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HomeMy WebLinkAboutM-02-1068� J J, WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2002 $1.00 `5 1 9i ar iK.l. WOMEN IN BUSINESS TODAY ON LINE AT WWW.MIAMIT0DAYNFWS rna,t Organization trims stress Businesswomen apply shills of business travel, P-6.13 to boost community, pg. 16 AT -RISK ON WATSON: Miami commis- sioners last week made the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau manager -at - risk for construction of an $11.7 million T��(J T Watson Island Regional Aviation & Visi- s j� j 1 tors Center. The bureau must oversee con- struction and select contractors. Bureau and city officials still need to sign apact to make the venue the bureau's headquarters. If the Mram I - bureau decides to move elsewhere, the cen- ter wouldn't be able to survive in its pro- posed form, city staff said. Bureau officials said they are also looking for good deal; in Miami Beach. DOWNTOWN SITES: The Downtown Miami Convention Center Task Force headed by Commissioner Johnny Winton met this week to discuss six proposed downtown sites for a new convention center. The group plans to meet after Sept. 16 with hoteliers to get input. Stuart Blumberg, president & CEO of the dreater Miami & the Beaches Hotel Association. is organizing the gel -together, at which hotel managers will be briefed on a proposal to build a 400.000 -square -foot downtown center with about 1 15,000 square feel of exliihit space. John Kaatz. vice president of CS1, hu,mictional of Minnesota, a city -hired consultant, said building and furnishing it could cost $110 million. The project isn't expected to start for eight to 10 years. HOTEL VIEWS: Area hoteliers back the plan. Jorge Gonzalez, Mandarin Oriental general manager, said a convention center would bring a lot of new business. He said his hotel now gets only a small share of delegates to events at the Miami Beach Convention Center. "We arc one of the major destina- tions in the US that docs not have a convention center," he said. He said he has no site preference, as did Rodrigo Trujillo, director of sales & marketing at the Hyatt Regency Miami. "We will support any site in the area;' Mr. Trujillo said. Christian Charre, vice president of Jones Lang LaSalle hotels, doesn't have a Miami hotel but wants to attend the Scptcm- bcr meeting. LENDING ANALYSIS: Florida International University's College of Business Administration is offering programs in commercial lending and credit analysis leading to a professional certificate Saturdays from Sept. 14 - Nov. 23 and March 15 -May 31. Sessions will be held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in Homewood Suites, 5500 Blue Lagoon Drive. Cost is $1,595. Details: (305) 261-3335. Eric Sheppard Ringing the changes at the Carillon The profile is on Page 4 1\4PYion_JiaePr1 ;net;liitP to nnpn ;" (�Tnl-.lac, Bid offered for Olympic training site BY FRANK NORTON Hollywood -based Swerdlow. Group is proposing a 90,000 - square -foot Olympic training facility in North Miami that could cost from $9 million -$15 mil- lion, city officials said. The center for Olympics com- bative sports such as boxing, wrestling and judo would oc- cupy the site now used by the county library system, accord- ing to documents from Swerdlow. City officials say development of the site could be tied to a separate, pending Swerdlow pro- posal to build a high-rise resi- dential complex on the city's so- called Munisport site, bought 30 years ago by taxpayers for a .municipal sports complex that was never built. The residential project for the Munisport.site awaits approval. Its size will be decided Nov. 5 by — city voters. "We've talked about building an Olympic sports center at re - 4 MIAMI TODAY PROFILE 7-1OFiT E WEEK OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2002 Eric D. Sheppard to bring Carillon back to North Beach.'o In 1957, it won a hotel of the year award for its distinctive facade and accordion wall, in the MiMO, or Mi - and Modern, style ofarchitecture. Top - billing singers and magicians per- formed there. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed an American Jewish Con- gress convention there in the1950s and in 1972 President Richard Nixon spoke to a meeting there of the National Re- tired Teachers Association. But for the past 15 years the Carillon Hotel at 6501 Collins Ave. in Miami Beach has been an emptyshell, a windowless ghost sitting behind a chain-link fence con ieniplating a bleak fiture. That fttiire has recently brightened, with plans by a locally based national real estate development company to bring the property back to life, adding twocondominium towers and topflight amenities for oceanfront living. The project, with a design by Arquitectonica, is beinig undertaken by l6SG Development, whose president, Eric Sheppard, was born and grew up nearby, and whose other current de- velopments include loft -style apart- ments in North Bay Village and down- town Miami. A•fr. Sheppard was interviewed at his office in a huilding his development firer also built on Miami Beach's Arthur Godfrey Road by Miami Today inter- national editor hfichael Haves. Q: What does your Carillon Hotel project comprise? A: It amounts to l million square feet it's a three-phase project consisting of condominiums with hotel amenities, along with an apartment component. There are three structures. it will be one product with three product types. On the south parcel, which is a 20 - story high-rise, we're going.to have oceanfront loft apartments — something that hasn't been done yet. Included in that we are going to have a 16,000 - square -foot spa that will be utilized by everybody in the property. It will be a unique product there. The middle building is going to be luxury apartments with hotel amenities. J a � s �. Ph010 Dy Marlene Uuaronr Eric D. Sheppard, president of WSG Development Co., said that in the past seven years alone his Beach -based company has done more than 40 projects in the US. Eric D. Sheppard Eric D. Sheppard President W5G Development Co :. q `s you drive up you're going to be looking at an Infinity pool and at the ocean at the same time — there will be no barriers to the view. All the buildings will have valet and concierge. In the existing structure we're planning on having in addition to the restaurant a bar -movie theater that will show old documentaries and some mod- ern stuff. I think that it will be really hip and cool and will lend itself to different generations. Q: What is your buyer profile? A: It's really a wide range. The price range is going to offer something for different generations — from $200,000 up to $1 million. There are going to be three product types. So we're going to blend different generations into one. The people who don't want to pay millions for an ocean- front condominium are the people we're lifestyle. t"1 What I want people to do is, when thel drive in, to feel like they're pulling up a hotel, to say, you know what? I own piece of this! That's the way I envision it, because I know that when I travel and I see hotels I wish I could live in this type of lifestyle all the time. That's what I'm trying to create, where you feel as if you're in a hotel but actually own a piece of it. Q: A major feature is that you are right on the ocean? A: The whole property has 800 linear feet of beachfront. So it's a residential resort, basically.-, Q: You bought the land in separate lots? A: It was two parcels that we pur- chased. The north parcel, for the condo- minium, my partner, Philip Wolman, and I purchased for $15 million. On the other parcel we did somewhat of a joint venture, a refinancing with the existing owners, Transnational Proper- ties. Transnational retains a minority portion in the property, while i took over the whole property. Q: What is the overall project value? A: The whole venture is $300 million. Q: The biggest -ever such develop- ment on North Beach? A: Yes. This project is the catalyst in North Beach for other projects in the area. What's amazing for me personally is that I was born and raised here, while most of the other developers doing stuff here come in, develop it and then leave. They really have no emotional attach- ment to the area. Q: You have been active outside North Beach? A: In the past seven years we've built more than 40 projects nationally in dif- ferent states — Colorado, Texas, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Maryland, DC, Georgia, West Virginia and through- out Florida. When I built a project in those areas -it was great because it reallybuilt mybusi- ness. Because I had started from noth- ing. unique product there. The middle building is going to be luxury apartments with hotel amenities. So we're going to have restaurants and room service. What I'm trying to do is keep the characteristics of the old Carillon, which in its heyday was an exciting, vibrant place to be. And what I want to bring back is that feeling, however. To have people enjoy it again as a place where people actually live and enjoy hotel amenities. That's really my vision. The characteristics of the existing Carillon Hotel are just tremendous. And we want to utilize those, but also en- hance the new day. Then the north side is going to be a magnificent 