Paris-inspired condo project at Merrick Park brings short-term rentals to Coral Gables

Real estate developer Oscar Roger wants to bring a slice of the City of Light to the City Beautiful with a new condominium building.

The Avenue Hotel & Residences Coral Gables is a proposed development in the Village of Merrick Park that would be eight stories tall with 48 residential units and six retail units. The building’s upscale condos would be available for short-, medium- and long-term rentals or purchase. This “unique” project would be the first of its kind in Coral Gables, Roger said.

Roger said the building’s white exterior and black balconies, interior design and street-level retail were inspired by residential buildings in Paris. The building’s name also bears tribute to L’Avenue, an iconic Parisian restaurant.

“It’s special to us, and it’s special to the city,” Roger said.

READ MORE: A neighborhood springs to life around the Douglas Road Metrorail station in Coral Gables

The project, which will be located at 351 San Lorenzo Ave., has been in the works since October, and Roger said his firm, Roger Development Group, expects the building to be operating in early 2025. Roger said guests and residents at the Avenue will benefit from the upscale amenities at Merrick Park, including an Equinox gym and high-end shopping.

In a news release this month, Roger Development Group stated it had sold 65% of the building’s units, which range in price from $730,000 to over $1.3 million.

The project has gone through multiple rounds of review and approval. Now all there’s left to do, Roger said, is to get the final permits and break ground. Roger said he hopes to do that in September. Bermello Ajamil & Partners is the architect for the project, and Adriana Hoyos Design Studio will decorate the fully-furnished apartments.

Roger Development Group also developed a nearby luxury condominium building, One Village Place, about 15 years ago. The firm has developed a number of other residential and commercial properties properties and has been active in South Florida for over 60 years.

Staffed like a hotel

The Avenue will fall somewhere between a hotel and an apartment building, Roger said. There will be a front desk staffed 24/7 like at a hotel, and people can book a condominium for short stays. Others may choose to buy a unit and live there full-time.

There won’t be any hotel-style units in the building. All the units will be one- and two-bedroom apartments with full kitchens, Roger said. He said he hopes many of the units will be operated as short-term rentals.

Roger said he did not want this building to have the negative “connotation” that sometimes comes with short-term rentals like Airbnbs. Units at the Avenue will not be available for rental on sites like Airbnb or VRBO, Roger said.

Coral Gables has cracked down on short-term rentals in recent years. In October 2021, an administrative order banned them in residential areas. Merrick Park is not subject to the ban.

Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago expressed enthusiasm about this project at a Coral Gables City Commission meeting last week. Lago said the building reminds him of city blocks in Paris and other “epic cities” in Europe. Roger made two $5,000 donations to Lago’s PAC in 2022, and Roger Development Group donated $10,000 in 2019.

Not all Coral Gables residents are as thrilled about the new project as the mayor. Some commented at the city commission meeting about new developments in Coral Gables leading to construction traffic and noise, rising population density and the loss of green space.

“The area is beautiful, but we are getting overpopulated,” said one woman, who identified herself as a resident of One Village Place in Coral Gables. “It’s very beautiful to come and create these buildings, but there are people that live in this area that are very concerned.”

At that meeting, commissioners approved the Avenue’s remote parking plan. This setup will allow guests and residents to park in an existing parking garage across the street instead of requiring the Avenue to build onsite parking. Roger said the Avenue will also have a car service, like at a hotel.

Remote parking will help prevent the area from becoming “overbuilt,” Roger said.

Roger also said it was important to him to avoid building on top of a parking pedestal so that the building could have street-level shops and restaurants. He said this was to keep with his vision of a Parisian-style building. The ground level will feature six retail units, including a wine bar and a swim boutique.