Genting Group Draws 5 Bids Over $1 Billion For The Former-Miami Herald Waterfront Development Site

Genting Group has received five bids over $1 billion following a marketing period led by Avison Young’s Florida Capital Markets Group for the former Miami Herald site in Downtown Miami, one of the largest and most valuable development sites in the United States. The largest bid values the property at just under $1.5 billion for the rare Omni District waterfront site. The land is a ±15.5-acre development opportunity which was dubbed BayCity Miami and is currently host annually to ArtMiami and CONTEXT Art Miami during Miami Art Week as ArtMiami’s Art Wynwood show in February. The property was previously occupied by the Miami Herald headquarters which was demolished in 2014.

Located at 1431 N Bayshore Drive in Miami the property features 800 linear feet of direct Biscayne Bay frontage and highly aggressive zoning in one of Miami’s most dynamic and connected neighborhoods, it is considered the most desirable development site offering in the city’s history and one of the largest waterfront land assemblages currently available in the U.S. The property has the potential to build a landmark mixed-use office, retail, residential, hospitality, and entertainment destination.

Genting Group appointed Avison Young’s Florida Capital Markets Group led by Avison Young Principals Michael T. Fay, John K. Crotty, CCIM; David Duckworth, and Vice President Brian C. de la Fé to spearhead the marketing and sale of property. Genting Group, one of the largest resort and entertainment and gaming corporations in the world which operates Resorts World, will remain invested in the Omni area, maintaining ownership of parcels spanning 10 acres west of Biscayne Boulevard.

Spanning several lots, including the former Miami Herald headquarters site, the property is in the Metromover subzone of Miami-Dade’s mixed-use zoning of RTZ (Rapid Transit Zone). With South Florida’s most generous zoning designation, the site has unlimited buildable square footage, no setbacks, a height limited only by the FAA regulations (649 feet) and a potential density of over 8,000 units. The RTZ zoning provides developers an enormous, highly flexible building envelope and the opportunity to develop a singular waterfront development of incredible scale.

Over the past 2.5 years, Miami has become a Tier-1 American city, on par with New York City and Los Angeles. According to proptech platform AVANT by Avison Young, Orbital Insight, Miami is outperforming most top U.S. metropolitan cities, including New York, as far as daily visitors to the city’s downtown urban core. Additionally, high-income earners and some of the most successful financial services, technology and cryptocurrency firms continue to relocate to Miami from other major metros. Rents across commercial real estate asset classes in Miami are at all-time highs, and development sales continue to break records.

Genting Group Seeking Over $1 Billion For One Of The Largest And Most Valuable Waterfront Development Sites In The U.S.

Genting Group is seeking over $1 billion for its Omni District waterfront land, a ±15.5-acre development opportunity dubbed BayCity Miami at 1431 N Bayshore Drive in Miami. With 800 linear feet of direct Biscayne Bay frontage and highly aggressive zoning in one of Miami’s most dynamic and connected neighborhoods, it is considered the most desirable development site offering in the city’s history and one of the largest waterfront land assemblages currently available in the U.S. Genting Group has tapped Avison Young’s Florida Capital Markets Group to exclusively market the property.

“This site is among the most valuable in the United States, let alone South Florida,” said Michael T. Fay, Principal and Managing Director of Avison Young’s Miami operations who leads the team managing the sale. “The rarity of this opportunity coupled with the potential to build a landmark office, retail, residential, hospitality, and entertainment destination will attract prospective buyers from all over the world.”

Spanning several lots, including the former Miami Herald headquarters site, the property is in the Metromover subzone of Miami-Dade’s mixed-use zoning of RTZ (Rapid Transit Zone). With South Florida’s most generous zoning designation, the site has unlimited buildable square footage, no setbacks, a height limited only by the FAA regulations (649 feet) and a potential density of over 8,000 units. The RTZ zoning provides developers an enormous, highly flexible building envelope and the opportunity to develop a singular waterfront development of incredible scale.

Along with Fay, Avison Young Principals John K. Crotty, CCIM; David Duckworth, and Vice President Brian C. de la Fé will spearhead the marketing and sale of property. Genting Group, one of the largest resort and entertainment and gaming corporations in the world, will remain invested in the Omni area, maintaining ownership of parcels spanning 10 acres west of Biscayne Boulevard.

