Developers and investors looking to get their foot into growing downtown Miami have two opportunities with a $40 million portfolio and the final Miami Worldcenter site hitting the market.

The noncontiguous, five-building portfolio comprises older two-story retail buildings totaling 72,517 square feet on less than an acre in the Central Business District.

Zoning allows construction of up to 80 stories on the lots, although taller building proposals would be an option requiring city and Federal Aviation Administration approval.

They are the 13,500-square-foot building at 201 N. Miami Ave., the 19,942-square-foot building at 100 N. Miami Ave., the 4,864-square-foot building at 129 N. Miami Ave., the 7,075-square-foot building at 124 NE Second Ave., and the 27,136-square-foot building at 173 NE First St.

Mario Sapoznik, portfolio managing partner, listed the buildings. He holds executive positions with the companies that own the buildings, according to state Division of Corporations records.

Colliers International South Florida urban core division executive managing director Mika Mattingly and senior associate Cecilia Estevez are listing the portfolio on behalf of Sapoznik. The asking price breaks down to $552 per square foot.

Vacancy rates have climbed since his purchases, leaving many empty storefronts on the east-west drag at the heart of Miami-Dade County's street numbering system.

Mana primarily wants to renovate his mostly low-rise holdings and turn them into offices for domestic and international technology companies with a vision of creating the Silicon Valley of Latin America. He also envisions creative retail such as food halls and at least one apartment tower.

Mana's buildings include Flagler Station, 777 International Mall, a former Foot Locker building and the Flagler Jewelry Center.

Colliers' Mattingly represented Mana in his downtown acquisitions.

This retail property is part of a five-building downtown Miami portfolio listed for $40 million.
Rendering of the Miami Worldcenter development site in downtown Miami.
This retail property is part of a five-building downtown Miami portfolio listed for $40 million.
This retail property is part of a five-building downtown Miami portfolio listed for $40 million.
This retail property is part of a five-building downtown Miami portfolio listed for $40 million.
This retail property is part of a five-building downtown Miami portfolio listed for $40 million.

Seven blocks to the north, the mixed-use Miami Worldcenter listed a 2-acre site, the last opportunity to build a piece in the sprawling $4 billion project. No asking price was provided.

The Worldcenter site between Northeast 10th and 11th streets along First Avenue carries the potential for 1.7 million square feet of office, retail, hotel or residential uses or a mix. Zoning allows up to 1,100 condominiums or apartments.

Cushman & Wakefield vice chairman Robert Given in Fort Lauderdale is listing the Worldcenter land.

Miami Worldcenter sprawls across 10 blocks and 27 acres between the Freedom Tower Metromover station and the Virgin MiamiCentral train station.

It includes the completed Paramount condo tower at 1010 NE Second Ave. and the 444-unit Caoba apartments at 698 NE First Ave. Construction is underway on 300,000 square feet of retail and the 434-unit Luma apartment tower, and work is set to start by year-end on 348-key citizenM hotel. An office-mixed use tower and a 1,700-key Marriott Marquis hotel and expo center also are planned.

Master developer Miami Worldcenter Associates, led by Art Falcone and Nitin Motwani, includes Newport Beach, California-based Centurion Partners LLC and Los Angeles-based CIM Group. They are partnering with other developers who are building portions of the larger project.

"In marketing our last remaining parcel, it's critical that we identify an investor or joint venture operator whose plans are aligned with our vision for creating a city within a city in the heart of downtown Miami," Motwani said in a news release.

Other projects are popping up in downtown, including Virgin MiamiCentral where Virgin trains stop, YotelPad hotel-condo under construction at 227 NE 2nd St. and the Grand Station apartments at 40 NW Third St.

The new construction juxtaposed next to the properties built over the 20th century are creating a tale of two downtowns as the high-end, tall and modern real estate stands out among the shorter, older buildings.

As some developers opt to build, others like Mana prefer to breathe life into older buildings.

Stambul USA, a Miami-based construction and development company, wants to reopen the 50,000-square-foot La Epoca property at 200 E. Flagler St. as an entertainment complex. It also is reopening the historic Old U.S. Post Office and Courthouse at 100 NE First Ave. with a brewery, bar and juice bar.

With investments and redevelopment, the downtown population has climbed to 92,000, up 40% from 2010, and is expected to reach 100,000 by 2021.

"Downtown Miami is a vibrant and bold neighborhood that is attracting investors and developers alike as the area steps into its next generation of evolution and provides exceptionally compelling development opportunities for future uses," Mattingly said.

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