South Miami Grants Initial OK for Sunset Place Redevelopment

South Miami commissioners unanimously approved a development agreement with Alex Vadia’s firm for the Shops at Sunset Place mixed-use project, the largest redevelopment planned in the city.

The resolution will return to the South Miami commission for a second reading vote on Oct. 15. Commissioners will also take up site plan approval at the meeting later this month. The planning board granted initial site plan approval in September.

An affiliate of Vadia’s Midtown Development is proposing to redevelop the 10-plus-acre open-air shopping center at 5701 Sunset Drive into a phased development with 1,513 residential units and 350,000 square feet of commercial space across nine towers, including a 287-key hotel, and a 50,000-square-foot performing arts and movie theater with 1,300 seats.

Using bonuses, the developer could build up to 33 stories high on the northern portion of the property fronting U.S. 1. The commission approved this zoning change last year.

The Shops at Sunset Place, completed in 1999, has struggled with high vacancy rates for years. It replaced the Bakery Center, a retail complex that was developed by Martin Margulies.

Federal Realty Investment Trust and its partners sold the shopping center to Vadia’s firm in 2021 for $65.5 million. Last year, Midtown Development hired British design and architecture firm Heatherwick Studio and ODP Architecture & Design to work on the new project.

It calls for seven residential buildings, one office building and one hotel tower and will include the existing parking garage. More than 2,100 parking spaces are required.

The residential portion calls for 283 studios, 468 one-bedroom units, 482 two-bedroom units and 280 units with three or more bedrooms, according to the proposal. The units may be a combination of condos and apartments.

The retail space would total about 150,000 square feet of primarily restaurants and smaller retailers. The project also calls for 50,892 square feet of offices.

Last month, South Miami commissioners selected 13th Floor Investments to redevelop their city hall with a mixed-use project that will include 670 apartments and a new city hall. The $309 million project, called Link at SoMi, will be on the 4.5-acre site 6130 Sunset Drive.