Terra Unveils Tower Project Replacing Former Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach

A replacement structure could finally be coming to the site of the former Deauville Beach Resort in Miami Beach, where The Beatles and President John F. Kennedy stayed and which was demolished two years ago. 

David Martin’s Terra has filed plans to build a condominium and hotel on the vacant oceanfront property, seeking to nearly double the site’s permitted density. 

Currently, the 3.8-acre parcel at 6701 Collins Avenue in the North Beach neighborhood is zoned to accommodate a 499,500-square-foot structure up to 200 feet high, housing 570 condo units or nearly 1,000 hotel rooms. 

Instead, Terra’s proposed project totals 990,675 square feet. Under the plans, the original MiMo-style resort would be “substantially” rebuilt and feature two new towers, each up to 485 feet tall. The development would house 75 condos or 280 hotel rooms per acre.

In return, the Miami-based developer would prohibit short-term leasing of the condos and add a new public walkway to the beach.  

The Miami Beach Planning Board will hear the application Nov. 26. If approved, the proposal will mark a new chapter for the site of the historic resort, which was designed by Melvin Grossman and completed in 1957.

In its heyday, the 500,000-square-foot property was considered one of Miami Beach’s premier hotels, having hosted The Beatles’ famed performance on “Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964. 

But the resort fell into disrepair following an electrical fire under the ownership of the Meruelo family. In 2022, a Miami judge ordered it to be demolished. Earlier this year, Terra purchased a 25 percent stake in the site for $12.5 million.

The developer’s application is likely to meet some resistance, given that Terra isn’t the first to seek a higher density for the site. 

Before Terra’s purchase, Related Companies’ Stephen Ross was under contract to buy the vacant land, with plans to build an Equinox-branded complex with two 375-foot-tall towers, featuring 125 condos and 175 hotel rooms, designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. But Miami Beach voters rejected the proposal in 2022, torpedoing the purchase agreement. 

Representatives for Terra did not immediately provide a comment.

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