The 305 Talks: Harvey Hernandez from Newgard Development Group

Written by & filed in Condo, Development Pipeline, Interviews, Residential, Transit.

Harvey Hernandez- Chairman and Managing Director Newgard Development Group

Harvey Hernandez- Chairman and Managing Director Newgard Development Group

Newgard Development Group Chairman and Managing Director Harvey Hernandez sat down with me to discuss his two Miami projects that are currently under development in Brickell and Downtown. BrickellHouse is under construction and Centro will break ground later this year in the heart of Downtown Miami. The partners of Newgard Development Group have spent 15 years in the South Florida real estate market. Founded by Harvey Hernandez, Newgard’s management team brings 40 years of combined experience in development, design and construction. Newgard’s approach to development includes innovative luxury buildings in desirable, centrally located neighborhoods, pedestrian-oriented lifestyles with cutting-edge amenities.

Miami Urbanist: Miami and Orlando will soon be connected by rail thanks to All Aboard Florida. Hopefully, commuter rail will soon follow. What opportunities do you see for transit-oriented development in South Florida?

Harvey Hernandez: We see great opportunity here. One of the main reasons we chose the Centro site was its proximity to transit.  We believe in density and that having premium transit within walking distance is an attractive alternative to the car. Our consumers don’t necessarily own two cars; many are able to live comfortably with one or no car. In fact we have teamed up with car2go and they will have a designated Parkspot hub on the ground floor of our building.

Miami Urbanist: What are the strongest characteristics of the Centro site?

Harvey Hernandez: It’s in the middle of everything! It’s close to Brickell and within walking distance of mass transit.  Whole Foods and Brickell CityCentre will soon open a couple of blocks from Centro.

Miami Urbanist: Please explain the parking situation at Centro, there seems to be a few misconceptions about parking.

Harvey Hernandez: Zoning allows us to provide parking offsite; therefore we don’t have to build parking. The parking garage is within 100 yards of Centro. We have entered into an agreement with the Miami Parking Authority to provide parking. We also provide 24-hour valet service and there is always the car2go hub at our doorstep.

Miami Urbanist: Has the parking situation discouraged people from buying at Centro? (more…)

Ocean House Penthouse Sells for $3,591 Per Square Foot

Written by & filed in Condo, Market Watch, Residential.

 

Ocean House penthouse #702 just sold for $15,000,000 at $3,591 per square foot

Ocean House penthouse #702 just sold for $15,000,000 at $3,591 per square foot

A penthouse at Ocean House has just sold for a cool $15mil in the posh South of Fifth neighborhood on South Beach. The 4,176 sq ft South Beach penthouse was originally listed at $18,500,000 and then saw a price cut to $16,900,000.  Jonathan Castaneda  from Fortune International Realty represented the buyer and Dora Puig from Puig Werner Real Estate Services represented the seller. No word on the who the buyer is. You can check out the photos of this sweet pad here.

Shop for Your Miami Beach Condo According to the Nearest DECOBIKE Station

Written by & filed in Condo, Cyclists & Pedestrians, Residential.

The good folks at StreetEasy (I just happen to be one of them too) love real estate and bicycles. Today we launched a new feature on StreetEasy- now you can search for your dream condo on Miami Beach according to the nearest DECOBIKE station. How awesome is that? We think it’s pretty cool.

We launched this search feature in cities that have a bike share programs: Miami Beach, Surfside & Bay Harbor Islands (DECOBIKE), NYC (Citi Bike), and DC (Capital Bike Share). As soon as the city of Miami announces the DECOBIKE stations we will have those stations up on StreetEasy too!  We are also working on getting Broward B-Cycle stations in Broward County on StreetEasy as well. Now you can live the urban lifestyle with more mobility options closer to home.

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Transit Talk

Written by & filed in Community, Quality of Life, Transit.

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TRANSIT TALK will feature a small panel of local transit advocates and professionals that will facilitate a conversation on transit issues in Miami.  The upcoming Transportation Summit (a separate event happening on June 6th) is a key topic — this pre-summit summit will provide information on what to expect and how to most effectively address transit issues.  Other topics of interest include pedestrian and bike safety, walkable streets, and the current state of Miami-Dade’s transit ecosystem.  Ideas sessions to directly follow discussion.

RSVP: [email protected]

TRANSIT TALK is being presented by the Miami Foundation, in collaboration with the Miami DDA, Madera Events, WhereBy.Us, Move Miami Dade and the Citizen’s Independent Transportation Trust.

Light refreshments will be provided.  Drink specials offered by Avenue D.

Miami Modern Chique for Lease at Biscayne Plaza

Written by & filed in Commercial, Historic Preservation, Retail.

You can live the Mad Men office dream right here in Miami. Check out this great office space that was built in in 1958 and looks to be completely preserved. It’s like taking a step back in time. The 5,000 sq ft office space is currently available for lease. The office is located at 570 NE 81st Street.

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The new owners of Biscayne Plaza are moving fast on their new acquisition and it looks like Subway will be the first new tenant.  Global Fund Investments and MMG Equity Partners  are the new owners and it appears they are retrofitting the existing structure to be more retailer-friendly with floor to ceiling windows.

Knocking down wall and installing floor to ceiling windows. Smaller bays make sense.

Knocking down wall and installing floor to ceiling windows. Smaller bays make sense.

For leasing information call Global at: 888-535-6306