Ruben Matz has joined Chariff Realty Group to launch a recently approved Biscayne Boulevard retail project. Matz, who has been investing in the Biscayne Boulevard corridor for more than 20 years, owns over 15 commercial locations in the area. Matz , a founder of Turnberry Bank, became a licensed real estate agent nine years ago. Along with his wife, Matz founded the Exit Shops chain of clothing stores.

Finally, DACRA’s Plans for the Miami  Design District

By Sean McCaughan

DACRA’S plans for the future of the Design District, including the future of the Oak Plaza site. Until today, we knew little more than what Craig Robins and the DACRA P.R. machine had waxed poetic about, in vague but enticing terms. Now, we know a lot more. I’ve requested a copy of his presentation, which presents the somewhat radical but ultimately exciting future of the district, and I hope to post it here soon, to illustrate my description.
The core of DACRA’s plan is the current Plumer Alley, which is the pedestrian alley adjacent to Oak Plaza. Plumer Alley will be extended from 42nd Street to 38th, creating a  pedestrian street that stretches the full north/south length of the district. At both ends property has been secured for a department store, each potentially 3 stories in height.
This pedestrian street will be the core of the “new” Design District. It will be the “mall” that the various fashion retailers like Louis Vuitton, Hermes, and Cartier, will cluster around.
The character of the neighborhood, although densifying, will remain low-rise and a mixture of new and old construction.

Hermes, and perhaps other LVMH brands, will have its headquarters at Oak Plaza, in a building which is still being designed. At the moment, designs have the Hermes headquarters, which is what it is being called, at three stories. Presumably the trees will remain, as DACRA has taken such care to preserve them so far.
Louis Vuitton, Cartier, and Celine, will open temporary locations by this summer on NE 40th Street, while their permanent locations are being constructed.
The lot behind the Post Office and Fendi Casa store will have a large city parking  garage, containing five hundred spots. Additional garages, as well as underground parking similar  to what currently exists under the Buena Vista and Melin Buildings will raise the number of new spaces to 2,000.
Buckminster Fuller’s Fly’s Eye Dome, which Craig Robins restored and displayed at last year’s Design Miami Fair, will enclose the pedestrian entrance and exit to the new underground parking deck.
New facades are being given to many of the main DACRA buildings along NE 2nd, Including the 4100 Building, and the Buena Vista Building, by various haute-design architects.
The extensive landscaping plan will include a series of rooftop gardens on many of the retail buildings. The first garden is currently under construction, on top of the infill building that replaced the Enea Bamboo Garden. That building should be complete and occupied later this year.

DACRA is interested in the Design District’s connections with Midtown, Wynwood, and Buena Vista. Steve, specifically, is working on getting the city to install a street light at 36th street, to facilitate pedestrian access between the Design District and Midtown.
 

Now that the Downtown Development Authority announced officially that nearly  93%  of 23,000 condos built in downtown Miami after 2002 are occupied, it's time to look back at one of the greatest buildings built in the last 10 years in the Biscayne Corridor: 50 Biscayne.

Clearly different from all the other mega-projects in the area, 50 Biscayne has architectural weight  and longevity thanks to its strong connection with the public spaces around its area -- Bayfront Park, the Bayside Marina, Biscayne Bay and beyond. Its residents walk to the American Airlines Arena games and concerts, shows at the Arsht Center and top restaurants in Downtown Miami. 

It is one of the buildings in Downtown that captures the essence of contemporary Miami. It has an overall tone of Brazilian Tropicalist Movement and tips its hat to the master landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx. The building’s columns are massive and they anchor the sky lobby – a public space that subversively occupies three floors and offers breathtaking views of Biscayne Bay. It is in the skylobby on the 10th floor that the dialogue between architecture and landscape becomes deeper. It is a perfect observatory for enjoying the Biscayne Boulevard sidewalks designed by the Brazilian master before his death, in 1994, in a project that took 15 years to be completed by the city of Miami and that the acclaimed architect never got to see.

 When we cross the MacArthur Causeway towards Downtown – speeding by large cruise ships leaving South Beach in my rearview mirror – we see the Biscayne Wall with its soaring towers. Our eyes are drawn to 50 Biscayne, completed in 2007. It has voice and an intellectual perspective. It relates to public spaces around. It is an ode to Burle Marx and his democratic designs.