“South Florida’s popularity only continues to grow, and we are incredibly optimistic about our opportunity to bring a unique development to the area,” said Robert DeSalvio, President, Genting Americas East. “With our focus now locked in on 10 acres of prime real estate, we look forward to accelerating the process of outlining a project, putting shovels in the ground and getting a project built that all South Floridians can be proud of.”

Over the past 2.5 years, Miami has become a Tier-1 American city, on par with New York City and Los Angeles. According to proptech platform AVANT by Avison Young, Orbital Insight, Miami is outperforming most top U.S. metropolitan cities, including New York, as far as daily visitors to the city’s downtown urban core. Additionally, high-income earners and some of the most successful financial services, technology and cryptocurrency firms continue to relocate to Miami from other major metros. Rents across commercial real estate asset classes in Miami are at all-time highs, and development sales continue to break records.

Florida East Coast Realty Sells Brickell Waterfront Development Site For Record $363 Million In Mega-Deal

Florida East Coast Realty has sold a 2.5 acre prime waterfront development site in Miami’s Brickell Financial District in a mega-deal for a record $363 million. The transaction breaks the previous record set when the former 14-acre Miami Herald site in Downtown Miami sold for $236 million to Genting Group. The buyer, an entity managed by the Chicago-based Randall Davis, paid roughly $145 million per acre, $3,340 PSF dirt value, for the site which is located at 1201 Brickell Bay Drive. Florida East Coast Realty, which is led by Tibor Hollo and family, acquired the site in 2000 for $15.5 million and revealed plans for a 1,049-foot, 660 unit supertall tower designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Norman Foster of Foster + Partners.

Meridiam Becomes Lead Investment Partner in Miami Beach Monorail Consortium’s Beach Corridor Plan

The Miami Beach Monorail Consortium has announced that the global infrastructure investment firm Meridiam has become the lead investment partner for the Consortium’s proposed mass transit monorail that would connect Downtown Miami and Miami Beach. The company, which has over $8 billion in assets under management across the globe, previously took over and completed the Port of Miami Tunnel project. The tunnel’s infrastructure required a workforce of 7,000 people, 83% of which came from the local community.

Over the past 30 years, studies have shown that the Interstate 395/MacArthur Causeway Beach Corridor is in need of a robust mass-transit solution that can benefit both visitors and regular commuters. The Miami Beach Monorail Consortium hopes to fulfill this public transit need for commuters and visitors alike with the County’s Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Beach Corridor plan. The Corridor, which runs from the Design District and Downtown Miami to the Miami Beach Convention Center area, has been identified as one of the six SMART Plan Corridors by Miami-Dade County’s Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), which are priority areas that need public mass transit. 

The Consortium presents the monorail as an innovative and modern model that will enhance Miami-Dade County’s standing as a smart city and alleviate traffic congestion on the MacArthur Causeway. The monorail is expected to create more efficient methods of transportation for Miami residents, while also generating thousands of jobs for its construction.

A Parsons study commissioned by Miami-Dade County estimates ridership for the monorail at more than 9,000 passengers per day and suggested elevated rubber tire technology as the best option to use for the Beach Corridor plan. These findings were later approved by Miami-Dade County’s TPO in December 2019.

“We are excited with the possibility of delivering another cutting-edge infrastructure project in Miami that will serve the community for decades to come,” said Jamie Rubin, CEO of Meridiam Infrastructure North America Corp. Meridiam is a founding member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Investment Partnership. “We have submitted a proposal that we hope meets all Miami-Dade County’s requirements to bring a much-needed public transit solution that will connect two of Miami’s most important hubs for residents, tourists and businesses. After the Port of Miami, it will be another sustainable and impactful infrastructure for Miami, dedicated to improving the quality of people’s lives”

“The success of the Port of Miami Tunnel would not have been possible without a strong partnership with hundreds of Miami companies with local knowledge,” said Christopher Hodgkins, Chief Executive Officer for Port of Miami Tunnel. “Meridiam can now utilize the expertise gained through the Tunnel project to once again hire local workers and companies who will help deliver the monorail safely and efficiently.” 

Meridiam joins existing Consortium partners Genting and Aqualand Development, which submitted an unsolicited proposal in 2019 that became the source for a public Request for Proposals (RFP) that is currently being conducted by the County. The Consortium has submitted a proposal with further details on its approach in response to that RFP.

