Five years after the completion of Metropica One, the first condominium tower at the Metropica development in western Broward County, developer Joseph Kavana has announced plans to restart construction on the next phase of the project. The announcement was made during a ceremonial groundbreaking this week.
Kavana, CEO of Metropica Development, stated that construction will begin in October. The new phase involves two partners: Poag Development from Memphis, Tennessee will oversee the retail component, while Boca Raton-based Waypoint Residential will manage the residential phases.
The overall plan for Metropica is a mixed-use project valued at over $1.5 billion. It is set to include more than 3,000 condominiums and apartments, 650,000 square feet of office space, 485,000 square feet of retail space, and two hotels across a 65-acre site.
Metropica Development President Bernard Werner said Poag and Waypoint are responsible for about $300 million worth of development within the project. Chris Moore, managing director at Waypoint Residential, said his company is committed to building at least 900 residential units over several years.
Kavana began assembling land for Metropica in the early 1990s and secured approvals for its mixed-use concept in 2014. However, only one tower—Metropica One with 263 units—was completed by 2020. In 2024, Kavana sought brokers to help structure a joint venture partnership. Last year, Sunrise city officials approved an increase in density for the site, allowing costs to be spread across more residential units.
“This is my work, and we are going to keep fighting the same way we fought over the last 15 years to try to make this a reality,” Kavana said during Tuesday’s event.
The upcoming stage of development is being called “the first phase” by Kavana and is expected to be operational within three years. This phase includes nearly 1,000 luxury apartments and more than 150,000 square feet of retail space. Plans also call for about 50,000 square feet of condo office space above retail stores. According to Kavana, retail offerings will focus on restaurants, specialty shops and entertainment venues intended as a complement to nearby Sawgrass Mills mall.
Kavana told The Real Deal that portions of Metropica’s property have been sold to Poag and Waypoint but declined to share purchase prices. Metropica Development will remain responsible for infrastructure work and retains rights to participate in the joint venture.
“All the stars are aligned right now for us to be able to carry forward. We were ready to do this back in 2020 when Covid hit, and we had just finished the first tower,” Kavana said. “We were ready to start with the retail. We had to wait for the right time.”
