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A developer is planning to rebuild the Coconut Grove Metrorail station into a self-powered apartment and retail complex.

Grove Central will include a 330-unit apartment tower, along with retail space, parking and a bus station, according to the Miami Herald. Total cost is expected to be $200 million.

Solar panels are planned to cover the buildings, producing two megawatts of power. Underneath, massive batteries that are the size of six shipping containers will store 20-megawatts per hour of electricity.

Air condition for the building would come from a geothermal system using cold water pumped from underground. Groundwater and rainwater will also be used to provide cooling mist and for landscape irrigation.

Enough power could be generated and stored to make the building self-powered, while also powering Metrorail as it departs the station, planners say. The solar array and battery is known as an urban microgrid, and is the first of its kind in Florida.

A waste-to-energy plant that would convert sewage into power, compost and water is also in negotiations.

The developers are awaiting final approval from county transportation officials, with completion expected in 2021. Five other Metrorail stations, as well as 10.7-acres of land next to Miami Central Station by the airport, are now in planning or negotiations for similar sustainable projects.

Terra Group and Grass River Property are the developers of Grove Central, with Touzet Studio the architect. The solar project is also a pilot program for Florida Power & Light.

 

Source: The Next Miami

Another new office building was just announced for Coconut Grove, marking the second in recent weeks after nearly 30 years.

CocoWalk owners Federal Realty Investment Trust, Grass River Property and Comras Company plan to raze the eastern building on Grand Avenue and Virginia Street and build a five-story, 73,000-square-foot Class A building on the site, Grass River principal Tom Roth told The Real Deal.

Just two weeks ago, Terra Group and Mayfair Real Estate Advisors announced plans to convert a parking garage at 2860 Oak Avenue into a mixed-use office building, citing the demand for office product and lack of available space in the neighborhood. Together, the two projects will add 140,000 square feet of office space to Coconut Grove.

“We believe there’s plenty of pent-up demand to serve both projects,” Roth said, adding that he believes CocoWalk is a better location.

One CocoWalk, designed by Beame Architectural Partnership, is the first phase of redevelopment for CocoWalk, which was purchased by the partnership in May 2015 in a deal valued at $87.5 million. The once-popular Mediterranean-style outdoor shopping mall has fallen out of style in past years. Roth said plans for phase two, which will focus on retail, will be announced in the coming months.

The office building, geared toward global brands, media and technology companies, creative and financial firms, will be delivered in mid-2019. It will have four floors of office space above a level of ground-floor retail space, plus a rooftop terrace and event space with full views of the neighborhood. CocoWalk will set aside about 250 parking spaces for its office users, which breaks down to 3.4 spaces per 1,000 square feet, Roth said.

“We didn’t buy CocoWalk to keep it as it is today. We really feel it needs to blend better with the rest of Coconut Grove,” Roth told TRD.

 

Source:  The Real Deal

Miami-Dade has long been a place of varied styles, each city within the County bringing its own special flare to the mélange.

The different neighborhoods have experienced their own evolutions since Miami’s inception in 1896. Coconut Grove has had its own unique evolution.

ULI SE Florida/Caribbean will be hosting an event focusing on the latest transformation of one of Miami’s most storied neighborhoods with its residents, architects, investors, developers, and historians.

On Tuesday, November 4, 2014, from 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM, panelists will discuss how it will continue to remain ahead of the curve. A new standard has been applied to the quality of housing and retail uses in The Grove.

The event will take place at Park Grove, located at 2701 South Bayshore Drive.

Confirmed speakers include:

  • Bernardo Fort-Brescia, Principal, Arquitectonica
  • Ezra Katz, Chairman/CEO, Aztec Group, Inc.
  • Justin Kennedy, Co-CEO, Grass River Property
  • David Martin, President, Terra Group
  • Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, City of Miami
  • Moderator: Dr. Paul George, Ph.D., Professor, Miami Dade College

Additional panelists to be announced.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER