Resi Project Designed by Enrique Norten Proposed Near Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road

A residential building designed by renowned Mexican architect Enrique Norten could be coming to a corner a block south of Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road shopping promenade. 

Paul Cejas, a former health care entrepreneur and U.S. ambassador, is seeking to build a 15-story complex with 210 units at 1600 Washington Avenue, by the intersection of 16th Street. The project would also include a rooftop pool and about 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

“The goal is development of reasonably priced housing options for entry-level professionals, young families or others who work in the city,” the application states. “Most of these workers are currently forced to commute in because they are priced out of the city or find the modern housing options in nearby municipalities more appealing than the current housing supply in Miami Beach.”

The development would replace a two-story apartment building and one-story retail property, which together cover 0.3 acres. The parking garage next door, above the now-shuttered Time Out Market, would serve the residents of the proposed development. 

Norten’s Mexico City-based TEN Arquitectos drew up the plans, in collaboration with BGA Architects. 

Cejas, who served as the ambassador to Belgium during Bill Clinton’s presidency after selling a health care company that he founded, has owned the full city block between 16th Street and Lincoln Road since the 1990s. 

The Miami Beach Planning Board is scheduled to review the proposal on Sept. 9, though the application does not clarify whether the residences will be rentals or condos. Cejas’s lawyer, Cecilia Torres-Toledo of Akerman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Julia Echikson can be reached at jechikson@commercialobserver.com.