November 19, 2024 By Lisa J. Huriash
The location? 1550 N. Ocean Blvd. in Pompano Beach
What’s planned? Armani/Casa Residences Pompano Beach will be two designer luxury condo buildings, each 19 stories. They are billed as the first residences in Broward County named after the famed Italian designer Giorgio Armani. There are Armani/Casa Residences locations in 40 cities in 29 countries, including Sunny Isles Beach, London, Beijing, Tel Aviv, and Istanbul.
“I found the integration between the architecture, the natural landscape and the ocean particularly inspiring, and I was excited about the possibility of working for a demanding clientele, being able to convey my vision with complete freedom,” Armani said in a prepared statement.
Four developers—SP Developments, Vertical Developments, Well Duo, and GCF Development—are now teaming to building a combined 28 oceanfront homes in Pompano Beach.
Each residence offers wraparound terraces with panoramic water views. There will be two elevators per tower since each elevator will only take one trip at a time and open at one unit.
How will the condos be priced? Prices range from $5 million to $7 million.
Who are the average buyers? Before the pandemic, it might’ve been more likely that buyers would’ve been from South America and Europe, said Tomas Sinisterra, the president of SP Developments.
“The pandemic changed everything, people got stuck at home in New York and sine they could work remote, many of them came to South Florida to spend the pandemic in a nicer setting and they decided to stay here,” he said.
Because the “luxury market in South Florida has been changing, we’re expecting more U.S. citizens to be our buyers. We’ve had interest in Northeast buyers, from California.”
“People coming to South Florida, they want something different and many of them want exclusivity, privacy. That’s why our design went in that direction.
”How is this Armani-themed? Since 2004, the Armani/Casa Interior Design Studio has provided complete interior design services.
Sinisterra said residents can see the Armani vision in the design: “Everything you see in interior design you can associate with styling.
“He said it is a “minimalistic style but extremely elegant, it’s reflected in everything around the building starting from the lobby and when you get to the units you’ll see the living room has a very interesting design—a sense of elegance.” The flooring will be stone, the kitchen cabinetry the Armani brand.
There will be spa-inspired baths with oversized rain showers and soaking tubs. Each room is “very consistent with their style.”
Buyers can opt in to buy Armani furniture and will each receive a $40,000 voucher to buy Armani products.
Why Pompano? “Pompano Beach has undergone a radical transformation,” Sinisterra said. “It’s different from other cities in South Florida, it has been very well thought out. You can see a clear path for the city to have excellent services, excellent community spaces, the beach, the redesign, that’s what attracted us to Pompano. Before acquiring it, we met with the mayor, the commissioners, we really wanted to understand the direction of Pompano Beach.
“You don’t see that much density in Pompano that you see in markets like Fort Lauderdale and Miami. That will send a sense of exclusivity since there will be less density and allow residents of Pompano to really enjoy all of the spaces, its beaches, the pier.”
How big are the units? Homes on the east tower are 3,200 square feet and west tower units are 3,400feet. All units have sweeping views of the ocean.
What are the amenities? Amenities include a 45-foot oceanfront lap pool, a spa, cold plunge and meditation garden, a golf simulator, and a fitness center with Technogym equipment, yoga, and Pilates areas. “This is going to be a very private building so the occupancy is going to be low number of people, “Sinisterra said. “We have curated all the amenities to serve a limited number of residences at a time.”
What’s being replaced? The land was already vacant when the current owners purchased it in 2016.Records show the building on the site was demolished in 2004. It started off as the Ocean Retreat Motel in 1994 and went through several names over the years, including Ocean Garden Resort and Ocean Garden Hotel.
When will construction start and end? Construction is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2025and be completed two years later.
Where will there be a commercial element? There is a commercial space at the base of the building but no details are available.
What is the project anticipated cost? Anticipated to be a $170 million project.