CLIENT NEWS: Billionaire Braman’s auto group plans Miami high-rise towers, dealership expansion (Photos)
April 16, 2025Braman Motors, led by billionaire Norman Braman, has filed plans for its property in Miami to facilitate both expansion of the dealership and potential residential development.
The city’s Urban Development Review Board will consider the special area plan (SAP) from Braman Motors for its property at 2060 Biscayne Blvd., 1930 N.E. 2nd Ave.; 160 N.E. 20th St.; 64, 106, 120, and 146 N.E. 20th St.; and 135 N.E. 19th Terrace on April 16. The SAP would need approval from the City Commission at a later date.
An SAP allows a property owner to set a new set of density and design rules for the area. In this case, Braman Motors needs a zoning code that permits more parking and automotive storage, as the city’s Miami 21 zoning code largely discourages too much parking.
“Our master plan reflects a strategic vision for the transformation of our 50-year assemblage into a cohesive, pedestrian-oriented campus anchored by a state-of-the-art service building,” said Brian Shack, partner and general counsel at Braman Automotive. “This initiative enhances mobility, celebrates our automotive legacy, and reinforces our long-term commitment to investing in the future of the city. We look forward to continued collaboration with the city of Miami as this process moves forward.”
The company is working with local attorney Melissa Tapanes Llahues and Miami-based Arquitectonica on the plans.
The preliminary site plan by Arquitectonica shows a new showroom/service center building, two residential towers, a small automotive retail building in a new public park, and a woonerf – a pedestrian-only street leading from Biscayne Boulevard into the park at the heart of the property.
The automotive building would rise 11 stories, with 46,000 square feet of showroom space, a 8,500-square-foot service lounge, a 14,300-square-foot parts warehouse, a 44,200-square-foot paint shop, a 44,200-square-foot body shop with 51 bays, a 243,000-square-foot service center with 284 bays, and 1,869 parking spaces for customers, staff or inventory.
That would be one of the largest automotive buildings in all of South Florida.
The preliminary site plan also shows two 60-story residential towers on the east side of the property, each of them with 550 residential units. One of the buildings would have a 25,404-square-foot showroom on the ground floor. The other would have 17,762 square feet of commercial space and 54,430 square feet of office on its lower levels. Each building would have an amenity deck with a pool and a parking garage.
The existing dealership buildings would mostly remain.
Braman Motors has been operating at this site since 1975. The property has been in automotive use since the 1940s, when it was Nolan Brown Cadillac.
Braman Motors sells BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Genesis, Bugatti, Cadillac and Hyundai. It has more than 600 employees, according to the application.
