CLIENT NEWS: 7-story hotel proposed in Miami Beach
April 23, 2024A retail strip and some apartments in Miami Beach could be replaced with a seven-story hotel.
The city’s Planning Board will consider the application for the 0.63-acre site at 1509 and 1515 Washington Ave. on April 25. It currently has an 11,458-square-foot retail building that was constructed in 1959, plus a 13-unit apartment complex that was built in 1948. Recent tenants include Playa Café, Charlotte Bakery, Cheese Burger Baby, and 123 Liquor.
Current property owner Washington Gardens MB LLC, co-owned by James Resnick, Lydia Resnick, Fern Resnick, and Sara Resnick, has agreed to sell the development site to 1515 Washington Acquisition LLC, co-owned by Xaver Kriechbaum and Gavin Crescenzo of Aventura-based Keyah Real Estate Group, according to the application.
Under the proposal, the property would be developed with a 91,230-square-foot hotel featuring 238 rooms, a 5,677-square-foot restaurant on the ground floor, a pool deck with a small bar on the second floor, and a 3,525-square-foot restaurant on the top floor. There would be no parking on site; many Miami Beach hotels lack parking.
Most of the rooms would measure 200 square feet. In addition to the pool, amenities would include a coworking room and a theater room.
The renderings label the building a Cloud One Hotel, a European brand that has its only current U.S. location in New York City. Kriechbaum said he hasn’t finalized the hotel brand, but he is in discussions with Cloud One. He declined further comment.
Local attorney Michael W. Larkin represents the developer in the application. Miami-based Arquitectonica designed the hotel.
“The project proposes demolition and reconstruction consistent with the fabric on the buildings that front Washington Avenue, with the tower portion of the project setback behind the commercial storefronts and centrally located on the property,” Larkin stated in the application. “The project introduces new hotel to the predominantly commercial and transient Washington Avenue corridor, while revitalizing commercial, pedestrian friendly units on the ground floor.”
He added that the hotel would not host an entertainment venue.
Miami-Dade County was the No. 2 top-performing market for U.S. hotel stays in January, according to a recent report, with increases in both occupancy and revenue per available room. That has led to more hotel development, especially in popular locations like Miami Beach.
