The Columbia, MD-based developer has persuaded the Miami-Dade County Commission to amend its comprehensive land-use plan to allow commercial use of 158 acres originally designated for low-density residential use. The county also approved a development of regional impact application and zoning petition in the process.

Rouse still must plat the property and apply for all necessary building permits prior to beginning work on the site, Al Torres, acting chief of the Miami-Dade Zoning Services Division, tells GlobeSt.com.

The project's design plans call for 1.4 million sf of retail, 500,000 sf of office space, a 200,000-sf medical facility, a 220-room hotel, a senior-assisted residential facility, a multi-screen movie theater, a community center, a public transportation terminal, about 10 acres of public land and lakes and an undetermined number of additional commercial projects, according to information the developer has filed with the county to date.

Rouse officials couldn't be reached for comment on the estimated construction and development cost of the project, a tentative ground-breaking date or funding details. However, construction industry estimators familiar with comparable projects tell GlobeSt.com the entire venture is probably being built for a minimum $100 per sf which would put the total hard construction cost at an estimated $300 million.

The center is scheduled for completion in fall 2003. No details are available on possible anchor tenants, the hotel management group or the movie theater operator, Rouse spokeswoman Nancy Tucker, tells GlobeSt.com. Although Tucker couldn't confirm details, Rouse negotiated an option on the property with its current owner, a group led by Gunhild Milner, according to public records.

The 158-acre site is just west of the Florida Turnpike, bordered by Kendall Drive to the north, Southwest 96th Street to the south, SW 157th Path to the east and 162nd Avenue to the west.

Instant Insights /

Rouse Co.'s Planned 2.1-Mil-SF Kendall Town Center Moves to Platting Stage

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