Polish American Club plans Miami River tower

The Polish American Club is pushing forward a mixed-use development near the Dolphin Expressway with a vote by the Miami City Commission next week as the next step and a search for a developer to follow.

The club proposed a mixed-used development on its land at 1250 NW 22nd Ave. (Pulaski Avenue) on the South Fork of the Miami River, Miami Today previously reported.

“We are on the right track to continue,” said Jacek Schindler, a club director and vice president. “We have the last reading at the [Miami] City Commission coming up March 14… that actually will close the zoning change process. At the same time, we are ready to hire the developer and we have … accumulated a list of 10 very prominent development groups in Miami that are very interested in taking a look at a request for proposal for that development, which the committee of the Polish club being called Executive Building Committee would take care of interviews with those developers.”

“The zoning change process” on March 14 would classify the building for T6-8 zoning, which would allow the building to be up to eight stories.

Parents at one time brought children “dressed in national Polish costumes” to the Polish American Club, said Mr. Schindler. On weekends a kitchen served Polish food.

“It was existing as a big benefit to the Polish group in Miami,” he said. “They had a place to meet, they had a place to play cards, they had a place to perform and sing Polish songs and celebrate different holidays. It continued until 10 years ago, when the club sort of declined rapidly because the management didn’t take the proper care of the club and decided that the club should be sold.”

Lady Blanka Rosentiel, current club president and a well-known Polish leader in Miami, said Mr. Schindler, “decided to save it and redevelop the mixed use of the Polish center which the name was adopted: Polonia Center. That actually happened in 2017, when she contacted me.”

Mr. Schindler was asked if he would be interested in providing a vision of the future Polonia Center “so that Polish people – which actually lost the contact with the Polish club – would again regain” a link and replace the club “with something new, something which didn’t exist anywhere in the world, like a Polish Center mix use,” said Mr. Schindler.

The original sketch was done in 2017, said Mr. Schindler, but drawings presented to the Miami River Commission were developed in 2019.

“It was first presented to the Miami River Commission because when we went to the City of Miami planning department they said that all the projects [must] start being presented first to the Miami River Commission,” said Mr. Schindler, “and then they will be submitted to the City of Miami Planning and Zoning Department.”

In 2022, the plan was presented to the Miami River Commission again, said Mr. Schindler, “and actually we got almost 100% vote that they liked our development and we went through a zoning sort of presentation with the City of Miami and the zoning board approved our development with seven to two votes favorably to our case, and that required the follow-up of two readings by the City Commission…. We also met with the homeowners’ association [for the area], which also expressed that they liked the project and they are very familiar with the past history of the Polish club.”

On first reading at the city commission Feb. 8, he said, “All commissioners supported the project.”

If the zoning change passes on second reading, the following step is a selection process for developers, said Mr. Schindler. “Those developers will receive a request for proposal that they will have to respond to the Executive Building Committee.”

The executive building committee consists of two architects, two people with development experience and one with extensive real estate experience in Miami, said Mr. Schindler. “[They are a] great group of individuals … they have sort of like an independent organization, and they are not members of the board of directors [of the Polish American Club], because eventually, the board of directors has to approve the list that they would present after examining the capabilities of each developer who is interested to participate in the project.”

The first three floors of the project would be commercial, said Mr. Schindler. The Polish Club would be on the ground floor. A Polish grocery store or Polish-oriented establishment is envisioned on the ground floor as well.

The “majority of the space would have the height of two floors, and then there will be some kind of mezzanine over areas where we don’t need to have two stories height interior space,” he said.

In the lower element “basically we have three different levels, but actually we have two full floors and one mezzanine floor. Above that we have six floors of residential with a big terrace.”

“This undertaking, which we took in 2017, is nicely and progressing,” said Mr. Schindler. “The events we will plan at the Polish club would not only bring the Polish community but we would like other organizations or other communities to participate with…. We will have probably opportunity for some concerts which the entire city of course is invited to participate … a lot of positive things.”