Billionaire Family Plans Nearly 3,000 Apartments Outside Fort Lauderdale
The Ansin family has plans to transform a vacant expanse next to its Miramar business park into a bustling community.
Miramar-based Sunbeam Properties is proposing a 126-acre mixed-use development called Park Miramar roughly 20 miles southwest of Fort Lauderdale. It's planned to include 2,874 apartments, a 185-key hotel, 240K SF of retail and restaurant space, 128K SF of office space and 7,859 parking spaces.
Sunbeam is asking the Miramar City Commission to rezone the vacant project site on the northeast corner of Miramar Parkway and Red Road.
Sunbeam CEO Andy Ansin told Bisnow in an interview Friday that he has spoken with city commissioners ahead of the vote and they expressed their support for the plan. Park Miramar has been in the planning stages for nearly two years, with the project first revealed in October 2023.
The site is adjacent to the Miramar Park of Commerce, another Sunbeam-owned development of flex-office space. The billionaire Ansins also own local television station WSVN 7.
The 24-building proposal passed the city’s zoning board unanimously Tuesday and is headed for a first hearing at the city commission on Sept. 18. The rezoning would require a second hearing and a vote at a later date to be adopted.
“It’s been time for this project for quite some time,” Ansin said. “There’s really limited to no neighbors out there, the only thing out there is our business park and some apartments. Everyone sees the need for improved services and entertainment in an area that’s really lacking.”
Ansin said the plan is to build Park Miramar in phases. The first, planned to break ground in 12 to 18 months, is slated to include three apartment buildings with ground-floor retail and the creation of 13 acres of planned recreational space, including two parks and a splash pad.
Sunbeam is planning to self-finance the first phase of development. Other capital sources could be tapped for later phases, which Ansin said could be subject to design changes depending on demand.
“A lot of this is really children-oriented,” Ansin said. “The open spaces, the green spaces, the activations, it will very much be a place where the parents can take the kids for half a day.”
The project’s architect is Boulder, Colorado-based 505Design, with Sunrise, Florida-based Sun-Tech Engineering providing local planning, according to site plans filed with the city commission.
If approved, Sunbeam would pay $5M into Miramar’s affordable housing fund over time by making payments for every unit completed, according to an application submitted by Fort Lauderdale-based attorney Dennis Mele, who is representing the developer.
Sunbeam also committed to reserving 100 apartments built as part of the later phases for residents making no more than 120% of area median income, which is currently $114K for a family of three.
The Park Miramar site is the last remaining vacant land in the Ansin family's Miramar portfolio, Ansin confirmed. His father, Edmund Ansin, and grandfather, Sidney Ansin, founded Sunbeam and amassed vacant land in the city along with WSVN and a Miami-based FOX affiliate.
They began building the Miramar Park of Commerce in 1984. The 600-acre office and industrial park was 98% leased as of April.
The addition of retail, restaurants and parks next door will also enhance the long-term viability of the office park and allow it to meet the demands of today’s office tenants for quick access to dining and entertainment, Ansin said.
