to the recession.

"We will intensify our promotion efforts by riding on [Miami's trading] platform to expand Malaysia's exports both in terms of markets and the range of products traded," says Jonathan Rao, director of the Malaysian Trade Center. "We want to join this bandwagon along with others who are already here."

Last year, however, Malaysian imports into Miami fell to a total value of $137 million. That was down from $157.9 million in 2009 and $211.4 million in 2008, according to US Customs and Border Patrol data.

Mr. Rao attributes the drop to the United States' economic slump, but business is looking better this year. In the first half of the year, goods coming into Miami from the Southeast Asian nation totaled more than $100 million, Mr. Rao says.

Most of the imports were electronic parts and rubber products, according to data from Enterprise Florida, the state's economic development agency.
Trade data also show that Florida, as a whole, is doing more business with Malaysia. The value of both imports and exports between Florida and Malaysia totaled $418.9 million last year, up more than 25% from 2009. Imports accounted for most of that total — about $298 million.

Read more : http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/110908/story5.shtml

[brickell]

Genting releases their plans for Resort World Miami. Since this is a press release I assume it's ok to post a good chunk of it.
http://www.rwmiami.com/news.html

Genting Group Unveils $3 Billion Master Plan For Resorts World Miami
Arquitectonica-designed Destination Resort to create tens of thousands of jobs, draw
millions of tourists from around the world, and anchor new three-mile Baywalk along
downtown Miami waterfront.

Miami, FL – September 14, 2011 – One of the most prized pieces of waterfront land in
Florida will soon come alive with Resorts World Miami, a Destination Resort featuring
iconic skyscrapers sporting designs inspired by a coral reef and serving as the
centerpiece of a new three-mile Baywalk that will activate the city’s waterfront. Resorts
World Miami, which represents a $3 billion investment by Genting Group, comprises
approximately 10 million square feet of mixed-use development, making it one of the
largest development projects in Florida history.

“Resorts World Miami will accelerate Florida’s evolution as a global destination at the
crossroads of the Americas,” said Mr. KT Lim, Chairman and Chief Executive of Genting.
“Most importantly, Resorts World Miami will boost confidence in Florida’s economy,
creating 15,000 direct and indirect construction jobs and 30,000 permanent positions on
an ongoing basis, attracting more inbound investment, and substantially increasing the
tax base for the city, county and state.”

Rising from 13.9 acres of bayfront land currently housing the Miami Herald Media
Company, Resorts World Miami is located in the heart of the City of Miami, midway
between Miami International Airport and Miami Beach.

“Resorts World Miami introduces a new vocabulary of architecture to Florida, one that
is inspired by the ocean and Florida’s coral reefs,” said Bernardo Fort-Brescia, Co-Founder and Principal of Arquitectonica, the world-renown architecture firm based in
Miami. “At Resorts World Miami, building designs echo familiar forms that are part of
our identity, including tropical fish and seashells. When you describe Miami and Florida,
you inevitably come back to the water. We have captured that relationship with Resorts
World Miami’s design.”

Resorts World Miami includes a series of four hotels with a total of 5,200 rooms and two
residential towers featuring 1,000 units. The towers take on sculptural forms that
change from every perspective. Each building is designed with outside balconies
adorned with LED-lit exteriors, creating a jewel-like effect that will illuminate the Miami
skyline each night. The Destination Resort will include a super-luxury hotel, a
contemporary hotel, a convention hotel, and a family hotel, offering a lodging option for
each segment of the market.

The towers sit atop an 8-story podium where guests can immerse themselves in a
double-story, 250,000 square foot luxury retail galleria; more than 50 restaurants,
lounges, bars and nightclubs; a high-tech multimedia entertainment area showcasing
the music and culture of Florida and South America; and 700,000 square feet of
convention and meeting space which includes a 200,000 square foot column-free
ballroom, the largest in the United States. A casino will be included if Florida’s
legislature and governor approve Destination Resort legislation.

