Owner of Bâoli, Massa Investment Group, Acquires Miami Beach's Paris Theater For $13 Million

Massa Investment Group has acquired Miami Beach’s Paris Theater, located at 550 Washington Ave., for $13 million; $508 per square foot. The Art Deco building, which was first built in 1935, spans 25,589 SF. The building was designed by architect Henry Hohauser and has operated over time as a cinema, adult movie house, nightclub and film studio. U2, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera and Ricky Martin have all shot music videos at the theater. Big Time Productions was the seller after acquiring the Paris Theater for $975,000 in 1992 and first listing the property for $23 million in 2015. The transaction was financed with a $15.2 million loan provided by IberiaBank. Massa Investment Group is led by Mathieu Massa who is also the owner of Mr. Hospitality, the firm behind some of Miami’s most exclusive venues including Bâoli, Marion and El Tucan.

Image via Paris Theater

NNN Leased Pollo Tropical Building on Biscayne Blvd. in MiMo Trades For 4.61% CA

A NNN leased Pollo Tropical stand-alone restaurant building located on Biscayne Blvd/ US-1 in Miami’s MiMo district, has traded for $2.275 million, equating to a 4.61% CAP rate. The 1,754 SF restaurant building sits on a 12,800 SF lot located at 7501 Biscayne Blvd in Miami, FL. The asset was renovated in 2017 and had a 15-year corporate NNN lease with Pollo Tropical. The transfer development rights (TDR’s) were not included in the sale. This Pollo Tropical restaurant is interesting because it is a drive-thru only location and contains no indoor seating. This made it especially attractive during the current pandemic as the tenant was able to operate without any interruption during the recent City of Miami shutdown.

“This acquisition was driven by the buyer’s concern for the unknown long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy and future possible shutdowns. We are seeing a large portion of our client base shift their focus to seeking out assets that have proven resilient against down markets.” said Jason Abitbol, Apex Capital Realty.

Jason Abitbol, Apex Capital Realty’s Commercial Advisor, represented the buyer, 995 Holdings LLC., in the acquisition which represented a 1031 Exchange. The Seller of the property was 7501 Biscayne LLC. which is controlled by Alex Karakhanian from LNDMRK Development. The seller was represented by Alex Zylberglait, Scott Sandelin, and Jonathan De La Rosa from Marcus and Millichap. 

One Of The Last Development Sites On Downtown Fort Lauderdale's Federal Highway Corridor Is Asking $12.5 Million

One of the last development sites on downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Federal Highway corridor has hit the market asking $12.5 million. Located at 150 N. Federal Hwy., the property is being marketed for sale by Native Realty, the Fort Lauderdale-based commercial brokerage led by founder and CEO Jaime Sturgis.

The 0.78-acre site is walking distance to many of the city’s most popular bars and restaurants on Las Olas Boulevard and in Flagler Village. It is just down the street from Virgin Trains USA’s Fort Lauderdale station. Existing zoning potentially allows for hotel with up to 212 rooms, residential with up to 109 units or a 12-story mixed-use development.

“You could not ask for a more well-positioned development site at the gateway to downtown Fort Lauderdale,” Sturgis said. “We anticipate substantial interest in this offering given the scarcity of such properties in the city’s urban core.”

Sturgis and Native Realty’s Dan Ross are also exclusively marketing one of the last available land assemblages in Flagler Village. The 600, 614 and 618 NE Third Ave. and 313 NE Sixth St. assemblage is priced at $7.7 million and has zoning that allows for a wide variety of development up to 150 feet.

