Dubai developer Damac Properties is launching sales for the luxury condo project it plans to build on the site of the deadly Surfside condo collapse.
The 12-story, 37-unit development is called the Delmore. Zaha Hadid Architects is designing the oceanfront building at 8777 Collins Avenue.
The tragedy killed 98 people when Champlain Towers South collapsed overnight on June 24, 2021.
Damac, led by founder and Chairman Hussain Sajwani, acquired the 1.8-acre property a year later at a court-ordered auction for $120 million. The firm was the sole bidder interested in the site.
Condos at the Delmore will start at $15 million, making it one of the most expensive projects in Miami-Dade County, according to a press release. The building also marks Damac’s first ground-up development in the U.S.
Damac hired Douglas Elliman last year to lead sales of the project. Elliman also led sales of the neighboring Eighty Seven Park luxury condo tower in Miami Beach.
Units at the Delmore will average more than 7,000 square feet, with four to five bedrooms each. Penthouses will start at 10,000 square feet — larger than many mansions. The building will also have more than 55,000 square feet of amenities that will include a 75-foot-long acrylic swimming pool that will be suspended in the air and a 20,000-square-foot outdoor meditation garden, according to the release.
Site work is underway, and the building could be completed in 2029.
The developer appears to be aiming for ultra wealthy buyers, likely new-to-market billionaires and multimillionaires, who don’t have a connection to the tragedy. The project will have a residence manager, residential butlers and a private restaurant with a Michelin-starred menu. Units will be fully furnished.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has been investigating the causes of the collapse of Champlain Towers South. The federal agency hasn’t yet released its final report, but at a presentation last year it pointed to the collapse of the pool deck into the garage at least four minutes before the tower toppled. Champlain was constructed in 1981.
Some family members of victims of the collapse have opposed the project.
“How are the federal and local governments allowing this project to move forward without completing the collapse investigation and ensuring the land is safe for development?” said Martin Langesfeld, whose sister Nicky Langesfeld and brother-in-law Luis Sadovnic, died in the tragedy. “Safety, accountability, and the incorporation of a memorial must be prioritized to honor the 98 lives lost.”
Damac and Sajwani have a long history in the Middle East. The firm has primarily developed luxury condos in Dubai, including completing the massive Damac Hills complex with villas, condos, a hotel and the Middle East’s first Trump-branded golf course in 2017.
The developer also has had long ties to President Donald Trump and his family. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. were guests of honor at the unveiling of the Damac Hills golf course.
The recent presidential election seems to have opened the door for Sajwani to expand his U.S. investments. This month, Trump announced that Sajwani will pump at least $20 billion into data centers in Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas, CBS News reported.
Lidia Dinkova contributed to this report.
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