Rentals, offices and shops planned for South Beach's empty Epicure block on Alton Road

The empty block where Epicure Market once stood could finally get a new building.

Alton Ventures Development has asked the Miami Beach Planning Board to approve a mixed-use project on the west side of Alton Road between Lincoln Road and 17th Street. The plan is called 1680 Alton. It is on the board's Dec. 8 agenda.

What's planned

The Oct. 4 letter of intent from attorney Neisen Kasdin describes apartments from junior one-bedrooms to three-bedrooms. The filing lists 146 units in one place and about 142 in another.

The first two floors would hold about 45,300 square feet of shops. About 51,200 square feet of offices would fill five floors, with their own lobby.

Parking would include a surface lot at 1677 West Avenue and garage levels on floors three through five, for 364 spaces with valet. The letter says Miami Beach residents could use spare spaces at public parking rates when the offices are closed.

A covered walkway would link West Avenue to Alton Road through the Alton Court alley. Plans call for outdoor dining, a public padel court, a scooter and bike station and a wellness space open to the public. Residents would get a pool, gym and co-working space.

The building would rise 14 stories and total about 302,000 square feet, Commercial Observer reported. Platt Byard Dovell White Architects designed it.

Why the block sat empty

Epicure closed in 2017. Developer Michael Shvo tore down the building and planned a six-story office project designed by Norman Foster's firm, but construction never started. The site has sat vacant since.

New York-based Infinity Collective bought the 1.4-acre site for $28.3 million last year through a deed in lieu of foreclosure, Commercial Observer reported.

The rental rule

The site sits in the Alton City Center Overlay, a zoning district the City Commission adopted Sept. 10. It lets developers build more on the block if they add housing.

The catch: the units must stay rentals for 20 years. Leases must run at least a year for 30 years, so no short-term rentals. The overlay also covers the Lincoln Road properties in the owners' assemblage, but new construction is proposed only on the Alton Road and West Avenue parcels.

For neighbors, that means a new supply of long-term apartments steps from Lincoln Road, Sunset Harbour and the Alton Road bus and trolley lines, rather than condos for sale.

What happens next

Because of its size, the project needs a conditional use permit for a "neighborhood impact structure." The Planning Board meets at 9 a.m. Dec. 8 at City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach Review reported. People can attend in person or by Zoom, and written comments are accepted by email.

The block is a few steps from the planned NoLi dining lane on North Lincoln Lane. For context on what renters pay countywide, see our look at Miami-Dade rents.

Buying or selling in South Beach? The Miami Lookout is founded by Joe Biscaha, a Miami real estate advisor with Compass.