For more information about 150 N. Federal Hwy., private showings or purchasing/ leasing information please fill out the form below:

Melo Opens Miami Plaza Tower In Downtown Miami's Arts & Entertainment District, Marking Milestone 2,300+ Units Completed In 5 Years

Melo Group, one of Miami’s most active residential development firms, has transformed and activated Downtown Miami’s Arts & Entertainment District with attainable, transit-oriented multifamily product for local residents. The firm has officially completed Miami Plaza, its newest transit-oriented 36-story rental tower which is now open for occupancy. Miami Plaza is situated adjacent to the Miami-Dade Metromover School Board Station at 1500 Northeast Miami Plaza and is comprised of 425 rental apartments catering to the growing influx of young professionals in Downtown Miami seeking walkable live-work-play lifestyles without the commute. The development also includes approximately 8,000 square feet of ground-floor retail/restaurant space available for lease. 

Apartments at Miami Plaza feature expansive balconies with bay and city views, floor-to-ceiling sliding doors, energy-efficient tinted glass, European-style kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, granite countertops, double door refrigerators, stainless steel appliances, spacious living and dining rooms, imported ceramic tile and laminated wood flooring, and full-size washer and dryers. Residences at Miami Plaza apartments range from one- to three-bedrooms measuring between 700 to 1,400 square feet. Monthly rental rates start at approximately $1,680 for one-bedroom units; $2,100 for two-bedroom units; and $2,640 for three-bedroom units. 

Building amenities include a large 70-foot swimming pool, a fully-equipped fitness center, a café social lounge, 24-hour concierge/security, and a multi-level secured garage with valet service.

“Art Plaza completes our vision for the transformation of the Arts & Entertainment District – an area of Downtown Miami that has been residentially underserved for years – into a true live-work-play neighborhood,” said Martin Melo, principal of the Melo Group. “Our transit-friendly location, with convenient access to the Metromover, Metrorail and Miami Trolley, gives residents convenient everyday access to public transportation and will hopefully help reduce traffic congestion in Downtown during the workweek.”

Miami Plaza marks the fourth multifamily development, and sixth tower, that Melo Group has delivered in the Arts & Entertainment District since 2016 and completes the final phase of the firm’s plan to bring more than 2,300 transit-oriented rental units to the growing neighborhood. The firm’s previously completed developments in the area, all of which are clustered around the Miami-Dade Metromover School Board Station within a few blocks of each other, include the 497-unit Melody Tower, which delivered in 2016; the two-tower 710-unit Square Station, which delivered in 2018; and most recently, the two-tower 667-unit Art Plaza, which delivered in 2019.

“The demand for highly-amenitized, well-built attainable rental units within walking distance of our city’s transit systems, prime retail and entertainment venues is strong,” added Carlos Melo, principal of the Melo Group.

Melo Group has helped activate Downtown’s Arts & Entertainment District bringing a total of more than 45,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space at the base of their apartment buildings to serve tenant’s everyday needs. Some of the community’s newest tenants include Bunbury, Bistro Café, Tapout Fitness, My Salon, Spot Barbershop, Shine Nail Salon, New York Roma Pizza and Testa Wines. Melo is also gearing up for the debut of “Art Kitchen,” an indoor/outdoor dining promenade at the base of the firm’s Art Plaza towers that will feature ten different restaurant concepts with cuisines ranging from Indian, Peruvian, Mexican, Japanese, Italian and more.

Melo Group’s father-and-sons team, led by Jose Luis Melo and his two sons Carlos and Martin Melo, has been a driving force behind Miami’s real estate resurgence since 2001, with the firm recognized today as one of the region’s preeminent developers of high-end residential developments in Downtown Miami. Miami Plaza is Melo’s 16th residential building delivered in the Greater Downtown Miami area, bringing the firm’s portfolio to more than 5,000 total condo and rental units completed with another 2,000+ units in the works.

Melo Group’s next residential project, Downtown 5th, is now under construction at 55 NE 5th Avenue in Downtown Miami’s Central Business District. With completion slated for 2021, the luxury apartment complex will include twin 51-story towers with 1,042 rental units and more than 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail/restaurant space.

