40story Omni Area Mixeduse Project Gains Miamis Ok

By Paola Iuspa
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Home for decades to politicians, judges and journalists at happy hour, an Omni area site has been approved for construction of a 40-story mixed-use complex.

When City of Miami commissioners OK’d Tuesday conceptual plans for the 1800 Club at 1800 North Bayshore Drive, brothers Robert and Bill Ader said they were happy because the new project will carry the same name of their father’s cocktail lounge, most popular during the 1960s and ’70s.

"The 1800 Club was founded in 1955 by our father, William Ader," said Robert, who attended the commission meeting. "We are very happy with the decision" to approve the project.

Bill Ader said the brothers closed the lounge five months ago when the family decided to sell the land to the developer.

Without neighbors’ opposition, developer BCOM Inc., with Michael Baumann and Aslan Palachi as principals, obtained a major use special permit for the 450-unit rental residential building with 27,604 square feet for offices and 4,872 square feet for retail.

Although zoning allowed up to 700 units on the site, BCOM opted for a smaller design, said Vicky Garcia-Toledo, the developer’s attorney.

The site is across from Margaret Pace Park, now undergoing a $3 million face-lift, with a view to Biscayne Bay immediately north of the former Omni Mall.

Designed by Bermello Ajamil & Partners, the 1.4-acre complex would have a 9-floor parking garage for 670 cars.

The ground floor has room for indoor and outdoor restaurant use and retail, an architect for the firm said. The next two levels would accommodate offices and the 4th floor would have townhome-like units.

The remaining floors would be for one- to three-bedroom units with rents ranging from $1,100 to $2,200 a month, Mr. Baumann said. Construction, planned to start in late summer, would cost about $150 million, he said.

The project is expected to generate more than $2.2 million in tax revenues annually to local governments, according to city documents.

BCOM, which is acting as a pension fund developer, has the financing in place, said Mr. Baumann, who said he still has to close on the purchase of the land.