Lead Feature: Avalon Bay Development

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Lead Feature
Winn Dixie demolition: photo taken July 24, 2023
Construction site cleared: photo taken August 15, 2023
Groundbreaking ceremony: September 22, 2023 (Photo credit: Osiris Ramirez)

Avalon Bay Development

It’s been nearly six months since the official September ground-breaking for the Avalon Bay Community’s South Miami mixed use development on the site of the former Winn Dixie.

For the better part of the last decade discussions were taking place considering the fate of the Winn-Dixie store and what would happen on the 1.86 acre site in our town center.

In the throes of a global pandemic, on June 2, 2020 the South Miami City Commission unanimously approved a bold vision, which when realized will transform 73rd Street and usher in new life for our restaurant and retail district.

It’s been nearly six months since the official September ground-breaking for the Avalon Bay Community’s South Miami mixed use development on the site of the former Winn Dixie.

SOMI Publisher with Mark Schrieber, Senior Director, Development, AvalonBay Communities

For the better part of the last decade discussions were taking place considering the fate of the Winn-Dixie store and what would happen on the 1.86 acre site in our town center.

In the throes of a global pandemic, on June 2, 2020 the South Miami City Commission unanimously approved a bold vision, which when realized will transform 73rd Street and usher in new life for our restaurant and retail district.

SOMI magazine has extensively covered the proposed redevelopment over these many years, and with six months into the construction, met up with Mark Schrieber, Senior Director, Development for AvalonBay Communities.

AvalonBay Communities, Inc., an equity REIT, has a long-term track record of developing, redeveloping, acquiring, and managing distinctive apartment homes in some of the best U.S. markets.

Lead Feature

With the September groundbreaking, It was nearly three years after purchasing a 1.86-acre parcel for $18.95 million, that the developers started construction on Avalon South Miami.

PROJECT BACKGROUND HIGHLIGHTS: The original owner, prior to AvalonBay’s acquisition, went through eight iterations of the project in response to community input and the desires of the city commission. The firm of Corwill Architects was brought in to address the developer’s and community’s needs in articulating the project. During the pandemic months, the City Commission conducted its business remotely via the ZOOM platform. Land use attorney Jeff Bass, who has represented the developer for some nine years in relation to this project noted that in all, there were a total of eight public hearings, beginning on May 14, 2019.

The public realm improvements include terraced setbacks which activate the street and crafting space to accommodate a pedestrian realm.

Architect Albert Cordoves noted that the design “brings the pedestrian realm experience to the next level, activating 80% of the perimeter at ground level.” The “H” design of the massing of the building also enhances the pedestrian experience; the design articulates and breaks up the massing of the building creating beautiful open amenity areas and visuals. Central to the experience is the urbanistic designed central courtyard on 73 Street with its landscape and Artscape. Connectivity and pedestrian realm are of paramount importance in the design. Town homes facing 74th Street also add to the pedestrian experience.

And the next six months? People have commented on how fast and minimally disruptive the construction has been. In discussing this with Mark Schrieber, he noted that given the extremely favorable weather conditions since starting construction, the project is about two week ahead of schedule. Cement truck deliveries are for the most part off-peak hours.

Trucks are pouring on both the west and east sides of the site. Schrieber expects the building will top off end of summer, and then provide a full year for interior finishes, with delivery by Fall of 2025.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT. The 10-story Avalon South Miami will comprise 290 apartments, ranging from studio to three-bedroom lease units. Residents will enjoy various on-site amenities, including a private dining room, fitness center, lounge, pet spa, and co-working space. Two-story town houses are situated along 74th Street.

The residential offerings are just one part of the mixed-use venture. The complex’s bottom floor will host a 27,000-square-foot Fresh Market grocery store. The remaining 4,000 square feet will provide for restaurant and retail space. With reimagined streetscapes and a shaded civic plaza, the project aims to create a dynamic live-work-play environment.

The AvalonBay Communities philosophy is simply stated: “We believe that elevating where you live is all about blending it seamlessly with how you live. We go to great lengths designing amenities and choosing locations that put everything within reach. Where you live, is where you come alive. In an area filled with convenience, recreation, and possibility,”

As noted, the local firm Corwil Architects designed the community, and First Florida is the general contractor. Of note, First Florida is a Miami-based company and had offices in the South Miami area for many years, was active in the south Miami Rotary Club, and you will find their name on a Dorn Avenue brick on our popular “hometown” demonstration project of the 1990x. – JohnEdward Smith

SOMI Magazine has published several articles about this redevelopment project. To read what’s been published, go to www.somimag. com Archives and search for Winn Dixie Redevelopment.

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