Aventura Commission Approves Plan
October 12, 2015Aventura commission approves plan to renovate parts of Turnberry Isle Resort
The Aventura city commission on Tuesday approved a plan to redevelop parts of Turnberry Isle Resort.
In the plan, the Orchard Hotel will be demolished and replaced with a new 16-story, 275-room building. The resort will also build a two-story conference center and make improvements to the current garage space. The renovations to the country club have been in the works since February, resort representatives said.
“As the hotel business continues to evolve, Turnberry Isle has to stay current and competitive,” said Jeffrey Bercow, a lawyer representing the resort.
Compared to resorts like Trump International in Doral, Turnberry is falling behind in terms of conference space and available hotel rooms, Bercow said.
“These changes to Turnberry Isle will produce residual benefits for the city like additional tourist and convention center dollars, additional jobs and increased tax revenues,” he said.
Donald Wolfe, the architect designing the project, said the new buildings will replicate the resort’s current “Mediterranean architectural style.”
The commission’s biggest concern was how the resort would impact traffic throughout the community. Commissioner Robert Shelley said Turnberry Isle’s growth and new business should stay on the property. Mayor Enid Weisman and Commissioner Howard Weinberg said the resort needs to invest in a speedy valet service.
“The worst thing that could happen to us is if that resort was to fail,” Weinberg said. “The resort is part of the life-blood of Aventura. Having said that, the resort needs to be a good neighbor.”
The project is set to break ground in April and will take 18 months to complete.
— Jeffrey Pierre
