Metropica developer revives megaproject with new partners 

Five years after completing the first condo tower at Metropica, a master-planned development in western Broward County, the developer announced he is reviving the project with new partners. 

Metropica Development CEO Joseph Kavana plans to begin construction on the next phase in October, he said at a ceremonial groundbreaking this week. The developer brought on Memphis, Tennessee-based Poag Development for the retail component, and Boca Raton-based Waypoint Residential for the residential phases. 

The more than $1.5 billion mixed-use project calls for more than 3,000 condos and apartments, 650,000 square feet of office space, 485,000 square feet of retail space and two hotels on the 65-acre property. 

Poag and Waypoint will be responsible for about $300 million worth of development, said Metropica Development President Bernard Warren. Waypoint’s managing director Chris Moore said the company is committed to building at least 900 residential units in the next several years. 

Kavana has had his fair share of setbacks over the years. He began assembling the site in the early 1990s and secured approvals for the mixed-use project in 2014. But he only completed Metropica One, a 263-unit condo tower at 1800 Northwest 136th Avenue, in 2020. In 2024, he tapped brokers to find and structure a joint venture partnership. And last year, Sunrise approved a density boost that allows the developer to spread the cost to more residential units. 

“This is my work, and we are going to keep fighting the same way we fought over the last 15 years to try to make this a reality,” Kavana said at the event on Tuesday. 

Kavana is calling the next part of the Sunrise project the first phase, which he expects will be operating within three years. That includes nearly 1,000 luxury apartments and more than 150,000 square feet of retail space. About 50,000 square feet of condo office space will be built above the retail. The retail will be “complementary” to the nearby Sawgrass Mills and will be mostly restaurants, specialty shops and entertainment, Kavana said. 

Metropica Development sold portions of the property to Poag and Waypoint, Kavana told The Real Deal. He declined to disclose the purchase prices. Metropica Development will handle the infrastructure and has the right to participate in the joint venture. 

“All the stars are aligned right now for us to be able to carry forward. We were ready to do this back in 2020 when Covid hit, and we had just finished the first tower,” Kavana said. “We were ready to start with the retail. We had to wait for the right time.”