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[Brickell]

Related Urbanplanet.org topics: [ South Florida Projects & Construction | South Florida P&C Index ]

Coverage of Miami's Kendall suburb and neighboring areas.

Communities covered:
Kendall / Dadeland
The Falls

--------------------------------------
Click the link and check out some of the small pictures...
I'll try to keep this thread updated as Dadeland gets taller.



http://www.community...4/local1_kg.htm

First ‘Downtown Kendall’ buildings rising skyward

By Richard Yager


Metropolis displays
finished streetscape at ground level,
east of Publix supermarket.

A new “Downtown Kendall” is emerging from architectural plans and renderings, reshaping the Dadeland area.

Metropolis and Downtown Dadeland, two massive residential projects, are “out of the ground” and Colonnade, a third community north of Dadeland Mall, has completed site clearing for first phase construction.

Meanwhile, the first of three rental apartment structures planned by the Green Companies immediately north of the Dadeland North Metrorail Station is nearing its 15-floor height. Completion is expected in March 2005.


First Metropolis tower rises to right
of Marriott as new apartment building
goes up on Kendall Drive.

George Brown, president of the Green Companies, said the first floor will offer 7,000 square feet of retail space and 121 apartments on the upper 14 floors of the 140,000-square-foot building. Two additional buildings of similar design will be built on the same site.

Brown said the Green Companies, which pioneered commercial development south of Dadeland Mall, is scheduled to break ground in 2005 for a new 14-story, 110,000-square-foot office tower to build out the Datran Center.
A new rental apartment structure is underway on the south side of Kendall Drive, planned with a Rooms To Go retail store at ground level with apartments on the upper floors.


Green Companies’ apartment
building overlooks Snapper Creek
Canal and cleared Colonnade site.

All of the new construction is part of the Miami-Dade Master Plan for what has become known as “Downtown Kendall,” a redevelopment project to encourage residential growth and pedestrian-friendly shopping around Dadeland Mall.
Planning for the new projects started more than a decade ago when the Kendall Council of Chamber South proposed a long-range design effort for future development among Dadeland area property owners, government agencies and existing neighbors.

During a formal charrette in June 1998, professional agencies were commissioned to create an integrated, long-range plan for the future of the S. Dixie Highway (US1)-Kendall Drive (SW 88th Street) area.

Those initial concepts eventually led to a comprehensive master plan approved by Miami-Dade County Planning and Zoning officials encouraging extensive mixed-use residential, retail and commercial growth in clustered areas, both north and south of Dadeland Mall.

Downtown Dadeland completing
foundation along east side
of Dadeland Blvd.

Asked if he believed that Dadeland could soon be overcome with traffic problems, Brown said, “Actually, we should have a better traffic situation than one in which the Dadeland area only develops more retail and commercial building.
“Traffic from new residential areas leaves in the morning and returns at the end of the day,” he said. “That should create a more balanced situation with traffic entering Dadeland office and commercial areas mornings and leaving at night. We’re completing traffic studies to draw a comparison with the mid-1980s traffic counts.”

Eventually, the Miami-Dade County Master Plan is expected to create 5,000 new residences while transforming Dadeland’s once-formidable exteriors of blank concrete walls and tiers of parking garage levels into more appealing surroundings.
Today, pedestrians can get a glimpse of that future where Metropolis has largely completed the ground-level exterior of its first tower on a two-acre tract adjoining the new Publix Supermarket opposite the Datran Center buildings.
Completion of foundation pilings and footings has moved ahead at Downtown Dadeland, planned for 416 condominiums and 112,000 square feet of retail space.

Colonnade, developed by a LDI, a Lennar subsidiary, has cleared ground between SW 72nd and 73rd avenues at SW 82nd Street with long-range planning to link residential towers by footbridges to a redeveloped north side of Dadeland Mall with retail shops and restaurants at ground level.

[bobliocatt]

That area is starting to come along nicely.  Keep us updated.

