DAMAC International, a Dubai-based luxury property developer who purchased the 1.8-acre site at 8777 Collins Avenue in Surfside with plans for an iconic Zaha Hadid Architects-designed 12-story tower, has addressed the concerns of some members of the Champlain Towers memorial committee regarding refuse collection and the building’s service access bay along 88th Street. DAMAC International, led by Hussain Sajwani, has now resubmitted amended plans in accordance with the Town’s new policy.
At the recent Planning & Zoning meeting on August 31st, officials announced new town guidelines stating that refuse would no longer be collected on private property, but would rather be collected on the roadside. This raised concerns from a few memorial committee members of the proximity of the refuse collection point and the building's service bay access to the planned partial road closure of 88th Street to accommodate the memorial park for the Champlain Towers tragedy.
DAMAC International amended the plans with their architect and has relocated the refuse holding area to the building basement and created a pathway that arrives from the basement to the refuse collection point and avoids the use of 88th Street.
A Town Memorandum dated September 12th stated: “The collection point designated will be at the junction of 88th and Collins, and this location will also be used for sanitation personnel staging during the waste collection of both properties abutting 88th Street. The town designated this area to be of low impact on the quality of the area while optimizing sanitation personnel safety.
Additionally, the area will not have an impact on the proposed memorial park as the footprint is adjacent to an existing driveway. The location was coordinated with the proposed 88th Street closure. The sanitation collection schedule for commercial properties is from 7:00 am to 10:00 am. The expected staging for the proposed development is 5 minutes per pick-up day, which is scheduled differently for every property depending on the customer’s needs.”
As part of this review, DAMAC International has also been able to reposition the building’s service access bay further west by 15 feet resulting in more open spaces along 88th Street for the memorial park.
“The change in the Town’s policy allowed us the opportunity to enhance the open spaces available for the memorial park and addressed the sensitivity around this topic,’’ said Niall Mc Loughlin, DAMAC International Senior Vice President of Communications. ‘’We appreciate the opportunity to welcome 8777 Collins Avenue into our property family and do our part as a new member of this great community by using our resources to make an impact on the quality of life for all who live, work, and visit there.”
In August DAMAC Properties responded to misconceptions and misinformation following the July 25th Town of Surfside Special Commission Meeting in order to promote an informed dialogue following PROFILEmiami first revealing the Zaha Hadid-designed proposal in June.
DAMAC Properties and DAMAC International have been at the forefront of the Middle East's luxury real estate market since 2002, delivering award-winning residential, commercial and leisure properties across the region, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, the Maldives, Canada, the United States, as well as the United Kingdom.
Since then, the company has delivered approximately 46,000 homes. Joining forces with some of the world’s most eminent fashion and lifestyle brands, DAMAC has brought new and exciting living concepts to the market in collaborations that include luxury homes in association with Versace, Cavalli, Just Cavalli, de GRISOGONO, Zuhair Murad, Vincent Faudemer, Paramount Hotels & Resorts, Rotana and Radisson Hotel Group. With a consistent vision and strong momentum, DAMAC Properties is building the next generation of Middle Eastern luxury living.
Renderings via DAMAC International
