A joint venture between Merrimac Ventures, Related Urban, and 13th Floor Investments has submitted the sole proposal for the redevelopment of MetroCenter in Downtown Miami. The plan calls for the transformation of 17 acres surrounding the Stephen P. Clark Government Center into a dynamic, transit-oriented district. According to county records, two other prequalified teams chose not to submit by the May 7 deadline, making this joint venture the only contender currently under review.
The proposal outlines a $10 billion mixed-use development that would include between 6,000 and 8,500 residential units, of which approximately 2,000 would be designated as workforce or affordable housing. In addition to its residential component, the project includes a new Downtown Intermodal Terminal that will connect Metrorail, Metromover, and other transit services. A new cultural arts campus, a 45,000-square-foot recreation and wellness center, and 60,000 square feet of new county office space are also planned. The proposal suggests that some existing structures—such as the HistoryMiami Museum and the Miami-Dade Main Library—could be demolished and rebuilt as part of the new master plan.
Coconut Grove-based Arquitectonica is serving as the lead architect for the proposal. In a statement, the joint venture said MetroCenter would deliver “thousands of units of critically needed mixed-income housing” and “unleash billions in economic impact” across the urban core. Renderings and detailed plans have not yet been made public, but are expected to be released following county review and negotiation phases.
Each member of the development team brings substantial experience with large-scale projects in South Florida. Related Urban, the affordable housing arm of Related Group, is led by Alberto Milo and supported by Jorge, Jon Paul, and Nicholas Pérez. 13th Floor Investments, based in Coconut Grove and led by Arnaud Karsenti, has delivered several transit-oriented and multifamily developments across Miami-Dade County. Merrimac Ventures, operated by Fort Lauderdale’s Nitin and Dev Motwani, is known for its work on the Miami Worldcenter megaproject and other high-profile urban developments.
The MetroCenter redevelopment process was initiated by Miami-Dade County in 2022, when officials issued a request for proposals (RFP) for approximately 17 acres within the broader 28-acre Government Center district. The RFP outlined the county’s vision for creating a high-density, mixed-use neighborhood that combines housing, commercial space, civic institutions, and open public areas, all within walking distance of key transit connections. The proposal submitted by Merrimac, Related Urban, and 13th Floor is consistent with those priorities, focusing on housing affordability, cultural programming, and multimodal connectivity.
County officials will now begin reviewing the proposal’s compliance with the RFP and assessing the team’s financial and technical capacity to execute the plan. If the joint venture advances to the next stage, Miami-Dade will initiate negotiations and begin the public vetting process, which could include community meetings, environmental reviews, and zoning approvals through late 2025 and into 2026.
If approved, MetroCenter would rank among the largest transit-oriented mixed-use developments in the United States. Its emphasis on mixed-income housing, new cultural venues, government services, and green space positions the project as a potential anchor for long-term civic and economic revitalization in Downtown Miami. The proposal arrives at a moment of heightened urgency around housing affordability, public infrastructure, and climate-resilient urban design—making MetroCenter one of the most consequential proposals in Miami-Dade County’s recent history.
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Strangling traffic. Few public transit options. Perpetual shadows. Little to no additional green space (and no desire on the part of the city and the developers to add any more) and you’ve got the perfect stew of urban hellscape. Been there and moved out. Not looking back either.
The rendering is a concept, but considering the “dream team” who made the bid and how the courthouse ended up, I won’t be surprised if this ends up being a turd sandwich.
I cannot believe what Miami has turned into. A hideous mass of new buildings, some over a 1000 feet tall. No green space. You would never know you were in a semi-tropical city (very-tropical in the summer). I remember encountering traffic jams there 40 years ago. I can only imagine what is like now. Transit runs only north and south. Further up in Southern Florida, there are no east-west highways. Roads run on forever in a straight line. Oh, one of the main roads is still called “Dixie Highway”.
In a state that is the forefront of destroying its public school and university system, and injecting religion into everything.
Arquitectonica means it’s gonna look like bs with zigzags and boxed buildings… on the other hand, Mark the libby ^ is butthurt about Dixie Highway lmaoo
Ugly, depressing, soul destroying. This will create more problems than it can ever solve. No, God, please no.
Hmmmm … two other developers decided to not turn in their proposal by the deadline — could the possibility that Perez (Related) might threaten a lawsuit like they did when they didn’t get chosen to develop the property next to Freedom Plaza have anything to do with their reluctance to enter the competition? Just sayin’ — just conjecture on my part.