Dolphins owner Stephen Ross buys Deauville hotel, proposes luxury complex in Miami Beach

The historic Deauville Seashore Resort in Miami Seashore, a beachfront lodge being demolished after a five-year shutdown, has been bought by Miami Dolphins proprietor and actual property developer Stephen Ross for the development of a luxurious lodge and condos.

Ross and Miami Seashore Mayor Dan Gelber introduced the acquisition of the three.8-acre property on Monday. Ross, chairman and founding father of the Associated Corporations, stated he has tapped world-famous architect Frank Gehry to design the brand new undertaking.

The Deauville, 6701 Collins Ave., was in-built 1957 and famously was the location of a Beatles efficiency on “The Ed Sullivan Present” in 1964. However the lodge has been sitting vacant since a 2017 electrical hearth pressured friends out and touched off a lawsuit from the town of Miami Seashore alleging that the house owners had been neglecting the constructing to hunt a demolition.

The upcoming demolition of the Deauville, positioned in a historic district, has angered preservationists and North Seashore advocates who need to protect the town’s historical past. An enchantment of the town’s demolition order was rejected Friday.

In a press release, Ross stated he understood the significance of the Deauville to individuals in Miami Seashore and desires to pay homage to the unique constructing whereas making a “transformational undertaking.” Ross grew up in Miami Seashore and graduated from Miami Seashore Senior Excessive Faculty.

“As a local of Miami Seashore, this undertaking is private to me,” he stated. “I do know what this web site means to the individuals of Miami Seashore, and I do know the potential to create a really particular growth that honors the historical past of the Deauville whereas creating an iconic place for generations to come back.”

Demolition work on the Deauville started in March with the removing of the lodge’s metallic crimson signal and its driveway cover, however staff should take away the asbestos within the property earlier than continuing with tearing down the remainder of the constructing. The deliberate implosion of the lodge’s 17-story tower has not but been scheduled.

A spokesman for Associated Corporations stated Ross plans to construct the brand new undertaking on the location after the Deauville is demolished.

Associated Corporations is behind New York’s Hudson Yards and the Deutsche Financial institution Middle. Gehry, a Pritzker Prize-winning architect, is understood for tasks that embody the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain and the Walt Disney Live performance Corridor in Los Angeles. Gehry, now 93, additionally designed the New World Middle in Miami Seashore.

Gehry, who visited the location Sunday, stated in a press release that he was honored to companion with the Miami Seashore neighborhood and with Ross.

“This web site presents an unmatched alternative to create a landmark for the following technology,” he stated.

The value of the sale was not disclosed and particular plans for the proposed undertaking weren’t launched.

Gelber, who praised the acquisition as a chance to revitalize the Deauville property, stated in an electronic mail to residents that the undertaking might have a poll referendum to provide Ross “the power and suppleness to do one thing transformative.”

He stated he would ask the Metropolis Fee to position a referendum on the November poll associated to the undertaking, nevertheless it stays unclear what growth incentives Ross is requesting.

“He isn’t trying to improve density however wants extra flexibility within the design prospects,” Gelber stated. “He needs to do one thing particular and delightful in his outdated neighborhood. One thing we’ll all be happy with.”

Miami Seashore’s historic preservation guidelines give the Historic Preservation Board the authority to determine how the Deauville will probably be changed after it’s demolished. Town’s coverage features a “presumption” that the demolished constructing solely get replaced with a brand new construction that has the identical top, massing and sq. footage of the earlier construction on the property. The Historic Preservation Board additionally has the fitting to demand that the brand new undertaking be constructed as a duplicate of the Deauville.

In his electronic mail, Gelber stated requiring the re-creation of the Deauville could be impractical.

“If we maintain out for that, the property will unquestionably stay undeveloped and vacant indefinitely,” he stated.

For the undertaking to maneuver ahead, Gelber stated he needed the utmost variety of residing models to be lower than what’s at the moment allowed. He additionally contemplates negotiating for public advantages as a part of the undertaking and he stated he needs Ross to stay the developer all through the undertaking’s conception.

“The reality is, this is a chance to respect our historical past whereas nonetheless setting a path for our future that lifts the neighborhood and delivers one thing extraordinary to our residents,” he stated. “The small print will matter, in fact, however we’ll all get an opportunity to vote on the measure in November as will probably be on the poll on your consideration. What we do subsequent issues, and this undertaking permits us to create our personal historical past.”

This story was initially revealed Might 23, 2022 11:19 AM.