A team of investors is proposing a new hotel and food court along the Miami River.
Levy Gomez, Marcos Corminas and chef John Gray presented their proposal for The Shipyard on the River to the Miami River Commission, which will take up the project at its next meeting on Monday.
The project would be built on a vacant site at 5 to 27 Southwest South River Drive. Records show South River Warehouse LLC, led by Little Havana developer Arturo Ortega, purchased the nearly 15,000-square-foot site for $1.6 million in 2014.
According to documents filed with the commission, the team plans to build a seven-story, 50-room hotel with rooms overlooking the river, designed with shipping containers converted into hotel rooms. Outdoor amenities would include a pool, hot tub and sundeck. Current zoning allows up to 12 stories and 102 rooms.
The project would also include a gourmet food court offering ceviche, gourmet pizza and other options, with an indoor/outdoor “performance kitchen” and food stations also created out of converted shipping containers.
Seating will be in a common, open area with family style dining tables. Also planned is a central bar area and lounge section, and an entertainment area with outdoor games and “Zen-like” landscaping. Dining will also include a communal chef’s table nightly from Gray.
Gomez did not respond to requests for comment.
Developers are increasingly targeting the Miami River for new development. Among the projects are: Chetrit Group and JDS Development Group’s $1 billion mixed-use development; Shahab Karmely’s KAR Properties’ luxury condo development One River Point; Mast Capital and AEW Capital Management’s residential project Miami River Walk; and Andy Hellinger is leading development of River Landing, a mixed-use apartment and retail complex that’s under construction.
Meanwhile, food halls are taking off in South Florida, like the recently opened St. Roch Market in the Miami Design District and La Centrale at Brickell City Centre. Others are planned to open soon, including the Lincoln Eatery in Miami Beach.