Urbanica Files New Plans for Oceanfront Miami Beach Hotel
By Julia Echikson April 10, 2023 2:06 pm
reprints
Urbanica wants to alter the plans for a hotel project on one of Miami Beach’s last vacant oceanfront parcels.
The Miami-based developer has proposed building a 16-story hotel with 160 rooms at 6747 Collins Avenue in the North Beach neighborhood, according to filings made to the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board.
We want to “create a more luxurious hotel with more common spaces for amenities, bigger rooms, and suites,” Urbanica principal Charlie Porchetto wrote in an email to Commercial Observer. “The pandemic changed the market and we believe that travelers are now seeking more spacious and luxurious accommodations.”
It’s the latest proposal for the 1-acre lot, located inside the North Beach Resort Historic District, which has sat vacant since at least 2015. Urbanica had previously pitched a shorter hotel, but with 209 rooms, after purchasing the property for $38 million in 2019, and scored approval for the plan from the preservation board in 2020.
Two previous owners, China Construction Company and developer Don Peebles, had planned a boutique hotel and condo building, respectively, at the site, neither of which ever got underway.
The newest plans would include a four-story podium wrapped in a bronze ornamental screen designed by Arquitectonica, according to Urbanica’s filing. The first three floors would house a parking garage, a loading dock and a gym. The fourth floor would feature the main amenity deck, including an outdoor pool, while the upper floors would house the rooms.
Charlie Porchetto, a co-founder of Urbanica, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The historical board is scheduled to hear the bid on May 9.
In recent years, Urbanicana has become an active player in Miami Beach’s hospitality scene. Last summer, it sold the Meridian Hotel along Fifth Street for $31 million. It still owns the nearby Urbanica Fifth and Euclid hotels.
Julia Echikson can be reached at jechikson@commercialobserver.com.
Update: The article was updated to include Porchetto’s comment.