Amazon To Build Largest Distribution Center in South Florida After Scoring Approval From Miami-Dade County

Miami-Dade commissioners have voted unanimously to sell a vacant lot located at 13200 Southwest 272nd Street near the Homestead Air Reserve Base in South Miami-Dade County to Amazon for $22,056,853, clearing the way for Amazon to build a new distribution center to service South Florida. Amazon will invest $80 million into the property to build out the distribution center which will be a minimum of 1 million square feet and could become the largest in the region. The distribution center would be used to distribute products including food, produce and groceries. The facility is expected to create at lease 325 permanent full-time jobs with an annual salary of $32,000. 25% of the funds paid by Amazon to acquire the site will be dedicated to the Miami-Dade Affordable Housing Trust and the remaining funds will be allocated to the Homestead Air Reserve Base Fund. The South Miami-Dade facility would be the 4th distribution center used by Amazon in the South Florida region.

TimeEquities Launches Leasing For Resort-Style Development CasaMara In West Palm Beach

Global real estate firm Time Equities, Inc. (TEI) has officially launched leasing at CasaMara, a mixed-use, resort-style development located in the heart of the El Cid neighborhood and the Antique Row District in West Palm Beach, Florida. The project features a total of six low-rise buildings made up of 300 class-A apartments, a 16,000-square-foot clubhouse, as well as an additional 16,000 square feet of retail shops called The Plaza at CasaMara, all of which will spread out over 10 acres of land.

Construction is well underway at 3111 South Dixie Highway and is slated to deliver completed homes in three phases. The first 100 units along with the clubhouse, which houses many of the amenities offered at CasaMara, will be completed by early fall 2020. The following two phases will be completed in winter 2020 and spring 2021, respectively.

MSA Architects are responsible for both the site planning and the distinct Spanish-Eclectic style architecture of the development. ID and Design International designed clean, stylish home interiors with modern finishes such as bright kitchens, large balconies, smart home features, and full-size washers and dryers. Kitchens have been furnished to have white quartz countertops, white subway tiles backsplashes, and stainless-steel Samsung appliances. Other home features include oversized showers and windows, elevators in buildings, access-controlled building systems, and best-in-class acoustics designed with noise reduction.

Units range from studios to three-bedrooms, with pricing starting at $1,726. Lincoln Property Company, the second-largest multifamily management company, is handling CasaMara’s leasing and marketing.

“We currently have over 700 prospective renters on our VIP list thus far, and we are very excited about the incredible interest we’re seeing in the project,” said Stefane Spano of Lincoln. “This development offers an unmatched amenities package for the marketplace and is located in an exceptional, convenient area that is minutes away from Downtown West Palm Beach.”

CasaMara’s amenities, also designed by ID and Design International, were created to give tenants a luxury lifestyle experience. These include a resort-style pool with private cabanas, a pool pavilion building with grilling stations and a 60-foot water wall, a Jacuzzi with therapeutic jets, a co-working lounge with private offices and complimentary WiFi, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a bark park, a game room with billiards and Wii Stations, a club room with art lounge and fireplace, dining facilities for private parties. There is also a full suite of children’s amenities including a kids pool, an air-conditioned playroom, and an outdoor playground.

“CasaMara presents an opportunity for residents to have everything at their fingertips – resort-style amenities, shops, and restaurants, all steps from their front door,” said Robert Singer, Director of Development at Time Equities. “We are offering an all-inclusive, unparalleled living experience in an area that continues to evolve with exciting cultural additions and modern retail and office complexes.”

The Plaza will provide an inviting environment for the community and shoppers alike with its on-street parking, wide sidewalks with shade trees, lush landscaping, outdoor seating, and a corner park with fountains. Avison Young will be handling the retail leasing and marketing for The Plaza, which is set to open in spring 2021.

CasaMara is conveniently located approximately 1.5 miles south of Downtown West Palm Beach and offers easy access to I-95, Palm Beach International Airport, and all the other splendors Palm Beach and Palm Beach County has to offer.

