Miami gas station could be redeveloped with apartments

By Brian Bandell for South Florida Business Journal

A gas station and several neighboring commercial buildings in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami could be replaced with a 12-story apartment complex.

The city’s Urban Development Review Board will consider the application for 27 Flagler on Sept. 18. It concerns the 0.89-acre site at 2601, 2615 and 2695 W. Flagler St. plus 16 N.W. 26th Ave. The application was filed by property owner East Flagler Service Station LLC, managed by Ignacio Urbieta Jr. and Guillermo Urbieta, formerly the owners of Urbieta Oil.

It currently has a 2,924-square-foot UGas service station, two retail buildings for a combined 7,376 square feet and 1,980 square feet of office. They were built between 1950 and 1970.

Those buildings would be demolished to make way for 27 Flagler, featuring 133 apartments, 10,928 square feet of retail, and 217 parking spaces, with 44 spaces available for electric vehicle charging.

The project would feature a pool and 2,182 square feet of indoor amenities on the fifth floor.

The apartments would range from 462 to 1,163 square feet, with an average size of 707 square feet. There would be 26 studio apartments, 43 one-bedroom units, 60 two-bedroom units, and four three-bedroom units.

Local attorney Brian Dombrowski, who represents the developer in the application, couldn’t be reached for comment. Miami-based Modis Architects designed the project.

“The proposed development brings together many factors necessary to create a delicate and integrated design,” stated Robert K. Morisette, a principal at Modis Architects. “The approach was to create a level of fluidity with the building mass that would break the traditional modern rectilinear form. The playful mass has created movement all around the building and has led to a series of angled lines expressed in balconies, walls and most importantly rooftops that create a clear transition between building and sky.”

There’s been a wave of redevelopment in Little Havana in recent years, often replacing single-story retail buildings and small apartments with mid-rise multifamily buildings. More national chains have been moving to Little Havana, often displacing local shops and restaurants, but there are still plenty of Cuban-American businesses in Little Havana that make it a popular spot for tourists.

External Source: Miami Little Havana gas station could be redeveloped with 27 Flagler apartments – South Florida Business Journal (bizjournals.com)