38 -story structure where we're going to have 70 feet of glass for people to be able to enjoy the vistas ofall of Miami Beach. The first unit starts on the eighth floor – most condominiums start on the second or third floor. I love the fact that everyone's going to have a great unit. And we're going to have a sunrise and a sunset pool. That means that there's a pool right on the ocean where you'll see the sunrise. And on the seventh floor we'll have a sunset pool. It's elevated so that you can look over the other buildings in the area. You will be able to see the sunset. In a lot of developments at 2 o'clock you lose the view because the buildings block it. We've also decided to put a pool in the front and the back so that you capitalize on the sun at all times of the day. Q: What is the style going to be? A: What we're going to offer is con- temporarywith the sophistication ofclass that's timeless. The MiMO, or Miami Modern, character is going to 7emain within -the development. That's -why we're keeping the existing structure. We're trying to blend the MiMO style with the contemporary style. It's com- plicated, but we feel that we're going to achieve it. Certain people at the historic preservation organization have helped us to achieve that. Q: Are you gutting the Carillon building? A: Completely. But we're not taking away certain characteristics, such as the parapet wall. We're going to re-create the lobby. We're keeping a lot of the characteristics but modernizing the ac- tual units. Q: What will the con dominium part be? A: It will self-contained, with its own fitness center. We're going to put in a wine cellar for certain apartments, which is unique. We're also going to have an entertainment room. The key to it is that in the north parcel all but two units are going to be direct oceanfront units, flow-through units that go from the ocean to the city. The south tower is going to be amaz- ing, with oceanfront lofts. Other people have not done that yet, so it's going to be really unique. It will be like a loft townhouse in the sky. We'll have a IG,000-square- foot spa that will have lap pools on top. There will be palm trees, Infinity pools. And what's amazing is the actual entrance between the existing structure and the loft structure is elevated, so that when There are going to be three product types. So we're going to blend different generations into one. The people who don't want to pay millions for an ocean- front condominium are the people we're looking for – for example, people who live in Aventura but work in Miami Beach and want to have a Miami Beach address. Q: Are you looking to attract for- eigners also? A: My phone has been ringing off the hook since we closed on the property, people calling not only from the North- east US but from South America and Europe, as well as a lot of local people. Q: Origin allyyou planned to refur- bish the Carillon as a hotel? A: It's going to be a place where people can actually live and have the hotel experience and amenities. It will be very similar to the condo -hotels that are going up today. There will be a hotel component in it. As to how many rooms will be desig- nated as hotel rooms, we're working through that right now. Q: There does not seen to be a big narket for hotel as such currently? A: Hotel financing has all but gone away. The only way that I feel Lean provide what people want and what's the right business venture is to incorpo- rate hotel amenities with the place and the experience of people to live. A lot of people live in condominiums where they've thrown up a little fitness center and a pool, and they think that's great. Well, I'm saying, let's go beyond that. Let's be more modern. Let's have a full-fledged restaurant with room ser- vice. Let's have a movie theater, a sun- dry shop, Infinity pools, the beautiful '"bC'—Zieorgia–West Virginiaand through- out Florida. When I built a project in those areas it was great because it really built my busi- ness. Because I had started from noth- ing. That has been a dream. But a biggr dream is that for the past two years I haAD been actively feeling where Icame fror;P: I have been putting my money back into the community and feeling areas that ao{ one time were great areas but had kind ofl, dissipated over the years and are now ory„ the way back up. It's just a great feeling to be involve with that. It's so much more emotional to be involved with that. I'm more pas- sionate about it than when I build in another community, especially being young and doing it. Right now, just in this little corridor area here, in North Beach, we have the Carillon. In North Bay Village, where my father used to be a judge, I'm build- ing a project that is already 70% sold called Sky Lofts. It has loft apartments with 18-footceilings, with beautiful flow- through units from the bay and the ocean to the city. Q.. That wasan innovation forNorth Bay Village? A: Yes. We were the catalyst there, too. There was no one that was doing any- thing there. Then I came in. I bought this piece of property – everyone thought I was crazy – and designed a unique prod- uct. You couldn'tjust go in there and build a conventional condominium because people didn't really want to see that. We have a pool on top of the roof. It's really a hip place to be. Q: Which is what you hope for the ...as WSG Development plans a new life for historic hotel Carillon project? A: The Carillon is going to come to be the cutting-edge, hip place for people to be. The most wonderful thing the Caril- lon has is the character that it has had over the years, the nostalgia. Q: You have anotherproject under way in addition to the Carillon and the North Bay Village Sky Lofts? A: Yes. I just bought another project in downtown Miami. It's called Sky Residences. It's a little higher -end resi- dential development with a view of Mi- ami Beach. I call it my postcard prop- erty, because when you have a postcard of Miami Beach, it's taken from that side. Q: Where does the project stand? A: It's in for approval with the city. Q: What are the characteristics? A: They're going lobe a different type of loft, with 12 -foot -high ceilings. Each apartment will be a loft -style residence. There are only two units to a floor. Each one has its own elevator and there's 40 feet of glass frontage, which is a lot. They'll go from $500,000 to more than $1 million. Q: This is a hurricane area: Areyou concerned about the amount ofglass there and at the Carillon? A: No, because of the hurricane expe- rience we have, the modern technology and the building codes of today. The wind resistance is not really a problem. The other condominiums all have the same glass requirements. Theyhave spe- cial glass. Q: What about the fear of living in high-rises after 9/11 ? A: I think the fear has subsided. I feel - that a residential structure is really not a target, because it doesn't make a big enough statement—the terrorists go after the money supply of America. And the way you do that is to paralyze the gen- erators of the economy, which are busi- nesses. Americans are too strong a people to succumb to terrorist pressures. People love theirhomes, and I don't think -they're in fear at all. Q: You -are front Miami Beach? A: Yes, I was born and raised here. I grew up on 85th Street, Stillwater Drive. I went to Biscayne Elementary and dur- ing that time I frequented North Shore Park and that whole North Beach area. It was the place for me to go play sports and what -not. After that I went to Nautilus Junior High, when we moved from North Beach to Middle Beach, to 51 st and Alton. And then I went to Miami Beach High School. My father was a judge in North Bay Village and my grandfather, Charlie Donner, my mother's father, built build- ings there. They included the Treasure Houses there. He built them with his partner Sam Adler. I used to go in and out of those Treasure Houses all the time. Q: So you didn't follow your father into law but your grandfather into real estate? A: I was bom into it. My father was a real estate lawyer. Both of my grandfathers were real estate developers. My paternal grandfa- ther was a big real estate developer in the Ilollywood area — he owned the water and sewer company there and built thou- sands of homes all throughout Broward County. Every lunch, every dinner, there was talk about building anew condominium, new housing. On my summer vacations I worked in the construction end of the business. When I graduated college I thought it was better to explore some other oppor- tunities, to learn it someone else's way. So I ended up working for somebody else. We built shopping centers and some residential developments. At that time I really learned the busi- ness in a global sense, because most of the stuff that we built was not in South Florida but all over the country. And that's where I came up with the concept of not being restricted to just South Florida — I wanted to build my business all over the countiry. Q: How did that come about? A: What happened was I met my part- ner, Philip Wolman, president of For Eyes Optical, and worked for him as his vice president of real estate. We said, why don't we go ahead and form WSG Development Co. and use the experience that I had to build across the country