Dolphins owner wants a taller high-rise at Deauville site. Miami Beach board gives OK
A proposal from Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to build a taller high-rise for a luxury complex at the site of the Deauville Beach Resort moved forward after the Miami Beach Planning Board supported it.
Ross, the real estate developer behind Related Companies, is proposing to build a “six-star” hotel and luxury condo tower at the Deauville site at 6701 Collins Ave. and has retained architect Frank Gehry to design the building.
Ross proposed new zoning changes for a two-block stretch of Collins Avenue that would increase the height of any new project on the Deauville site by 87%, from 200 feet to 375 feet tall, and give it 50% more interior square feet.
The zoning changes would need to pass in a voter referendum because of the proposed density increase. The City Commission is scheduled to vote in July on whether to put it on the November ballot.
The 5-1 vote of the Planning Board on Tuesday was advisory and not binding. The commission can still reject the project. But for Ross and his supporters, who want to see a “transformational” replacement for the long-shuttered Deauville hotel that is being demolished, the vote was a step toward their goal.
“I’m grateful to the Miami Beach Planning Board for their favorable recommendation to the City Commission on our vision of a transformational project,” Ross said in a statement after the vote. “I’m personally committed to working with the community and ensuring that we get this project right for Miami Beach and the future of North Beach.”
A month after announcing the project, neither Ross nor Gehry has offered any renderings of the proposed project. Some residents said that was worrisome.
“We need to see what we’re dealing with,” said Elizabeth Latone, a resident who lives in a nearby condo building.
Ross, who signed a purchase agreement for the property, called into the meeting and said his team would provide renderings and engage with the community about the project.
“What I do know is we will build something that will have tremendous economic development opportunities,” he said. “We will pay recognition to what the Deauville is, or what it was, I should say.”
The only details of the project released Tuesday came from attorney Neisen Kasdin, a former Miami Beach mayor representing Ross in the deal, who said it would include about 175 hotel rooms and 150 condo units. It would also include unspecified public benefits to be discussed with the city, he said.
The project’s development team will retain an architect with historic preservation experience, Kasdin added. He cited an analysis from a consultant that said the project would generate $6 million per year in incremental property taxes into the newly created North Beach Community Redevelopment Agency.
Kasdin asked the board to “take a leap of faith” and said the development team would release renderings by the July commission meeting. The Deauville is headed for demolition after falling into disrepair.
He said Gehry has been working on a mock design for the building for weeks.
“He works in a different way. You can’t just tell him to come up with a concept plan. Frank has a specific design process in his studio where he makes model after model,” Kasdin said.
Several residents called in to support the project, pointing out that voters would ultimately have the final say.
“My whole family and I just wholeheartedly hope that you will push this through to get on ballot,” said Ronnie Issenberg, president of the Biscayne Point Homeowners Association.
The lone no vote came from board member Tanya Bhatt, who said she was excited about the potential for a new project but concerned by the request for so much more square footage without renderings to see how the building may impact neighbors’ views.
She said Ross could build a successful project with the square footage currently allowed on the site and asked whether he would build the complex if his request for more square footage was denied.
Kasdin did not answer that question, saying he could not disclose specifics about the contract to buy the property.
“I think if we are talking about something that is so big and important to the city of Miami Beach this needs to be a transparent conversation,” Bhatt said.
This story was originally published June 22, 2022 at 10:45 AM with the headline "Dolphins owner wants a taller high-rise at Deauville site. Miami Beach board gives OK."
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