Tree Work Begins At Site Where 800+ Foot Mandarin Oriental Tower Planned

Tree removal and relocation appears to be underway at The Residences at Mandarin Oriental site on Brickell Key, according to a post on the Brickell Living Facebook group.

DERM records also show that an application for a $3.2m seawall rebuild at the property was filed in recent days.

The property is privately owned by developer Swire Properties.

According to a tree permit approved earlier this year for the site, the following was planned:

  • tree relocation – 25
  • tree removal – 10
  • tree removal (prohibited species) – 3
  • tree replacement planning – 4

The Residences at Mandarin Oriental is planned to rise over 800 feet, and will have 220 residential units.

Next door, a second tower is planned to rise around 400 feet. It will include 151 guest rooms, 61 private residences and 28 hotel residences.

Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates is the architect.

 

(images: Binyan Studios)

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Anon
2 months ago

Sensational

Ol' Riley
2 months ago

Did a staycation at the Mandarin awhile back and enjoyed the nice little park they made in that space, it’s sad to have to see it go.

BUT to be fair, there were several signs there saying essentially that this is not a public park, it is a temporary private park that is only here until the site gets developed so don’t get too used to it! lol I appreciated the honesty.

Again the park was nice but obviously is not the most productive use for that extremely valuable piece of waterfront property.

Sam
2 months ago

True, this was never a piece of public property. But it is strange to make a wild assumption that a park is not the most productive use for an extremely valuable piece of waterfront property. Why couldn’t a park be the most productive use? Is it just productive if it makes money for developers? Can’t something be public and be productive? Parks can also create value (improved property value, quality of life value) for other residents, including owners of land and property adjacent or near the park. Sellers of property could say – 2BR in X building near the Y Park! Is Central Park not a productive use? Should we just build on Central Park? There is a certain point where lack of public space will cause a decline in property value. I fear that we may be getting there soon if Miami does not buy more land to create parks or other open spaces or plazas.

Anonymous
2 months ago

Parks enrich neighborhoods and allow them to maintain value, and host incredible events and experiences. Do you want to see Brickell turn into downtown where people all left and the buildings were abandoned, and now they are redoing it. Don’t fall into the same greed trap, Miami and developers!

Ol' Riley
2 months ago

Let’s make this real, REAL simple, Sam.

If you were the owner of that wedge of watefront land on Brickell Key, would you sell it to be developed or leave it as a grass lawn where people can sit on benches and watch their dogs take dumps? How many parks or youth activity centers could you build in poor neighborhoods with the many, many millions you got from selling it? Now tell me again what’s the most productive use for that property, Sam.

Anon
2 months ago

In fact a public park was required in the original development order. Not all the property was to be developed.

Anon
2 months ago

A 3.5 acre public park was required by the City in the original 1975 DRI that approved the Brickell Key master development. This DRI is basically where the zoning was specified for Brickell Key. In 2015 Swire cleverly amended the DRI to say that the public walkways and other public “open spaces” (road medians, etc) satisfy the public park requirement, and the City went along with it (of course). In effect the public park requirement was deemed satisfied by essentially a linear park that was already required. None of the residents of Brickell Key objected, although I suspect none of them was aware of the sleight of hand. As a result of this amendment on a 44 acres island with 3,700 residential units there is a 3.5 acre “public park” where no one can throw a frisbee or kick a soccer ball. Cheers.

Azarius
2 months ago

Really wished we could see more renders on the space between the two buildings. Which there is a lot of space, wondering what amenities will be made of the space

Azarius
2 months ago

Thinking multi level retail and a restaurant experience with park space overlooking the bay into Brickell, would help replace the loss park space but still provide a great baywalk experience

Brickell Resident
2 months ago

We love to see it!! Can’t wait to watch this stunning development rise and improve the aesthetics of Brickell Key!

Anonymous
2 months ago

OH NO THE IGUANA DISPLACEMENT… GENTRIFICATION!

Love the look
2 months ago

If this is built according to plan it’s going to be one of the best new developments in Miami. I just hope they can figure out a way to redirect foot traffic around the key while the construction takes place. I’d hate to lose that for the next few years.

Anonymous
2 months ago

You can barely walk across the bridge as is, it’s incredibly narrow, no bike lanes and huggers and walkers fighting for space

Anonymous
2 months ago

They should have to build more green barrier islands like in the coastal flooding plans from the US Army engineer negotiation and include walking bridges to the islands so residents have new green spaces (heck they may be even better than Claughton island which was man made in first place)

Anonymous
2 months ago

No, that just screws up the wide open water views. Ft. Pierce did that with protective small barrier islands in front of their downtown park and it screwed up their open water views.

