Developer chips away at sales ahead of Turnberry Ocean Club’s 2018 opening

Turnberry Associates has sold more than two dozen condos at its 154-unit Sunny Isles Beach development Turnberry Ocean Club, designed by New York architect Carlos Zapata. Daniel Riordan, Turnberry’s president of residential development, told The Real Deal that about two-thirds of the buyers have been South American and European.

Sales started in late October and have been conducted at a temporary office in Aventura, but a new office closer to the 18501 Collins Avenue site will open in the spring. Riordan expects between 50 and 70 units to be sold when construction begins in 2015 for delivery in 2018. Units range from 2,900 to 10,645 square feet and are priced from $4 to $35 million.

Riordan said the 54-story building’s design represents a shift for Turnberry: “It’s our first modern building…We’ve done beautiful buildings, but more traditional.”

The building has a sky club that takes up floors 30 to 32, offering pools, spas, saunas, a fitness center and an indoor/outdoor dining area.

Zapata told TRD that the sky club’s location in the middle of the tower sets it apart and gives the design personality. “Lots of buildings just put the amenities on the ground or first and second floor,” he said.

Turnberry is targeting families who want to live in the building rather than investors who will rent out units, Riordan said. “Sunny Isles Beach was not on too many people’s radar a couple of decades ago,” Riordan said. “It’s gone from the retirement Northeast buyer to a younger, international destination.”