Mixed-use development opens along Miami River

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Mixed-use development opens along Miami River
The 8.14-acre mixed-use River Landing Shops & Residences welcomes its first tenants, with others opening later in 2020 or early 2021

Canada-based H&R Real Estate Investment Trust has announced the opening of River Landing Shops & Residences, one of Miami’s most anticipated waterfront mixed-use developments on the Miami River.

River Landing, which has transformed the city’s riverfront west of Downtown Miami officially opens to the public in September with the welcoming of Hobby Lobby, Burlington Stores, Publix Supermarkets, Five Below, Chase Bank, and AT&T as its first tenants. Ross Dress for Less and Planet Fitness will open later this fall.

“The opening of River Landing Shops & Residences is a milestone occasion for H&R REIT as our first ground-up development in Miami,” said Tom Hofstedter, president and CEO of H&R REIT, owner of River Landing.

“Opening with nearly 70 percent of retail tenants committed is a testament to the strength of the Miami market and robust pent-up retail demand.”

In the coming months, River Landing also will welcome TJ Maxx, Old Navy, New York’s famous Ficelles Bakery, and Chick-Fil-A, among others.

The opening of its first group of tenants represents the next phase for the $452 million, 8.14-acre mixed-use project. The sprawling 2.2 million-square-foot development features retail, office, apartments, a landscaped riverwalk, green spaces for enjoyment, cultural events, and boat docks. River Landing, which has injected life into a long-forgotten pocket of Miami, anchors the up-and-coming Mid River District.

“Welcoming the opening of our first retail tenants is the culmination of a process that began nearly a decade ago, when we first contracted with the old Mahi Shrine Auditorium site in 2011,” said Coralee Penabad, co-principal of Urban-X Group in Miami, the developer behind River Landing.

“Over the years, we had to overcome multiple challenges developing and building River Landing so we are thrilled with the end result. From the beginning, we envisioned a vibrant and dynamic development that would unlock the city’s riverfront culture for all of Miami.

Even though Miami is surrounded by water, there are very few waterfront places accessible for everyone to enjoy. We are excited to invite and welcome the community to experience Miami’s riverfront while shopping, dining, working, and relaxing at River Landing.”

River Landing will be announcing new tenants in the coming months. The developer is currently negotiating with several restaurants looking to open a waterfront location in 2021, when the economy is expected to normalize. River Landing has incorporated some changes recently such as curbside pick-up spaces for tenants to meet customer demand while promoting social distancing.

“The pandemic slowed down our negotiations with retail restaurant tenants, but as we have a better handle on COVID, retailers now see demand on the rise and are optimistic about 2021,” said Andrew Hellinger co-principal of Urban-X Group. “They tell us they want to enter this submarket because they see a pent-up demand for retail and restaurants in one of Miami’s most densely populated areas. We expect to receive two LOIs in the coming weeks and hope to announce new restaurant leases before the end of the year.”

River Landing is located steps away from the Health District, with a daytime population of more than 50,000. Strategically located between Downtown Miami and Miami International Airport, River Landing will help meet the growing demand for quality discount retail, grocery, banking, and lifestyle services. It is one of the few retail, office, and residential developments that are accessible by boat in Miami.

By incorporating the Miami River into the project, River Landing will offer shoppers an experience that can’t be replicated by online shopping. The new development offers a large open, outdoor atrium that connects the retail stores and creates a communal space for residents and visitors to enjoy while maintaining social distancing. Its design merges interior and exterior environments, allowing retailers to extend into the riverfront patio and atrium spaces to enhance the overall customer experience.

“River Landing has been intentional about fostering a sense of community and interconnectivity for the area around the Health District, providing a more family-friendly feel, a greener space, and a place where people can live, work and play all together,” said Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins. “As important is that River Landings is creating jobs and opportunities for our residents. It’s exciting to see this neighborhood along the Miami River transform, and I welcome River Landing residents and businesses to District 5.”

The mixed-use development consists of approximately 345,000 square feet of retail/commercial space, 135,000 square feet of office, 528 market-rate apartments, more than 2,000 parking spaces and the 25-foot-wide riverwalk. A 25,500-square-foot restaurant raw can be divided into seven concept restaurants, including from fine dining to casual and family-style outlets.

River Landing is accessible by Miami-Dade’s main thoroughfares: Interstate 95 and State Road 836. The complex has proximity to two Metrorail stations and the rapid transit system that connects all the major hospitals and research centers to Downtown Miami, East Kendall and Hialeah as well as the Tri-Rail, a commuter rail line linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.

River Landing, designed to be a “smart” complex, has a smart garage system that will auto-charge vehicles once they open an account or pay by plate. The system uses touchless pay technology where visitors can use an app on their phones to settle their accounts.

River Landing has partnered with Liquid Outdoor to provide smart-kiosks and digital screens that assist in wayfinding, security, selfie cameras, public safety alerts, and messaging. River Landing also will provide smart lockers for guests and tenants and have folded in ridesharing technology, such as Uber and Lyft into the project.

In August, River Landing launched leasing for its 135,000-square-foot, brand-new Class A office tower. The office space is LEED certified and features glass exteriors and spectacular views overlooking the scenic Miami River.

Leasing for its 528-market rate apartments was scheduled to begin in September with units available for moving in October. The apartments will be operated and leased by Lantower Residential, a subsidiary of H&R.

“Lantower Residential is delighted to launch our lease-up at River Landing Shops & Residence,” said Philippe Lapointe, CEO of Lantower Residential. “We have already received substantial interest from future residents due to River Landing’s premium quality and outstanding mixed-use amenities. We look forward to welcoming residents to our latest development.”

River Landing is being developed by Urban-X Group, a Miami-based real estate company headed by Hellinger and Penabad. For nearly 13 years, Urban-X successfully sought to reshape this long-time overlooked submarket of Miami’s urban core. They challenged their team to build a sense of community starting with elegant architecture, inviting retail, residents and the community to enjoy an open environment along the shores of the Miami River. The end result is a full service live-work community of offices, shops, restaurants, luxury apartments and access to the riverfront.

For more information visit https://riverlandingmiami.com/.


Connect To Your Customers & Grow Your Business

Click Here