[Brickell]

http://www.globest.c...i/129666-1.html

GlobeSt.com UPDATE: Twin Metropolis Towers Sold Out
By Marita Thomas
Last updated: December 20, 2004  08:14am

DADELAND, FL-Metropolis at Dadeland, a 25-story, twin-tower residential condo complex under development by Miami-based Terra ADI International Developments, is sold out, according to Lorraine Navarro, sales manager. Tower I is ready for occupancy and ground is currently being broken on its twin.

A deck on the eighth floor will connect the buildings, which together contain 568 units. They include 675-sf studios, lofts with 13-foot ceilings, one- and two-bedroom apartments with dens and 1,445-sf penthouses. Condo prices range from the $150,000s to the $400,000s, and Navarro says sales volume totaled $25 million. Tower II is scheduled for completion next spring.

The Metropolis towers, the tallest buildings Downtown, are located on approximately two acres at 9101 South Dadeland Blvd. within steps of Dadeland Mall, a Publix supermarket and Metrorail. On completion, Metropolis will contain such amenities as an outdoor pool, fitness center, and a private clubhouse with a bar, kitchen and lounge. Services include 24-hour valet, security and concierge.

The architect of the Art Moderne structures is Coral Gables-based Nichols Brosch & Sandoval Associates. Pedro Martin founded Terra in 2001, and Nautica, a six-story, 33-unit building with a private marina on the Intercoastal Waterway of Miami’s South Beach, is the company’s first project. Two more, Quantum on the Bay and 900 Biscayne, are currently under way.

[Aessotariq]

A photo tour of the Dadeland area, with photos and construction updates. Next time the pictures will be higher-res.

"Downtown Kendall" area looking toward Dadeland South Metorail station. Metropolis towers under construction, Metropolis 1 topped off:


Looking southeast, with recently-finished Courtyard Marriott, bottom left


Colonnade project, fronting Snapper Creek Canal, across from Dadeland Mall


Dadeland at a wider angle, Metrorail track on left:


Dadeland station, a three-level vertical shopping center with six-level parking garage, across from Dadeland North Metrorail station:


inside Dadeland station:


Canyon effect: Dadeland North Metrorail parking garage and condo/retail project on the right.


Downtown Dadeland project, underground parking under construction.

Edited by tivo, 01 January 2005 - 10:54 PM.

[Aessotariq]

Posted on Sun, Jan. 02, 2005
MIAMI-DADE
Architect wants Kendall more urban

Can residents of Kendall ever be convinced to give up their spaced out suburban living? Fabio Bendaña, a South Florida architect, seems to think so.

BY JOSELLE GALIS-MENENDEZ
jgalis-menendez@herald.com

With Miami-Dade County's population growing and developers setting their sights farther and farther west, what happens when there's no more space?

Architect Fabio Bendaña, who works with the firm Sequeira & Gavarrete, believes the key to making more room is to start thinking up.

''Kendall wasn't planned very well,'' Bendaña said. ``It needs to be more dense, more urban.''

So, when he was finishing his masters at Florida International University, Bendaña wrote his thesis, Public Spaces in Kendall, using the theory that urban areas equal more pedestrians -- which cut down on traffic -- and taller buildings, which mean more use in less space.

''The reason I first looked at Kendall was that no one had ever taken any interest in it, and it's such a populated area,'' Bendaña said.

So, what does he mean by making Kendall more urban?

One thing Bendaña suggests is taller buildings with a commercial layer at the bottom, office spaces above and residential units on the top floors.

''For example, on the corner of Southwest 107th Avenue and Kendall Drive,'' he said. ``Developers could build office spaces and residential units above that shopping center. ''

``People would have to be moved around temporarily, but the end result is worth it.''

Bendaña is suggesting people live on top of Publix and CVS Pharmacy, and Subrata Basu, assistant director of the Miami-Dade planning department, agrees with the idea.

''We cannot continue moving west and taking over agriculture and Everglades land,'' Basu said.

But Basu said redevelopment opportunities are more expensive than virgin land, which is why developers continue to spread out the suburbs.

These ideas of urban planning are not exclusive to Kendall according to Basu, who said this is a county-wide plan.

