The partnership between developers Ugo Colombo and Diego Lowenstein sold the 1.25-acre parcel at 300 Biscayne Boulevard Way for $125 million on Monday, according to the CBRE brokers who arranged the sale. Riverwalk East Developments is the buyer. State corporate records link the buying company to the Coto family.
[…]
Colombo and Lowenstein’s company received City of Miami approval for a major use special permit in 2004. Under the permit, the property owner could construct a 609-foot building with up to 596 residential units. A new owner could also ask the city to change the property’s zoning so it reflects the current Miami 21 code, which would allow a maximum of 1,250 residential units, according to CBRE.
Miami’s most expensive acre could soon be getting a sail-shaped 70-story condo tower with a lighthouse on top.
Developer Riverwalk East Development, LLC revealed the plans at a meeting of the Miami River Commission’s Urban Infill & Greenways Subcommittee last week.
The 817-foot tower is proposed to include 384 residential units and 561 parking spaces. It will be built at 300 Biscayne Boulevard Way, on the former Epic East site.
Condo units will be expensive and luxurious, with features such as private elevators. The company, which is controlled by Argentina’s Cotto family, paid a record $125 million for the 1.25-acre property last year – equating to an average land cost of $326,000 for each of the proposed 384 units (or $115 per foot of proposed residential F.A.R.).
Plans show a lighthouse on the 70th floor. Amenities, including a spa and pool deck, will span level 53 through 55, with penthouse units above. Revuelta Architecture and Argentina’s Bodas Miani Anger are the architects.
The Subcommittee’s Chairman Jim Murley and Ernie Martin recommended approval subject to following conditions:
Widen the planned public Riverwalk’s unobstructed “circulation zone” pathway from 12’ to 15’ wide (total public Riverwalk width is 24 feet, of which the actual pathway is a part)
Improve the public Riverwalk connections to the east at One Miami, to the west at Epic Phase I, and to Biscayne Blvd Way
Utilize the estimated $2 million “public benefits” payment to fund needed public benefit projects located within the impacted Miami River District
Luxury automotive brands including Mercedes, Porsche, and Pininfarina (the Italian design house whose core client is Ferrari) have all announced or opened branded residential towers. Now bespoke British manufacturer Aston Martin has followed suit, announcing its participation, in partnership with G and G Business Developments and Revuelta Architecture, in a high-end high-rise tower—the Aston Martin Residences—on the last remaining waterfront site along Miami’s Biscayne Bay.
Aston Martin chief creative officer and design head Marek Reichman will be responsible for the public spaces, including two lobbies, a fitness center, and a spa, using finishes and sensibilities in line with the 104-year-old automaker’s exquisite, clubby vehicles. “And if some of the customers say, we would love for you to design our interior,” Reichman says, “we will be happy to do that, too.”
Despite the building’s name, Reichman notes that the branding exercise is “everything but literal.” There will not be any automotive amenities such as drive-in elevators or car concierges. Neither will the apartments reflect the proportions or shape of car designs. Rather, the connection will be experiential. “What you will get is exactly what you will get sitting in an Aston Martin DB11 on a long journey, and that is a sense of involvement and comfort,” Reichman says. “The most amazing thing about the DB11 for me is that it’s an incredibly powerful sports car, but you can sit in that car for a long time and still remain motivated and enjoy your environment. Which is just how you want to feel at home.”
The Federal Aviation Administration has granted approval for Aston Martin Residences to be built.
With the approval, the tower is set to become the second tallest in Florida, behind only Brickell’s Panorama Tower.
FAA review took six months.
In June, developer Riverwalk East Development LLC, controlled by Argentina’s Coto family, applied for approval to build at a height of 816 feet above ground, or 820 feet above sea level.
In a December 5 letter, the agency said that the tower could be built at the height requested.
Construction on the 391-unit condo project got underway in October.