The latest proposals for Watson Island’s transformation reveal plans to develop luxury residential towers, hotels, retail, and expansive public spaces. These proposals are set to appear on Miami’s referendum ballots today. This vision, which has evolved over the years with various project iterations, aims to reimagine the island as a high-end waterfront destination with enhanced public amenities.
On the northern side of Watson Island, Terra, and ESJ Capital Partners are proposing two 40-story residential towers, planned to deliver between 500 and 600 units and a 13-acre public park. The park, part of the Ecoresiliency project, would incorporate a baywalk beneath the MacArthur Causeway, connecting the island’s north and south ends. If approved, ESJ Capital Partners would acquire the 5.4-acre parcel for $135 million, replacing the current Jungle Island leasehold with public access space.
Meanwhile, on the southern end, near the Miami Children’s Museum, developers BH3 and Merrimac Ventures propose two towers of approximately 30 and 40 stories, bringing a combination of luxury condos, hotel rooms, retail, and dining to the island. The development, called Watson Harbour, would feature 105 condominium units, 150 hotel rooms, and an additional lifestyle hotel with around 350 rooms. In exchange for the city-owned land, these developers plan to pay a minimum of $25 million for the 3.2-acre site and commit $9 million toward affordable housing initiatives.
This latest iteration of the Watson Island plan includes a combined $24 million in public contributions from the developers and an annual $2 million for park maintenance. The public space around Jungle Island would return to its original concept as a publicly accessible park, with climate-adaptive features integrated into the design. Both projects are expected to span multiple years, pending voter approval and subsequent permitting and zoning processes.
The Miami City Commission has signaled its intent to use portions of the public benefit contributions for affordable housing and infrastructure improvements across the city. This aligns with current priorities to address housing and resiliency in South Florida.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
I’m all for redevelopment of this underutilized space, and creating more green space and a nature preserve, but placing 40 story towers on these islands is way out of scale and will be an eyesore on the entire bay. The buildings should not be taller than 8 stories or around tree top level. Scale back the amount of units. This sounds like a developer land grab gift from the City.