for national retailers? And that's how the business took off. We went ahead and built for a bunch of national retailers — Starbucks Coffee, Men's Wearhouse, Kinko's, Casual Male, Big & Tall and Barnes & Noble. We built a lot of shopping centers all across the country with these national retailers. It opened your eyes to a bigger picture. You'd go into a town, not knowing any- body, acquire a piece ofreal estate, bring all your national tenants in there and you'd develop a whole community. It's a unique business and a rewarding one. What helped me do that were my con- nections to Wall Street — a lot of Wall Street lenders wanted to back me be- cause they saw what I was doing in the country. That's the way the business built so rapidly. Q: You added residential later? A: About three years ago I really missed my residential background. So at that point we started to diversify and got back into the residential arena. We have a project called Vista Point in Breckenridge, CO. It's a beautiful resort housing community o ftownhomes, duplexes and single-family homes. It's about half a mile off a mountain. My niche in the marketplace is to provide professionals reasonable hous- ing. Everything in Colorado is $2.5 mil- lion to $3 million. I'm providing the same home for $600,000 to $700,000. Down here it sounds like a lot of money. But out there, it's like nothing. You look out to the ski slopes. It's tran- quil and beautiful. That's what I'm doing in North Bay Village, in Sky Residences in the 34th Street Bay area, and that's what I'm going to do at the Carillon. At the Carillon we have 600 units. So we're able to have economies of scale in order to reduce the pricing. Other devel- opers maybe building only 150 units and as a result have to charge so much more money. What you're getting is unparalleled in Miami Beach, in my opinion. Q: What does the future look like for you? A: Right now we have 20 projects under construction and development throughout the country. So in the next three years we'll do half a billion dol- lars' worth of development. Beyond that, my goal is to keep the company growing and give people more opportunity. That's what I'm about. There's a lot of people who I've grown up with who still work for me who are getting the opportunity to live their dream. I feel very fortunate to be where I am at such a young age and I just want to help other people have those opportu- nities. It's very rewarding for me personally to see other people succeed. Q: You are married? A: Yes. I've known my wife, Jennifer, since high school. That helps keep me grounded. I started with a desk and a phone, literally. I had no experience at the time. I had abso- lutely nothing and I've grown my busi- ness to where it is today. I sacrificed a lot. I'm here at 7 a.m. and it's not un- usual for me to be here at 9 at night. So my philosophy is balance, not for- getting where you're from, and helping people who are really trying to get ahead. You have to be honest and you have to be sincere. That helps people want to do - business with you and deal with you. SEP -23-2202 5:51Ph1 BECKER & POLIFIKOFF Law 0rr1CF5 PECKER & POLIAKOFF, 5201 Blue Lagoon Drive Suite 100 Miami, Florida 33126 Phone: (305) 2624433 Fax: (305) 262-4504 Toll Free (800) 533-4874 r10.42h P.A. P. 2/3 Floridaoffices Reply To: :Miami Administrative Orrice Rosa NL De La Camara, Esq. 3111 Stirling Road Ft. Liuderd:le, FL 33312 Direct Dial: (305) 2601011 U.S. Toll Free, (8001 432-7712 bpObeckerpoli alcoff.com rdelacam@beeker-polialcoff.com Dort Raton' September 23, 2002 Ft. Myers Fc. 1craltan Beach VIA FACSIMILE #305.858-1610 Hollywood The City of Miami Commissioners f1cltsonville 3500 Pan American Drive Largo Miami, Florida 33133 Melbourne' Miami Re: Petition For: A Resolution approving a Major Use Special Permit pursuant to Articles 9, 13 and 17 of Zoning Naples Ordinance No 11000, as amended, for the Skyresidence Project, to be comprised of a Orlando residential complex, with not more than 36 units, with accessory recreational space, and Port Charlo[te• approximately 71 parking spaces. Samson Tallah3;sec Approximately 640 NE 341h Street Tampa, Weir Palm hcacli Dear Commissioners: ' M.nJlGlds jer crorx,Jlnye� !ry nppax,maru onpy la[ernatlonal and Afflll=d Offices Pry ue, Czech Republic pari&, rmnce Franl:Pun, Germany Beijiq, People's Republic or China 8cm, Svk1r2er1and 12 CONSUXEGIS ma Mci bqw of Coneul*Gis, .tn In rernadena Aueeftri0n of Law Pr—. Network of Leadirig f-aw Firms This law firm represents the Bay Park Towers Condominium Association, Inc. ('Association') located at 3301 NE 5th Avenue, Miami, FL 33137 The Association was created in 1975 and consists of 254 units, The unit owners are very concerned regarding the potential construction of the neighboring Skyresidence Project. By way of this letter, we are hereby placing the Commission on formal notice of the Association's intention to object to this development as currently proposed, We urge the Commission to deny granting a Major Use Special Permit for this project. Ideally, we would request a complete denial of the Permit given the additional strain on traffic, infrastructure, noise and density which the neighborhood could not easily tolerate. Minimally, we would request that you postpone consideration of the Permit until the Developer of the project has agreed to make certain concessions and reached an agreement with the Association On behalf of our 254 client constituents we request that the subject Petition be denied. .----Veryours, p"auL A For the firTTY RMD/ad CC" Bay Park Towers Condominium Association, Inc, c/o Board of Directors The Planing & Zoning Department Hearing Boards Division (VIA FACSIMILE #305-416-2035) 33W2_1.D0C www.becker-poliakof£com 02-1068 SEP.23.2002 5:52PM BECK,ER & POLIHKOFF NO.425 P.3%3 Commissioner Angel Gonzalez 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, Florida 33133 Commissioner Johnny L. Winton 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, Florida 33133 Commissioner Joe M. Sanchez 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, Florida 33133 Commissioner Tomas P. Regalado 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, Florida 33133 Commissioner Arthur Teele, Jr, 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, Florida 33133 Commissioner Carlos Jimenez 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, Florida 33133 Commissioner Alejandro Vilarello 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, Florida 33133 Commissioner Priscilla Thompson 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, Florida 33133 02-1068 SEP.2:3.2002 5:51PM BECKER & PCLIPKOFF HO. 421S P.1/3 Florida Officos Administrative Office: 3111 Stirling Road Ft, Lauderdale, FL 33312 FL Toll Free: (800) 432-7712 Boca Raton* Clearwater Pt. Lauderdale Ft, Mycrs Ft. Walton Beach Melbourne* Miami Noplcs Orlando Port Charlotte* St. Petersburg sarasota Tallahassee Tampa West Palm Beach 'available for =47shaNai by appoinrgfew only International Oillces Booing, People's Republic of China Prague, Czech Republic Bern, Switzerland 339628_1.DOC LAW OFFICES BECKER & POLIAKOFF, P.A. 5201 Blue Lagoon Drive, Suite 100 Miami, Florida 33126 Phone: (305) 262-4433 Fax: (305) 262-4504 FL Toll Free: (800) 533-4874 Internet: lip: / /wumi.becker_noliakoff.com If you do not receive all pagan, please call us immediately. The information contained in this transmission is attorney privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible to deliver it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify us by telephone and return the original message to us at the above address via the U.S. Postal Service. THANK YOU. 02-1068 Pages(including cover); -3 (AD) Date: September 23, 2002 Tune Sent: Operator: VIA FACSTMILC #305-858-1610 The City of Miami Commissioners 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, Florida 33133 Re: Petition For: A Resolution approving a Major Use Special Permit pursuant to Articles 9, 13 and 17 of Zoning Ordinance No. 11000, as amended, for the Skyresidence Project, to be comprised of a residential complex, with not more than. 36 units, with accessory recreational space, and approximately 71 parking spaces. Approximately 640 NE 34'hStreet cc: Vizi FAcsimux #305-416-2035 The Planing & Zoning Department Hearing Boards Division Client #/Matter #: 64893 (D035) From: RASA M. DE LA CAMARA ESQUIRE If you do not receive all pagan, please call us immediately. The information contained in this transmission is attorney privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible to deliver it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify us by telephone and return the original message to us at the above address via the U.S. Postal Service. THANK YOU. 02-1068 Developers and architects are planning a plethora of loft condominiums in South Florida. But, unlike in older cities, most of the buildings are new construction, not remodeled commercial, spaces. TIM CHAPMAN/HEBALD STAFF URBAN LIVING: Lissette Calderon says lofts, like her Neo Lofts project on the Miami River, are the future in South Florida. Story, 2H. BY BELLA KELLY Special to The Herald The movement to revitalize urban areas has spawned a vir- tual boom in the building of lofts in South Florida. Once