Archives

  • www.xinsurance.com
Advertisement
The Newspaper for the Future of Miami
Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
Front Page » Top Stories » Brickell City Centre to build fire station, weighs expansions

Brickell City Centre to build fire station, weighs expansions

Written by on February 25, 2020
  • www.miamitodayepaper.com
Advertisement
Brickell City Centre to build fire station, weighs expansions

As Brickell City Centre’s developer continues to reshape a growing and maturing City of Miami, it is prepared to deliver on its promise for a new fire station incorporated into the sweeping mixed-use development.

“We expect construction to begin in the coming month,” said Kieran Bowers, president of Swire Properties Inc., in an email to Miami Today.

The global development company entered into an agreement with the city that calls for construction of a temporary and then a permanent fire station for the city.

Mr. Bowers said the fire station is a temporary structure provided to ensure the city’s first response teams can meet growing demands. 

The fire-rescue station is to be built by the private developer on its property between Southeast Fifth and Sixth streets, and near the river.

The temporary facility is to include, in part:

■A 24- by 60-foot trailer, and parking for eight vehicles.

■A protective awning of about 40 by 20 feet (with 11-foot clearance) to protect fire-rescue apparatus.

■An 8- by 16-foot storage shed, motorized gate and fencing, and a 1,500-gallon septic tank system.

All temporary fire station improvements are to meet the technical and logistical requirements of the Department of Fire-Rescue.

A permanent station is planned for the same location once redevelopment of the site begins.

The permanent fire station is to be 6,500 square feet.

City officials and Swire representatives first began negotiations on the fire station in 2015.

Brickell City Centre began rising in 2013. It now includes two condominium towers, two Class-A office buildings, its EAST, Miami Hotel, and a more than 500,000-square-foot shopping center that opened in 2016.

The fire-rescue station and an improved public riverwalk are promised by Swire and its affiliates in a development agreement approved in January 2019 by the city commission.

They are listed in the new development agreement under the “public benefits” section, which also includes a promised contribution of $1 million to the city for its Anti-Poverty Initiative or placed into the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

Entering 2020, Swire is continuing to watch the market before commencing its next construction phase.

With more than 30 years in South Florida, Swire understands the market and is always prepared for the build-cycle as it winds up and down, Mr. Bowers said.

“We are currently working on the sellout of the two premier residential towers – Reach and Rise. As the market matures, Swire will continue to increase its footprint in the neighborhood with the development of an extensive land bank we have in the area with approved plans.

“Swire’s priority is ensuring we are being both innovative and ambitious in our latest designs so that we are ready to launch new developments when the market is there,” he wrote.

Since September, Swire has continued to evolve its plans and designs for Brickell City Centre’s next phase.

Within its current phase, he said, Swire has welcomed an exciting mix of experience-driven concepts to the shopping center.

The developer recently announced the upcoming opening of Puttshack, an upscale, tech-forward mini golf experience will be the shopping center’s newest anchor tenant occupying almost 30,000 square feet.

Marabú and Indochino have also been signed to join recently opened stores including Rodilla, TUMI, Kirk Jewelers, Chanel Fragrance & Beauté Boutique, Sur La Table and more.

Brickell City Centre is a landmark $1.05 billion, 4.9-million-square-foot mixed-use development.

“We believe that Brickell continues to have untapped potential and we have ambitious plans for our extensive land bank,” Mr. Bowers said.

“We seek to create a vibrant neighborhood in the urban core, continuing the creative transformation initiated at Brickell Key over 30 years ago,” he said.

The next major phase will see Swire redevelop adjacent sites: the former Associated Photo at 19 SW Sixth St. and the former Tobacco Road bar at 650 S Miami Ave.

The plan calls for two residential towers, one at 54 stories containing 588 residences; the second at 62 stories with 384 residences.

This planned two-block expansion includes 87,284 square feet of commercial space (retail/entertainment), 1,231 above-ground parking spaces, and significant other improvements.

  • www.miamitodayepaper.com
Advertisement