Yakov Cohen expanded his holdings in northeast Miami-Dade County after paying $17.7 million for an Aventura big box store.
An entity managed by Cohen and partner, Shimon Bouskila, both of whom are based in Sunny Isles Beach, acquired the single-story, 28,376-square-foot building at 18495 Biscayne Boulevard, records show. The deal breaks down to roughly $624 a square foot.
Robert Susi and Jose Sasson with Axiom Capital Advisors represented Cohen’s entity. Michael Kenney with Florida Retail Brokers represented the seller, a partnership between three other Sunny Isles Beach residents, Jacobo Azout, Erwin Sredni and Jonatan Sredni.
Azout and the Srednis paid $16.4 million for the 2.2-acre site in 2017, records show. The building was completed in 1994.
The big box store is in a prime spot along Biscayne Boulevard, near a shopping and office plaza that traded for $48 million in February. Avi Dishi and Elysee Investments purchased Aventura Plaza at 17985 Biscayne Boulevard. The 6.7-acre site is anchored by an Ace Hardware store and grocer Plum Market.
In January, Yakov and his wife, Cheryl Cohen, submitted a site plan application to Miami-Dade County to build a mixed-use project in Ojus, an unincorporated neighborhood near Aventura.
The couple are planning Aventura Office Center, an 11-story building designed by Arquitectonica with 120,000 square feet of offices, 4,400 square feet of commercial space and 12 apartments. The Cohens acquired the 1.3-acre development site at 18802 and 18820 West Dixie Highway for $7.5 million in 2022.
The same year, Cohen and Bouskila paid $10.7 million for an industrial complex near the Aventura Brightline Station that the duo plan to redevelop. Last year, Miami-Dade County approved a site plan for a 15-story project with 327 apartments, 9,708 square feet of commercial space and 458 parking spaces.
County officials also awarded the partnership with a 25 percent density bonus for setting aside 10 percent of the rental units for workforce housing.