CLIENT NEWS: BH Group, Kolter could replace Miami Beach hotels with luxury condo
August 27, 2025BH Group and Kolter Group filed plans to demolish two oceanfront hotels in the North Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach in order to build a luxury condo.
The city’s Historic Preservation Board will consider plans for the 1.08-acre site at 6985 and 6979 Collins Ave. on Sept. 16. BHK Crystal Beach LLC, a partnership between Aventura-based BH Group and Delray Beach-based Kolter Group, acquired the 84-room Crystal Beach Suites at the former address for $24 million in 2023. It was built in 1950.
The latter address has the 63-unit Normandy Plaza Hotel, which was built in 1936. It’s currently owned by Vilarino Property Group, managed by Antonio Vilarino in Hollywood, and it was included in the BH Group/Kolter development application.
In the letter of intent, the developer notes the Normandy Plaza Hotel is currently subject of a Miami-Dade County Unsafe Structures Panel demolition order that was issued in 2018. The Art Deco-style hotel was designed by architect L. Murray Dixon, but it was abandoned in 2013, according to the developer’s letter. In 2019, the Historic Preservation Board recommended that the owner salvage significant architectural features on the exterior of the hotel and the lobby should it move forward with demolition.
BH Group and Kolter aim to demolish both hotels using the Florida’s Resiliency and Safe Structures Act – passed in 2024 to allow demolition of unsafe structures in coastal areas even if they contain historic elements unless they are on the National Register of Historic Places. However, the developers would follow the board’s 2019 order to salvage historical elements in the Normandy Plaza Hotel and offer them to a university, museum or other civic group.
In terms of new development, the project would have 37 luxury condos, 947 square feet of retail and 86 parking spaces in 17 stories. There would be a pool on the ground floor facing the beach and an amenity deck on the fourth floor with 8,880 square feet of indoor amenities, plus east- and west-facing decks.
The average unit size would be 2,911 square feet, so it would have larger condos for wealthy buyers. The condos would range from 2,649 to 4,202 square feet, and also have large balconies. The two penthouses would each have a private roof deck with a pool.
Officials with Kolter declined comment. BH Group couldn’t be reached for comment.
Miami-based Kobi Karp Architecture designed the project. Local attorney Michael Larkin represents the developer in the application.
“To attempt to salvage the legacy of the Normandy Plaza Hotel and evoke its past, the project has thoughtfully incorporated elements at the southern end of the Collins Avenue façade designed to pay homage to the structure and create visual interest along the corridor,” Larkin stated in the application. “Without attempting a recreation or facsimile of the former structure, the design will visually tell the story of the Normandy Plaza Hotel to passersby through these design elements.”
Berkadia announced in February that its brokers Jaret Turkell and Omar Morales were marketing the Crystal Beach site for sale on behalf of BH Group and Kolter. No such deal has closed. In June, BH Group and Kolter signed an agreement in county records to purchase the commercial space at the ground floor of Crystal Beach from Elysee Investment Co. and Joseph Cohen.
There’s been more condo development in North Beach in recent years as residents discover the area and its more low-key environment than busy South Beach. There’s been a luxury development boom in neighboring Surfside, including the ultra-luxury Four Seasons Residences at the Surf Club by Kobi Karp, so now some of those high-end condo projects are headed down to North Beach.
