32-story tower with luxury apartments and shops planned for North Miami Beach

A 32-story tower with apartments, eateries and shopping to be built by 2025 in North Miami Beach has been approved by the city commission.

The application by BH Group to develop on a narrow strip of property at at 2261 NE 164th Street was unanimously approved by commissioners on Thursday.

The site sits on nearly 2 acres and will include 400 residential units, 1,825 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor, and 587 parking spaces, according to the planning and zoning application submitted by the developer.

The project is expected to have significant economic impact on the city, bringing more than 2,100 jobs, according to a presentation given by the developer. The city is expected to get $2.8 million in building, recreation and police impact fees. The county is expected to receive $2.4 million in building and impact fees.

Matthew Amster, an attorney representing the developer, said a warehouse sits on the property now in an area with blight, vagrancy and “nefarious activities.”

“Bringing a development like this will certainly bring an end to that,” he said. “What we’re doing here is building a framework that the city envisions for a mixed-use district.”

The development will also include designated open spaces, which will connect pedestrians from NE 164th Street to the Royal Glades canal. Bicycle parking spaces, and green trails will also be included.

BH Group purchased the property in August for $10.7 million from previous owners Prive Group, developers based in North Miami Beach, according to Miami-Dade County property records. An estimated cost of the entire project was not discussed at Thursday’s meeting.

Vacancy concerns

Commissioners also voted 4-1 to garnish the wages of the three commissioners who missed the January and February meetings, resulting in the lack of a quorum to conduct city business. The move came after a resident who had sought commission approval for a property-related item requested a refund of the $6,000 fee paid to the city a year ago because of the delayed action caused by the meetings that lacked a quorum.

McKenzie Fleurimond, one of the commissioners who had missed those meetings, voted no on garnishing wages. Commissioners Daniela Jean and Michael Joseph, who also had missed the January and February meetings, did not attend Thursday’s meeting. The three commissioners will have $2,000 garnished from their checks.

The applicant, who is the wife of interim city manager Mark Antonio, filed the application nearly a year ago, which was before Antonio came under consideration for his current position. Mark Antonio did not attend the hearing due to conflict of interest.

The decision to garnish the wages came amid a lawsuit filed by Commissioner Jay Chernoff claiming Fleurimond and Joseph automatically vacated their seats when they decided not to attend commission meetings for 120 days, violating the city charter.

Commissioners are expected to hold a hearing May 15 to vote on whether the two men vacated their seats, City Attorney John Herin said at a court hearing on the matter.

Fleurimond and Joseph responded to the Chernoff lawsuit by asking the courts to decide if they’ve violated the charter and vacated their seats, rather than it being decided by the commission. An evidentiary hearing is scheduled May 9.