A Miami Beach board gave Robert Rivani’s Black Lion the green light to revamp the exterior of a mixed-use building off Lincoln Road.
Earlier this month, the Miami Beach Design Review Board unanimously approved the planned renovation of the building at 1691 Michigan Avenue and its garage facades. Miami-based Black Lion is giving the six-story structure, which is being renamed The Rivani, a $50 million interior and exterior makeover.
The property has 43,166 square feet of ground-floor retail and 118,658 square feet of office space.
The new facade of The Rivani, designed by Escala Forma and BGA Architects, a pair of Miami-based firms, will feature a limestone veneer and light sconces covering the existing stucco walls. Other new architectural elements include metal perforated screens on the garage exterior walls, and planters along the curved eyebrows of the building’s corner-facing windows at 17th Street and Michigan Avenue, plans show.
Doral-based Rockwell Group is redesigning the interior of The Rivani, which is supposed to resemble a five-star luxury hotel, including amenities such as concierge services, a spa, a fitness center and a Japanese restaurant, Rivani previously told The Real Deal.
In April, Black Lion dropped $62.5 million for the building at 1691 Michigan Avenue, previously known as The Lincoln, and a ground lease with the city of Miami Beach, which owns the land underneath. The previous owner, New York-based Clarion Partners, sold the property at a deep discount. In 2016, Clarion paid $109.2 million for the building, built in 2002.
Black Lion, which moved to Miami from Los Angeles in 2022, made a big splash into the South Florida market three years ago by acquiring commercial units in luxury condominiums that are leased to high-end restaurants. Last year, Black Lion listed its commercial unit at SLS Lux Brickell that is currently leased to Japanese steakhouse Gekkõ, as well as the Amara at Paraiso restaurant space in Paraiso Bay Residences in Miami’s Edgewater. The firm’s asking price for both spaces is north of $55 million.
The Rivani will face fierce competition as other major developers are planning new office projects in Miami Beach. Sumaida + Khurana and Bizzi+Bilgili, two New York-based firms, are partnering with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt to develop The Fifth Miami Beach, a five-story office building in the city’s South of Fifth neighborhood. Sumaida + Khurana are also partnering with the owners of a nearby site to develop a five-story office building. The partnership also includes Robert and Miriam Weiss of Weiss Properties and Aaron Butler of Avenue Real Estate Partners.
In Miami Beach’s Sunset Harbour neighborhood, Wayne M. Boich is planning a six-story mixed-use building with offices. And developer Michael Shvo is planning two projects in South Beach. The Alton is a planned six-story building with 170,000 square feet of offices and five apartments. And One Soundscape Park is a planned five-story office building.