Each level of Resorts World Miami is designed with outdoor terraces offering
spectacular unobstructed views of Biscayne Bay, downtown Miami and Miami Beach.
The podium’s rooftop features a 3.6 acre outdoor lagoon – a size equivalent to 12
Olympic-size swimming pools – and natural sand beaches that will enable guests to
swim from Biscayne Boulevard to the edge of Biscayne Bay, a distance of more than
1,000 feet. Each hotel will also have a private swimming pool.

Resorts World Miami will be the highlight of a three-mile Baywalk beginning at the
Miami River and running north to Margaret Pace Park. The Baywalk will link Bayfront
Park, Bayside Market Place, American Airlines Arena, Museum Park, the Miami Art
Museum currently under construction, the new Miami Science Museum currently under
design, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and the Omni Center. All will
be connected by new public spaces and pedestrian, jogging, and cycling paths that will
activate this stretch of partially completed Miami waterfront.

Resorts World Miami has been designed – and will be constructed – in accordance with
all applicable zoning codes and regulations, including Miami 21, the City of Miami’s
comprehensive zoning code. The project has been conceived with an emphasis on
sustainability and LEED-certified solutions, including three levels of below-grade parking.

[brickell]

With pictures....

Originally Posted by Obfuscatus@SSC

[skyscraperfan23]

I Hope this gets built soon.

[Private Dick]

Could it look any cheesier? I think Arquitectonica should hang it up.

It might end up looking cool in real life, but in these pictures - I totally hate it.

I'd like Miami to evolve into a cool city, not a place that evokes thoughts of Vegas or Disneyland.

[Dale]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

Could it look any cheesier? I think Arquitectonica should hang it up.

It might end up looking cool in real life, but in these pictures - I totally hate it.

I'd like Miami to evolve into a cool city, not a place that evokes thoughts of Vegas or Disneyland.

Yeah, like there's anything like that at Disneyland.

Here's what's going to happen: folks like you (in Miami) are going to scream and stomp their feet ... until the design gets watered down. Then you'll still consider it a monstrosity, but you will have succeeded in getting a less interesting monstrosity.

[patriotizzy]

Please let this go through. We need this!!!!!! Looks so slick!

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by Dale

Yeah, like there's anything like that at Disneyland.

Here's what's going to happen: folks like you (in Miami) are going to scream and stomp their feet ... until the design gets watered down. Then you'll still consider it a monstrosity, but you will have succeeded in getting a less interesting monstrosity.

I wouldn't know nor care if there's something like it at Disneyland. I said it evokes thought of Vegas or Disneyland -- meaning cheesy fluff -- certainly not something that jibes with an emerging urban environment. But whatever, like I said, maybe it will look cool in real life.

And -- I'm not "in Miami", so this one will not be screaming and stomping feet. I just happen to think that Arquitectonica's designs jumped the shark years ago -- starting with its Westin Times Square and including the Sheraton in Phoenix.

Hopefully, the firm's design for Brickell CitiCentre will be an improvement over this overwrought crap straight from the Vegas Strip. Considering that Swire is a British/Hong Kong developer and Genting is Malaysian, CitiCentre has at least that going for it.

[Dale]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

I wouldn't know nor care if there's something like it at Disneyland. I said it evokes thought of Vegas or Disneyland -- meaning cheesy fluff -- certainly not something that jibes with an emerging urban environment. But whatever, like I said, maybe it will look cool in real life.

And -- I'm not "in Miami", so this one will not be screaming and stomping feet. I just happen to think that Arquitectonica's designs jumped the shark years ago -- starting with its Westin Times Square and including the Sheraton in Phoenix.

Hopefully, the firm's design for Brickell CitiCentre will be an improvement over this overwrought crap straight from the Vegas Strip. Considering that Swire is a British/Hong Kong developer and Genting is Malaysian, CitiCentre has at least that going for it.

See there ? We've got a non-Miamian so worked up that he missed where I took pains to notate 'people like you (in Miami).'

Cheesy, my ass. It's breathtaking.

[RobertWalpole]

Originally Posted by brickell

with pictures....

fantastic!!!

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by Dale

See there ? We've got a non-Miamian so worked up that he missed where I took pains to notate 'people like you (in Miami).'

Cheesy, my ass. It's breathtaking.

Well, if you want to be a jerk about it...

Only someone from Orlando would find it "breathtaking".