Developers start construction on $1.5 billion mall conversion south of Miami

Developers American Landmark and BH Group have started work on the first apartment complex at the planned $1.5 billion conversion of South Florida's aging Southland Mall into a massive mixed-use district.

Called Southplace City Center, the multiyear project is expected to convert the nearly 1-million-square-foot mall at 20505 S. Dixie Highway into a 100-acre mixed-use development featuring one of the country’s largest Hispanic-owned grocery chains on the ground floor. The enclosed mall opened in 1959 in what is today known as the Town of Cutler Bay, a suburb about 17 miles south of downtown Miami.

Southplace City Center is expected to include about 500,000 square feet of retail space, including some with direct storefront access, according to a statement from the developers. Southland Mall's current tenants include major retailers such as Macy’s, JCPenney and Regal Cinemas.

The project's first phase includes the Current at City Center, an eight-story building with 350 apartment units. The ground floor will feature a 24,000-square-foot Presidente Supermarket, a family-owned supermarket chain founded by Cuban-American Omar Rodriguez in 1990.

The Hispanic-owned grocery chain has about 42 locations throughout south and central Florida, according to the company's website. Presidente signed a 15-year lease for the space at Southplace City Center that is expected to have "a one-of-a-kind design that aligns with the overall vision and strategy of Southplace City Center," the statement said.

That vision includes working to create "a more vibrant and connected community" for all of Southern Miami-Dade County, said Joe Lubeck, CEO of Tampa-based American Landmark, in the statement. Plans for Southplace City Center call for 5,000 market-rate apartments and condominiums, a 60,00-square-foot medical center and a 150-key hotel.

The project is located across the street from Miami-Dade County’s new South Dade Bus Rapid Transit System that is expected to open later this year and run from the Dadeland South Metrorail Station 20 miles south down to Florida City.

Large developable plots of land like the 100 acres Southland Mall sits on are hard to come by in South Florida, forcing developers to get creative when it comes to building mixed-use districts. Similar conversion projects are being proposed at Westland Mall in Hialeah and the Shops at Sunset Place in South Miami.

“As we break ground on The Current at City Center and Southplace City Center as a whole, we envision a focal point for the area where residents have a true live-work-play option that satisfies the growing need for housing, updated retail, communal spaces, casual and high-end dining, and much more,” Lubeck said.

The developers weren't available for an interview at the time of publication.

The master-planned development is expected to generate 3,000 jobs throughout the construction process and $44 million in revenue within the first five years of completion. Another 2,000 permanent jobs will be created after the project is done, according to estimates from the developers.