Atlantis condo project in Bay Harbor Islands nabs approval

Bay Harbor Islands’ latest mid-rise condo project, Atlantis, won zoning approval late Tuesday.

The city’s planning and zoning board unanimously approved design plans for a seven-story building with five floors of condos at 10281 West Bay Harbor Drive and 1170 103rd Street.   

Longtime Bay Harbor Islands developer Sam Sami of Saba Group, who assembled the lots, is partnering with Chilean developer Grupo Burotto and Miami developer Rilea Group to build the project.

Bay Harbor-based Frankel Benayoun Architects is designing the building, which will have condos ranging from 1,033 square feet to 1,990 square feet. Markus Frankel, who calls the building an example of “contemporary island architecture,” told the board the building will have a two-story lobby, 60-foot long rooftop pool, and four private roof terraces for penthouse units. He said the building will feature 15 different unit floor plans and extensive landscaping.   

While the board approved plans for the building, board members called for rooftop landscaping to be scaled back and for either a stop sign or a speed bump to be incorporated into the building’s garage areas to address neighbors’ concerns about traffic exiting the building, which sits on a corner lot.    

The project now moves to the city commission, which will have to approve a request for 11 “transfer of development rights” or TDR’s, which have been used extensively by developers of mid-rise buildings in Bay Harbor Islands.

Bay Harbor Islands, which is tucked between Surfside and Bal Harbour, is surging with new development. It’s seen by developers as a cheaper alternative to nearby Surfside and Miami Beach.

At least 26 new projects have been proposed, including Kasa Bay Harbor, a seven-story, nine-unit project at 1125 97th Street; Bijou Bay Harbor, a nine-story, 41-unit project at 9521 East Bay Harbor Drive; and Sophie Bay Harbor, a 26-unit, seven-story building planned for 1045 92nd Street.