thought of as Bohe- mian domains occupied by the hip and trendy in New York's SoHo, lofts are emerging as the residence of the millennium for young professionals and cos- mopolitan osmopolitan empty nesters. Buyers are snapping up loft apartments before developers have even broken ground in new developments stretching from South Beach to Kendall to downtown Miami "and into Broward County. Unlike lofts in New York, Chicago or San Francisco, which have been carved out of factory and warehouse build- ings, most of South Florida's lofts are being built from the ground up. Indicative of the surge of activ- ity is Chad Oppenheim, recently named Young Architect of the Year by the, American Institute of Architects' Miami Chapter. Oppen- heim has 10 loft ,developments underway. Other architects and developers have more than a dozen more loft projects under, construe- tion or in the planning stages. Two projects — the Terminal Loft Building in Wynwood where artists live and work and the Parc, a 28' -loft residential development in the Omni Performing Arts dis- trict — are in former industrial buildings.. Old or new, all have the tradi- tional high ceilings, some as high a, 20 feet. There is. abundant use of floor -to -ceiling glass walls to bring 1 PLEASE SEE LOFTS, 31 Loft developments on cutting edge of urbanism ► WFfS, FROM 1H together any way they want." Architect Bernard Zyscov- in,the light. Interiors of some ich, a renowned specialist in apartments are entirely with- urban design, is the architect out walls, leaving one undi- for The Meridian; a five -story, vided space. 111 -unit building at Meridian "These are not your cookie- Avenue and Dade Boulevard, cutter condo," Oppenheim which will be the largest loft says. "They are an exciting development in Miami Beach. concept for more modern liv- "Lofts are urban dwellings," ing. People can .put them Zyscovich says. "They repre- OF There are lofts under construction or planned in Miami -Dade and Broward counties. MIAMI ► The Parc Lofts. 28 luxury loft residences in a converted industrial building at 35 NE 17th St. ► Neo Lofts. 21 -story building on the south bank of the Miami River where the river meets the Flagler Street bridge. ► Miami Flatiron Building. Residential lofts at South Miami Avenue and 11th Street in a building that will Include restaurants and offices and that will have a train running through it. ► Terminal Loft Building. Eight live/work lofts in a converted industrial building at 120 NW 25th St. ► The Edgewater Towers. 39 -story building at Biscayne Boulevard and 32nd Street. ► Sky Residences. 26 -story building at Biscayne Boulevard and 34th Street. KENDALL ► The Metropolis. 25 -story building at U.S.1 and North Kendall Drive with 54 lofts in a 200 -unit building. MIAMI BEACH ► The Meridian. 111 loft residences in a five -story building at 2001 Meridian Ave. ► The Sundance. 19 loft apartments at Jefferson Avenue and Third Street 0 The Ilona. 16 lofts in a 5 -story building at Jefferson Avenue and Second Street. ► The Ilona Bay. "Urban palazzo" building with one 7,000 -square -foot penthouse loft and seven smaller lofts at West Avenue and 16th Street 1 The Vilamur. One- and two-bedroom lofts at 7700 Collins Ave. ► The Alliage. Five -story building at West Avenue and 14th Street ► The Montclair. Five -story building at Meridian Avenue and 17th Street. ► Roney Palace. Three floors of lofts atop the renovated Roney Palace at Collins Avenue and 23rd Street. NORTH BAY VILLAGE ► The Sky. 17 -story building at 7914 West Dr ► Space One. 17 -story building. ► Space Two. 21 -story building. FORTLAUDERDALE ► NoLa.11-story building near Las Olas Boulevard downtown. I Avenue Lofts. 100 live/work lofts at Andrews Avenue and Northwest Fifth Street. sent a totally different aspect of living." Martin A.D. Yabor, vice president of the Miami AIA, designer of the SoHo Cultural Center in Homestead and pro- fessor or architecture at FIU, is architect for Rosewood, a loft conversion of more than 50 buildings in Palm Beach Gar- dens. He has two more loft developments in the wings, one in Miami for a Boca Raton developer; the other in Fort Lauderdale for developers from Argentina. "We are not reinventing the world," Yabor says. "Lofts have been around for years in Europe. But it is a trend and part of the advance of urban- ism. Also, lofts are more eco- nomical to build if they have ' no walls." e Cervera Real Estate, says when ILissette Calderon, the 28- selling lofts, she doesn't talk year-old developer of Neo about square footage. "I talk Lofts, a 199 -unit loft project cubic feet," she says, "because going up on the south bank of with the high ceilings there is the Miami River, says lofts are space in the upper portion that just the beginning of the urban is taken into consideration." movement in South Florida. Cervera's company is bro- "I think in the millennium," kering two loft developments. she says, "we'll see more and Her daughter, Veronica, is in more of the urban concept, of charge of sales at The Merid- people living in a village atmo- ian. Her son, Javier, handles sphere within walking distance sales for the Metropolis, a 25 - of restaurants and night life. People are tired of commuting. Urban living is a definite trend and it is a renaissance that is {A su long overdue." Whether the lofts are in 3 Broward, downtown Miami, Kendall or South Beach, all are high on luxury features and amenities with a Miami flair. _ Jeff Mort, owner of Majestic Properties, aMiami Beach real estate company that sells a ros- ter of loft developments, calls his properties "New York lofts with a South Beach attitude Sky gardens, Zen gardens and meditation gardens �' .� abound in loft buildings that �. ` aren't too high. Also on the roof are swimming pools, fit ness areas, cabanas, ham- mocks, am mocks, sun beds and oriental soaking pools. The Neo has a 7,,i�' Pet Park where pet owners can walk or bathe their dogs and water fountains for both own- Cis wn ers and pets. Prices of lofts range from the mid -$100,000s to more A. than $2.5 million; apartment sizes range from 650 square feet to 7,000. Developers say the high ceilings and open design give ''- units the illusion of more spa- s - ciousness. �. Alicia Cervera, owner of KATHRYN COOK/FOR THE HERALD LOFTY GOALS: Alicia Cervera, left, son Javier Cervera, daughter Veronica Cervera and Jacqueline Regnault in the lobby of Cervera Realty. The family company is working on two loft projects. His Ilona Bay at West Ave- nue and 26th Street has a 7,000 -square -foot penthouse loft with its own rooftop pool, and he is in the process of con- verting a synagogue at Euclid Avenue and Ninth Street into 12 loft units. His other loft developments are a 26 -story -building at Bis- cayne Boulevard and 34th Street, a 39 -story building at Biscayne Boulevard and 32d Street; two 17 -story and one 21- ding story builin North Bay Village; a five -story building West Avenue and 14th Street and another five -story building at Meridian Avenue and 17th Street. He also is architect for the Roney Palace on.Miami Beach, whose top three floors will have oceanfront loft resi' story building going up at U.S. dentes. 1 and North Kendall Drive that Calderon, whose Neo is 90 has 54 lofts among. its 200 percent. sold only a few condo units. months into construction, says rppenheim's Ilona loft, at her buyers are mostly young FeffrsonAvenue and Second professionals; an eclectic mix et on South Beach, was that includes artists, bankers, 'named one of the outstanding . lawyers, hairdressers and buildings of the millennium by models. the Miami AIA and was his "It takes acertain person to first loft project. It is almost love -a loft," she says. "Lofts are sold out and. is nearing comple- hip and funky. But they are tion. Prices start at $400,000. also functional." Convinced they're a match made in heaven. (Considering where they live, that's pretty much true.) r. LINCOLN ROAD_ OCT-NOV 2002 PRINCE of LOFTS ()1i olij. jliti'f'i'w ki rrier 'All Id. \d Jere space Is at tl pr(1111111111. Jo l livill.1' tirld',`p! ni;'Ido lit ol-der.olld Jeff,Vlllrr hzl� seized the Idea and r1tade it lwi OW11. BY BELLA KELLY ven though he started doing lofts only three years ago and even though he's had no formal training as a developer, Jeff Morr's innovative style may turn him into the prince of lofts on Miami Beach. The 38 -year-old entrepreneur's novel approach coupled with his love of cutting- edge architectural design have won his real estate brokerage, Majestic Properties, a ster- ling name for loft developments. "We make it easy for a developer to do a project," Morr said. "We're in it from begin- ning to end. We conceptualize the project, we assist in land acquisition and designing, in financial projection, marketing, brokerage and dosings. The response has been overwhelm- ing. People love what we do and we love what we do." The newest jewel in Mort's collection is the Ilona, a building of 16 loft apartments at Jefferson Avenue and and Street, in SoFi. The five -story structure, designed by award-win- ning architect Chad Oppenheim, is a visual triumph and was named one of the best build- ings of the millennium by the American Insti- tute of Architecture's Miami Chapter. "It is an architectural masterpiece," Morr said. "It is drop -dead gorgeous:' LINCOLN ROAD OCT -NGV 2002 �.i,•{i 11t��'I'.;tiJn�� Ir'�il{,� \\.