Brickell City Centre is a $1.05 billion shopping and mixed-use project in Miami, Florida. When finished, it will span up to five blocks to the west of Brickell Avenue and to the south of the Miami River, in the Brickell district of Greater Downtown. It will be anchored by a 107,000 square-foot Saks Fifth Avenue, Cinemex, and Italian food hall. The project is located between 7th and 8th Streets on both sides of South Miami Avenue and east of South Miami Ave on the north side of 7th Street. Additionally, it may expand to develop two more blocks that Swire already owns at 700 Brickell Avenue and SE 6 Street.
The large project was first proposed during the real estate bubble of the 2000s, but then cancelled during the economic downturn. It was revived in 2012 with enough acreage to qualify for Special Area Plan (SAP) zoning with construction beginning by year’s end. The hotel and residential towers, as well as some office space, opened in 2016. Phased retail openings started in November 2016. A second phase may begin construction in 2017. Contrary to the name, the development is not in the traditional downtown Miamicity centre, but in the more recently redeveloped Brickell financial district.
The project is being developed by Swire Properties Inc (the US subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Swire Properties), and spans slightly over 9 acres. Amenities include a soon to open department store Saks Fifth Avenue, luxury shops, restaurants, hotel, office towers and condominiums. The hotel flag was awarded to EAST, a Swire Hotels brand, which will be their first venture in North America. Currently there are EAST hotels in Hong Kong and Beijing, China. In February 2013, Swire Properties and the owners of Bal Harbour Shops announced that they had come to an agreement to co-develop the retail portion of the development. Later, in 2015, mall developer Simon Property Group also became a retail partner.
Limited portions of the project opened at the end of 2015, while the residential towers began occupancy in mid-2016. The retail section opened at the beginning of November 2016 with a formal ribbon cutting and concert by Miami based rapper Pitbull. The Eighth StreetMetromover station reopened in late 2015, though the third floor connection to the retail component remained locked until December 2016.
The project has been a catalyst for development in the trendy Brickell neighborhood. In the direct vicinity of the project, many luxury hi-rise buildings are under construction as of 2017. Arquitectonica, the architecture firm that designed the project was also chosen to create the Brickell Heights towers which are located between Brickell City Centre and the shops at Mary Brickell Village.
In 2017, the company reported 70 percent of condo sales were to Latin American buyers. By 2018, “80 percent of sales are going to local and domestic buyers.”
