$94.5M Construction Loan Secured for Excel Miami in Arts & Entertainment District

Clearline Real Estate has secured $94.5 million in construction loans to advance the development of Excel Miami, a 24-story multifamily tower situated at 1550 NE Miami Place in the Arts & Entertainment District. This financing is crucial for the completion of the high-rise, which aims to offer modern urban living while embracing the artistic culture of downtown Miami.

The loan package is anchored by a $68.5 million senior construction loan from Centennial Bank, spearheaded by Jay Brito. In addition, Southern Realty Trust Inc. (SRT) provided a $26 million subordinate loan, arranged through an affiliate of the company.

Excel Miami is being developed by Clearline Real Estate, a New York- and Miami-based firm led by Jenny Bernell. Clearline specializes in multifamily real estate investments across emerging markets in the United States, focusing on projects that align with population and economic growth.

The tower, designed by Arquitectonica, is set to bring a contemporary and sophisticated architectural style to Miami’s multifamily housing landscape. Excel Miami Apartments will cover 214,183 rentable square feet and offer 427 residential units. The diverse lineup of living spaces includes studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and 13 unique townhouse lofts, catering to a wide range of lifestyles and preferences.

Residents of Excel Miami will have access to an impressive array of amenities housed on a dedicated floor with 18-foot ceilings. The amenity package includes a pool, a yoga deck, a fitness room, co-working spaces, a screening room, and podcast suites—providing a balanced blend of relaxation, wellness, and productivity.

Strategically located near the Metromover School Board Station, the tower promotes a transit-friendly lifestyle that appeals to professionals and urban dwellers seeking both convenience and connectivity in the heart of Miami. Excel Miami is poised to elevate the standard for multifamily living, offering residents a seamless blend of modern design and accessibility to the city’s dynamic cultural scene.

MV Real Estate Holdings Locks Down Construction Loan And Breaks Ground On Miami Senior Affordable Housing Development

The first project in collaboration between Miami-Dade Public Housing and Community Development (PHCD), Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces (PROS), and Miami-Dade Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) with the private sector created to provide attainable housing solutions to seniors has been given the green light to begin construction. MV Real Estate Holdings, LLC is set to break ground on the highly anticipated Ludlam Trail Towers on March 14 in Miami, Florida. Positioned between Coral Way and Southwest 69th Avenue intersection, the project is estimated to cost $25 million.

Centennial Bank provided a $7.5 million construction loan to Ludlam Trail Towers, LLC. The Bank’s SVP, Senior Commercial Loan Officer Yuleisy Montalvo, worked jointly with Lument, who is providing a guaranteed Freddie Mac permanent takeout with a fixed rate to Ludlam Trail Towers upon receipt of its certificate of occupancy (CO). Centennial Bank is a full-service financial institution with branches in Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, and New York and nearly $24 billion in total assets.

“This project is the culmination of the vision of the elected County officials and administrators seeking to help the most vulnerable in our society, the County Parks Department looking to bring the Ludlam Trail to fruition, the Miami-County Department of Transportation seeking to provide connectivity to the Trail over Coral Way and MV Real Estate Holdings who is contributing private dollars and will ultimately be building and executing on this vision that we believe will be transformative to so many,” said Alex Mantecon, managing partner of MV Real Estate Holdings.

Led by Alex Mantecon and Guillermo D. Vadell, managing MV Real Estate Holdings members, Ludlam Trail Towers is expected to redefine attainable housing solutions in a submarket that has not seen any projects with similar characteristics in over a decade. The funding of this project was a collaboration of private equity dollars and four different funding sources at the County level with financing provided by Centennial Bank who provided the construction loan, Lument who provided a Freddie Mac forward commitment and a Miami-County Surtax gap funding loan. This structure allowed the construction lender to be more aggressive in this challenging environment. The financing teams were spearheaded by JC de Ona and Yuleisy Montalvo at Centennial and Marc Suarez at Lument.

“It is great to see not only the public private partnership step up but also the capital markets to support the development of affordable housing,” said Marc Suarez, Managing Director at Lument.

"We are honored to be part of a project that touches upon so many critical needs in our community and to shed light into a parcel of the population that is often forgotten," said Alex Mantecon, managing partner of MV Real Estate Holdings. "There is no doubt that Ludlam Trail Towers will redefine urban living in Miami-Dade County for the elderly while at the same time creating a one-of-a-kind amenity in the Ludlam Trail linear park to be enjoyed by all."

The 64 rental units development composed of two buildings with four and five-story will encompass 760-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom units to 1,000-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bathroom residences. The towers on either side of Coral Way will be connected by a pedestrian bridge that spans over Coral Way and will be a part of the Ludlam Trail.

The project will leverage its exclusive location with direct access to the Ludlam Trail linear park and include a multipurpose room available for the public, allowing residents to interact with them while allowing them to participate in fitness activities. The property is located along the Ludlam Trail, a 6.2-mile multiuse public trail running north to south from Miami International Airport to Dadeland Mall. It will connect with the Underline and circle back to Downtown Miami, thus creating 16 miles of uninterrupted trails inside our urban core.

“Our seniors struggling with rising costs across the board deserve access to safe and affordable housing," said Commissioner Kevin Cabrera. "I’m excited to see the construction of the Ludlam Trail Towers, which help the seniors of our district live out their golden years with dignity. Looking forward to continuing to work with our partners on initiatives to tackle our community’s housing crisis.”

The Ludlam Trail Towers is one of the many scheduled residential projects for the trail as part of the redevelopment of the abandoned railroad track. Additional projects on the trail include a 312-unit apartment complex on the Bird Road Node also led by MV Real Estate Holdings in partnership with Altman Companies and Mattoni Group, an 84-unit workforce housing complex on 8th street, and a 950-unit apartment building with retail stores, and a dog park on 8th street as well; every project is currently in different phases of development.

First Florida is the General Construction company responsible for Ludlum Trail Towers with an expected completion date by the summer of 2024. Reservations will be available starting spring of 2024.

PMG Locks Down $161.5 Million Construction Loan For 400 Biscayne

PMG and Greybrook Realty Partners have locked down a $161.5 million construction loan for the development of 400 Biscayne. The financing was provided by Centennial Bank and Square Mile Capital, the same group that provided the loan for PMG’s neighboring and completed project X Miami. Andrew Warman, Jonathan Blank and Lowell Plotkin led the PMG to securing the financing with Luis Flores of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr as the attorneys representing the partnership between PMG and Greybrook Realty Partners.

“We are working hand-in-hand with First United Methodist Church and Greybrook Realty Partners to create something special for the neighborhood, which will continue to foster growth and connection in this city we love,” said Ryan Shear, a Managing Partner at PMG.

400 Biscayne broke ground in June 2019 and when complete will rise 49-stories with over 1 million SF of total development. The tower will feature 646 rental apartments, 51,000 SF of commercial space and 22,000 SF of space which is dedicated to the First United Methodist Church of Miami. 400 Biscayne will feature a lounge and restaurant in the lobby, co-working spaces, gym, pool deck and outdoor lounge, amongst other amenities. The First United Methodist Church of Miami will feature a chapel, fellowship hall, chassrooms, offices, 3-story sanctuary with views of Biscayne Bay and a basketball court. 400 Biscayne is expected to be completed at one point in 2021.