The Meruelo family and David Martin are one step closer to securing approval to build on the former site of the Deauville Beach Resort in Miami Beach.
The city’s planning board unanimously recommended at its meeting on Tuesday that the Miami Beach City Commission approve land use changes that will allow the developers to build a larger project on the 3.8-acre oceanfront property at 6701 Collins Avenue. The developers will likely go before the commission in March.
The property currently has a floor area ratio, or overall project size, of 3.0 to 3.15. The developer is seeking legislative changes that would allow for an FAR of 5.5, for a project that could span nearly 916,000 square feet.
Current zoning allows for the development of 570 residential units, and nearly 500,000 square feet of floor area. The developers plan to reduce the number of units with their proposed project, which calls for two condo towers and a partially reconstructed version of the Deauville hotel.
The Meruelo family and Martin’s Terra plan to develop a branded 100-unit condo and 150-room hotel project on the site, designed by Foster + Partners, Shulman + Associates and ODP as the project architect, according to a statement from Terra provided last year. Still, the proposed amendments would allow for more condos and hotel rooms.
At Tuesday’s meeting, some residents and nearby developers expressed their concerns about views being blocked and setbacks. But the general consensus was positive, with most congratulating Martin on his engagement with the community and changes made since the previous meeting last year.
Miami Beach Planning Board member Elizabeth Latone said the community wanted to see more of the original Deauville structure replicated, and that the developers delivered on that.
“I want people to understand that we want to see as much of the original structure being replicated as possible,” Latone said. “The original plan was no setback, and you all listened to everyone and pushed it back by 50 feet, as requested. The more of the original structure that can be replicated, the more special it makes our area, and that’s the reason that we’re doing this.”
Larry Shafer, a North Beach resident, asked about requring a completion deadline. Schaefer referred to the long-delayed mixed-use Ocean Terrace project, led by Sandor Scher.
“Is there a way to negotiate with you to guarantee some type of completion deadlines so we don’t end up with a similar horrible situation like Ocean Terrace?” he said. Schaefer also said he was concerned about safety, referring to the Terra-led development of Eighty Seven Park immediately south of the site of the Surfside condo collapse.
Attorney Michael Larkin, representing the developer, offered to add in language that would require the developer to obtain a building permit within five years.
“It’s not our intention to sit on our hands, but if that makes you all more comfortable, we can add that,” Larkin said.
The Deauville Miami Beach Resort, which was built in 1957 and designed by Melvin Grossman, sustained damage from a fire and Hurricane Irma that forced its closure in 2017. Years later, in 2022, it was declared an unsafe structure and ordered to be demolished. The site has been vacant since then.
The Meruelo family, led by Belinda, her husband Homero and their son Richard, were accused of intentionally letting the resort fall into disrepair to the point where it could not be saved. Martin joined the Meruelos in April of last year when he paid $12.5 million for a 25 percent stake in the property.
He was the first developer to secure a deal with the Meruelos, but not the first to try.
In 2022, billionaire developer Steve Ross, a North Beach native, entered into a contract with the Meruelos to pay $500 million for the site. The deal was contingent on voters approving a referendum that would have boosted the FAR to 4.5 in a district that included the Deauville. Voters rejected the referendum. Ross planned a Frank Gehry-designed luxury project on the property.
This latest project by Martin and the Meruelos does not require a referendum.
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