1101 Brickell Avenue Retrofit

The ground floor of 1101 Brickell Avenue is in the process of being retrofitted with additional retail space. For the past couple of months construction workers have been busy erecting a steel structure which will eventually house a bank. Is this the first in a new wave of  ground floor retrofits for the Brickell area? I hope so.

Many of the buildings along Brickell were built under the old zoning code (prior to Miami 21), which required buildings to be set further back from the street. It is encouraging to see this type of small-scale infill development occurring. A considerable number of buildings along Brickell Avenue are set back from the street and are uninviting to pedestrians. Hopefully, more owners will realize the value that this relatively simple retrofit can add to an existing asset.

1101 Brickell Avenue is a Class-B office building.  The ground floor tenants include a post office, two small cafes and a bank.  Sadly, unless you work in the building or are familiar with the area you wouldn’t know it if you walked by it. The building is set back far from the street and requires potential customers to walk-up stairs to make their way inside the building. Not inviting to say the least.

Ideally, these types of retrofits would house establishments such as restaurants or small retailers.  I believe this is a first for the Brickell area, so it is certainly a step in the right direction.  Let’s hope the small-scale infill retrofit fever catches on in our financial district. Needless to say, we need more retailers in the central business district.