ECHO CHAMBERS
The hottest party in Miami tonight isn’t in South Beach— it’s farther north, in tony Aventura. Confirmed guests Ray Allen and Juwan Howard (Kim Kardashian and LeBron James are also invited) will be toasting Echo Aventura, a 190-unit luxury waterfront development from Property Markets Group (expected completion date: December 2015), with an all-out, on-site bash, held on the property’s 5 acres. The elaborate party will feature aerialists — including a “champagne aerialist,” pouring bubbly—an ice sculpture of the development and live music. Tonight’s event has a limited guest list and may be for VIPs only, but to get in on the building, you’ll need some dough: Units are priced from $1 million to $3.5 million, and range in size from approximately 1,800 to 4,000 square feet. You might want to act quickly: Sales opened in November, and the building’s already more than half-reserved. echoaventura.com
ALL FOR 1
Green is making the scene in Miami. The hotel-condo complex formerly known as Gansevoort South (then the Perry South Beach), is being reborn again, this time as the 1 Hotel & Residences South Beach. The eco-friendly project—a partnership among the LeFrak Organization, the Starwood Capital Group and Invesco— promises to be “an exciting new concept in beachfront luxury-hotel living.” Focused on nature and sustainability, the development will be the result of a more than $100 million overhaul of the existing property, transforming it into a LEED-certified building with natural finishes. In addition to a 417-room hotel, there will be 163 residential units, most of which boast panoramic ocean views (including the property’s 600 linear feet of beachfront). Ranging in size from 830 to 4,280 square feet, prices start at about $600,000 and top out at over $6 million. Residents will enjoy a host of “superior amenities,” including four ocean-view swimming pools, a 40,000-plus-square-foot spa and fitness center and concierge services, making it—wait for it — easy being green. Sales begin next month. 1hotels.com
MANOR BORN
Miami’s real estate market is heating up— and not just on the beach. Take Merrick Manor, a pre-construction development in affluent, low-key Coral Gables. Since sales launched at the luxury mid-rise condo in early January, more than 70 percent of the 174 units have sold. “It’s exceeded our expectations,” says Alicia Cervera Lamadrid, managing partner of Cervera Real Estate, which is handling sales. Long a residential area, Coral Gables, Cervera Lamadrid says, “has its own kind of pulse,” offering a more traditional, family-friendly vibe than other Miami neighborhoods — though it’s only about 10 minutes to downtown. Construction on the condo complex, developed by the Astor Companies, is expected to begin this summer; completion is scheduled for late 2014. Take advantage of pre-construction pricing now: The one-to-four-bedroom units range from the mid-$200,000s to $1 million. merrick-manor.com