The Melo Group Proposes ‘Biscayne 18’, a Two-Tower Project in Miami’s Edgewater Neighborhood

The Melo Group is planning to develop one of the last untouched parcels along Biscayne Boulevard in Edgewater. The company, which already has hundreds of units under construction across Miami, wants to build a two-tower apartment project spanning an entire city block at 331 NE 18 Street. The 1.57 acre parcel has been in the works for years, with the Melo Group having purchased the whole block in late 2019 for close to $30 million dollars. Now, the long-awaited plans are coming to fruition, with the company proposing a total of 1,178 units. There will be 589 rental units per tower, composed of either 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, or 3 bedroom units.

Unlike many recent proposals, this project’s increased density isn’t due to the Live Local Act. Instead, it fully complies with standard Miami zoning, leveraging its transit-accesible location to build more densely. While traditional zoning allows only 500 units per acre, Miami21 allows for a 50% increase in density for projects designated as “Transit Orientated Development”.

According to the Architect of Record, G3aec, one of the star features of this development is its ‘refined and articulated street-level experience’. Almost 25,000 SF of retail space (24,930 to be exact) will be placed along the entire tower’s ground floor. Because the tower takes up an entire city block, the development will provide a pedestrian paseo on the ground floor, connecting the east and the west sides of the ground floor for improved connectivity. Also included is enhanced sidewalk infrastructure to handle the expected increase in foot traffic.

To handle both retail patrons and the tower’s residents, there will be 1,472 parking spaces and 1,178 bicycle rack spaces in the tower’s 8-story podium. However, the parking figure is actually much lower than originally required. According to the City of Miami, the project requires 1,947 parking spaces, but is allowed multiple 30% parking reduction waivers.

The tower’s podium will feature residential units along portions of its base, while the remaining parts will be ‘entirely concealed from public view’ using a ‘combination of vegetation and glass arranged in a seemingly random pattern’. This approach to podium design has become increasingly common in recent Melo Group developments. For example, projects like Downtown 6th incorporated fake windows to create the illusion of an active façade, masking the presence of a parking podium.

As per the tower’s elevations, both will rise 46 floors or 465 FT to the roof. The tower’s facade will be entirely composed of glass railings, white stucco, and impact resistant curtain glass. To break up the massing of the towers, the L-shaped design will include varying heights.

G3aec and the Melo Group’s design efforts will be met by Urban Development Review Board consideration on June 18th at 2 PM.