JLL announced on June 17 that the firm has been named the exclusive retail leasing agent of Virgin MiamiCentral, the home base of Virgin Trains USA and a mixed-use, urban experience that is transforming the Florida landscape.
The firm also will oversee leasing at Central Fare, a dynamic food hub located within the development. Virgin MiamiCentral is located in the heart of Downtown Miami at 600 NW First Ave.
JLL senior vice president and South Florida Retail Lead Zach Winkler, senior vice president Rafael Romero and vice president Katie Fernandez-Espinosa will spearhead retail leasing for the transit hub and dining destination. The team also has been selected to spearhead retail leasing on the ground floor of Park-Line Palm Beaches, the new luxury rental residential tower adjacent to the Virgin Trains USA West Palm Beach station.
Virgin MiamiCentral serves as the southern-most terminus for Florida’s first-ever high-speed rail, instantly connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach’s urban cores with an Orlando expansion underway and future service to Tampa. The transit-oriented development’s retail and dining venues make up an expansive promenade where Central Fare serves as Downtown Miami’s newest dining destination, with culinary concepts that range from traditional comfort food to authentic Italian gelato.
Central Fare’s recently opened first phase is anchored by La Estación American Brasserie by Juvia Group, a 10,000-square-foot restaurant and bar. La Estación is joined by World Famous House of Mac, after four years of phenomenal food truck success; Bucks Crepes, Patagonia Flavors by Delicatessen Patagonia, Bio Bio Gelato, Rosetta Bakery and Parliament Coffee. Tenants set to open in the upcoming months include Art de Vivre wine bar, a French import; Kuenko and 800º Woodfired Kitchen in the fall.
The full 30,000-square-foot food hub brings more dining options than ever before to the Central Business District. Joe and the Juice is currently open on the ground floor of the station and just a block away, Einstein Bros. Bagels is open at the 3 MiamiCentral office tower.
Virgin MiamiCentral offers maximum connectivity to Miami’s most sought-after destinations such as Brickell, Midtown, Edgewater and the Design District with public transit options that include the Metromover, Metrorail, Metrobus and trolley system. An onslaught of development is taking shape around the station with 300,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space rising at the adjacent, 27-acre Miami Worldcenter.
“We are particularly excited to be coming onboard at this time,” said JLL’s Romero. “With a slew of new development coming online in Downtown, Virgin MiamiCentral is an ideal location for entertainment, lifestyle and top-tier food & beverage brands looking to plant a flag in South Florida’s most dynamic neighborhood and tap into its growing residential and visitor base.”
A recent report from Miami’s Downtown Development Authority notes the explosive growth of Miami’s urban core. The area has seen a 38 percent increase in population since 2010, primarily comprised of young professionals and millennials, with 17,000 more residents projected to move in by 2021. Adding to that consumer base are 5.4 million annual visitors to Downtown Miami, according to the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.
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Please get local businesses, not chains. I hate chains like Einstein or Joe and the Juice, but would love a local independent bakery and juicery.