Plans to expand America’s third biggest shopping center could push the Aventura Mall into the nation’s No. 2 slot.
The owners, a partnership between Turnberry Associates and Simon Property Group, want to add a 3-story, 241,000-square-foot retail wing and a 1,400-space, 7-story parking garage.
The mall, at 19501 Biscayne Boulevard just south of the Miami-Dade and Broward county line, already boasts 2.7 million square feet, and occupancy was near 100 percent in September, according to Miami Today.
The new garage would featuring a built-in transit facility for buses, shuttle vans and taxis to help serve the mall’s 28 million yearly visitors, according to Joanne Carr, the director of development in Aventura.
The expansion plan is under city review. The final plan must meet zoning requirements for the site or will need a variance approved by a vote of a city board. [Miami Today] — Angela Hunt