Micro units featured in 1,011-unit Brickell tower

Micro dwelling units and affordable housing are destined for a busy corner in Miami’s West Brickell.

The project, 250 SW Brickell, will be a 42-story tower offering 1,011 residential units, amenities, ground floor retail and parking for 269 vehicles, at 250 and 296 SW Seventh St.

The city’s Urban Development Review Board recommended approval and revisiting the design and materials for the screening on the garage levels.

The new residential community will be home to studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, alcove, and micro units.

Attorney Brian Dombrowski said the property consists of 44,865 square feet, or 1.03 acres, and is now vacant land.

He said the property has a principal frontage on Southwest Seventh Street and fronts Southwest Third Avenue to the west as its secondary frontage. The site abuts a commercial property to the south and surface parking to the east.

Mr. Dombrowski wrote to the city that the developer plans to utilize the state’s Live Local Act in order to incorporate additional height and density beyond what the underlying zoning district permits.

To qualify under the Live Local Act, a project in a mixed-use, commercial, or industrial zoning district must commit to restricting at least 40% of its units to serve residents earning up to 120% Area Median Income (AMI) for 30 years.

Mr. Dombrowski wrote, “The project proposes a minimum of 40% of the proposed number of residential dwelling units or 405 residential dwelling units as affordable units at 120% of area medium income.”

The proposal is an infill project near highly traversed streets, wrote Mr. Dombrowski.

“The property is located within a neighborhood which has seen a rapid growth over the last few years as it transitions.

“The project seeks to redevelop the vacant land and provide residential and commercial uses throughout the property.

“The property is proposed as an urban center mixed use project providing for a variety of uses with on-site parking … The project includes bicycle parking options and is being built within walking distance of multiple bus routes,” wrote Mr. Dombrowski.

The project was designed by Behar Font & Partners.

An architectural narrative says the tower will rise above the heart of Brickell, forming a slender vertical landmark at the convergence of the neighborhood’s commercial corridor and the residential fabric extending toward the Miami River.

It reads, “Approaching from either Southwest Seventh Street or Third Avenue, landscaped sidewalks and enhanced streetscape improvements guide residents and visitors to the building’s prominent two-story lobby entrance.

“Floor-to-ceiling glass encases the entire ground floor, revealing the double-height arrival experience and establishing transparency between the interior and the street.

“The tower is defined by a curved façade band at the northwest corner, a sculpted gesture that bends gracefully at the intersection of Third Avenue and Seventh Street, creating a visual anchor and softening the building’s presence within the urban grid.

“The podium, rising eight stories, wraps the parking structure with residential units on all sides of the street, ensuring that the building presents an active, inhabited façade to the street at every level. Residential units begin at the second level and continue upward, screening the garage and maintaining a consistent street wall that respects the pedestrian experience,” the narrative reads.

Extensive amenities are planned. At level 9, a comprehensive amenity deck serves as an elevated urban landscape: a pool area surrounded by tropical planting, cabanas, BBQ zones, co-working lounges, game and club rooms, a fully-equipped gym, yoga studio, synthetic turf Pilates area, dog park, and overlook seating with panoramic skyline views.

The building includes more than 260 parking spaces accessed from Third Avenue and Seventh Street, designed to minimize visual and operational impact on the pedestrian realm. More than 1,000 bicycle racks are included.

Board member Francisco Perez-Azua said, “It’s a very elegant building. What concerns me is a two-way entrance. That’s going to get messy there … I caution you and the city, the street is already extremely congested.”

Architect Javier Font said, “We looked at traffic patterns. We looked at this in so many different ways.”

Board member Ignacio Permuy said, “Beautiful clean lines. A very elegant design. The program is well articulated and resolved.”