Condo development could replace a chunk of Jungle Island theme park in Miami
A real estate developer wants to build a condo development and a free park on the site of Miami’s Jungle island, changing course from a plan that would add a hotel and attractions to the theme park.
Jungle Island, whose roots go back to 1936, could remain with a smaller footprint. The theme park moved to Miami’s Watson Island in 2003 from its original Pinecrest location.
Coconut Grove-based Terra and Aventura investment firm ESJ Capital Partners have been in talks with city of Miami officials about a residential tower on the city-owned Jungle Island land, according to a statement provided by the two firms and as first reported by The Real Deal.
ESJ Capital Partners bought Jungle Island in 2017 for $60 million. The firm later partnered with developer Terra on the condo plans.
The 18-acre bayfront Jungle Island sits on Watson Island off the MacArthur Causeway, which connects Miami to Miami Beach.
The condo plan abandons an eco-adventure resort and hotel, which was approved in 2018 by voters and in 2021 by the Miami City Commission. Original plans included a 130-foot tall hotel with up to 300 rooms, a zip-line course, and water slides for the theme park formerly known as Parrot Jungle.
New plans for the Jungle Island site include a 13-acre waterfront park, open free to the public, as well as a residential development on the remaining five acres, according to a statement provided by the two companies. Whatever remains of Jungle Island would possibly be free for visitors.
The development and investment firm plan to add a boardwalk connecting the north side of Watson Island, home to the Jungle Island site, with the south side, home of the Miami Children’s Museum. The two sides are separated by the causeway.
“Voters approved development of a hotel and theme park on the Jungle Island property in 2018,” Micha Dubernard, chief of staff and executive vice president of ESJ Capital Partners, said in a statement. “Since then, Miami’s urban core has grown significantly and is now one of the most in-demand districts in the world.”
The new plan would need to be approved by the Miami City Commission and Miami voters.
The proposal for the site is one among many throughout the years.
Jungle Island first leased the land from the city in 1995 before construction began on Watson Island, but struggled financially starting in the early 2010s, about a decade after opening on the Miami site. Investors fought over a takeover of the land. Despite the approval in 2021, new plans bubbled up last year from developers looking to revive the discussion of a new project.
This story was originally published June 3, 2024 at 10:30 PM.
