Written by Miami Today on October 22, 2024
The 51-story Brickell Avenue office tower with ground-floor retail is under construction from the county’s Comprehensive Master Plan and Zoning Commission, which seeks general right-of-way approval to add 14 percent to Class A Brickell office space. There will be a hearing this week in front of the court.
If approved, the developer would contribute $1.1 million to improve pedestrian access along 10th between the 10th Street Metromover station and Brickell Plaza and Brickell Avenue.
Applicant 848 Brickell LLC commissioned prominent Chicago architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to design the building, a 1981 vintage building currently home to one developer, Key International. It will replace a 13-storey building. Another developer is Sterling Bay Properties.
The quarter-acre site on the west side of Brickell Avenue between Southeast 8th Street and 10th Street is near both the 10th Street and 8th Street Metromover stations. The area is part of the Metromover subzone, and its zoning and development is controlled by Miami-Dade County, not the City of Miami. City zoning will apply until the county approves a new site plan.
Under the developer’s letter of intent, the tower would include 750,901 square feet of office space and 6,506 square feet of ground-floor retail space facing Brickell, according to the county Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources. The indoor garage can accommodate 1,006 cars.
Plans include 68,546 square feet of plaza, balconies, terraces, rooftop green space and a publicly accessible front yard along Brickell. The architects plan two 40-foot outdoor terraces on separate floors with panoramic terraces at regular intervals along the north and south sides of the building for use by office tenants.
Vehicles could enter from both Brickell and the alley. A covered drop-off zone leads to a 10-storey podium with parking.
Plans include 11th and 12th floors and a fitness center, cafe and meeting space within the garden. Outdoor space on the 11th floor will include a sports court, work area and wellness lounge.
Office floors ranging from 19,000 square feet to 27,000 square feet will be column-free, architects said. Building height is permitted by airport zoning regulations.
County commissioners deferred action on 848 Brickell on Sept. 25 to allow the developer to better coordinate with county staff. The application was the first review of the property after a commission hearing held in September that led to the rezoning. The Ministry of Regulation, Economy, and Resources will conduct a final administrative review on a date yet to be determined.
The Metromover subzone rules would lead to a variety of land uses “intended to provide transit-oriented development to enhance and support the County’s existing mass transit system and promote ridership.” The county says it is aimed at Staff has determined that the application is consistent with its purpose.
Seven conditions attached to the recommendation for approval include the developer recording a commitment to pay the county $1.1 million in transportation contributions related to the transit station, off-site pedestrian and traffic light improvements; .
The building will join the Brickell market, which has approximately 5.3 million square feet of Class A office space and average asking lease rates of $100.58 per square foot, the highest in the county, but only a fraction of $100.21 per square foot in Miami Beach. According to the third quarter market report, Securities company CBRE. Currently, more than 11% of its Brickell space is vacant.
