As Miami retail gains momentum, malls expand

Miami’s retail market is nearing pre-recession strength, which in turn is bolstering commercial property, Miami Today reported.  Dadeland Mall, which is located at 7535 North Kendall Drive, is at full occupancy and is currently marketing a new 120,000-square-foot wing set to open next spring, according to Maria Prado, the mall’s General Manager.

“Basically, we knocked a building down next to Macy’s,” Prado said, “and we’re building a new product of two stories that will have space for 18-20 new retailers, six of which are restaurants.”

Bal Harbour Shops, which is located at 9700 Collins Avenue, is also planning an expansion, according to Matthew Whitman Lazenby, the mall’s  operating partner. The mall will expand on to the site of a church at 501 96th Street in exchange for building the congregation a new  50,000-square-foot, eco-friendly church on land it owns at Bal Bay and Park drives, on the northwest corner of the shopping center’s property.

“My family and I have been in conversations with our neighbors, the Church by the Sea, for the better part of half a century,” Lazenby said. “We are just delighted to have found a solution that allows the church to advance its mission while affording us the opportunity to finally move forward with our long-awaited expansion.” [Miami Today] —Christopher Cameron