Here’s what the massive Intracoastal Mall redevelopment project will look like
A proposal to redevelop the aging Intracoastal Mall into a massive, $1.5 billion mixed-use project will go before the North Miami Beach City commission on Tuesday for a second reading.
The 30-acre project, to be called Uptown Harbour, includes 1,750 luxury condominiums spread out among five towers as tall as 40 stories; 200 rental apartments in a mid-rise building; and 50 low-rise townhomes. The plan also includes 375,000 square feet of retail, 200,000 square feet of office and a boutique hotel.
A total of 9.4 acres of open space — more than 30 percent of the project’s total size — will be included, anchored by a 65,000-square-foot public park. Police and fire substations would also be built.
The most striking feature of the project: A 100-foot-wide canal, connected to the Intracoastal Waterway, that would course through the center of the entire site, offering nearly a mile of waterfront promenade, a harbor for recreational boats and waterfront dining and retail.
Tuesday’s vote, if approved, will be the first of several the project has to clear from various Miami-Dade building agencies.
“I want this to feel like Venice,” said Gil Dezer, president of Dezer Development, which is overseeing the project and previously developed the Porsche Design Tower and Residences by Armani/Casa in Sunny Isles Beach. “Yes, there’s the Miami River, but they only have like three restaurants and 300 feet of boat dockage. We want to activate this location into what it is supposed to be.”
But residents in the adjacent Eastern Shores residential area are alarmed the project will create massive traffic jams on NE 35th Avenue, the only road that leads in and out of their neighborhood.
Although North Miami Beach adjusted its zoning ordinance in 2015 to allow for denser, taller construction, the ordinance also states a redevelopment of the Intracoastal Mall area would be required to provide “multiple access points” to and from State Road 826 (NE 163rd St.) so as to not overburden NE 35th Avenue.
The Uptown Harbour project passed its first North Miami Beach hearing on Sept. 24 by a 4-3 vote, with Mayor Anthony DeFillipo granting the swing yes vote. At that meeting, commissioners approved zoning variances to the project as well as a 30-year land lease deal from the city.
But the master plan for the development only provides a widening of NE 35th Avenue and the addition of traffic lights and turn signals.
Best traffic solution
“We spent a million years working with traffic engineers and we feel comfortable this plan will not impact their road,” Dezer said. “We are adding traffic lights and turn signals that won’t take people down the road where they live. We’ve shown them what we’ve done. The engineers told us ‘This is the best solution for the traffic.’”
A small but vocal group of critics, however, don’t agree.
“All we are saying is that the zoning approval was conditional,” said Bruce Kusens, a resident of Eastern Shores who was spurred to run for Mayor of North Miami Beach by this issue alone. “The developer wants the unbelievable windfall benefit of the increased density without meeting the requirements associated with it. We are fine with development done in accordance with the conditions imposed upon it.”
Commissioner Michael Joseph, who voted to approve the project at the previous reading, said in an email the matter is under a “quasi-judicial process” that limits what he can discuss.
“That said, I was advised that the city attorney and staff have thoroughly reviewed this matter for compliance with our city’s zoning code,” Joseph said. “I look forward to discussing any concerns of the public at [Tuesday’s] meeting.”
Commissioner Barbara Kramer, who voted no on the zoning approval, said the lack of accessibility is the only fault she has with the proposal.
“This is a spectacular project, which by the way I think is wonderful,” she said. “It’s really cool. I have nothing against it. Except how the hell are people going to get to their homes in Eastern Shores without a helicopter?”
Dezer Development bought the one-story Intracoastal Mall, located at 3861 NE 163rd St., for $63.5 million in 2013. The mall currently houses an iPic movie theater, T.J. Maxx, Winn-Dixie and Old Navy stores, along with a number of smaller businesses.
All those businesses will be relocated into new buildings during Phase I of the project, which will then allow the developers to start clearing the land where the existing mall stands. Phase I is expected to take three years to complete.
Financial impact
According to Dezer Development, a study of the fiscal impact of the project determined the project will create 18,000 temporary jobs and 4,100 permanent jobs (including 2,700 jobs for the City of North Miami Beach). The development will require $7.2M of one-time impact fees paid to the city and will generate $11 million per year in ad valorem taxes for the city (a 63% increase over the taxes received by the city in 2019).
“Between the population density of Sunny Isles Beach and Aventura, I think the restaurants are going to kill it,” Dezer said. “The people are dying for it. We already have a downtown Miami and a midtown Miami. Now we will be uptown.’”
This story was originally published October 20, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
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