Four 60-story towers on river advance

More details have been released on a large project set to bring four new 60-story residential towers to a high-profile site on the southern bank of the Miami River, adjacent to I-95. The developer of Miami Riverwalk, Chetrit Group, is moving ahead with detailed plans to transform a handful of vacant and rundown properties into a booming mixed-use project just a few blocks from Brickell and the heart of downtown. The plan gets its first audience with the full Miami River Commission on Sept. 8. Miami Riverwalk would include four towers providing 1,762 condo units and 246 hotel rooms on about 6.5 acres. The plan also calls for retail and office uses, a riverfront restaurant, public riverwalk and other dedicated green space, a small marina and parking garages. The development is planned for a three-block area bordered on the north by the river, on the south by Southwest Seventh Street, on the west by Southwest Third Avenue and on the east by Southwest Second Avenue. Hugging corners of the overall site are the YMCA on the northwest and a multi-level self-storage building, StorageMart, on the southeast. Representatives of the development team presented new information and a set of new renderings to a subcommittee of the river commission last week. The owner is listed as CG Miami River Owner LLC in the latest presentation to the river commission. The team includes Miami architectural firm Kobi Karp Architecture and Interior Design, landscape architect and civil/traffic engineer Kimley Horn of Miami, and coastal engineering firm Coastal Systems International Inc. of Coral Gables. The existing land uses are industrial and restricted commercial. The developer anticipates requesting a change in the land use and zoning of the properties, and an increase in the allowed density. Miami Riverwalk would be constructed in five phases. The developer would adhere to Miami River Greenway provisions and build a public riverwalk extending eastward to connect with the riverwalk in front of Latitude on the River, and extending westward to head under the elevated I-95. The large project would displace four operating businesses, including Finnegan’s River, a bar and restaurant. River commission officials hope Finnegan’s would open in another riverfront location later.