Plans Move Forward for Uptown Biscayne in North Miami Beach

Dean’s Gold, formerly known as Solid Gold, is a decades-old strip club that some locals treat like a historic landmark. Located at NE 163rd Street and Biscayne Boulevard, the club that has been operating since the days of Miami Vice and it will be shutting its doors in the near future.

CK Privé Group, a joint development venture between Privé Land Banking LLC and CK Holding Group, will be taking over the location when Gold shuts down to replace the club with an ambitious undertaking – Uptown Biscayne which will include 245 luxury rental units, 170,000 square feet of retail space, 40,000 square feet of office space, and enough parking to go around.

The developer spent nearly 49 million buying up the plot of land where Gold currently sits as well as two neighboring plots to make way for Uptown. Pending approval for the final plans from the North Miami Beach City Commission, CK Prive will be able to begin filing for building permits. Barring any unforeseen complications, construction on the site could begin this year.

The current plans for Uptown Biscayne are actually pared down from the original concept. The project was at one point slated to also house a 160 room hotel and substantially more office space. A principle of the CK group noted they wanted Uptown Biscayne to blend in and be fully utilized quickly without competing with their other new projects such as Forum Aventura office tower and the Aventura District retail/residential projects.

Another CK principle explained the demand for retail space in the neighborhood is substantially greater than the local supply, and Uptown Biscayne should be quickly filled with retail tenants looking to expand into the area. The plans currently include a supermarket, furniture and home goods stores, and several restaurants. The development group expects to have signed agreements for these spaces in the near future with rents in the range of $40-80 per square foot.  The 40,000 square feet of office space is being designed with content creation and tech tenants in mind, with 20 ft high ceiling and other features that often entice that market.

The residential section of Uptown will be a 25 story collection of units ranging from one to four bedrooms with rents ranging from $1,800 to $3,300. The units will include balconies with sweeping views of the bear, Oleta River, and Greynolds park. The building will also include an organic vegetable garden for residents and an open-air promenade in the center of the development featuring trees and foliage.

Keeping the increased traffic from the new development in mind, the road leading into the property will be adding a new turning lane for easier access to Uptown. This was actually a major component of the Group’s decision to develop uptown on this site. The natural traffic of the area will drive retail business keep the property healthy in the long term. Uptown Biscayne will act as a new shining gateway for traffic flowing into the area in the future and help set the tone for the new development going on in the area.