Wilton Manors residential project melds upscale amenities with sensitivity to neighborhood

The four-acre property at NE 26th Street and NE 15th Avenue, former home to Center for Spiritual Living, is scheduled to be the location of a new luxury residential project designed by award-winning architect Rene Gonzalez. Gonzalez, who recently completed the 18-story residential tower GLASS in Miami Beach, is known for quality urban planning and design of elegant, luxury homes that adapt to the environment and are compatible with existing neighborhoods.

Plans include 100 units, a combination of two-story townhouses and luxury condominiums. Their design will provide a feel of openness and light, surrounded by expansive landscaping. The condominium will be clad in lightweight concrete designed to represent tall Florida pine and cypress trees and the patterning of coral stone.

A lushly landscaped park with a walking path on the east side will be open to the public, with a hammock park on the southeast of the property. The parking garage will be concealed under a raised garden. With nearby single-family residential neighborhoods in mind, the tallest portion of the project is only 4-stories.

The project will be LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, since it will be environmentally friendly, use less water and energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Amenities for residents include a gym, yoga room, multiple types of spas, lap pool and running track on one level, with a swimming pool, lounge seating and cabanas on the roof.

“We’re very enthused at the positive response we’ve received from neighbors and businesses,” said Larry Baum, partner with Shlomo Khoudari and Oscar Rodriguez in Urban Dynamic Communities (UDC), developers of the property. “This project will benefit the entire community by attracting affluent residents who will enjoy dining, shopping and using services in Wilton Manors. The upscale nature is consistent with the City’s goal of growing businesses and sustaining Wilton Drive, which leads right to our property, as a local, regional and international destination. Not only will the project increase the property values of homes in the immediate neighborhood, but by being put back on the Wilton Manors tax roll, it will provide a new source of income for the City not available when the church was located here.”

Urban Dynamic Communities (UDC) is no stranger to Wilton Manors. In 2010, it purchased and renovated apartments along Powerline, helping to eliminate drug traffic and crime, and rejuvenate the once blighted neighborhood. UDC feels that it is important for the company to become part of the communities where it invests.

“Wilton Manors is ready for an upscale, landmark condominium project,” said Orlando Rodriguez, a resident in the neighborhood just east of the project. “The location is perfect; it has attracted a reputable and experienced developer; the architecture is outstanding; and exclusive residences of this caliber will make a clear statement that Wilton Manors offers the caliber of luxury living of a big city. It’s a win-win-win.”