A massive new development coming to Miami Gardens would cater to tourists visiting for events at Hard Rock Stadium with new hotels and a Formula One museum as well as bring more rental housing to the area.
The sports-themed complex will be called Miami Gardens City Center and be built on a 35-acre vacant property within walking distance of Hard Rock Stadium, Gilbert Benhamou, CEO of Immocorp Capital, told the Miami Herald. The firm is one of the developers of the property.
As the city celebrates its 20th anniversary, Mayor Rodney Harris sees the development as shaping Miami Gardens’ future.
“It’s going to be a fun time in the city when we sit down and actually get that facility built out,” he said.
Benhamou noted that Hard Rock Stadium is unique because it hosts professional and college football, tennis and auto racing in one place. The stadium is home to the Miami Dolphins and the University of Miami football team. It was once home to the now-Miami Marlins. The stadium is also the site of Jazz in the Gardens, the city’s annual premiere music event.
Developers purchased the property for $25 million in 2021, according to Miami-Dade County property records.
The development will include apartments, two hotels with a combined 320 rooms and a five-story parking garage, Benhamou said.
The project will also feature an entertainment area that will include an interactive Formula One museum and a 100,000-square-foot “amusement building” with arcades, a bowling alley and a trampoline, he said.
Immocorp joined with The Faith Group and Azur Equities to create Miami Gardens Town Center, LLC and to spearhead the development.
Immocorp is partnering with D.C.-based developers Capstone Development on the hotels and on the residential piece with New York-based Kushner Companies, LLC, which is run by the family of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former President Donald Trump.
The entire project is estimated to cost $400 million-$500 million, Benhamou said.
The initial phase of the project will focus on the residential components — two luxury apartment towers. The first tower will be 10 stories and consist of 252 units and include a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom rental apartments, according to Benhamou. The second tower could go as high as 15 stories with 360-400 units depending on the market.
“We’re going to create the skyline of Miami Gardens,” he said.
Pascal Cohen, founder and CEO of Azur Equities, described the planned complex as upscale and a way for residents to immerse themselves in the sporting/entertainment destination that Miami Gardens has crafted.
Cohen said outside of Miami Gardens, “you don’t have one city in the world that delivers tennis, soccer, football, Formula One and concerts.”
Developers expect to break ground on the project in late summer or early fall with an expected completion date of 2025, just a year shy of when the 2026 FIFA World Cup and College Football National Championship will be held at Hard Rock Stadium.
Source: Miami Herald
