Gables considers 7-story hotel on Miracle Mile, but no garage is planned
Coral Gables has moved a step closer to having a seven-story hotel on Miracle Mile.
The Coral Gables Planning and Zoning Department recommended that Gables Miracle Mile, LLC, registered under Terranova Corp., build at 220 Miracle Mile. The parcel comprises eight lots on less than an acre.
In a 4-2 vote, the department Wednesday approved a receipt of transfer of development rights and a downtown overlay site plan. The transfer involves another property owned by Terranova, 348 Miracle Mile, which houses Bijou Bridal.
Plans at 220 Miracle Mile call for Terranova to build a 120-room hotel, 16,000 square feet of ground floor commercial use and another 11,000 square feet of commercial space on the upper floors, including a rooftop restaurant, designed by Arquitectonica. The project, which would have to be approved by the City Commission, would cover 23,940 square feet.
The plans do not include parking spaces despite a developer’s study saying the project would need 84 parking spots. The study suggested that nearby parking would meet the needs of staff and visitors of the hotel, retail employees and shoppers and restaurant patrons and employees.
The study pointed to 1,937 public parking spots available within a 1,000foot radius, although many of the spaces are filled during the busy weekdays.
By contrast, the Aloft Hotel, which recently opened across from the Publix on LeJeune Road, has 137 rooms and on-site valet parking.
Gables Miracle Mile, LLC, still needs approval from the city’s Historic Preservation Board and the City Commission, which would take up the matter over two readings.
Terranova held a public meeting in late August with property owners within 1,000 square feet of the site. The owners are primarily businesses in downtown Coral Gables.
The Historic Preservation Board is charged with determining whether the proposal would adversely affect the historic, architectural or aesthetic character of the two nearby historic buildings, the Colonnade and the Miracle Theatre.
Terranova owns several buildings between 200 and 230 Miracle Mile. As of now, 16 retail/restaurant spaces are available for lease. The buildings were constructed in 1950, and purchased from Gables Tower LLC in 2013 for about $12 million.