MIAMI TODAY CONSTRUCTION OF EPIC BEGINS ON FORMEN DUPONT PLAZA SITE

 BY ERIC KALIS

The foundation has been poured at EPIC Residences & Hotel, on the former site of Dupont Plaza in downtown Miami.

The waterfront project at 300 Biscayne Boulevard Way is to include a 54-story tower with condominiums, townhouses and penthouse units along with a hotel offering amenities such as a 12,000-square-foot spa and fitness center to condo residents.

The project´s completion is scheduled for summer 2008 but could come ahead of schedule if workers continue at their current pace, said Veronica Cervera, of Cervera Real Estate, in charge of selling units.

Prices for one- to three-bedroom units designed by architect Luis Revuelta of Revuelta Vega Leon ranging from 1,040 to 7,840 square feet begin in the USS. 500,000s, she said. Two of the penthouse units have been sold for USS 5 million each, Ms. Cervera said.

“The market is responding well,” Ms. Cervera said. “We are already in the contrat phase of our reservations, which should wrap up in the next workweek.

“The project is attracting high-end people in Miami,” she said. “The seems to be a lot of European buyers, some of whom have bought our other products.”

EPIC is being developed by CMC Group, which created the Bristol Tower and Santa Maria condos on Brickell Avenue and the Grovenor  House in Coral Gables; Lionstone Development, developer and owner of Ritz-Carlton Hotel South and Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences; and Ponte Gadea Group, which develops and owns projects worldwide “Each member of the partnership brings different strengths to the table. All were very close to the project,” Ms. Cervera said. “They have been a pleasure to deal with, fun people to represent.

“The hotel component is interesting,” she said. “Lionstone has been successful with this concept. It is not a condo-hotel. The condo has a separate lobby, but a condo owner can use products offered by the hotel.” Ms. Cervera said her company is about to complete a deal to bring a “trendy and chic” restaurant to the complex. “When you want to show off Miami, this place will be it.”  

FAMILY-RUM CERVERA REAL ESTATE BRINGS A "LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA" TO ITS CLIENTS

In Miami, those in the know entrust all their real-estate needs to one full-service firm: Cervera Real Estate. A family business with an impressive track record, Cervera´s wide range of services is expertly managed by its talented pool of  brokers – and  that, says Founder Alicia Cervera Sr., translates into leading-edge market expertise.

At Cervera Real Estate, nothing is more important than meeting each client´s special needs by delivering that “little something extra” thar every buyer is lookinf for. “Cervera Real Estate sells a lifestyle,” says Veronica Cervera Goeseke.

That flexibility is the cornerstone of the company´s five-point strategy of operation, Ms. Cervera says – closely followed by location, quality, price and financing. “These are the hallmarks of the Cervera approach,” she says.

Ms. Cervera started the firm in 1979, but the company´s story really began in 1967 when she and husband Javier Cervera bought a piece of waterfront property in the thenundeveloped Brickell area. They sought and were awarded rezoning for multiple residents, a precedent that paved the way for future high-rise zoning designations that made Brickell the internationally coveted location it is today – and earned Alicia Cervera the tribute “Queen of Brickell Avenue.”
Over nearly three decades, Cervera Real Estate has become an industry-leading organization in the region´s always electrifying market. It has been responsible for marketing many of South Florida´s most successful and prestigious project, representing some of the region´s most influential developers. They include Harry Helmsley, Sol Luger, Trammell Crow, Ugo Colombo, The EDIC, Fininvest Corp., The B Partnership, Terremark, The Related Cos., Martin Margulies, Terra Group and Centurion Group.

“Strong relationships with customers, investors and developers,” Ms. Cervera says, “are considered a top priority within the Cervera family.”

In the South Florida real estate market of today, Cervera Real Estate continues to demonstrate financial acumen and market know-how. It remains a pacesetter in the development of successful projects, and is still the exclusive broker for many of the most luxurious condominiums in South Florida.

A second generation of Cerveras has made shrewd judgment in real-estate a family tradition. Daughters Veronica Cervera Goeseke and Alicia Cervera Lamadrid, known as “Alicia Jr.,” have joined their mother as executives in one of South Florida´s most successful family businesses.
The three guide the Cervera group of companies into a continually expanding organization that employs more than 160 agents in four locations.

As a result, the Cervera name has become synonymous with hagh-end residential real estate sales and has risen to prominence as one of South Florida´s leading real estate firms, with services that include property management, marketing and rental properties, as well as the sale of residential and commercial properties.

Their secret? Nobody knows Miami in all its diversity like the Cerveras. “My business relationships reflect a diverse cross-section of the city´s population,” Alicia Sr. says. “This is where my children grew up. I love South Florida, and I´m particularly proud of whatever I can do to increase its attractiveness.”

EPIC RESIDENCES & HOTEL RISE ON WATER DOWNTOWN 

Construction is under way at EPIC Residences & Hotel, a luxury waterfront condominium development rising in downtown Miami on the site of the former Dupont Plaza, where the Miami River meets Biscayne Bay. With the building´s foundation poured and vertical construction started, EPIC is scheduled for completion in summer 2008.

EPIC also celebrated the opening of its twostory waterfront sales and information center on site. Designed by famed Italian interior designer Michele Bonan, the center includes full-size kitchen and master bathroom models along with a rooftop viewing deck that provies spectacular vistas of Biscayne Bay and downtown Miami.

When complete, EPIC will include a 54-story tower featuring condominium, townhouse and penthouse residences with magnificent bay and city views, as well as an upscale hotel managed by renowned boutique hotel operator kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. Residents and hotel guests will enjoy the tranquility of the 12,000-square-foot spa and fitness center – complete with tratment and herbal steam  rooms; the elegantly-decorated signature restaurants and exotic and thriving lounges overlooking Miami River and Biscayne Bay; the private boat dock with personal dock master; a fully-equipped, high-tech business center capable of handling all domestic and international business needs; and two pools-one with a city view and the other with Biscayne Bay vistas – made even better with amenities such as a full-service bar and outdoor cafe and pampering poolside and spa services.

EPIC offers one-, two- and three-bedroom tower and penthouse residences ranging from 1,040 to 71840 square feet, aswell as the exclusive, one-of-a-kind Rooftop Upper Penthouse featuring spacious entertaiment rooms and a private terrace. Also, separate one- and two-bedroom townhouse will overlook Biscayne Bay. Price start at USS. 500,000.

The project marks the first partnership between Ugo Colombo´s CMC Group, which created the landmarks Bristol Tower and Santa Maria condominiums on Brickell Avenue and the recently completed Grovenor House in coral Gables; Alfredo and Diego Lowenstein´s  Lionstone Development, developer and owner of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences; and Amancio Ortega´s Ponte Gadea Group, which develops and owns real estate projects in cosmopolitan cities around the world.

All EPIC residences will feature the finest interios amenities, including Snaidero “Time” cabinetry, Bosch and Miele appliances, SubZero refrigeration, Italian imported Calacatta marble baths, a 72-by-60-inch KOS tub/shower, Valli & Valli door hardware and Glasswall impact resistant floorto-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors built to meet the latest hurricane safety requirements.

The tower will maintain state-of-the-art security and the latest tecnology with “EPIC-Link,” an integrated system allowing interactive communication to hotel amenities and services through an in-residence touch panel or from a PC anywhere in the world. It will also include a private, resident-only entrance, lobby and pool.

The project is being designed by architect Luis Revuelta of Revuelta  Vega Leon.
Cervera Real Estate serves as exclusive sales agent.