Helicopter pad, Metromover entryway OK’d for Brickell City Centre

Two major developers have won approval of several enhancements to their plan for a signature office skyscraper in Brickell, including a helicopter pad and a new entrance to the Brickell City Centre Metromover Station.

One BCC will be a 59-story glass and steel tower at 700 Brickell Ave., which will finally connect Brickell City Centre with Brickell Avenue in the City of Miami.

The new tower is coming from a partnership between Swire Properties Inc. and Related Companies.

The latest plans were recommended for approval by the city’s Urban Development Review Board.

Last summer, Swire and Related announced a collaboration to construct the largest commercial building in Florida.

They unveiled One Brickell City Centre, a supertower designed by architectural firm Arquitectonica.

The partnership said the Class A office building is the second phase of Brickell City Centre, a $1.05-billion, 4.9-million-square-foot, mixed-use development that opened in 2016 and was developed by Swire Properties Inc.

Swire and Related say One BCC will feature the largest floorplates in Miami for a Class A office building.

Brickell City Centre is being developed as a Special Area Plan (SAP), allowed by the city’s Miami 21 zoning code.

An SAP allows a property of nine acres or more to be master planned, which contributes to public improvements and infrastructure like roads, parks, and other public services.

Spencer Crowley, an attorney representing the developers, reminded the review board that the SAP for Brickell City Centre was the city’s very first SAP, approved in about 2010.

“The project has really been a catalyst for everything that is happening in Brickell right now,” he said.

Swire, headquartered in Miami since 1979, is the main developer of Brickell City Centre, which began in 2013. The sweeping development includes a hotel, condos, office buildings and a large shopping center.

The developers say the new tower will rise about 977 feet and have a dynamic sloping design housing larger floor plates, with significant outdoor terrace spaces on the lower floorplates above the podium.

Mr. Crowley said One BCC is designed to attract significant financial service and technology firms fleeing the Northeast and Midwest and looking to relocate in South Florida.

He said the developers worked with the city to offer what these companies are looking for: larger office floorplates.

The first three stories of One BCC will be retail. The bulk of the space will offer 1.1 million square feet of offices, said Mr. Crowley.

Bernardo Fort-Brescia, principal at Arquitectonica, told the board that One BCC will serve as the gateway into the larger complex, and provide new connectivity through the blocks-long development.

The One BCC project includes a parking garage with 1,400 spaces in the podium levels and fully internalized loading berths/drop-off areas within the ground level.

One of the most important components of the latest project, from the city’s point of view, is a set of grand stairs that lead to a pedestrian walkway connecting to the Metromover and Brickell City Centre, said Mr. Fort-Brescia.

He said the unique climate ribbon now over the shopping center will be extended down to Eighth Street and continue to offer the effect of bringing breezes into the area, like natural air conditioning.

As part of the latest plans for One BCC, the developers are requesting several SAP permits that would allow:

■Increased floorplate size, up to 60,000 square feet, and length, up to 350 feet.

■A 30% reduction in required parking.

■Vehicular entries less than 60 feet apart.

■Driveway width more than 30 feet with continuous flush sidewalk.

■Reduction in size of compact parking spaces.

■Above-ground parking extending into the second layer on Seventh and Eighth streets.

■Up to six loading berths with a loading management plan.

■A rooftop helicopter landing site.

Board member Fidel Perez said, “Beautiful project. You know, once again you come through. Beautiful idea connecting the pedestrian to Metromover. Well done. Well thought out. At the end of the day it’s going to be beautiful.”

Board member Gia Zapattini said, “I agree. It’s another example of how development is going to change our city. I think when your team did Brickell City Centre you completely changed downtown Brickell.

“We’ve been waiting to have a new building like this in our city for corporate companies to come. I think it’s really spectacular. Love the scale and the design,” she said.

“The idea of incorporating that covered paseo is really beautiful,” she said, referring to the plan to extend the climate ribbon.

Ms. Zapattini did take issue with one design element: the look of the columns supporting the canopy over the Metromover entrance.

As part of her motion to approve, she added a recommendation to reconsider the design of the columns.

“You did a beautiful job and it’s going to be an iconic development for our city,” she concluded.

Board member Anthony Tzamtizis said, “It’s a very impressive building, as usual. I like very much the connectivity from Brickell (Avenue) into the City Centre. Very nice touch.”

Acting Chairman Agustin Barrera said, “I agree with my colleagues, I think (Brickell) has been awaiting an office building of this quality and caliber. Very elegant.

“The connectivity to the rest of Brickell City Centre I think is very dynamic and will just continue to bring life to (that portion of the city),” he said.
The vote recommending approval was unanimous.

Construction on One BCC is scheduled to begin this year.

It is at the entrance to existing Brickell City Centre, which includes the 352-key East Miami hotel; the condominium towers Reach and Rise; two additional office towers providing 260,000 square feet of space; the $30 million sustainability system climate ribbon; and a 2,600-space underground garage.