�I. 1J, I.- pavilion and a lush lounge area furnished with sun beds. Not your traditional condo building. Date palms, banana trees and aromatic plants proliferate outdoors; stands of bamboo form a privacy screen around the building. Enthusiastic buyers have snapped up all but three of the lofts, even while they are under construction. Mort attributes the growing popularity of lofts to their openness, the trend toward uncluttered urban living and to the idea of using outdoor areas for maximum enjoyment of Florida's climate. MORR AND OPPENHEIM'S NEXT PROJECT WILL BE THE ILONA BAY, A 'PALAZZO' ON BAY ROAD FEATURINC A FIVE -BEDROOM, SEVEN -BATH, 8,000-SOUARE-FOOT LUXURY PENTHOUSE PLUS EIGHT LOFT VILLAS. The building is a stark -white, sophisti- cated palace of floor-ro-ceiling glass walls. Bal- conies are surrounded with perforated translucent aluminum screens. A Zen water garden graces the lobby. The entrance gate and bicycle storage stand were designed by noted Argentine sculptor Carolina Sardi. The loft ceilings soar 18 feet; master bedrooms in an open second -story space over- look the living/dining area. Primary public space is the rooftop, occupied by a sky garden, a 55 -foot heated lap pool, cabanas, a dining But the type of lofts Morr and his part- ner, Fabien Tremoulet, develop and market bear no resemblance to those in converted warehouse buildings in gritty Northern cities like New York or Chicago, with hard industri- al features such as exposed air conditioning ducts. Morr calls the Majestic's collection "New York lofts with a South Beach attitude:' "People started asking Lis for lofts," he said. `5o we created modern lofts, something for young professionals, something different. We came out with a product in the $400,000 range, and while we can't give two- to three - thousand square feet, we can raise the ceiling so that it feels like two -thousand square feet because it's open and has large balconies that are eight, to and 12 feet:' Morr said he has more than i,000 units to market for various developers next year, many in Miami Beach. But he is also repre- senting developers who are planning lofts along Biscayne Bay and elsewhere in Miami. "Lofts are much more dramatic and for the same money:" Morr said. "What we're tar- geting is young clientele, empty nesters who want an urban lifestyle, and people who want a second home and don't want to spend $2 or s3 million to get it:' A native of Tel Aviv, Morr grew up in Broward County. While studying advertising and marketing at FSU and FIU, he worked part-time in real estate to pay for his educa- tion. When he sold a house on his second day on the job, he put his studies aside and con- centrate on real estate. He founded Majestic Properties seven years ago and the company now has more than too agents. After the Ilona, which was named for Oppenheim's wife, Morr teams up with the architect again for The Ilona Bay, described as a "20,000 square foot palazzo" at 1577 Bay Rd. The piece de resistance at the Ilona Bay will be a five -bedroom, seven -bath penthouse with 8,000 square feet, plus eight loft villas. lr4 02-1068 09 15 02 OME .�. w w w. m i a m i. c c m w w w. b r o w a r d. c o m Ne Developers and architects are planning a plethora of loft condominiums in South Florida. But, unlike in older cities, most of the buildings are new construction, not remodeled commercial spaces. TIM CHAPMAN/HERALD STAFF URBAN LIVING: Lissette Calderon says lofts, like her Neo Lofts project on the Miami River, are the future in South Florida. Story, 2H. BY BELLA KELLY ings, most of South Florida's lofts Special to The Fimid are being built from the ground up. Indicative of the surge of activ- The movement to revitalize ity is Chad Oppenheim, recently urban areas has spawned a vir- named Young Architect of the tual boom in the building of Year by the American Institute of lofts in South Florida Architects' Miami Chapter. Oppen- Once thought of as Bohe- heim has 10 loft developments urian domains occupied by the underway. Other architects and hip and trendy in New York's developers have more than a dozen SoHo, lofts are emerging as the more loft projects under construc- residence of the millennium for tion or in the planning stages. young professionals and cos- Two projects — the Terminal mopolitan empty nesters. Loft Building in Wynwood where Buyers are snapping up loft artists live and work and the Parc, apartments before developers a 28 -loft residential development have even broken ground in in the Omni Performing Arts dis- new developments stretching trict — are in former industrial from South Beach to Kendall to buildings. downtown Miami and into Old or new, all have the tradi- Broward County. tional high ceilings, some as high as Unlike lofts in New York, 20 feet. There is abundant use of Chicago or San Francisco, floor -to -ceiling glass walls to bring which have been carved out of factory and warehouse build- 0 PIfASE SEE IAFIS, 3H RICHARD PATTERSON/FOR THE HERALD SIMPLE LINES: Chad Oppenheim is the architect behind the Ilona at Jefferson Avenue and Second Street on South Beach. He has 10 loft developments underway. Ask builder to include coverage for delays Q We're being transferred and I need to move into a home before school starts next year. In looking at homes, I've noticed the buildercontract indicates they ` 'P have two years 4 i to complete the home. The salesper- son said the two years is just a DENNIS legal issue and RADICE that the home will be done HOME when I need it. BUILDING What should I do to protect myself? A. There's nothing you can do to guarantee the home will be complete by a date certain unless you pur- POSE SEE RADICE, 4H GEORGIA TASKER/HERALD STAFF 'JUNGLE VELVET': Calathea, photographed at Fairchild Tropical Garden, is from a group of plants that often have beautifully marked leaves. Shady area works best for Calathea WATCH it GROW BY GEORGIA TASKER Name: Calathea Kotanlcal name: calathea war- zewiczn Description: A member of the group of plants that often has beauti- fully marked leaves, this tropical plant is from Costa Rica. This plant was photographed in the conserva- tory of Fairchild Tropical Garden. Calatheas are best used as under - story specimens in a shady, humid area of your garden. Flowers are held within round cups on flower stalks. A Loxahatchee nursery, Excelsa Gardens, sells this as "Jungle Velvet" and it's an apt name. Height: 36 inches Sun: Shade with some bright light Cultivation: High humidity is what keeps these tender tropicals happy. They can be grown in con- tainers and placed in the garden dur- ing the summer and brought into a shade house in winter. Most cala- theas look awful in winter if left in the garden, and require removal of cold -touched leaves. In spring, they can be cut back to the ground and they come back with beautiful new leaves. Calatheas like moist but not wet soil, and slow-release fertilizer to keep the edges from turning yel- low. When leaves age, remove them. FRUGAL. HOMEOWNER GARDENS INDEX § = PLAN MOVE EARLY: Planning can TREATING TICKS: To fight dog ticks, start LOCAL BRIEFS ........................2H help ease the stress of moving to a new with the dog, then move to the grass and CONDO LINE ...........................6H home, even for those who haven't weeds. Answers to questions about plant moved in decades, says columnist Julie care plus a schedule of plant society HOME SALE PRICES...............6H Garton -Good, 7H. meetings and events, 2H. \ EDITOR: TERESA MEARS newhomes@herald.com 305-376-3674 or 954-764-7026 ext. 3674 1 I A68. " - . :� � �. - ",.;" � i. ­. t" " % Ch K .0- E k, G it 4�rle 1 by Lp* IdwWs Lofty Ideas AN FDGY LUXURY GETS A TOEHOLD IN SOUTH FLORIDA ofts gave many liff 4� Y�fk It A !Oft I g artists starving lion} 4, and immigrants L trAfg An" 'fJI-q% M'.�l re, I I tiOxmIumni, ma their first tiste of 1 -ti -I ri­­ inti --A- iz-­A, -kill, t­rl New York s u ilor • 4"'.'At __I oorl vid owt 6rut1wo q and glamour. The lofts were I'll, J-1 I -Of 6 0" Vl-m�tm]F, t 4 n My S - " A t j i 'o )'. t.j._.1, ":j built as turn -of -the -century I hng A� 1. %Af-,-y "*101 -11Y sweatshops where workers hit, rocnv#.,i A, ihAl 11.Jet -,-*z" crowded the rooms that covered an entire building floor. HizIr4FKwrw,r hAt " u, e, c&rmr..t thin s oh �.v4rNo d v"' h -t 4x1' hA gi'- , '•I_j_'. winia-S tar 1j;:.1l fl,". W�td rA A. -.,- It. aAa. f J-*( I.S.- jhXI . LI f. f- I AA.1 1h4` ­41-ol. 1— -0' .... .... 1, 1", 1-61 F 1.0", A K4 .. .... I '3AY C' Pt' - h 4 N, FI t Archtt" (YMrLwtr- hu il=,@ hzxuy Left ooacg* F"C"C" t. r•!< m 1'< in dw -edu ift Muni. OK i'..w­ 1.4t ) �1:: th,: r. N- (.I,$... 