Maclee Plans $1B Condo Complex, Calling It World's Tallest

Leon Cohen, Maclee's CEO, tells GlobeSt.com the existing office property will be demolished, and he estimates the overall development cost of Empire World Towers at close to $1.1 billion. It will consist of two 110-story buildings, each reaching to 1,123.6 feet. They will wrap around an existing Holiday Inn. A larger, rectangular building will contain 1,300 residential condominiums, and a narrower, round building will contain 557 apartment hotel units, he says. In all, the complex will contain more than 3.5 million sf, including 968,168 sf of parking area and 62,505 sf of commercial space.

The residential condos range from 921-sf, one-bedroom, one-bath layouts to 1,300-sf, two-bedroom, two-bath floor plans. Prices, Cohen says, will begin at $600 per sf and range up to $1,250 per sf for units on the top floors, putting the unit costs at from $550,000 to nearly $3.8 million for penthouses. "The architect selected preliminarily is a local architect, Kobi Karp," Cohen says, adding that his father, Maurice Cohen, also of Maclee, developed the exterior design of the buildings. He also says the preliminary plans "may be modified due to zoning and structural engineering requirements."

Regarding the timeline, Cohen says it is "composed of known durations, such as those for the zoning, design, financing, sales, permitting and construction, which, under normal circumstances, would not exceed four years. However, the unknown duration remains the time required to obtain FAA authorizations for 1,200 feet required for the project." Maclee retained Alexandria, VA-based Aviation Management Associates to conduct a study regarding aviation issues presented by the property's proximity to Miami International Airport. An AMA spokesman tells GlobeSt.com the issues can be addressed and resolved.

Maclee is handling the marketing and sales for Empire World Towers. Cohen says, "all units will be pre-sold prior to groundbreaking. In fact, the entire building will be pre-sold prior to groundbreaking." Other Maclee projects include completion of Flatotel in New York City, and Empire Ocean Residence at 1475 Collins Ave. in South Beach.