Developer Michael Swerdlow insists he has no beef with Arquitectonica, but he was forced to sue the award-successful Miami-based architecture organization for eight figures in damages.
In a civil lawsuit filed previous 7 days, the development entity for Swerdlow’s Block 55 combined-use task in Miami’s Overtown alleges Arquitectonica is liable for design faults that led to 170 change orders totaling $16 million.
“This was completed with great reluctance on our section,” Swerdlow, running lover of Miami-based mostly Swerdlow Group, explained to The Real Offer. “I come about to love that firm, and we keep on to work with them.”
A spokesperson for Arquitectonica, led by principals Bernardo Fort-Brescia and Laurinda Spear, did not respond to voicemail and email requests for comment.
Arquitectonica farmed out layout operate for structural, mechanical, electrical and other developing infrastructure strategies to subcontractors that are not contractually bound to the enhancement entity, Swerdlow claimed.
“The problems that we are complaining about were being produced by their subcontractors,” Swerdlow stated. “We really do not feel they did an correct occupation.”
The grievance, submitted in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, alleges Arquitectonica unsuccessful to coordinate strategies across all disciplines, unsuccessful to accurately review and look into modify buy requests, and committed other breaches of the architectural deal.
Block 55 is presently underneath construction on a 3.4-acre site at 249 Northwest Sixth Street. The 18-story undertaking will consist of 578 senior economical housing units and 250,000 sq. toes of place of work and retail, like huge box areas for anchor tenants Concentrate on, Aldi, Ross and Burlington.
Swerdlow and partners SJM and Alben Duffie purchased the enhancement web-site from the Overtown/Park West Neighborhood Redevelopment Company for $10 million and nabbed a $25 million financial loan for the order in 2020. The joint enterprise also secured $7.5 million in grants from the town of Miami for the inexpensive housing ingredient.
Final calendar year, Swerdlow’s Block 55 received a Miami-Dade ruling against rival developer R. Donahue Peebles. Miami-Dade Circuit Decide Michael Hanzman purchased a Peebles entity to pay out Block 55’s legal charges totaling $800,000. Peebles dropped a 2020 lawsuit challenging the CRA’s awarding of the improvement web page to Swerdlow and his companions. Past month, Peebles voluntarily dismissed his charm, courtroom filings clearly show.
