Proposed 1414 West Avenue condo project wins nod from city board

A proposed five-story boutique condo project on West Avenue in Miami Beach can finally move forward, after the Miami Beach Design Review Board approved waivers that allow the developer to incorporate mechanical car lifts and increase the project’s maximum lot coverage to make room for an enclosed garage.

In April, 1414 West Avenue LLC purchased the development site at 1312 and 1320 14th Terrace for $4.75 million with plans to build a 14-unit modern building with cantilevered balconies and a rooftop deck. The limited liability company is linked to Spencer Blank of Boca Raton-based Redcliff Builders and investors Axel Knauf and Bernard Petit of Belgium.

“We are eager to finally get this project off the ground,” said project architect Carlos Bravo. “Spencer Blank is the owner and he is motivated to build this once and for all.”

The previous owner, Casaluna LLC, led by Boston-based developers Abner Kurtin and Jonathan Seelig, had won previous approvals from the design board in 2015, but did not obtain building permits within an allocated timeframe. As a result, Blank and his partners had to re-seek approval from the design board.

In addition to 11 parking lifts and 14-space garage, 1414 West Avenue also tweaked the design of the proposed building. Units will now range from 672-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom condos to 1,315-square-foot three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom units.

The Miami Beach city code currently allows maximum lot coverage of 45 percent of the lot area. The property’s new owner proposed 60 percent lot coverage, Bravo said. The lifts will provide additional parking for unit owners who wish to have a space for a second vehicle.

“Adhering to the [45 percent] lot coverage…basically meant that we were going to expose the garage and leave it with open parking,” Bravo said. “We all decided that was not the best result for this project. Therefore, we submitted the project with an enclosed garage exceeding the lot coverage.”