Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Omni Center = International Toy Center


Looks like Manhattan based Argent Ventures wants to resuscitate the Omni Mall. Well, at least the south end. It intends to create three floors of offices totaling 240,000 square feet. Cost for the redo: $30 million, a figure they feel is well worth spending even though they only see the remodeling job remaining "untouched for at least 12 years."

It looks like Argent has money to burn, too. In 2005, it spent $100 million to buy out its partner and purchase the Radisson Hotel which is part of the three-block property. Long term plans call for razing the site, carving two streets through the property and building six condo towers starting at the northern end of the megaparcel.

In the meantime, MVB's "Flashlight Forum" through an email today humbly suggests they contact the International Toy Center in Manhattan and see if they can induce it to move in. Before this blog ever saw the light of a pixel, we have been advocating exactly this (see here). When it looked like Argent was going to take the Omni property into another direction, we suggested our community leaders look at 600 Brickell as a possible location. Either one works for us as long as it brings global companies to south Florida.

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