Former Miami Beach mayor Philip Levine is progressing plans for a new commercial property in South Beach. The plans provide for the construction of an eight-storey building at 930 and 960 Alton Road, directly on 10th Street and opposite a Whole Foods store. Estimated construction costs for the scheme amount to approximately 36 million dollars.
Architecture and mixed use on Alton Road
Designed by renowned architectural practice Arquitectonica, the design provides for a total of 37,037 square feet of Class A office space. On the ground floor, around 760 square feet are reserved for retail, while 106 parking spaces are to be provided from the first to the third floor. On the fourth and fifth floors, live-work office suites are planned, combining 1,623 square feet of office space with 1,000 square feet of residential space.
The new development is set to replace an existing office built in 1990 as well as an adjacent commercial building on Alton Road. The Miami Beach Planning Board is expected to consider the planning application on 8 December. Lawyer Tracy Slavens of law firm LSN Law, representing the applicant, did not initially respond to a request for comment.
Strong demand for prime office space
Interest in high-grade office space in Miami Beach has grown noticeably since the start of the pandemic, as numerous affluent executives seek workplaces close to their homes. In the immediate vicinity, the five-storey scheme The Fifth by Sumaida + Khurana and Bizzi + Bilgili is nearing completion. Furthermore, Pebb Capital, led by Todd Rosenberg, acquired a nearby boutique office building in the summer for more than 69 million dollars.
Levine led the administration of Miami Beach from 2013 to 2017. The submission of the planning application comes a few months after Miami Herald reports emerged regarding allegations surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein's former assistant Sarah Kellen had testified before the US House of Representatives oversight committee that Levine and other individuals had abused her; however, no criminal charges were brought against Levine following this testimony. Levine also drew criticism when emails released by the US Department of Justice indicated that he had remained in contact with Epstein after 2008.