Anonymous
2 months ago

What? Mangrove islands don’t mess up views they enhance them. WPB did it and looks stunning. These are such simple solutions.

Anonymous
2 months ago

It also does wonders in helping to restore the ecosystem. A fisherman’s paradise.

Anonymous
2 months ago

No, they put fill on lagoon bottom and lined it with rocks and sand. Mostly paid for with the big tax bills paid by the waterfront homeowners. And it spoils the wide open water views for those waterfront residents that paid to get those wide water views so that inland clowns can walk out to pedestrian piers and take selfies.

Anonymous
2 months ago

I witnessed WPB add barrier islands with the South Cove Islands, and it reminds me a lot of what’s been proposed for Brickell and Brickell Key. If WPB with fraction of size and budget of Miami can do it, so can we! Our city Government and Swire should team up to ensure that this addition is mandated – and we could have an amazing pedestrian pier like West Palm Beach.

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Cover the Podiums
2 months ago

something like that is literally pocket change for miami which is raking in billions in new property taxes from all this high end construction

Anonymous
2 months ago

Time to lower the tax rates then. No need for boondoggle pork projects that give broke kids selfie sites.

More Nature
2 months ago

There are families and middle age hard working people who bust their butts all day and want to have someplace to and relax. This isn’t frivolous – just because you don’t live in Miami doesn’t mean you need to trash it for the people who do.

anon
2 months ago

what does ‘tree removal – prohibited species – 3’ mean?

Anonymous
2 months ago

Invasive (non-native and messes up the ecosystem) or controlled (only allowed in certain areas) tree species.

Anonymous
2 months ago

Nobody cares about invasive plants – read an article recently about why it’s better to have diverse plant life. Just make it look nice and not swampy

Anonymous
2 months ago

wrong—many invasive plants displace native vegetation.

Plant Diversity
2 months ago

So move the native vegis to an agriculture museum. You’re treating plants as though they are people. We want exotic landscapes that are the best in the world.

Anonimo
2 months ago

I wish they kept more public green space.

Anonymous
2 months ago

Now don’t you wish Baccarat would dedicate more land for the river walk? Our city is failing us in these plans.

Anon
2 months ago

Miami. Doesn’t. Care. About. Investing. In. Their. Public.

Anon
2 months ago

We are Miami, we care. Vote!

Anon
2 months ago

I meant the government. We can vote all we want but they still divert the funds.

Anonymous
2 months ago

For for people who have the public at heart

Anonymous
2 months ago

I wish Baccrap had architecture this iconic.

Ollie
2 months ago

Interesting play by play on tree strategy.

Anonymous
2 months ago

For Miami, yes. For normal local governments, it’s normal for urban foresters part of a planning and zoning department to evaluate the preservation, relocation, or replacement of existing trees.

Penelope
2 months ago

The building must continue, the concrete must pile up, until every glimmer of a view, every opportunity to breathe fresh air, every open space, ever patch of green, every remaining corridor for sunlight, is entirely eradicated and sacrificed lest the tragedy of a missed profit.

melo in my cheeks
2 months ago

pilings deep into dredged up silts from the bay…will it sink???

chris James
2 months ago

Swire are finished in Hong Kong so looking to max out their investment in the US,looks a typical overdevelopment of the sight to benefit no one except the developers…….

Anonymous
2 months ago

I appreciate Swire’s positive changes to BCC, but I’m concerned about their sudden status change for the park, as it was previously treated as public land without proper notice. There might be public rights to consider. I suggest the developer improves connectivity on underfunded streets to the west of the metro and along the river, and also creates/renovates a new public space in Brickell to offset the loss of the current park.

Azarius
2 months ago

It was always Private Property

Maybe
2 months ago

I think this only applies at grade school, and not actual FL property law.

Miami Mike
2 months ago

I remember growing up in Miami during the 1960s and 1970s. As an future architect, I remember the Miami News (or Miami Herald) article changing Claughton Island to Brickell Key with a promise of Low Income, Middle Income, and Luxury residential buildings.
…….. as we love to say…… “JaJaJa Ja!”
We should revive that past article to prove Swire had a way of changing those incomes.

Anon
2 months ago

Not so. 2015 amendment to the DRI cleverly redefined what constituted Swire’s park requirement.

Yup
2 months ago

You can use the amazing many parks downtown

Anonymous
2 months ago

Quit saying that. People are not going to move from Brickell or go downtown to experience a park. It has to be integrated into the landscape where they live and work. We need to have them Sourh of the river too.

