13th Floor Investments brings the latest pitch for its long-planned city hall redevelopment to the South Miami City Commission this week.
Commissioners are set to consider a proposed franchise and two ground leases on the first reading Tuesday, amid resistance from local residents over the relocation of a park.
The Link at SoMi project would redevelop the city-owned properties at 6130 Sunset Drive and 7220 SW 61st Court, along with a portion of 61st Court that could be vacated. It could also incorporate the Miami-Dade County-owned property at 6000 Sunset Drive, where the South Miami Branch Library is located.
13th Floor would develop the site in two phases, with plans calling for 670 apartments across a pair of 15-story towers, 10,000 to 30,000 square feet of retail, and two parking garages with 910 spaces. Ten percent of the rentals, or 67 apartments, would be allocated for workforce housing.
The public portion of the project would include a new city hall and public safety building totaling 54,700 square feet, including a 12,700-square-foot library.
The plans call for relocating Jean Willis Park and adding other green and communal spaces. The Real Deal previously reported the project would cost $309 million.
Phase one is expected to include 335 apartments, 5,000 to 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, a 360-space parking garage and the new civic facilities. The second phase would add another 335 apartments and additional retail and parking.
The proposal was scheduled for a first reading Sept. 8 but was deferred. Residents raised concerns about the park’s relocation, particularly about the mature trees and canopy.
The plan would relocate the park a few hundred feet away, closer to U.S. 1 and the Underline. Some opponents argue that the new location is too close to a major highway, exposing the park to traffic, noise and vehicle fumes.
A spokesperson for the city did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The city and 13th Floor have been negotiating the project since the developer was selected through an RFP process in September 2024. Two proposals were submitted, but one from Sonnenblick Development was deemed nonresponsive, leaving 13th Floor as the remaining proposal considered by the city. The city commission approved a term sheet in March that laid out the framework for the development.
The deal would generate several payments to the city through ground leases. The developer would pay $500,000 in initial rent for each phase when the leases are executed, followed by $3.3 million when construction kicks off. Once each phase is completed, annual rent would be the greater of $600,000 (with increases tied to the Consumer Price Index, a proxy for U.S. inflation, capped at 5 percent annually) or 4.25 percent of gross project revenues.
The term sheet calls for a $41.7 million budget for the civic improvements, including construction of the new public facilities, the library and reserved parking for the city.
If the leases are approved, 13th Floor would have three years to begin construction of the first phase, subject to certain extensions. The second phase would have to begin within a year of substantial completion of the first phase.
The city attorney’s office said the ground lease documents were still being negotiated and revised ahead of the Sept. 22 meeting. Because the leases require an ordinance, they must receive two readings before the city commission. The city’s other major project agreements are expected to come before commissioners alongside the second reading.
Led by managing partner Arnaud Karsenti, 13th Floor worked with a partner and Miami-Dade County in a public-private partnership on the Link at Douglas project at the Douglas Road Metrorail station. 13th Floor and Adler Group ranked as the top bidders in 2015 to lease and build out the site, and they completed several apartment complexes.
Link at SoMi marks the second major planned project in South Miami.
The Shops at Sunset Place, a long-struggling 10-plus-acre retail center built in 1999, is poised to be redeveloped. Alex Vadia’s Midtown Development plans up to 1,513 residential units, 350,000 square feet of retail, a 287-key hotel, nearly 51,000 square feet of offices and a 1,300-seat movie and performing arts theater. Miami-Dade County recently approved a special taxing district financing $149 million in infrastructure improvements for the project.
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