Swire Properties Breaks Ground $1B Brickell CitiCentre Project

MIAMI—Swire Properties on Wednesday broke ground on its $1 billion Brickell CitiCentre project. The mixed-use development is the largest private sector venture of its kind in Miami history.

“We have spent the past 40 years developing world-class mixed-use properties in Hong Kong and Mainland China, creating places where people can live, work and enjoy life, and we are thrilled to be bringing our visionary approach to the U.S.,” Martin Cubbon, CEO of Swire Properties, said in a statement. “Our 30 years of work on the island of Brickell Key have helped establish Brickell as a quality residential address, and I have no doubt that our Brickell CitiCentre project will transform Brickell into Miami’s most vibrant commercial destination.”

Brickell CitiCentre will offer 5.4 million square feet and will include a shopping center, two residential towers, a hotel, wellness center, service apartments, and two office buildings, as well as underground parking. Swire expects the project to create 1,700 jobs while under construction and 3,700 after completion.

Consistent with Swire Properties’ mixed-use development model, the project will deploy, in scale, a synergy of land uses and linkage to critical transportation modes. Swire is redesigning and enhancing the Eighth Street Metromover station to integrate it into Brickell CitiCentre, and is constructing two overhead pedestrian crossings connecting the retail center at South Miami Avenue and Southeast Seventh Street. The first phase, which includes all elements except for the highrise office tower, is scheduled for completion in 2015.

“Major multinational corporations like Swire are investing in Downtown Miami at record pace to capitalize on its growing residential community and emergence as a global destination,” Alyce Robertson, executive director of the Miami Downtown Development Authority, tells GlobeSt.com. “This is an exciting moment for the district as it will lead to greater connectivity and more amenities for our residents, visitors and businesses.”