Firm opens SoLē Mia training office in North Miami: PHOTOS

Garth Solutions held an open house for its new office in North Miami that will provide free job training and scholarships to North Miami residents for the SoLē Mia development.

LeFrak and Turnberry Associates are developing the $4 billion project, which will include 12 residential buildings, 4,390 residential units, more than 1 million square feet of commercial space, 37 acres of parks, two swimmable lagoons, and 4,171 parking spaces.

The LeFrak and Turnberry joint venture is mandated to source 10 percent of its workforce and vendors from the city of North Miami. Garth Solutions, a local management consulting firm, has awarded scholarships to 46 students as of September, according to a press release. The office has also filled 29 percent of SoLē Mia jobs with North Miami residents.

The first phase of construction involves building a 400,000- to 500,000-square-foot shopping center that may include a gourmet grocery, a bowling alley, a sporting goods store and restaurants.

The site, at 15045 Biscayne Boulevard, has had a long and troubled history, including Superfund site designation in the early 1980s and multiple failed bids for commercial development since 2003. – Katherine Kallergis and Sean Stewart-Muniz