By Isabella Zimmermann

Former Top Silverstein Exec Launches Hyperion, A New Investment And Development Firm

Rob Vecsler, a former Silverstein Properties executive, has announced that after leaving Silverstein he is re-launching Hyperion Group, a South Florida and New York based real estate investment and development firm. Rob Vecsler spent the past six years at Silverstein Properties in New York, where he served as President of Residential Development and Head of Acquisitions, overseeing in excess of $4 billion dollars in development and acquisitions, while also serving on the company’s investment committee. Vecsler has reconstituted the core team at Hyperion that developed several large-scale projects together in Miami.

To coincide with the re-launch of Hyperion Group, the firm has formed a partnership with Winter Properties to co-invest in investment opportunities in South Florida, New York and other select markets. Hyperion will serve as the developer for the venture’s projects. 

“We are delighted to have Winter as a venture and capital partner,” said Rob Vecsler, Principal and CEO of Hyperion. “Our combined investment and development capabilities, together with substantial investment capital, allows us to be bold, nimble, and competitive wherever we see opportunity,” 

The partnership just closed on their first deal, a development site in West Palm Beach and plans to develop a 300-unit multi-family property. The West Palm Beach site has flexible as-of-right zoning allowing for a mixed-use development, which will include over 300 multi-family residences. Managing through recent market conditions, Hyperion worked with the seller to negotiate and close the transaction at a basis that maximizes the new venture’s development program optionality. The venture is pursuing additional sites and monitoring the market to acquire assets presenting further value opportunities.

“We are pleased to have co-invested in the first of what we expect will be many deals with Rob and Hyperion, as we are committed to investing in and growing this venture together,” said David Winter, Co-CEO of Standard Industries. “We hope to play a key role in Hyperion’s growth as a leading real estate development and investment platform.” 

“We’re excited about this development project and the overall venture as it exemplifies Winter’s focus on relationships with companies like Hyperion that have strong leadership and compelling growth strategies,” said Rick Singer, President of Winter Properties.

Goddard Investment Group Moves To Evict WeWork From South of Fifth Location

WeWork’s landlord at 429 Lenox Avenue, Goddard Investment Group, has moved to evict WeWork from their South of Fifth location at 429 Lenox Avenue in South Beach. The 43,500 SF building is fully leased by WeWork who skipped out on rent payments for April, May and June. An eviction notice reportedly alleges WeWork behind in excess of $650,000 in unpaid rent which must be paid by today or WeWork must vacate the property (July 7, 2020). WeWork first opened the South of Fifth location in early 2016 and is committed to the NNN lease until 2031. Goddard Investment Group financed 429 Lenox Ave. with a $23 million floating-rate loan issued by Granite Point Mortgage Trust, Inc. In Miami WeWork has other locations at 350 Lincoln Road, Brickell, Downtown Miami and Coral Gables.

Times have not been good to WeWork following its failed IPO in 2019. The coworking giant recently announced that it will being closing its first location to ever open in New York City and saw its valuation slashed from over $47 billion to $2.9 billion.

In May 2020, a group of WeWork’s members moved toward suing the co-working giant demanding that WeWork cease collecting rental fees. Many tenants had already requested rent relief, cancelled their leases or stopped paying, which put over $5.5 billion of CMBS loans backed by WeWork occupied properties at risk. Some of the CMBS loans back WeWork flagship locations in New York and San Francisco. WeWork has retained Newmark Knight Frank and JLL to try to renegotiate leases and negotiate concessions from landlords at some of their properties as the firm try to stave off a potential bankruptcy.

WeWork’s problems do not end there. Former CEO and co-founder Adam Neumann is reportedly under investigation for self-dealing by the New York State Attorney General. In addition, the Tokyo-based SoftBank led by Masayoshi Son and a special committee of WeWork board members have been locked in a legal battle after Softbank walked away from a $3 billion tender offer in April 2020 which was part of the $9.5 billion bailout package SoftBank signed with WeWork following WeWork’s failed IPO.

