Carlos Rosso, Alex Vadia, Proper Launch Midtown Miami Project

Development of a long-vacant plot of land in Midtown Miami, where a controversial Walmart was once planned, is moving forward.

Proper Hospitality is teaming with Carlos Rosso’s Rosso Development and Alex Vadia’s Midtown Development to launch sales of phase one, a 28-story, 288-unit branded condo tower. The building, called Midtown Park Residences by Proper, will mark the first of six buildings on the nearly 5-acre site at 3055 North Miami Avenue, Rosso said.

Walmart sold the property to Vadia’s Midtown Development for $26.4 million in 2019.

Rosso and Vadia plan a $2 billion mixed-use development with four residential towers and two office buildings, more than 120,000 square feet of retail space, a public racquet court and padel club, and a 25,000-square-foot gym.

Carlos Rosso, Alex Vadia, Proper Launch Midtown Miami Project — Renderings of Midtown Park Residences by Proper

Rosso called the property a “connector site” with heavy pedestrian use from the Miami Design District to Wynwood. He has worked with Vadia in the past, when he was an executive at the Related Group and more recently at Standard Residences Midtown Miami a block away. That building is expected to be completed by September.

“This was an incredible opportunity to create a mixed-use project that included a big component of public space,” Rosso said, referencing the latest project. “Right now it’s a big void. It’s really the hole in the doughnut.”

Midtown stands out from other neighborhoods because of the way it’s been designed, with all street-level, ground-floor retail and glass entrances, and green space. The project will have shade trees, landscaping and public art.

“Women feel very comfortable in this type of environment,” Rosso said. “You know what happens when single women pick a neighborhood? Single men follow.”

Brian De Lowe, co-founder and president of Santa Monica, California-based Proper, said the firm was attracted to the neighborhood’s walkability. His partner Brad Korzen previously led Viceroy Hotels.

In Austin, Texas, the company branded the Austin Proper Hotel and Residences, where condo sales set city records at about $3,000 per square foot, beating Four Seasons and W Residences, De Lowe said.

Units at Midtown Park Residences by Proper will range from the low $700,000s to $2.7 million, excluding penthouses. Edgardo Defortuna’s Fortune Development Sales is leading sales of the project. Units will range from studios to three-bedroom condos, from 510 square feet to 1,730 square feet. The penthouses will average 3,150 square feet and will include private rooftop terraces with gardens and private pools.

The developers launched sales to friends and family last week and have about 25 reservations.

“It’s great in a market that’s so competitive,” Rosso said.

Owners will be limited to renting their units out at most three times a year, for a minimum period of four months. Residents will also have access to the Shelborne Hotel by Proper in Miami Beach, which is expected to open this spring following a renovation.

Arquitectonica, Meyer Davis Studio and Naturalficial are designing the project, which will include 40,000 square feet of amenities, a pool deck and a 7,000-square-foot lobby with a well-known cafe that also sells books, likely Books & Books.

Construction on the first building could begin in about a year and be completed in 2028, Rosso said.