The move to mixed-use spaces: The projects bringing new life to forgotten buildings in South Florida

It’s a trend you’ve probably heard of or seen with your very own eyes: the conversion of shopping malls, old office spaces, and old stores into brand-new mixed-use spaces.

In 1967, IBM opened a large-scale manufacturing plant known as it’s North American Research and Development Facility. It was in Boca Raton, with more than 40 buildings at 3.6 million square feet.

“It was originally developed by IBM and then abandoned by them in the early 80’s for economic reasons. And over the succeeding decades became really run down,” shares Angelo Bianco, Managing Partner of Crocker Partners Group, otherwise known as CP Group.

Back in 2017 when the Boca Raton property went for sale, they asked themselves what this old office space could eventually be.

Bianco asks, “Why don’t we have a center in the Southeast United States for tech and life sciences? I looked around and we didn’t. And, I said 'were going to build one here'. And that’s what we did.”

In 2018, CP Group acquired 1.8 million square feet, called the Boca Raton Innovation Campus, or BRIC. It is the largest single office facility in the State of Florida.

But it’s nothing like what their predecessors created. It’s a mixed use space that brings new life to an otherwise forgotten space.

“What we are doing now by mixing uses in the same area, is what human beings have always done. And it wasn’t until the mid-part of the last century when people decided to segregate from retail to hotel to office. And for some reason we started to do that, I guess when we were doing the highway system, but it never sat well with the user, the people,” shares Bianco.

“We want to be able to walk from the office to have lunch, walk from home to the office, " Bianco continues. "So, this new urbanism, or bringing it back with connectivity, is something we are seeing everywhere in every property type.”

The Boca Raton Innovation Campus has it all: two cafes on site, 17 art exhibits, a gym, primary care facility, conference rooms, a ballroom and allegedly the longest hallway in the country.

And there’s more being built.

Bianco opens a door to construction happening outside one wing of campus. With a flourish he points out, “You are standing in the middle of what’s going to be our new arrival area. We are going to have one of the largest portable shares in South Florida. This is going to allow for visitors who coming here to visit office tenants, or people coming to use the facilities like the ballroom to arrive undercover.”

This undercover garage will be paired next to complex’s Steam Lab.

"That is a place where the people in tech and life sciences, who come up with their ideas, and then they can come here and then create them on site with 3d printers, lays, CNC fabricators, etc,” Bianco explains.

Those two construction projects, along with a brand-new food hall, are all part of Phase 1.

Phase 2 is this: Creating multi-family residences on site, retail space,175 hotel rooms, medical office buildings, and an entertainment venue.

Bianco shares that they are wanting to give people a true live, work and play experience.

And it’s a trend we have seen taking hold across South Florida.

One is the redevelopment of Sunset Place. Last month the City of South Miami Commission approved the development agreement with Sunset Opportunities.

The agreement notes that there will be up to 1,513 residential units, 550,000 square feet of shopping, dining, entertainment or office space, and 9,000 square feet of space for a public plaza.

Now the developers will have until January to submit a timeline for building phases of this project.

Another update is from Cutler Bay, where Southplace City Center will be created.

The Senior Vice President of Urban Retail Properties, one of the parties involved in the project, sharing in a statement:

Our vision for Southplace City Center is to redefine urban living in South Florida, creating something unprecedented, providing an exceptional blend of residential, commercial, and recreational spaces and a vibrant community atmosphere.  We are catering to the modern person who is looking for everything they need in one location. At full build-out, with approximately 5,000 apartments nestled within pedestrian pathways, open green space, and tranquil fountains, and 500,000 SF of a dynamic array of shops, restaurants, and entertainment catering to diverse tastes, we will deliver on that vision.  

Phase 1 has begun.  In mid-October, we opened our new DSW at the former ROSS location, and right now, construction of the new ROSS store in its new space is underway.  In early 2025, infrastructure work will begin on the former Sears pad for the first 8-story building, which will contain the 25,000 SF Presidente Supermarket and 350 apartments.  The Presidente Supermarket will be a first-of-its-kind supermarket tailored specifically for Southplace City Center. This store will feature a diverse selection of mainstream grocery items complemented by specialty products from Caribbean and Latin American countries, catering to various tastes and preferences.

The trend to meet the needs of tenants through properties close to them is what these spaces are hoping to get right and believe other older buildings will also do in the near future.