Hotel Developer Urbanica Buys Last Undeveloped Beachfront Lot in North Beach

MIAMI BEACH, FL—Hotel development firm Urbanica The Hotels has acquired a 0.98-acre lot from China City Construction for $40 million and plans to develop a 20-story, 200-room lifestyle hotel at the beachfront site.

Urbanica, founded by Charlie Porchetto and Diego Colmenero, closed on the property on Aug. 27. The project, slated to open in approximately two years, will feature a signature restaurant helmed by the brand’s partner, Chef Fernando Trocca; an indoor bar, pool bar and beach service. The new hotel will be Urbanica’s sixth property in Miami in less than three years.

The less than one-acre site at 6747 Collins Ave. was the last undeveloped beachfront lot in North Beach, located between the Deauville Beach Resort and Sterling Condominium buildings.

“We are eager to bring fresh new amenities and our distinct hospitality to this area,” says Colmenero. “Urbanica currently employs 200 people, and with our latest acquisitions we have aggressive plans to double our staff and bring new job opportunities to this community soon.”

After the success of its The Meridian, a reimagined historic 1930s Art Deco hotel at 418 Meridian Ave. that houses a 71-room property, Regina’s Grocery, an Italian deli offering a New York-centric menu, and Minibar, a speakeasy; Urbanica is developing three new hotels in the hospitality district in Miami Beach’s exclusive South of Fifth neighborhood. The remodeled pre-war Kaskades Hotel on 300 17th St. opened this summer and is managed by Urbanica as an independent operation. The boutique property boasts the brand’s signature contemporary café, the Food Marchand, and by this fall, guests and locals will be able to enjoy barbeques and live music at the property’s rooftop.

The Euclid Hotel, located at 426 Ave., is slated to open this October with 30 guest rooms and Orilla Bar and Grill, a culinary creation by the company’s executive chef Trocca, which will offer a full menu of South American and European inspired cuisine. The Fifth, on 803 Fifth St. is scheduled to open in mid 2020 with 52 guest rooms, on-site parking, a pool and quaint restaurant.

The company’s expansion plans in Miami also includes The Biscayne, located at 3200 Biscayne Blvd. in the Edgewater area, which is scheduled to open in late 2020. The hotel will feature 200 guest rooms, parking, approximately 5,000 square-feet of retail space on the ground floor, and an expansive rooftop pool, restaurant, bar and game room.

“We see Miami as the world’s next great metropolis, and our goal is to enrich the lives of both visitors and locals,” says Colmenero and Porchetto. “We have been visiting Miami since our childhoods and are drawn to city’s multi-cultural energy, scenic vistas and cool vibe. Our goal is to create warm, friendly and attentive environments in Miami’s hippest neighborhoods, where our guests feel immediately at home.”

Porchetto and Colmenero say they have plans to bring the Urbanica lifestyle to other major cities soon, including Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.