1, MP y Ix tic. i. -.c lbete Am no Vid -OmNtyw vo­*. *vz A On Clam is Wed Downtown Wet P9w Beach 400 - I0.000 Square feet MAILABLE NOW A&Vesstve Rates Rlkss (561) 659-1800 www. cempwt�+d.lsots.c eat REACH YOUR TARGET MARKET ADVER11SE INIME 02-1068 Fie - Edt _View Favorkes Toads Hip 4w Bast Search [-A Favorites *Media � 1 �- �► � - C� $ >ddma & Go Leads and Notices Events Calendar Court Info. Events Calendar People on the Move Law Student Paae Notice Our Co Human solutions: News Stories ® Login 0 Jury Verdicts Receive daffy headlines - sign up now for our E -Review Newsletter. ® Classified your e -mad here G ©Mort Rates onar Mervyn's left Florida in 1997 and t, Tot,--n & Country Mall OMine hasn't been the Sante. Roland Bolis at his Bacio Gelato in Coconut Grove Photo by A xa Montero Entrepreneur Italian gelaterias on march from Grove By: Juan Carlos Rodriguez Bacio Gelato, an Italian -based frozen dessert confectioner, is banking on America's taste for fancy sweets to make a name for itself. On Real Estate Commercial skes to S. Fla. In less demand By: Charles Kimball Demand for commercial sites tumbled during the first quarter of 2002 and with it the total amount of money spent for those parcels. Oppenheim has nine luxury loft condo pro)ects in thc. worst. in Miami, Photo by Aixa Montero William Payne Condo Report An edgy luxury gets a toehold in South Florida By: Lynda Edwards Lofts gave many starving artists and immigrants their first taste of New York squalor and glamour. The lofts were built as tum -of -the -century sweatshops where workers crowded the rooms that covered an entire building floor. The Legal Spotlight Law biz By: Tatiana Bancornpagni The Paperless Office The American Lawyer 06-27-2002 Dorsey & Whitney bet heavily on M&A and branch offices, but its Minneapolis home remained its core market. Home I Business Stories I Legal Stories I Court Info. I Products/Services Leads/Notices I Advertise I Subscribe I About Us I Privacy Statement I Site Directory Daily Business Review p 2002 (800) 777-7300 �: rirllorrcame»�' h�cs, and risk ,q Adv. Deadl ne, July I6,,'"' 02 —Clickm Lla I - Who's on top? Who's slipping? Exclusive Report Ad Deadline July 9M, 2002 Reserve your spot NOM F F * i;;;;;;i start O ® pe I ®Inbox - Muxoso(t Ot/tlo .. Daily Business Re... ® Floes -Menage(.. j MAdobePIWWdmj > '��I IIS 1206 PM gw ® teasing Report Real Estate 12 Real Estate Competition has forced once -stalwart retail centers across South Florida to reinvent themselves Association Bulletin By: Alin.) N-latas 7l' Incorporate Kendall is one of South Florida's most active retail markets, O Directories & Usts but you wouldn't know it if you strolled the corridors of Kendall Town & Country Mall. 0 Event Registration Site Directory OContact Us Entrepreneur Italian gelaterias on march from Grove By: Juan Carlos Rodriguez Bacio Gelato, an Italian -based frozen dessert confectioner, is banking on America's taste for fancy sweets to make a name for itself. On Real Estate Commercial skes to S. Fla. In less demand By: Charles Kimball Demand for commercial sites tumbled during the first quarter of 2002 and with it the total amount of money spent for those parcels. Oppenheim has nine luxury loft condo pro)ects in thc. worst. in Miami, Photo by Aixa Montero William Payne Condo Report An edgy luxury gets a toehold in South Florida By: Lynda Edwards Lofts gave many starving artists and immigrants their first taste of New York squalor and glamour. The lofts were built as tum -of -the -century sweatshops where workers crowded the rooms that covered an entire building floor. The Legal Spotlight Law biz By: Tatiana Bancornpagni The Paperless Office The American Lawyer 06-27-2002 Dorsey & Whitney bet heavily on M&A and branch offices, but its Minneapolis home remained its core market. Home I Business Stories I Legal Stories I Court Info. I Products/Services Leads/Notices I Advertise I Subscribe I About Us I Privacy Statement I Site Directory Daily Business Review p 2002 (800) 777-7300 �: rirllorrcame»�' h�cs, and risk ,q Adv. Deadl ne, July I6,,'"' 02 —Clickm Lla I - Who's on top? Who's slipping? Exclusive Report Ad Deadline July 9M, 2002 Reserve your spot NOM F F * i;;;;;;i start O ® pe I ®Inbox - Muxoso(t Ot/tlo .. Daily Business Re... ® Floes -Menage(.. j MAdobePIWWdmj > '��I IIS 1206 PM 00 GC O ri 1 t1t 10 MIAMI TODAY RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2002 O Dwindling land, arts center bringing new life to Omni area BY MARILYN BOWDEN With dwindling reserves of land for development elsewhere and city improvements con- nected to the rising performing arts center changing the look of the neighborhood, the Biscayne corridor may soon be a hotbed of residential development. Developers say they're pur- suing plans for rental and con- dominium projects in a number of price ranges from Wynwood through Omni/Park West. On Biscayne Boulevard be- tween 19th Street and 20th Ter- race, Finger Cos. will begin construction within 30 days on Villas of Biscayne, said princi- pal Carl Maynard. The 15 -story, 435 -unit rental, designed by Cohen Freedman Encinosa, will offer both lofts and conven- tional flats, he said. Units will average 1,050 square feet, Mr. Maynard said, and will rent at about $170 a square foot. The project includes 20,000 feet of retail along Biscayne Boulevard to be leased by Maynard Rich Properties. "These will be small tenants who provide services to our ten- ants and the surrounding area," Mr. Maynard said. Principal Michael Baumann said BCOM Inc. hopes to break ground in December, subject to permit approvals, on 1800 --y— I— said the project would include 450 high-end rental units in two tow,ets, with lease rates from $1,000 to $3,000. Intrepid Real Estate Co. prin- cipals Henry Harper- McClausland and Gustavo Hernandez announced a De- The 36 -story Sky Residence that will house lode Is Illustrated in photo of rebounding waterfront area. cember groundbreaking for houses, when they're available, sundecks and swimming pools. Parc Lofts, a conversion that is sell for $2 million and up. Units range from $400,000 to turn a 47 -year-old warehouse "In addition, Miami has to about 1.2 million, Mr. Morr at 35 NE 17th St. into a three- changed from a transient city said, and should hit the market story, 28 -unit residence. The with a large tourist population in a few weeks. site was formerly home to the to a place people want to make Mr. Morr said the area, which Miami -Dade public school ad- theirhome. Wheneveracitythat has seen a lot of new commer- ministration. is cosmopolitan and interna- cial development as well, is Mr. McClausland said the tional starts getting a large popu- popularwithyoungprofession- New York -style lofts, designed lation of young urban profes- als who are "looking for some - by Patrick Kennedy and Ilija sionals, lofts start appearing." thing a little more exciting for Mosscrop, feature 16- to 20- Florida East Coast Realty, their money" as well as foot ceilings and unstructured whose Bay Parc Plaza rental downsizing empty nesters. Floor plans avdraging 3,000 project at 1750 N Bayshore He said Miami Beach -based square feet. Some are as large Drive has been fully occupied Majestic Properties is opening as 4,000 square feet, he said. since it opened a few years ago, a second office on 50th Street .,. ... uyua�a. .wva, .•a.. .u"a. •...� uu. u..a.vYa.0 .v.+a,. IWIUGI/ltal Ilial RC1. McClauslandsaid, with most Apartments. "Properties in the area are in the $380,0004420,000 "The Major Use Special Per- selling in about 24 hours," he range. _ mit has been approved," said said. "The Biscayne corridor is "Loft living made no sense in Vice President- Jerome Rollo. fairly easy to access. Residents Miami when there were houses "Right now we're developing a will be able to walk to shop - on the water readily available plan and obtaining financing." ping and fine restaurants." and extremely affordable," Mr. The 57 -story building would Property owners and other McClausland said. "Now those have 635 units, he said, with interested parties have formed rents running slightly higher ` than at its sister property, where averages are now $1,200 to $1,800 a month. Robert Wohl of Saxon De- velopment Co. said sales for Edgewater Tower on Biscayne Bay at 31 st Street should begin - in about two months. ta � The 36 -story high-rise will �' € f. �atl�x house about 100 lofts, he said, r including some two-bedroom I and some two-bedroom units plus den. Average size is 1,400- 1,800 square feet. "The two-story units will have 18-footceilings in the liv- ing room, dining room and kitchen," he said.P i The building, which features s floor -to -ceiling glass and deep balconies, was designed by Chad Oppenhein and Walter .,- Chatham. Jeff Morr of Majes- tic Pr)periiewhich is mar- keting the n oject, quoted unit price- ol'S4I 0.000 to S 1.6 mil- _ .fir At M0:.1 .,il ile J,o ler Ill s sent - Silk s ia, loft r! o! ?hc bzli at ? 011 +a � Qlraaa —., 11 Man, 111, 1, tri -1, , J.�'f h10 r is mark2ting the Edgewzter Tower and Sky Residence. lhoM. i::.. ; 111 ;, . the Biscayne Arts Quarter Alli- ance to coordinate and promote the area's development, he said, from the MacArthur Causeway to the Omni. Developers say the sudden boom in residential projects along Biscayne has several causes. "The area has affordable land, while land is running out on the Beach side," Mr. Holl) said. "The performing arts cen- ter also has a huge impact as catalyst for that portion of Biscayne. And the city has de- veloped Margaret Pace Park and is working hard to clean up the neighborhood." Mr. McClausland said the rise in relative property values over the past five years has left developers with less and less to choose from. "Until two or three years ago there was prime land in South Beach and Brickell," he said. "Most of it has dried up. This is the last frontier." A related factor, he said, is land prices so high in some areas that on a per -square -foot basis it doesn't make sense to develop. Mr. Baumann said Miami Commissioner Johnny W inton's support has also been critical. "He cares, is honest and straightforward," he said. "Oth- erwise this couldn't have hau- 1 Ilia oaa alwayh UCCII a guuu neighborhood to live in. It's just been ignored," said Mr. Wohl. He said he's invested in apartments in the area for sbtne time. "Now," he said, "the per- forming arts center has given it credibility." Opera Tower A.par`sncn1f- is In th-� and Fina _ 00 to WEEK OF THURSDAY. AUGUST 29. 