Sunrise Makes Way for Massive Mixed-Use Metropica

Talk about megaprojects, out in the burbs, Sunrise's Metropica—the 65-acre, mixed-use development—is one of the new goliaths of development projects coming to South Florida (see Downtown Doral, Brickell City Centre, Miami Worldcenter to name a few others). A design team consisting of architect Chad Oppenheim, landscape architecture firm EDSA, interior design firm Yoo Studio, and architectural design firm CI Design is collaborating to build a city-within-a-suburb that will be twice the size of the already gargantuan Sawgrass Mills Mall, across the street.

Metropica hopes to introduce urban, 'upscale' life into an area that Miami residents currently know as just a really long drive to find IKEA or 70% off Gucci. The concept behind the project is one that Oppenheim is celebrated for, "human modernism, a movement that handcrafts new cities as destinations that are reflective of the increasing richness and integration of our everyday lives," basically a fancy way of saying "mixed-use."

At four million square feet of retail, office, and residential space (has the size been emphasized enough?), Metropica will comprise of eight residential towers, mini-soccer fields, a "central park," a private beach club (minus the beach!), and five-million dollars in transportation infrastructure (shuttle system included). It will have street-level retail in a pedestrian-oriented design. iPic, the luxe movie theatre with "personal butlers" and in-theatre dining is the first of retailers to announce their arrival. The price tag for the development team, KGH International Development partnering with Trillist Companies, is projected at around $1 billion.

Phase One of the monster project is the first of the residential towers, known as Yoo at Metropica, breaking ground this summer. Oppenheim and Yoo Studio, led by Philippe Starck, designed a surprisingly sleek 28-story building for Sunrise (considering nearby residents' hatred for the 26-story Tao, not sure how this will fly) and should be an attractive selling point for buyers and retailers. Hopefully the remaining seven towers get a similar treatment – without the purple drapes of Yoo's lobby.

Scott L. Leventhal from Trillist Companies says the buyers who have already purchased units are primarily from Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico, and some American buyers. Leventhal attributes the heavy Latin interest from a perception that Broward County is much like Miami (oh boy) and believes Miami is expanding north. We're not so sure about that, but if you think views of the Everglades beat ocean views, maybe you're in luck. Yoo at Metropica's 263 units range between 740-1900 sq ft (one-, two-, and three-bedrooms) and will cost anywhere from $290k to $1 million.—Alexandra J Miller

· Metropica Project Would be Nearly Twice as Big as Sawgrass Mills [Sun Sentinel]
· When the Everglades is only good for a view [EYE ON MIAMI]
· Massive project will bring condos, new mall to Sunrise [Herald]
· Scott Leventhal Talks Metropica [Real Deal]