A development team has received approval from the Miami Design Review Board for a new project in the Miami Design District that will include condominiums and a hotel. The project, named Miami Design Residences Designed by Chipperfield, was presented to the board this week and gained positive feedback from its members.
The development is a joint effort between Miami Design District Associates, Fort Partners of Fort Lauderdale, Raycliff Capital from New York, and Constellation Hotels Holding based in Qatar. Miami Design District Associates includes Dacra, L Catterton Real Estate, and Brookfield.
Plans call for a 25-story building with 143 condominiums on the southern portion of the site and a 12-story building with 85 hotel rooms and 20 condo-hotel units on the northern side. Both buildings will feature rooftop spaces, while the hotel structure will have wraparound terraces. The design is led by Sir David Chipperfield, a British architect who has won the Pritzker Prize, alongside Cube 3. According to project information, this is Chipperfield’s only current development in Florida.
Condominium sales are scheduled to begin next month under Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group. The site covers several addresses along Northeast 39th Street and Northeast 40th Street as well as North Miami Avenue. Public records indicate that the partnership acquired these properties for $143.6 million across two transactions in 2022.
Board member Francisco Perez-Azua commented: “I think your project is very fitting to the district. The elevations here are very simple and subtle but elegant.” Other board members shared similar views about the proposal’s design quality.
“It’s really a spectacular project,” said Gia Zapattini, vice chair of the board. “It’s very elegant and sophisticated.” She added: “It’s raising the bar really for the neighborhood.”
The board approved the plan with three recommendations: review balcony edges; use green roof material on part of the hotel; and remove picket fence-style balcony railings.
“I think the vertical picket fence railing is something we see in lower level projects like workforce housing,” Zapattini said.
Miami Design District Associates owns nearly half a million square feet within the district and recently secured a $100 million loan for six retail properties—adding to an existing $250 million financing package on their real estate holdings. The area features luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Fendi, Gucci, Off-White, and Chanel.
Fort Partners’ previous developments include The Surf Club in Surfside and Four Seasons Hotel & Residences in Fort Lauderdale.
Recent residential proposals in this part of Miami include Cassi—a planned 20-story apartment building at 91-93 Northeast 36th Street—which received $125 million in construction financing last July through collaboration between Miami Design District Associates, Hunter Pasteur, and The Forbes Company. Another proposal by Helm Equities (an affiliate of JEMB Realty) recently received city approval for Live Local Act—a planned mixed-use tower at 220 Northeast 43rd Street that would feature residential units as well as office space.