2002 PROFILE MIAMI TODAY 5 Q rl ... as WSG Development plans a new life for historic hotel'." Carillon project? A: The Carillon is going to come to be the cutting-edge, hip place for people to be. The most wonderful thing the Caril- lon has is the character that it has had over the years, the nostalgia. Q: You have another project under way in addition to the Carillon and the North Bay Village Sky Lofts? A: Yes. I just bought another project in downtown Miami. It's called Sky Residences. It's a little higher -end resi- dential development with a view of Mi- ami Beach. I call it my postcard prop- erty, because when you have a postcard of Miami Beach, it's taken from that side. Q: Where does the project stand? A: It's in for approval with the city. Q: What are the characteristics? A: They're going to be a different type of loft, with 12 -foot -high ceilings. Each apartment will be a loft -style residence. There are only two units to a floor. Each one has its own elevator and there's 40 feet of glass frontage, which is a lot. They'll go from $500,000 to more than $1 million. Q: This is a hurricane area: Areyou concerned about the amount of glass there and at the Carillon? A: No, because of the hurricane expe- rience we have, the modern technology and the building codes of today. The wind resistance is not really a problem. The other condominiums all have the same glass requirements. They have spe- cial glass. high-rises after 01 _J A: I think the fear has subsided. I feel that a residential structure is really not a target, because it doesn't make a big enough statement— the terrorists go after the money supply of America. And the way you do that is to paralyze the gen- erators of the economy, which are busi- nesses. Americans are too strong a people to succumb to terrorist pressures. People love their homes, and I don't think they're in fear at all. Q: You are from Miami Beach? A: Yes, I was born and raised here. I grew up on 85th Street, Stillwater Drive. I went to Biscayne Elementary and dur- ing that time I frequented North Shore Park and that whole North Beach area. It was the place for me to go play sports and what -not. After that I went to Nautilus Junior High, when we moved from North Beach to Middle Beach, to 51 st and Alton. And then I went to Miami Beach High School. My father was a judge in North Bay Village and my grandfather, Charlie Donner, my mother's father, built build- ings there. They included the Treasure Houses there. He built them with his partner Sam Adler. I used to go in and out of those Treasure Houses all the time. Q: So you didn't follow your father into law but your grandfather into real estate? A: I was born into it. My father was a real estate lawyer. Both of my grandfathers were real estate developers. My paternal grandfa- ther was a big real estate developer in the Hollywood area — he owned the water and sewer company there and built thou- sands of homes all throughout Broward County. Every lunch, every dinner, there was talk about building a new condominium, new housing. On my summer vacations I worked in the construction end of the When I graduated college I thought it was better to explore some other oppor- tunities, to learn it someone else's way. So I ended up working for somebody else. We built shopping centers and some residential developments. At that time I really learned the busi- ness in a global sense, because most of the stuff that we built was not in South WHY DO PEOPLE STOP AT ADS? It's not like it's a rule. People ` stop because the ad strikes a chord. If the ad hits at an emotional or intellectual level, then they might give your company a few extra seconds. Green Dot creates advertising and marketing executions that stop people — and talk directly co them. ANe take advantaxe �-)i the tune %%,,'v(, 2ot — and make sura that hent k scall at a}. with the right mcssa�cs green' �����Auvcrt �.r-� 2nd `. arkeunp Solutions Florida but all over the country. And that's where I came up with the concept of not being restricted to just South Florida — I wanted to build my business all over the country. Q: How did that come about? A: What happened was I met my part- ner, Philip Wolman, president of For Eyes Optical, and worked for him as his vice president of real estate. We said, why don't we go ahead and form WSG Development Co. and use the experience that I had to build across the country for national retailers? And that's how the business took off. We went ahead and built for a bunch of national retailers — Starbucks Coffee, Men's Wearhouse, Kinko's, Casual Male, Big & Tall and Barnes & Noble. We built a lot of shopping centers all across the country with these national retailers. It opened your eyes to a bigger picture. You'd go into a town, not knowing any- body, acquire a piece of real estate, bring all your national tenants in there and you'd develop a whole community. It's a unique business and a rewarding one. What helped me do that were my con- nections to Wall Street — a lot of Wall Street lenders wanted to back me be- cause they saw what I was doing in the country. That's the way the business built so rapidly. Q: You added residential later? A: About three years ago I really missed my residential background. So at that point we started to diversify and got back into the residential arena. We have a project called Vista Point resort housing community oftownhomes, duplexes and single-family homes. It's about half a mile off a mountain. My niche in the marketplace is to provide professionals reasonable hous- ing. Everything in Colorado is $2.5 mil- lion to $3 million. I'm providing the same home for $600,000 to $700,000. Down here it sounds like a lot of money. But out there, it's like nothing. You look out to the ski slopes. It's tran- quil and beautiful. That's what I'm doing in North Bay Village, in Sky Residences in the 34th Street Bay area, and that's what I'm going to do at the Carillon. At the Carillon we have 600 units. So we're able to have economies ofscale in order to reduce the pricing. Other devel- opers may be building only 150 units and as a result have to charge so much more money. What you're getting is unparalleled in Miami Beach, in my opinion. Q: What does the future look like for you? A: Right now we have 20 projects under construction and development throughout the country. So in the next three years we'll do half a billion dol- lars' worth of development. Beyond that, my goal is to keep the company growing and give people more opportunity. That's what I'm about. There's a lot ofpeople who I've grown up with who still work for me who are getting the opportunity to live their dream. I feel very fortunate to be where I am at such a young age and 1 just want to help other people have those opportu- nities. It's very rewarding for me personally to see other people succeed. Q: You are married? A: Yes. I've known my wife, Jennifer, since high school. That helps keep me grounded. I started with a desk and a phone, literally. I had no experience at the time. I had abso- ness to where it is today. I sacrificed a lot. I'm here at 7 a.m. and it's not un- usual for me to be here at 9 at night. So my philosophy is balance, not for- getting where you're from, and helping people who are really trying to get ahead. You have to be honest and you have to be sincere. That helps people want to do business with you and deal with you. any portion of MIAMI TODAY IT'S QUICK, AFFORDABLE, SAFE & LEGAL! 'A r �i err. NIMXNI :�iTODAY - (: REPRINT ORDERS i! 3o5.,58_1oD8 m„;l it -it tit isok@C(mi.,�mi 2 MIAMI TODAY PROFILE WEEK OF THURSDAY. AUGUST 29. 2002 Eric D. Sheppard to bring Carillon back to North Beach... In 1957, it won a hotel of the year award for its distinctive facade and accordion wall, in the MiMO, or Mi- ami Modern, style ofarchitecture. Top - billing singers and magicians per- formed there. