As oceanfront land becomes even more sparse and available properties close to the water skyrocket out of reach for many buyers, the mixed-use trend is spreading to other areas of South Florida, and Broward County is certainly one of them. More and more people are drawn to the concept of working, living and playing in the same area, feeding the mega-metropolis monster and breathing urban life into the suburbs. One such project can be found in the billion-dollar residential and retail project, Metropica. Poised to become the “epicenter of South Florida,” the 65-acre residential, commercial and retail hub promises to bring both coastal and downtown living a little inland.
Metropica is strategically located next to the second-largest attraction in Florida after Disney World, the Sawgrass Mills mall. Like other mega-projects in the works, like Miami World Center, CityPlace Doral and Brickell City Centre, the project doesn’t fall short on attractive amenities. According to a recent article from Ocean Drive Magazine, eight 25- to 28-story condo towers will offer over 1,800 residential units with community amenities that include a South Beach-inspired beach club (minus the ocean), an elevated 600-foot saltwater infinity pool overlooking the Everglades, poolside cabanas, an indoor pet place, 24-hour children’s playroom, a bike fix-it station, and Broward’s first Shake Shack. Of course there will be plenty of restaurants, shopping, a luxury cinema, and an office park all within easy pedestrian access.
“The coast was becoming very expensive for the local people to live,” said Joseph Kavana, chairman and chief executive officer of KGH International Development. And western Broward “did not have a center, a downtown, a place where people can go shopping, to restaurants. There was no place to go.”
The first tower in the community, YOO at Metropica, broke ground in October with The Trillist Companies, known for innovative and eco-friendly projects that bring a “new urbanism,” at the helm. The project will also include a 345-unit rental building, a 240-room hotel, a 150,000-square-foot office building, and 400,000 square feet of retail. According to the president and CEO of Trillist, Scott Leventhal, the new suburban “town center” is popular with international buyers, with “exceedingly strong” sales among Central and South American and Chinese investors.
The boundaries of where people want to live, work, and play in South Florida are being pushed, and you can bet that, in terms of the trending mixed-use development, if they build it, people will come.