Long Term Vision

Fact Sheet: A New Vision for Bal Harbour Shops

Whitman Family Development is embarking on an ambitious and transformative project that will fill a critical void in the community by adding workforce and luxury residential units along with an upscale hotel and enhanced retail offerings to the Village of Bal Harbour’s commercial district.

Whitman Family Development Unveils Plans for Mixed-Use Development Within Bal Harbour Shops Property in Miami

Made possible under Florida’s Live Local Act, the new development consists of 600 workforce and luxury residential units and a 70-key upscale hotel, situated within the Village’s business district.

Bal Harbour Shops’ Transformation Plan

The owner of the luxury shopping center has proposed adding 528 residential units and a boutique hotel that could replace Saks Fifth Avenue.

Tough Questions. Straight Answers.

Do you really feel that Bal Harbour is an appropriate place for affordable housing?

This development will deliver much-needed housing for our community’s workforce. Each day, hospitality and service workers, along with teachers and first responders, commute into – and through – the Village of Bal Harbour because they can’t afford to live within its boundaries. The Live Local Act is a bipartisan legislation intended to help Floridians to live locally, that is – closer to where they work and access everyday services.

Will the creation of workforce housing undermine Bal Harbour’s appeal as a luxury destination?

The Whitman family has owned Bal Harbour Shops for more than a half-century, and they’ve always envisioned the property as a multi-use destination. The passage of the Live Local Act enables the family to realize that vision. Building attainable housing for the local workforce alongside a boutique hotel and luxury residences is the right move for the community and the asset over the long term. These new uses will create a 24-7 population of residents and hotel guests who will frequent our shops and restaurants, and we believe that additional foot traffic will be well-received by Bal Harbour Shops’ retail and F&B tenants.

How are affordable housing and attainable housing different?

Affordable housing traditionally refers to subsidized rental apartments which are financed in part by the government. Our plans for Bal Harbour Shops include attainable housing comprised of privately developed residential units catering to members of our community earning at or below 120 percent of the Area Median Income. For perspective, these residents may include teachers, firefighters, police officers, nurses, and the people working at the Shops and in the hotels and residential towers throughout the Village. Both the workforce and luxury residential units will be built to the highest quality construction standards, and will offer residents units with top-quality finishes and property amenities, services, and a desirable location adjacent to Bal Harbour Shops and steps from the beach.

If this development is intended to create more attainable housing, then why are you also planning luxury residential units and a hotel?

The Live Local Act requires that at least 40 percent of a mixed-use development’s housing units be priced for residents earning at or below 120% of the local Area Median Income, which equates to approximately $90,000 in Miami-Dade County. The first building we develop will be entirely comprised of workforce housing units offering residents a host of amenities. From there, we will build luxury market rate housing units and a boutique upscale hotel, which will meet demand for living and staying in the Village of Bal Harbour. The market rate housing and hotel will account for approximately 60 percent of the new development, making them a critical part of the project.

The Shops are already in the midst of a retail expansion project, why are you planning more construction so soon?

The retail expansion currently underway will be completed over the next three years, enhancing the shopping and dining experience at Bal Harbour Shops. The next chapter of development, which will include residential units and a hotel, will come to life in phases so that we reduce construction impacts on our property. The entirety of this mixed-use development will be built within the existing 18-acre footprint of Bal Harbour Shops, and we will keep our current setbacks intact.

How will you manage traffic along Collins Ave., which is already congested much of the time?

By introducing housing units catering to people currently commuting to and from the Village, our development will help cut down on traffic. If residents can live in closer proximity to where they work, it alleviates round trips and encourages walking and biking. Likewise, we anticipate that many hotel guests will opt to use rideshare services and walk during their stay.