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed an American Jewish Con- gress convention therein the1950s and in 1972 President Richard Nixon spoke to a meeting there of the National Re- tired Teachers Association. But for the past 15 years the Carillon Hotel at 6801 Collins Ave. in Miami Beach has been an emptyshell, a windowlessghost sitting behind a chain-link fence con- templating a bleak future. That future has recently brightened, with plans by a locally based national real estate development company to bring the property back to life, adding two condominium towers and top-flight amenities for oceanfront living. The project, with a design by Arquitectonica, is being undertaken by WSG Development, whose president, Eric Sheppard, was born and grew up nearby, and whose other current de- velopments include loft -style apart- ments in North Bay Village and down- town Miami. Mr. Sheppard was interviewed at his Office in a building his development firm also built on Miami Beach's Arthur Godfrey Road by Miami Today inter- national editor Michael Haves. Q: What does your Carillon Hotel project comprise? A: It amounts to 1 million square feet. It's a three-phase project consisting of condominiums with hotel amenities, along with an apartment component. There are three structures. It will be one product with three product types. On the south parcel, which is a 20 - story high-rise, we're going to have oceanfront loft apartments — something that hasn't been done yet. Included in that we are going to have a 16,000 - square -foot spa that will be utilized by everybody in the property. It will be a unique product there. The middle building is going to be luxury apartments with hotel amenities. So we're going to have restaurants and room service. What I'm trying to do is keep the characteristics ofthe old Carillon, which in its heyday was an exciting, vibrant place to be. And what -I want to bring back is that feeling, however. To have people enjoy it again as a place where people actually live and enjoy hotel amenities. That's really my vision. The characteristics of the existing Carillon Hotel are just tremendous. And we want to utilize those, but also en- hance the new day. Then the north side is going to be a magnificent 38 -story structure where we're going to have 70 feet of glass for people to be able to enjoy the vistas of all of Miami Beach. The first unit starts on the eighth floor — most condominiums start on the second or third floor. I love the fact that everyone's going to _Ii�R a great unit. And we're going to have a sunrise and a sunset pool. That means that there's a pool right on the ocean where you'll see the sunrise. And on the seventh floor we'll have a sunset pool. It's elevated so that you can look over the other buildings in the area. You will be able to see the sunset. In a lot of developments at 2 o'clock you lose the view because the buildings block it. We've also decided to put a pool in the front and the back so that you capitalize on the sun at all times of the day. Q: What is the style going to be? A: What we're going to offer is con- temporary with the sophistication ofclass that's timeless. The MiMO, or Miami Photo Dy Marine uuaront Eric D. Sheppard, president of WSG Development Co., said that in the past seven years alone his Beach -based company has done more than 40 projects in the US. Modern, character is going to remain within the development. That's why we're keeping the existing structure. We're trying to blend the MiMO style with the contemporary style. It's com- plicated, but we feel that we're going to achieve it. Certain people at the historic preservation organization have helped us to achieve that. Q: Are you gutting the Carillon building? A: Completely. But we're not taking away certain characteristicsi such as the parapet wall. We're going to re-create the lobby. We're keeping a lot of the characteristics but modernizing the ac- tual units. Q: What will the condominium part be? A: It will self-contained, with its own fitness center. We're going to put in a wine cellar for certain apartments, which is unique. We're also going to have an entertainment room. The key to it is that in the north parcel all but two units are going to be direct oceanfront units, flow-through units that go from the ocean to the city. The south tower is going to be amaz- ing, with oceanfront lofts. Other people have not done that yet, so it's going to be really unique. It will be like a loft townhouse in the sky. We'll have a 16,000 -square -foot spa that will have lap pools on top. There will be palm trees, Infinity pools. And what's amazing is the actual entrance between the existing structure and the loft structure is elevated, so that when you drive up you're going to be looking at an Infinity pool and at the ocean at the same time — there will be no barriers to the view. All the buildings will have valet and concierge. In the existing structure we're planning on having in addition to the restaurant a bar -movie theater that will show old documentaries and some mod- ern stuff. I think that it will be really hip and cool and will lend itself to different generations. Q: What is your buyer profile? A: It's really a wide range. The price range is going to offer something for different generations — from $200,000 up to $1 million. There are going to be three product types. So we're going to blend different generations into one. The people who don't want to pay millions for an ocean- front condominium are the people we're looking for — for example, people who live in Aventura but work in Miami Beach and want to have a Miami Beach address. Q: Are you looking to attract for- eigners also? A: My phone has been ringing off the hook since we closed on the property, people calling not only from the North- east US but from South America and Europe, as well as a lot of local people. Q: Originallyyou planned to refur- bish the Carillon as a hotel? A: It's going to be a place where people can actually live and have the hotel experience and amenities. It will be very similar to the condo -hotels that are going up today. There will be a hotel component in it. As to how many rooms will be desig- nated as hotel rooms, we're working through that right now. Q: There does not seem to be a big market for hotel as such currently? A: Hotel financing has all but gone away. The only way that I feel I can provide what people want and what's the right business venture is to incorpo- rate hotel amenities with the place and the experience of people to live. A lot of people live in condominiums where they've thrown up a little fitness center and a pool, and they think that's great. Well, I'm saying, let's go beyond that. Let's be more modern. Let's have a full-fledged restaurant with room ser- vice. Let's have a movie theater, a sun- dry shop, Infinity pools, the beautiful lifestyle. What I want people to do is, when they drive in, to feel like they're pulling up to a hotel, to say, you know what? I own a piece of this! That's the way I envision it, because 1 know that when I travel and I see hotels I wish I could live in this type of lifestyle all the time. That's what I'm trying to create, where you feel as if you're in a hotel but actually own a piece of it. Q: A major feature is that you are right on the ocean? A: The whole property has 800 linear feet of beachfront. So it's a residential resort, basically. Q: You bought the land in separate lots? A: It was two parcels that we pur- chased. The north parcel, for the condo- minium, my partner, Philip Wolman, and I purchased for $15 million. On the other parcel we did somewhat of a joint venture, a refinancing with the existing owners, Transnational Proper- ties. Transnational retains a minority portion in the property, while I took over the whole property. Q: What is the overall project value? A: The whole venture is $300 million. Q: The biggest -ever such develop- ment on North Beach? A: Yes. This project is the catalyst in North Beach for other projects in the area. What's amazing for me personally is that I was born and raised here, while most of the other developers doing stuff here come in, develop it and then leave. They really have no emotional attach- ment to the area. Q. You have been active ouiside North Beach? A: In the past seven years we've built more than 40 projects nationally in dif- ferent states — Colorado, Texas, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Maryland, DC, Georgia, West Virginia and through- out Florida. When I built a project in those areas it was great because it really built my busi- ness. Because I had started from noth- ing. That has been a dream. But a bigger dream is that for the past two years I have been actively feeling where I came from. I have been putting my money back into the community and feeling areas that at one time were great areas but had kind of dissipated over the years and are now on the way back up. It's just a great feeling to be involved with that. It's so much more emotional to be involved with that. I'm more pas- sionate about it than when I build in another community, especially being young and doing it. Right now, just in this little corridor area here, in North Beach, we have the Carillon. In North Bay Village, where my father used to be a judge, I'm build- ing a project that is already 70% sold called Sky Lofts. It has loft apartments with 18 -foot ceilings, with beautiful flow- through units from the bay and the ocean to the city. Q: That wasan innovation forNorth Bay Village? A: Yes. We were the catalyst there, too. There was no one that was doing any- thing there. Then I came in. I bought this piece of property — everyone thought I was crazy — and designed a unique prod- uct. You couldn't just go in there and build a conventional condominium because people didn't really want to see that. We have a pool on top of the roof. It's really a hip place to be. Q: Which is what you hope for the