Miami-Dade is expecting the redevelopment of 160 acres at the Landmark property into a new mixed-use economic development project to include housing, light industrial manufacturing, education, recreation, and a new government center in the northwestern part of the county.
Project iTECH is to be completed by developer 13 Pista LLC as part of a renewed proposal of a 90-year lease at the property at 20000 NW 47th Ave.
already approved by the county in 2018 for a private auto track club for luxury cars previously known as Miami Drivers Club. The company is now requesting a second amendment to the lease to include the revised concept, according to documents exclusively obtained by Miami Today,
The company, managed by Carlos de Narvaez, entered into the lease with the county years ago, and now Juan Carlos Mas, chairman of The Mas Group, and Alberto Jose Perez, president of AJP Ventures Corp., have joined the project as lead investors of 13 Pista.
The privately funded project has been rethought and redesigned to be more aligned with the community’s needs. “The world has changed as relates to major events and venues since the pandemic [began] and rethinking the mobility focus of the project was in part what 13 Pista undertook during the last few years,” said Bilzin Sumberg attorney Albert Dotson representing the firm.
“What was previously primarily a private development with certain community components is now a true economic development for the benefit of the community,” said Juan Carlos Mas in a written statement. “We are still focusing on innovation, job creation, and education opportunities in mobility and logistics, but in a much more robust and accessible way, and with far greater investment and economic impacts.”
The team still doesn’t know when the second amendment request will go for approval to the county commission, but they said in a statement to the newspaper they are “eager to move forward as quickly as possible.”
Project iTECH stands for Innovation in Transportation Logistics, Energy, Commerce, and the Human Experience. The development includes the recommendations from the Harvard School of Design Future of the American City Project with the community’s most urgent and complex problems to be addressed such as climate change, the need for green transportation, and aging infrastructure.
The transportation logistics component is to focus on new technology and sustainable transportation, including an autonomous vehicle logistics center for trucks and passenger vehicles, smart street sensors and detectors that allow vehicles to recognize 3D measurements of their surroundings, machine-readable lane markers, and smart signage for smart vehicles.
The development is being designed using energy-efficient and eco-friendly architecture and will have features such as rainwater harvesting and water recycling, electric vehicle charging stations, smart technology in the residential units, centralized utilities, LEED Certification, and solar energy.
The commerce pillar targets prospective tenants involved in several industries, especially those serving online orders, such as distribution, logistics, manufacturing, cold storage, pharmaceutical manufacturing, aviation, and food catering.
The updated design includes a partnership with local educational organizations, such as Miami-Dade Public Schools, to provide professional training for young people on the mechanical operations and needs of some high-end vehicles.
The project will still have a learning center to provide a curriculum and vocational job training, as originally planned, but the new concept is to focus on smart vehicle technology and maintenance of them.
“The vocational training will serve as a basis for recruitment of employees at the Landmark property as well as allow trainees to use these skills to begin their careers while furthering their education,” the document says.
The previous design was to have a hotel of at least 50 rooms, but the new proposal is to replace it with affordable and workforce housing with units capped at 140% of the county’s area median income.
“The revised development plan for the most part expands upon and updates the original project elements, but one component that we thought was important to add is a workforce housing component as part of the larger development,” said Alberto Perez in an email.
“In light of the housing affordability crisis, we did not want to create an opportunity for hundreds of new jobs without also providing quality and accessible housing for those workers and their families,” Mr. Perez added.
Also, in the human experience pillar, the development would have a food sociability concept to involve residents and the community in activities promoting health and wellness through the use of underutilized green spaces.
Plans include communal gardens, a communal kitchen and outdoor dining space, greenhouses, and offers recreational sports, corner restaurants, grocery stores, and retail spaces.
13 Pista leased and purchased portions of the YWCA property at 199th Street and 37th Avenue to relocate His House Children’s Home, ARC of South Florida, and the Center for Family and Child Enrichment non-profit agencies.
The project continues to include a community center for the organizations at the developer’s cost, but the new design also provides a meeting space for another non-profit with the latest communication technologies to help it spread its messages and engage with the public.
Also, from the previous design, a new Northwest Government Center will be developed for residents to access county services. “This is going to be an integrated community and it’s really something that I think is quite novel, certainly for our community,” said Attorney Eric Singer, representing the developer.
13 Pista estimates to begin construction work of the ARC of South Florida new facilities by November and complete the entire project with the community center and the multifamily housing components in April 2026. These and other milestones are to be updated as the development moves forward, the document submitted to the county notes.
“Pista has already heavily invested in this project and the community, and our improved concept provides for even more economic impact,” Carlos De Narváez said in an email. “We are projecting even larger job creation numbers than originally anticipated, and hundreds of millions more dollars invested in the property.”
The economic impact of the project grew significantly, according to the documents submitted. The gross domestic product value grew from $76 million to $239 million, the workers’ wages increased from $52 million to $175 million, and the annual direct jobs created increased from 1,732 to 2,609 once the project is completed.
Also, the annual indirect and induced jobs when the project is fully operational grew from 692 to 1,374 and permanent jobs grew from at least 220 within five years to at least 750.
During the four-year construction, the company is to create an average of 1,626 full-time and part-time jobs, including 980 direct and on-site construction jobs, and 646 from firms and suppliers working with 13 Pista. The company estimates workers would earn a combined average of $86.2 million annually during the construction period.
The original lease agreement required 13 Pista to make a minimum contribution to Florida Memorial University of at least $3 million in annual payments of $40,000 and provide 10 paid internships to FMU students.
The investment in building the new public facilities is approximately $57.66 million. These include the community center with a public library, a bicycle course, and renovation of the existing on-site structures now used by the community organizations.
The lease previously approved required 13 Pista to make a cash payment to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, for improvements to its station adjacent to the property. The developer already made the payment, according to the document.
In just permit fees and impact fees for roads, fire, police, parks, and schools the county can expect to collect around $60 million. And once the project is completed, the county can expect $1.28 million in annual rent payments, totaling more than $33.2 million during the initial lease term.
The county can also expect $1.1 million annually in ad valorem taxes – $525,00 for the county’s general fund and nearly $217,00 for the UMSA fund, and the Miami-Dade Public School District can expect to collect $788,000.
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