CitizenM Coming To 1212 Lincoln After Acquiring Hotel Piece From Crescent Heights

CitizenM is coming to South Beach after the Dutch hotel group purchased the hotel portion of Crescent Height’s 1212 Lincoln at the junction of Lincoln Road and Alton Road in South Beach. CitizenM paid $9 million for the 50 room hotel which is a part of the 1212 Lincoln mixed-use project which also includes over 70,000 SF of retail and 400 parking spaces. PROFILEmiami first reported that Crescent Heights was looking to bring in CitizenM to the 1212 Lincoln project in September 2017. CitizenM also has two other hotel locations under construction in Miami including Brickell and Miami Worldcenter in Downtown.

1212 Lincoln was designed by Perkins + Will and Plaza Construction is the general contractor on the project. The hotel portion rises 12-stories and the project will also include a 5-story parking garage and a Wells Fargo Bank. Crescent Heights has proposed a rooftop movie theater which is being reviewed by the city. Newmark Knight Frank is overseeing leasing for the retail component of the project. Completion is expected by 2022.

Avison Young Lists Portfolio of Five South Florida Development Sites For $80 Million

Avison Young’s Florida Capital Markets Group has been exclusively selected to sell five South Florida development sites totaling ±13.5 acres, representing potential for nearly 1,000 new multifamily units. The listings can be packaged together as a portfolio for $80 million combined and underscore increased investor confidence as Florida sees an uptick in new out-of-state buyers.

The investment opportunities include 3550 Biscayne, a Fort Lauderdale Beach development site, an Oakland Park development site on Fort Lauderdale’s main retail corridor, a Dania Beach development site and a Miami Gardens development site near the Palmetto Expressway. Michael T. Fay will lead the sales of the development sites along with Avison Young Principals David Duckworth; John K. Crotty, CCIM; Vice President Brian C. de la Fé; and Associates Emily Brais and Berkley Bloodworth. 

“We’ve seen continued interest in investments, particularly in land,” said Fay, Principal and Managing Director of Avison Young’s Miami operations. “It’s easier today to assess risk for land which better positions the future developments of those types of deals.”

“The increasing number of New Yorkers and residents from other large cities migrating to Florida due to effects of the pandemic is one major factor contributing to the investment interest we’re seeing,” added Fay.

3550 Biscayne is a 1.62-acre mixed-use development assemblage encompassing two bocks at the intersection of Biscayne Boulevard and N.E. 36th Street. The property, located at 3550 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami, Florida, rests on the edge of Miami’s Edgewater, Midtown, and Design District neighborhoods. An investor could construct an iconic 60-story tower with multiple uses, including up to 392 residential units.

The Palmetto Expressway development site is a 1.32-acre development site at 3700 N.W. 167th St. in Miami Gardens, Florida. The property could potentially host an impressive 10-story structure with up to 132 multifamily units, office, and retail components. 

The Fort Lauderdale Beach development site is a 1.25-acre development site at 2908 E. Sunrise Blvd. on Fort Lauderdale Beach, steps from the Atlantic Ocean. The site has potential for a 12-story mixed use project consisting of retail, multifamily, and hotel uses. 

The Oakland Park property a 2.11-acre site plan approved for a project known as O2, a mixed-use development located within Fort Lauderdale’s premier retail corridor at 3411 N. Federal Highway in Oakland Park, Florida. The property is approved for 165 residential units with world-class amenities, 31,705 square feet of ground-floor retail and a parking garage. 

The Dania Beach development site is a 7.2-acre site plan approved for a six-story, 275-unit apartment complex. The property at 4200 S.W. 54th Court in Dania Beach, Florida, is walking distance from the Seminole Hard Rock Casino and Hotel. The offering presents the opportunity to develop rental apartments and capitalize on the imbalance of high demand and lack of supply within the area. 

The five development sites come to market on the heels of another recently launched South Florida listing: Le Jeune Station, a 2.79-acre site priced at $16.5 million near Miami International Airport and Coral Gables.

For more information about the portfolio or any of the sites, private showings or purchasing/ leasing information please fill out the form below: