Developer Plans Hurricaneresistant Office Building In Doral

By Marilyn Bowden
A developer plans to build about 650,000 square feet of Class A office space to hurricane-shelter code strength in the Doral area.

"We have about 38 acres of land at Dolphin Commerce Center, of which 33 are available for office development," said Philip Procacci, founder of Procacci Development Corp. The site, he said, will support about 110,000 square feet of warehouse condominiums.

Mr. Procacci said he plans to apply for permits early next year with groundbreaking set for summer and occupancy in late 2007.

The idea to build an office building capable of withstanding strong winds came to him after Hurricane Charlie tore across Central Florida in 2004, he said.

"There was tremendous devastation to commercial developments, a loss of productivity and potential loss of customers," he said. "That was very detrimental to business. We looked at the Class A code for requirements for a shelter and came up with this level of design."

The office building will be designed to withstand sustained winds of up to 185 mph, Mr. Procacci said. A Category 5 hurricane has sustained winds of at least 155 mph.

Mr. Procacci said he anticipates a ready market for the project, between State Road 836 and Florida’s Turnpike at Northwest 12th Street.

"The Doral-Airport West area is becoming very hot in the office market," he said. "With part of the Koger Center becoming residential, there will be 600,000 to 700,000 square feet of tenants looking for space over the next few years.

"Our location is one of the most accessible and convenient in the county, and with no immediate competition for this type of product, we think we will do very well there."

Procacci has begun construction on Phase I of Emerald View at Vista Center in West Palm Beach, a Class A office project with a similar level of hurricane-resistant design.