Monday, November 2, 2026 · Independent Miami Beach journalism
SubscribeReal estate development and construction projects
An architecture firm alleges in a new Miami-Dade lawsuit that a structural engineer's designs for The Perigon at 5333 Collins Ave. were deficient, citing an independent peer review. The complaint does not allege the design was built.
The Planning Board voted 6-0 to approve permit changes for the former W South Beach, now the Waldorf Astoria, but sent outdoor entertainment at the pool deck and a new beachfront restaurant back to November after a fight with the Roney Palace over noise.
The owner of the Bancroft Hotel site has added a $60 million damages claim against the condo next door, while the City admits in court that it requires the condo's consent. A Sept. 27 ruling keeps the case moving toward a Nov. 20 hearing.
Records obtained by the Journal show the Live Local tower filed for 1920 Alton Road would put 14 small workforce units beneath 21 luxury condominiums averaging 4,288 square feet. City staff asked for a shorter building; the plans didn't change, and the application passed every review on Sept. 18.
Miami Beach's Land Use and Sustainability Committee voted 2–1 to advance a code change that would allow a private helipad as an accessory use on Terminal Island, with billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin identified as the intended beneficiary.
Miami Beach's Historic Preservation Board voted September 15 to approve certificates of appropriateness and accompanying variances for five applications spanning a 1924 Mission Revival residence, a Flamingo Park cottage, a Normandy Isles demolition-and-rebuild, a Vivienne Westwood retail storefront, and emergency terrazzo removal at the Raleigh-Richmond-South Seas complex.
The Miami Beach Planning Board met September 8, 2026, acting on ten items, including four code amendments transmitted to the City Commission, a concession agreement forwarded favorably, and two permit enforcement hearings. The board continued the North Beach residential incentives LDR amendment (PB26-0827) to its November 3 meeting for additional community outreach, and continued the South Pointe Overlay District LDR amendment (PB25-0808) to October 6 at the applicant's request.
The board granted the Grand Hyatt convention hotel's sign program at the 11-foot monument size staff wanted trimmed to 9, approved the twice-heard 935 2nd Street building over its neighbors' objections, and cleared a Prairie Avenue home's roof-deck and driveway variances — while 7928 Byron Avenue was continued to Oct. 8 with a new architect.
The Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board meets Tuesday to consider a $1 million-plus Palm View renovation, a Normandy Isles project that would demolish two historic buildings, a Vivienne Westwood flagship conversion on Collins Avenue, and an emergency terrazzo repair at the Raleigh Hotel complex.
Miami Beach commissioners approved the Alton City Center Overlay District 6-1 on second reading, paving the way for a 150-foot mixed-use rental tower on a long-dormant South Beach parcel at Alton Road and Lincoln Road.
Ahead of Thursday's second-reading vote, the developer behind the Alton City Center Overlay raised the residential-use requirement and extended the no-condo-conversion covenant to 15 years — but the parking allowance and minimum lease term barely moved from what commissioners pushed back on in June, setting up another round of the same fight before final adoption.
Commissioners are set to consider a 99-year ground lease that would transform the long-vacant Barclay at 1940 Park Avenue into 105 apartments with senior and income-restricted units. The lease names Donahue Peebles III as the project's controlling principal — and the city would collect a single $2 million payment on a site appraised at $9.1 million.