Whole Foods is back on the menu for Miami Beach

New rendering of the Whole Foods on Alton Road, left, and a rendering of the rejected plans, right (Credit: The Next Miami)
New rendering of the Whole Foods on Alton Road, left, and a rendering of the rejected plans, right (Credit: The Next Miami)

After facing stiff resistance for its plans to open a new Whole Foods on Alton Road, developer Crescent Heights has reportedly returned with a fresh design by architect Chad Oppenheim.

The new renderings show a much sleeker and modern building, though it will be similarly sized to the previous design.

It will include 55,000 square feet of retail space and 281 parking spaces on the project’s top three levels, the Next Miami reported.

The parking areas will be surrounded by plants to block it from view, and the building’s loading bays will point toward the less-traveled 19th Street.

The building will also sit up to 10 feet away from the road to allow for a pedestrian colonnade with seating. To allow for the reduced footprint, the building’s mechanical equipment was moved to the roof, which sets it three feet above city code, the publication reported. Miami Beach’s Planning Board will review the plans next week.

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Located at 1901 Alton Road, the site is owned by Wells Fargo Bank, which has a branch there.

A Wells Fargo spokesperson earlier this month declined to comment  to The Real Deal on the plans, saying the bank was “in the very preliminary stages of reviewing some options for this location.”

Whole Foods currently operates a store about a mile away at 1020 Alton Road. Construction on the new store would be done in phases to allow the branch to remain open. [The Next Miami]Sean Stewart-Muniz