''But,'' he adds, ``the biggest problem we encounter when proposing higher density is major opposition from existing neighborhoods. It's a matter of a slow change in values. What do you value more, a rural setting? Is that worth spending three hours in traffic?''

But Bendaña and Basu want to make it clear that there will always be a place for the suburbs.

''I respect the idea of the suburbs,'' Bendaña said. ``We can leave cells within the city that stay true to suburban planning.''

Basu said the areas that surround major roadways and highways are the ones more suitable for higher density.

In these areas, Bendaña said, bringing businesses and housing closer together in true big city fashion will keep residents from having to commute on a daily basis.

Bendaña knows what happens when everyone is so spread out.

''Right now people have to make 10 trips to take care of 10 things, where in a more urban area they could take care of everything in one area,'' Basu said.

''And everybody walks and interacts with each other when there is a strong pedestrian life in a city,'' Bendaña said. ``It helps bring character and a sense of community.''

Some places, like the Dadeland Mall area, are already more pedestrian-friendly with office spaces, restaurants and mixed commercial uses, all steps from the Metrorail.

Bendaña believes the public transportation system could help encourage future pedestrians.

''Now, people take their cars because they have to drive to the nearest bus stop anyway,'' he said.

But before any of it can happen, the prevailing view of development will need to shift, especially when it comes to such places as Kendall.

''We're not quite there yet,'' Basu said. ``Where we can say people will walk or use mass transit. We have to mature a lot of places pedestrian-wise, which are now not a walking-friendly environment. Then people will start to see density is not a bad thing.''

Link to article here

[prahaboheme]

Awesome pictures!  Its great to see a skyline forming there.

[Aessotariq]

As promised, high-res pics:



Kendall skyline from the south (those retail stores are in the Village of Pinecrest, literally across the street from Kendall):


My favorite building, 9155 Dadeland:


Looking northwest toward the "dense sprawl" of suburban Kendall... Palmetto Expressway (FL 826) in the foreground:


Dadeland Station is one of my favorite concepts. It has several amenities that I find positive in shopping: dense/compact, vertical, covered parking, and just a block away from transit.

Dadeland Station at night:


Dadeland Station escalators:


Dadeland Station parking garage. Odd-numbered parking levels 1, 3, and 5 have pedestrian bridges to retail levels 1, 2, and 3:


A Kendall sunset:


Kendall skyline at night:


Art in public places, Dadeland North Metrorail station entrance, platform on left:

[Urban_Legend]

Those are some cool pics!  Indeed, that Dadeland Station is an interesting concept.

[wolfdawg54]

Dadeland looks awesome. I have never been there myself but it truly is becoming a city on its own. I am a big fan of the Dadeland Station! The street running through is really neat.

Edited by wolfdawg54, 03 January 2005 - 03:24 PM.

[Aessotariq]

Glad you like, wolfdawg. There's actually two streets that run under Dadeland Station. In addition to the one that goes under the atrium, SW 70th Ave is a divided four-lane roadway that goes beneath the Target. When you go underneath it gives you the illusion of driving through a tunnel.

[Brickell]

This is my part of town.  Yes, I'm a city lover, living in sprawl.  I frequent Dadeland Station often.  You really captured the area well Tivo.  With a little help from transit, the area could really take off.

[streetscaper]

I simply can't wait till the "downtown dadeland" project to be completed....seven 7-story buildings is gonna be awesome!!

[metropolis]

awesome pictures!  I'm buying in the Metropolis building (tower II) and cannot wait to see this project completed, as well as the entire neighborhood.

[streetscaper]

oh really...cool, you're surely gonna love it....maybe you can get some cool snapshots from your apartment, you'll get great views of the area!!!

[Brickell]

http://www.community...s/local2_kg.htm

Historic Dice House rolls to new location

By Richard Yager

The historic Dice House has departed its original surroundings for a “new home.” Believed to be Kendall’s oldest residence, the Dade pinewood structure journeyed barely a half-mile on Mar. 7 aboard a Russell Movers flatbed truck to the northwest corner of Continental Park where it will become a recreational pavilion northwest of the park’s tennis courts.

Russell Movers workman prepares new foundation for off-loading Dice House from truck’s flatbed.

