South Florida is finite.
To the east and south is the ocean. To the west are the Everglades. If you happen to go north … well, in some unspecified time in the future you aren’t in South Florida anymore.
So it’s no wonder that almost all developers deal with beachfront density. But now there are several latest luxurious, land-rich exceptions to the rule.
In Hallandale Beach, the Residences at Shell Bay consist of just 108 condominium units on an enormous 150-acre parcel. “To amass 150 acres within the Greater Miami area is once in a generation,” says Alex Witkoff of the Witkoff Group, who’s developing the positioning with PPG Development.
“We didn’t need to overdevelop. We wanted it to feel luxurious and boutique.” Along with the 20-story, Auberge Resorts Collection-managed residential tower, the property boasts a Greg Norman-designed, 18-hole golf course, a 48-slip marina, a ritzy club (with a $1 million fee), seven tennis courts, 4 pickleball courts, two padel courts, a basketball court and even batting cages.
Low density means there are not any tee times on the course, just walk on and swing. Home prices range from $2 million for a one-bedroom to $11 million for a four-bedroom penthouse.
Set between Biscayne Boulevard and Biscayne Bay, SoLé Mia is a latest $4 billion community on 184 acres. Meaning there’s room for a 7-acre swimmable lagoon, a 7,500-square-foot dog park, a two-story, 100,000-square-foot club, shopping and dining, and 37 acres of green space. It’s anchored by the 33-story One Park Tower — with just 299 residences and 21 “penthouses,” starting from $800,000 to $8 million.
Up in Vero Beach, things get much more spacious. Windsor is made up of 350 homesites from cottages to massive country estates set in a 472-acre private community on a barrier island. There’s an 18-hole golf course, tennis, equestrian facilities, a town hall, an art gallery and, after all, a club. An exercise in Latest Urbanism by top town planners-architects Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, the most recent addition to the event is referred to as the North Village, which launched sales in the autumn.
It consists of 34 detached homes and 6 row houses set on 47 acres along the Indian River Lagoon. Prices across the community range from $3.4 million to $8.2 million. “Luxury is space,” says Witkoff.
