Crescent Heights’ Wave project gets height variance

Renderings of the Wave
Renderings of the Wave

The Miami Beach Design Review Board on Tuesday signed off on a 10-foot height variance for the Wave development, a mixed-use project expected to have 300,000 square feet of residential space and about 50,000 square feet of retail space at the entrance to South Beach. The project is one of several developments along Alton Road by Crescent Heights led by Russell Galbut — that aim to transform the area for years to come.   

The board approved variances to allow two buildings at the site to go to 63 feet in height. The city has allowed buildings in the area on Alton Road to be built to that height and an additional building in the Wave project has already been approved at 63 feet.   

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J.J. Wood, the project’s architect, told the board that the additional height will “unify the height” of all the buildings in the complex, and will allow for 10-foot ceilings in residential units, as well as additional height for commercial space. He said raising the height of the buildings will not interfere with neighboring structures and will also mitigate the impact on residents of the Alton Road flyover, which moves thousands of vehicles daily off the MacArthur Causeway onto Alton Road.   

The Wave, which will be located between 500-702 Alton Road, and 501-651 West Avenue, is one of the biggest development projects currently planned for Miami Beach. The project had received design approval last June. Crescent Heights project managers say the residential component of the project will have 321 apartments, and will bring much-needed rental housing to South Beach.