For decades, Braman Motors has been synonymous with Miami’s car culture, dealerships lined along Biscayne Boulevard. But now, the automotive giant is thinking bigger.
On company-owned land in the heart of Edgewater, Braman Motors is beginning its first stage of a master planned community. The planned development encapsulates the Braman Miami Campus SAP, a special area plan enacted in 2022 to plan for future expansions. Braman plans to update the SAP with updated land use guidelines, zoning, and a development agreement to solidify developer rights for construction and proposal. The expansion will include the construction of new parking garages for car storage, showrooms, retail, residential towers, and more. Braman eventually envisions a district with ‘cohesive streetscape, vibrant public open spaces, including a woonerf, and improving mobility within this central, urbanized area”. An auto-related campus exansion is at the heart of Braman’s thinking, with the belief that autombile services are a critical value to a city’s transportation service and future.
Designed by Arquitectona, the multi-year development will include 4 phases. Phase 1 will comprise the construction of an elongated parking garage along NE 20th St featuring service bays, inventory space for cars, a body shop, paint shop, a multi-level showroom, and more. In all, the development will include a total of 2208 parking spaces in the garage orientated for staff/customer parking, inventory, and other car-related uses. The garage will be among the tallest in Miami, rising akin to residential buildings nearby and measuring a confident 11 floors or 185 FT. The garage is a downside to Miami’s prioritization of units lining podiums, a positive in any urban setting, but Arquitectonica attempts to disguise it through the use of various facades designed to mimic car grills.
Phase 1 also plans to pedestrianize NE 20th Terrace, adding greenery, pavers, and bollards to create a more walkable environment. The sidewalk will be widened and outfitted with lighting, public art, and seating. Renderings show the space could host car shows or other public events.
The second phase calls for a 60-story residential tower with 1,111 parking spaces in the podium, along with 624 residential units, 27,520 square feet of commercial space, 57,176 square FT of office space, and a range of amenities for residents. Units will include studios, one, two, and three-bedroom apartments. The tower will reach 649 feet: identical to other towers in Edgewater. Drawings also show a potential rooftop restaurant on the 13th floor, though details have not been finalized.
The third phase proposes an identical residential tower, but with a podium geared toward showroom space instead of office and retail. The showroom will span 50,669 SF. Despite including the same amount of floors, 60 to be exact, the tower will rise taller at 655 FT. Included in the large structure will be 550 units, primarily aimed at two and three-bedroom layouts. Most importantly, the tower will have no parking spaces, with parking provided off-lot.
A two-floor pedestrian bridge will link floors 12 and 13 of the first residential tower, designed to connect amenity and commercial space to the second residential tower to promote connectivity between the development. Likewise, unlike phase 2, phase 3 will have an amenity deck much closer to ground floor, with a pool, outdoor seating, lounge, and more included on floor 3.
The last and fourth stage includes the redevelopment of an existing shell gas station built in 2009. Renderings showcase gas pumps shaded by hubcap-like awnings, as well as a 838 SF retail shop. While the construction timeline is not definite, recent activity on-site such as the demolition of 120 NE 20 ST prompts Floridian Development to estimate construction of phase 1 in the near future.
1 Comment
That parking garage is horrible. imagine driving down NE 20th st to face that. At least its somewhat creative