South Miami leaders recently approved major plans to revitalize the “creepy” and empty downtown area and bring the once vibrant area back to life.
The Shops at Sunset Place mall, many of which have shuttered storefronts, will be demolished and replaced with sleek mixed-use towers.
A $309 million investment will go toward the redevelopment of South Miami’s mold-infested City Hall and police headquarters.
Both projects aim to make the area more walkable, welcoming and attractive to residents, city officials said. They will also provide much-needed housing.
The Shops at Sunset Place used to be a thriving shopping center, but locals say it has turned into an empty and creepy building.
Development plans to renew the Town Hall and Police Station include transforming the area into modern residential, retail and public spaces for the community
The shops on Sunset Place are empty and “creepy,” as one South Miami resident described
One resident described the shopping center as ‘a bit creepy’ Miami Herald reported.
South Miami is the suburb of Miami and is home to approximately 12,000 people. The city covers 2.5 square kilometers and is located approximately three miles south of Miami.
It is known as the ‘City of Pleasant Living’ due to its charming atmosphere and family-oriented design.
But downtown South Miami has been in decline for decades. The shops of Sunset Place were the area’s main attraction.
In 2009, someone left a glowing Yelp review about the mall, which opened in 1999.
Someone wrote: ‘I love this place. It’s small but with a good selection of stores such as Forever 21, American Eagle, Urban Outfitters.
‘This is the perfect getaway from the city for me.’
But in 2012, someone said, “It looks like this mall is officially dying as much of it is now being marketed as office space.”
In 2019, another review revealed the dire state of Sunset Place.
It reads: ‘I’m not sure what’s happening to this mall! It used to be so nice and full of open shops, but now it’s like a ghost town!’
Heatherwick Studios drew up plans to redesign Sunset Place into a mixed-use complex
But the city has plans to restore the place to its former glory.
Seven buildings, ranging from 12 to 33 stories high, will fill the 10-acre estate.
According to the plans, there will be 1,513 apartments, shops, offices, a theater with 1,300 seats and a hotel with 287 rooms. Miami Herald. The new development will simply be called Sunset Place.
South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez said, “We need an evolution, not a revolution.
‘Nothing we do is a new problem under the sun. What is missing are people in the neighborhood. We need to evolve and grow the city center with more housing.”
London-based architectural firm Heatherwick Studio has been chosen to lead the project along with Midtown Opportunities, the developer that purchased the property in 2021.
The shops at Sunset Place opened in 1999 but have been largely vacant for years as previous redevelopment plans failed
This will be their first project in the United States.
Heatherwick Studio founder Thomas Heatherwick said in a statement: ‘As people are social beings, attracted to places where other people gather, our idea is to get rid of the sterile atmosphere of the previous shopping center and bring back streets.
‘Influenced by the human scale and charm of Sunset Drive, the plan is to extend the existing street grid onto the site to create continuous routes and a village of smaller, more intimate urban spaces, exceptionally framed by apartments above. ‘
However, this was a controversial decision as some residents were concerned about the traffic this complex will cause.
Similar plans were in the works for Sunset Place in 2017, but were squashed by disapproving citizens and politicians.
Then-Mayor Philip Stoddard gave the project his approval, but then-commissioner Walter Harris was among those not on board.
The Miami Herald reported that Harris told the developers he liked the idea but thought it would “open the door to extreme development the likes of which South Miami has never seen.”
The Link at SoMi (pictured) is a $309 million project led by 13th Floor Investments and Corwil Architects
Other critics of the original plan said the people who supported the plan did not represent the masses of South Miami.
But the current makeover of the center has attracted the attention of residents and entrepreneurs.
A business owner from South Miami shared it Local10: ‘I think it’s a great benefit to the community. I feel like South Miami has been relatively dead for a while.
“As we bring a whole new concept to the area, I think Sunset will finally become an attractive place – or South Miami – to go.”
Blocking the first round of development plans, the mall’s previous owners sold it at a $45 million loss.
That’s when Midtown Opportunities stepped in and bought the property for $65.5 million, The said Real Deal real estate news.
Mayor Javier Fernandez said getting rid of the outdated shopping center (pictured) ‘will allow the city center to evolve and grow’
“They were out of their minds,” Stoddard said of the commission voting against development in 2017, according to the Miami Herald.
‘We have a beautiful center. But we have a fundamental problem. And that means we don’t have enough boots and wallets on the streets,” he added.
The second plan, to repair aging city facilities, has been under discussion for nearly a decade, the Miami Herald reported.
Developer 13th Floor Investments and Corwil Architects are leading this project. Not only are they renovating the police station and city hall building, but they also want to add a public library.
The developer, called Link at SoMi, has also added an apartment building to the plan, which will be 15 to 18 stories high.
There will be 670 apartments, a new municipal building and 28,000 square meters of retail space.
Built in the 1930s, the Sylvia Martin Building was previously a flat community center. Now it has been converted into offices.
The Link at SoMi (pictured) will be designed to showcase a renovated town hall building
However, it will be transformed back into a community meeting space – possibly including a café – and serve as the focal point of the developers who have described it as ‘an urban village’.
Managing Principal Arnaud Karsenti of 13th Floor Investments told the Miami Herald, “We thought, why not celebrate South Miami City Hall instead of hiding it?
“It can be a beacon for South Miami rather than an eyesore. And let’s also put the historic building in the spotlight.’
Of the 670 apartments, 67 will be reserved for “workforce housing,” meaning it will be for people earning 120 percent of the county’s median income.
Karsenti told the outlet, “Projects like this provide a real alternative to living in this area if you can’t afford a multi-million dollar home.”
These plans are subject to change.
The exterior of the shops at Sunset Place (pictured), formerly a staple of downtown South Miami
There were strong reactions from the community, especially to the Sunset Place plans.
Someone wrote on Reddit: ‘I’m not sure how I feel about the new design. I grew up going to Sunset when I was in high school and going to the Vans store to skate the ramp. But I hate to see the empty shell it has become.”
‘That intersection is already a gigantic impasse. I can only imagine the traffic impact adding 1,000+ apartments will cause,” another person said, echoing last time’s traffic woes.
Others were optimistic: “I hope they build it.” So many more homes are needed here to meet demand. Also a good place, close to a train stop.’