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Class-A Wynwood
Development
Opposition Is Nearly Nil for 29-Story ‘Midtown’ Area Office Building
The city’s Internal Design Review Committee objected that the
proposed building “is more than twice the height of any of the
surrounding buildings and is inappropriate.”
 2222
Biscayne: Technically being constructed in Wynwood, but marketed as
being in “Midtown.” Photo by Cynthia Archbold.
By Cynthia Archbold
Brace yourself for
more construction cranes along the Biscayne Corridor and around the
performing arts center.
The Miami City
Commission voted unanimously to build a towering office skyscraper
on NE Second Avenue between 22nd and 23rd
Streets, eight blocks uptown from the new theater, opera house and
concert hall.
The tower will soar
29 stories and 438 feet, double the size of the next biggest
building, the Pinnacle rental community, which is next door.
On the ground
floor, pedestrians will see retail businesses, restaurants and a
drive-through bank. Above the retail will be 371,863 square feet of
office space, some with private balconies. The project includes
1,784 parking spaces.
2222 Biscayne is
“where Midtown Miami works,” according to ads on the fences around
the property.
“It’s the only
class-A office space in Midtown,” says Bill Cutler, senior vice
president of Colliers Abood Wood-Fay, which is marketing 2222
Biscayne. He says the “midtown” location has advantages over the
office building canyon along Brickell Avenue — it’s a straight shot
from I-95 or 395, with perhaps less traffic gridlock.
“The way it’s
designed we’ll have more corner offices than typical buildings,” he
says.
Workers will also
have plenty of places to park: Four parking spaces come with every
1,000 square feet of office space, rather than the one or two
parking spaces typical in downtown Miami. Amenities also include a
high-end health club, and a roof garden.
Despite the height
of 2222, there was no public opposition Wednesday, when
commissioners passed the resolution to let construction begin.
Prior to the
meeting, the Planning Department gave its blessing, saying “the
project will benefit the area by creating additional commercial
opportunities in the Wynwood/Edgewater NET District,” according to
city documents. Planners noted that the property is zoned
“restricted commercial” and doesn’t include any height limits.
Even the Miami-Dade
Aviation Department said 2222 conforms to the height requirements
for that location — under 550 feet.
However, the city’s
Internal Design Review Committee objected that the proposed building
“is more than twice the height of any of the surrounding buildings
and is inappropriate.”
So the city
demanded that the developer, Grouper Ltd., led by Javier Avino and
Scott Silver, “reconfigure the building so that it is more in
keeping with the scale of the area.” The city also required that the
developer meet Florida Department of Transportation requirements to
improve Second Avenue, and coordinate with the city’s proposed
street car trolley plan by providing a waiting area.
The developer will
also provide shade for pedestrians — landscaping with a mix of oak
and palm trees.
Groundbreaking is
scheduled for July, and Cutler says the project should be completed
by late 2009.
The finishing touch
is a work of art: a giant aluminum sculpture that will wrap around
the garage, designed by homegrown Miami artist Devin Caserta, now in
college at New World School of the Arts.
In other action,
Miami commissioners turned down a proposal for a nightclub at 760 NW
Fourth St. The applicant, managing director Robert Coleman, on
behalf of Anand Parasram and Mercedes Arriola, was a no-show.
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