Anonymous
2 months ago

You have Simpson Park and Southside Park, and if you want a bayfront park, whatever happened to the giant dog toilet?

Anonymous
2 months ago

Neglect.

Let’s fix what we have
2 months ago

I think we have some great parks downtown that should be spruced up. Bayfront park has the space but it is not well cared for. The Miami circle is another example. We need to do better with what we have. They should be world class destinations because of their location

Anonymous
2 months ago

This was never public land. Sorry your feelings were hurt by this property owner’s decision to improve their own land.

SW30
2 months ago

I visit the park often. There is sign in the park stating that it is temporary and will be developed in the future.

Anonymous
2 months ago

Believe the sign was out up this week.

Ol' Riley
2 months ago

You believe wrong.

don’t do this to me
2 months ago

will i still be able to walk/jog around the key during construction so i can see all the nice latina booties?

Anonymous
2 months ago

No, they’ll have to swim, or rather float around.

anon
2 months ago

unfortunately a lot of the latina booties were replaced with alix earle carbon copies

Anonymous
2 months ago

I wish they came up with a more unique design

calivalle
2 months ago

I loved the first rendering it was more futuristic style..

Yep
2 months ago

This one?

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Mad Dash
2 months ago

What will happen to the original Mandarin Oriental? Such a beautiful hotel…

Anonymous
2 months ago

It’s going to be replaced by a much more beautiful version!

Anonymous
2 months ago

The taller residences tower, yes. The hotel is underwhelming compared to the sailboat design of the old one. I mean, you saw how Swire mutilated the Courvoisier Centre?

Anon
2 months ago

Swire doesn’t own Courvoisier Centre, bought in 2014 by Orlando-based investors.

Cody
2 months ago

It’s really a basic design and underwhelming for this key spot, the current building and park look way better

Anonymous
2 months ago

The current building is very dated already. This development is a huge improvement.

Anonymous
2 months ago

I’d take the current building for many stuff built in Miami today. Frankly, something like it would look integrated with Bayside Marketplace. Yes, Skyrise too, but with a design which isn’t a toenail clipper.

Cody
2 months ago

It looks stunning up close, especially when you can see through the boning. Try expanding the opening to make it more visible and consider using a close-up rendering. I’d also like to see one of those public grassy hills, like in the other mockup that got spread around —it was memorable and could work well with this design. Overall, it’s a great design but could use more public appeal, like the hill idea, enhancing the boning, and connectivity to Brickell.

Mitch
2 months ago

Boring knock off of Dubai, looks dated already, too much density for small area with no in and out, developer taking public rights of access, ingress and egress by virtue of limited space on island. Hope better solutions for the public side of this whole monster.

Anon
2 months ago

If you actually read the 2015 amendment to the DRI as opposed to casting your opinions about you will find that the city did exactly what you complain they didn’t. You may not agree with the conclusions, but there was a process that considered density, intensity, access, bridge capacity, etc. It’s a common problem that people get used to things the way they are and want them to stay the same and totally disregard what is permitted by the zoning. Fisher Island went through the same thing and was mired in lawsuits for years by self-serving residents who wanted nothing to change. They eventually lost and the Palazzo’s have subsequently been developed.

melo down easy by howling wolf
2 months ago

best comment yet but the cheerleaders rule here…

Anonymous
2 months ago

I wish they built it like the Burj Al Arab in Dubai!

Anonymous
2 months ago

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Anonymous
2 months ago

The Dubai building looks better

Name*
2 months ago

It does but Dubai overall is not as nice as Miami

Anon
2 months ago

Sim City has entered the chat

Facepalm
2 months ago

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Anonymous
2 months ago

As if yet another Dubai comparo post is remotely original around here.

Anon
2 months ago

exactly, too many people dissing or praising Dubai, wasting our time reading their comments, who cares about Dubai, cool or not Dubai is associated with a govt of intolerance, just another form of the taliban, losers.

To Tell The T
2 months ago

Exactly what we are becoming. Getting cancelled on social media, only criminals will eventually have freedom.
Knocking down statues of the past.
Looks to me like a Western style Taliban.

melo down easy by howling wolf
2 months ago

statues of traitors???? im quite sure you would have loved to live in robert e. lee’s shacks out back…..

Cover the Podiums
2 months ago

love the design, I just wish it was a bit shorter. At 800ft, it won’t flow nicely with the existing skyline

Anonymous
2 months ago

Let me guess, if this was in Brickell west of Miami Avenue you would be begging for it to be taller and MIA moved to allow it.

Yep
2 months ago

I’m not sure about him, but I would say yes.