Miami River apartment complex with a feng shui vibe nabs nod from Miami boards

Two Miami boards backed a proposed zoning change this week that would allow the construction of a pair of multifamily buildings along the Miami River that are designed with a feng shui vibe.

Both the Miami River Commission and the Miami Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board unanimously backed the project, which must still go before the city commission.

The four-story apartment buildings, designed by architect Jacob Brillhart, are slated to be built on a 1.1-acre parcel of land at 2222 Northwest North River Drive, adjacent to the Miami River and just south of Curtis Park, where three, 2-story apartment buildings constructed in the early 1960s now stand.

Robert and Joshua Goldberg and Michael Attias purchased the property for $3.05 million in July 2015. Robert Goldberg and Attias are partners at G&B Real Estate Advisors in Beachwood, Ohio. Joshua Goldberg manages the property.

The developers aim to build up to 36 residential units on the riverfront site. Right now, there are 21 apartment units on the property. Zoning currently allows only a new 20-unit building. In exchange for the zoning change, the developers will construct a public 700-foot long river walk. Because its prone to flooding, the site’s base will be raised 6 feet.

The apartment buildings will be designed in accordance with feng shui and wabi sabi principles, Joshua Goldberg told The Real Deal. The project will feature terraces as well as units with windows on three sides. “It’s nice when you can open two windows and a breeze goes through, right?” Goldberg said.

Goldberg said he currently envisions the future buildings as rentals that are “as affordable as you can possibly get.”

Although the property’s 300-foot long wooden dock with 15 boat slips will be maintained, the present apartment buildings are slated to be demolished.

“There’s nothing special about these buildings, correct?” asked Horacio Stuart Aguirre, chairman of the Miami River Commission, during its Monday meeting. “Henry Flagler didn’t sleep there?”

“There’s nothing there, historically speaking,” replied Brillhart.

The zoning change still has to be approved by the Miami City Commission. The commission’s next meeting for planning and zoning items is October 26.

Goldberg is in no rush. He doesn’t see construction starting for another three to five years.  “I think it’s a mystery what the market will absorb right now,” he said.

Other projects planned alongside the Miami River include KAR Properties’ One River Point, a 60-story luxury condominium project designed by architect Rafael Viñoly; and the Chetrit Group, Ari Pearl and JDS Development Group’s mixed-used development with four towers, a hotel, shops, restaurants and a public river walk with boat slips.