 Watch the video tour of the apartment that Chariff Realty Group is listing exclusively for sale and lease on 50 Biscayne. 

Click here: VIDEO

 This 3059 square feet unit with 1000 square feet of wraparound terrace is one of the few 4-bedroom-4-bath units in the whole Downtown/Brickell area built after 2005 -- and the only one in the building which was put together by the developer -- it offers endless views of Bayfront Park, Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic, top amenities that includes state of the art gym, Pilates studio, meditation room and vallet parking. Completely furnished. Modern & 100% wired for your comfort! You can also lease it for short periods of time send an email to Geane Brito, our international sales and leasing specialist at  Click here

Another Done Deal- SOLD! $11 million - Development Site in the Miami Design District. 57,000 Sq Ft of Land. We are making things happen. Call us if your a buyer or seller or just looking to Lease space. We get the job done.

MyBrickell: Beacon of a Great 2012!

2012 marks a turning point in the real estate market in Miami: it is the first year to bring new construction since 2009. Of all the pre-construction projects active today, my favorite is MyBrickell, marketed by Jorge Perez’s Related Group.
 
MyBrickell is emblematic of the kind of marriage between design, architecture and art that the buyers find in Miami today.
 
The building, located in the heart of Brickell and surrounded by parks, breathtaking views, acclaimed gastronomy and phenomenal shopping -- offers 192 units that are selling faster than hot chocolate in a rare Miami cold day. All of the studios – with prices starting at $164,000 – are sold out.
 
The reason for success is simple: MyBrickell is a good product at a good price. Similar apartments in São Paulo, according to the Folha de São Paulo, Brazil’s leading newspaper, are selling for twice the price.
 
But Miami is not São Paulo: the ‘Magic City’ offers to its many international buyers  what they search for: security, excellent shopping, dining and an enviable cultural scene that keeps the art world always carrying a bikini in its bag.
 
The project stands out in proportion as well  as in aesthetics: the 28-storey tower - small for Brickell standards - is being designed with bold colors and captivating imagination, an affront to the chic minimalism of other buildings in the area.
 
But the 'hashtag' in the project goes to Karim Rashid, the prolific designer who has more than 3,000 projects in production in 35 countries. For the MyBrickell, Rashid proposes his individual and fun style, marked by vibrant colors and amorphous forms, highlighting oranges and yellows on windows, design accents and flooring.
 
To complete Rashid’s tropical modernist dream, the ubber designer enlisted the star of the American landscape industry  -- Raymond Jungles -- to infiltrate the project with green statements which highlight South Florida native shrubs in an innovative rooftop pool design which nods respectfully to the vision of the Brazilian landscape master, Roberto Burle Marx, Jungle’s everlasting inspiration.
 
The project is signed off by Arquitectonica, the iconic group responsible for many of the urban symbols of Miami.  According to plans, keys are scheduled to be delivered by early 2013.
 
Success is guaranteed: according to the Related Group, that is selling the project with the help of a local real estate market hot with international buyers, 75% of the units are already reserved at pre-construction prices.
 
To reserve your unit at MyBrickell, contact Geane Brito at 305-814-5004 or email her at geane@chariff.com.
 
TAGS: MyBrickell, Related Group, Karim Rashid, Raymond Jungles, Brickell Avenue, new construction, Archictectonica, luxury condos, Miami Real Estate, Imoveis, Miami, corretora brasileira.

Allison Island is quietly tucked away between the Miami Beach mainland and the two island comprising La Gorce.  It's easily distinguished by its long, slender shape and the fact that it's the home of the highly acclaimed AQUA community.  However, Allison Island is also home to plenty of other Miami Beach real estate, namely gorgeous waterfront homes.

One of these homes is 6307 Allison Road, a five bedroom and bathroom residence located near the southeastern side of the island.  Features of the home include walk-in closets, cathedral style ceilings in the living room, a swimming pool in the spacious patio, garage, granite kitchen countertops and boat docks to name a few.  Thanks to the profusion of palm trees, there's a considerable degree of privacy and wonderful ambiance.  The home has Biscayne Bay as its backdrop so you can also expect to enjoy great waterfront vistas.

To learn more about the 6307 Allison Road property or other Miami Beach real estate, please click here.