By Isabella Zimmermann

Ready For Art Basel? Check-Out The New Downtown Site For CONTEXT Art Miami And Art Miami

Art Miami has released a new drone video of their 250,000 SF installation for Art Basel which will house the popular Art Miami and CONTEXT Aft Miami shows. The location at One Herald Plaza, the current Genting property and former Miami Herald site, will also feature a cafe, outdoor dining area, a transportation area with pick-up and drop off, valet parking for 4,000 cars, cocktail lounge and exterior deck overlooking Biscayne Bay. Art Miami represents Miami's longest running contemporary art fair, hosting their 28th edition recognizing America's Modern and contemporary art and primary destination for acquisition of works from the 20th and 21st centuries. CONTEXT Art Miami is in its 6th edition after launching in 2012 and aims to create a dialogue between artists, galleries and collectors. The new location sits just across MacArthur Causeway from the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Museum Park and the newly opened Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science. Check out the drone video below.

Resorts World Moves 1-Step Closer To Reality, Submits Replat To Redevelop Bus Terminal

Resorts World has moved another step closer to becoming a reality after submitting their proposed replat of Awana Forest to Miami City Planners. The replat includes the county bus terminal with the Adrienne Arsht MetroMover, which Resorts World previously won county approval to redevelop in March of this year (2017). Their proposal includes redeveloping the terminal in conjunction with retail space and a 36-story, Arquitectonica-designed residential hotel tower. The hotel tower will feature 300 hotel rooms and an unspecified number of residential apartment or condo units. The project is being developed by Resorts World Miami LLC with a total cost projected to be $200 million. 

Genting & Resorts World Submit Proposal to Redevelop Omni Transit Terminal with Hotel

New details are emerging of the Genting and Resorts World proposal to redevelop the Omni transit terminal and add a new hotel to the property. The redevelopment will feature a 300-room hotel designed by Arquitectonica, with 162,000 SF of hotel and 229,800 SF of residential condominiums. Resorts World will add a Grand Public Plaza to the property. The project will integrate the historic, currently under-renovation Boulevard Shops, the redevelopment of the Omni Mall as Resorts World and Crystal Cruises' headquarters, as well as the future mixed-use project on the former Miami Herald lot which will feature 2 residential towers, a hotel tower, retail, food and dining, entertainment and an 800-foot baywalk. 

Resorts World Applies to Renovate The Omni into Office Space & Boulevard Shops Update

Change may finally be coming to the vacant Omni Mall in Edgewater at 500 Biscayne Boulevard as Resorts World Omni, LLC has applied for a construction permit to renovate 24,550 SF into office space. Blufin Construction is the contractor on record for their application. Currently both Resorts World Bimini and Crystal Cruises use 500 Biscayne Boulevard as their headquarter address. Crystal Cruises last year leased 40,000 SF of office space in the Omni Building, adjacent to their Boulevard Shops sales center. Resorts World Bimini and Crystal Cruises are owned by Genting Group, a Malaysian conglomerate that has business interests in leisure, hospitality, plantations, properties, power generation, oil and gas, e-commerce, information technology and biotechnology.

Last year Crystal Cruises began reconstruction of The Boulevard Shops on an adjacent lot at 1401 Biscayne Boulevard. Their plan was unveiled at the 2016 Fort Lauderdale SeaTrade show for the Boulevard Shops project for Crystal Cruises which will include a renovation and expansion of the historic building to offer a cafe and bistro with indoor and outdoor seating, cigar bar and sales center for Crystal Residences. Crystal Residences will be onboard condos featured on 2 of their cruise ships. The renovation of The Boulevard Shops is being designed by architect Richard Heisenbottle. 

Genting/ Resorts World Submits Plans for 3 Towers in Downtown

Malaysian developer Genting Group has submitted their plans for Federal approval for their proposed Resorts World development at the former Miami Herald site in Downtown Miami at 1 Herald Plaza. The land has sat there essential untouched, less a fence being constructed on the site several months ago. On January 23, Genting submitted plans for 3 towers to the FAA. Each tower is proposed to rise 642 SF above ground (649 SF above sea level). The FAA had previous approved the three towers at the same height in 2013 when Arquitectonica submitted their application on Genting's behalf. The approval expired on January 10, 2017. Genting has also been working to gain approval to construct a marina behind the site which would house 50 boat-slips and a mega-yacht harbor. They also have a deal in place with Art Miami to move the annual show to the site. Genting purchased the 5.65 acre site in 2011 for $236 million with the plans to build a casino but state and county officials have been slow to approve any plans that would allow gambling.