Ugo Colombo: Offering his new iconic project on unique Grove shoreline

Ugo Colombo is known by some in the Miami real estate development world as one of the founding fathers of Brickell’s financial district, or the Wall Street of the South, creating with his company CMC Group one of the area’s early luxurious high-rise buildings – the Bristol Tower – in 1993, and several others consecutively, including in 1996 Santa Maria, a 52-story tower whose “mansions in the sky” have helped put Brickell on the map as one of the top luxury residential markets in the nation.

Most recently, various top-class condominium developments such as Porto Vita in Aventura, Grovenor House in Coconut Grove, EPIC Hotel and Residences in downtown, Beach House 8 in Miami Beach and Brickell Flatiron in the Brickell financial district have positioned Mr. Colombo and CMC Group as one of the most important development firms in Miami.

He said condo buyers look for “uniqueness and quality” and that is what CMC Group aspires to provide in its luxury developments.

His latest project, Vita at Grove Isle, a monumental residential development contouring Grove Isle’s Biscayne Bay shoreline that has 65 residences ranging from 3,400 to 6,600 square feet of indoor space and 2,900 to 6,100 square feet of outdoor space, is ready to begin construction, already half-way bought out.

Mr. Colombo was born in Milan, Italy, educated in Lausanne, Switzerland, and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Miami earned after he came to the US in 1983.

He formed his company after acquiring foreclosed residential units at the Imperial and Villa Regina condominiums on Brickell Avenue from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and eventually build out his empire to become what it is today.

Mr. Colombo also played a role in the rejuvenation of South Beach by redeveloping the Waldorf and Casa Grande, two of Ocean Drive’s most important Art Deco hotels, and acquired in 1994 seven franchise luxury automotive dealerships known as The Collection: Jaguar, Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin, Audi, and McLaren.

Mr. Colombo spoke with Miami Today reporter Monica Correa.

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