El-Ad National Properties received preliminary approval on March 31 for a height increase to its planned bayfront condominium project in North Bay Village. The developer, based in Boca Raton and part of the New York-based Elad Group founded by Isaac Sharon Tshuva, is planning a 26-story, 94-unit luxury condo building at 7913-7915 West Drive.
The project, designed by garciastromberg, will include a six-story podium parking structure with 201 spaces and an amenity level. The North Bay Village Planning & Zoning Board approved both the site plan modification—which raises the maximum height from 22 to 26 stories—and a tentative plat. The village commission is expected to vote on these items soon.
During the board meeting, two residents expressed concerns about increased traffic resulting from new developments across North Bay Village. One resident specifically cited worries about the collective impact of multiple projects in the area. However, Planning Board Chair Ryan Shaw said El-Ad’s project likely would not significantly add to local traffic. “For one, at roughly $2 million-plus unit sale prices, the buyers ‘are probably not going to work from 9 to 5,'” Shaw said. He added: “Maybe their nanny driving their kids to school every day might be the only traffic.”
The unit count remains unchanged from a previous plan for the site—a proposed Marina View development by S2 Development that never began construction before selling the property to El-Ad for $20 million last May. In addition to increasing building height by four stories, El-Ad redesigned the structure.
Architect Robert Perez of garciastromberg told planning board members: “This new design is significantly more elegant and significantly a better fit for the village.” He described it as having “the same footprint as the previous building [but with] much superior architecture.” The condos will range between approximately 2,600 and 2,700 square feet each and include one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom units.
The development is located on Harbor Island in North Bay Village where other projects are also planned—including Related Group and Macklowe Properties’ branded towers targeting Ritz-Carlton branding—and Sunbeam Properties’ mixed-use plans along Kennedy Causeway.