Before it could be moved in the early dawn darkness, a demolition crew stripped away the building’s sagging front and rear porches and a hole-punctured roof, long an eyesore at 9840 SW 77 Ave. David Brantly Dice, once know as Kendall’s “mayor,” erected the dwelling near a stop for Henry Flagler’s railroad, circa 1917, according to local historians’ best estimates.

Realtor Bernard Junco, last purchaser of the property, envisioned transformation into a restaurant before discovering rehabilitation costs were prohibitive.

Through efforts of neighborhood preservationists, the Miami-Dade County Historic Preservation Board and Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorenson, a $540,000 package was put together to save and move the old house, largely backed by $450,000 in grant money from the Quality Neighborhood Improvement Program.

“It’s important to preserve our history,” said Holly White, Continental Park Homeowners Association president.

Association ex-president Mary Williams agreed.
“It’s a great relief to have it safely moved after 12 years of wondering what would happen,” she said.

Thanks to Miami-Dade’s torrid “turn of this century” real estate market, Junco’s $400,000 purchase of the Dice site four years ago has soared in value to today’s asking price of $1.5 million.

In any case, a “roll” of the Dice looks like a win-win situation for both owner and the community.

[Aessotariq]

Downtown Kendall continues to build... Metropolis 1 is topped off, Metropolis 2 is almost there, and Downtown Dadeland project facing SW 88th Street is now above ground. More info to follow.


KENDALL
Proposed project would add 640 condo units

A developer wants to convert apartments by Dadeland Mall into a group of town houses and condominiums -- a controversial project that would more than double the number of existing units.

BY JONNELLE MARTE
jmarte@herald.com

[...]
The plans include tearing down the existing four-story apartment buildings [...] to build four six-story buildings and four eight-story buildings for condominiums. It also involves building 28 three-story town houses and a six-story parking garage in the center of the complex...

Full Article: Miami Herald

[Brickell]

why do they keep calling these plans "contrversial'????

It's not as if they're building a 40 story tower and this is right in line with where density belongs.  Close to shopping, two metrorail stops and three major highways/roads.

I thought we were getting over this small town mentality.  I guess we have a ways to go.

[Aessotariq]

Since the County Commission delegates zoning decisions for local districts to Community Councils, these local board meetings are more likely to attract more NIMBYs than if the meetings were held downtown. There is always the option of appealing any zoning decision to the full Commission. The NIMBYs from Pinecrest are especially fierce, who are more BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone) than anything else. And for a while, there was a small group of people who wanted to incorporate East Kendall to prevent the County from being able to approve these projects.

It stinks, I know, however I don't see any stop to this since the Dadeland area has already been designated an "urban center district" (DKUC) and the overlay is already in place. I think once some of these buildings start being occupied, we'll see a shift in thinking, especially as the constituency develops. Also it helps that the commissioner that represents the Kendall area supports the Downtown Kendall development.

[streetscaper]

wow...this new project would be great...DT Kendall is growing by gigantic leaps and bound. Can't wait for some renderings.:)

[metropolis]

I'm buying a condo in the Metropolis Tower II and according to my salesman they will have Tower I completed (and people will begin moving in) in August of 2005.  Tower II is scheduled for completion in December of 2005.

I was told by a construction worker across the street from the Metropolis, at Downtown Dadeland, that they plan on completing all seven 7-story buildings (that make up "Downtown Dadeland" project) by December, 2005.  I don't know if this is possible, although, they are working hard!

I also spoke with the construction workers at the building between Metropolis II and Citibank; that project is interesting.  The building on Kendall Drive is going to be a low rise (I believe it's 5 or 6 stories or so), with "Rooms To Go" renting out the entire first floor and residential condominiums on the rest of the floors.  Then behind it, they are already underway on a 20-22 story condominium highrise.  Also, right next to all of that, over by Publix, they are going to be knocking out the old medical building (about 8 stories currently) and replacing it with a state-of-the-art medical highrise building!

Can you imagine:  Dadeland of 5 years ago was a baby compared to what we'll see there in about 2 years!