Five years after completing the first condominium tower at Metropica, developer Joseph Kavana has announced the revival of the master-planned project in western Broward County. The next phase of construction is set to begin in October, following a ceremonial groundbreaking this week.
Metropica Development has partnered with Poag Development from Memphis for the retail component and Waypoint Residential from Boca Raton for the residential portions. The entire project is valued at more than $1.5 billion and will include over 3,000 condos and apartments, 650,000 square feet of office space, 485,000 square feet of retail space, and two hotels across a 65-acre site.
According to Bernard Werner, president of Metropica Development, Poag and Waypoint are responsible for about $300 million in development. Chris Moore, managing director at Waypoint Residential, stated that his company plans to build at least 900 residential units over the coming years.
Kavana began assembling land for Metropica in the early 1990s and received approvals for the mixed-use project in 2014. Only one building—Metropica One with 263 units—was completed by 2020. In 2024, Kavana sought brokers to arrange a joint venture partnership. Last year, Sunrise officials approved increased density on the site, allowing costs to be distributed among more residential units.
“This is my work, and we are going to keep fighting the same way we fought over the last 15 years to try to make this a reality,” Kavana said during Tuesday’s event.
The upcoming stage of construction will be referred to as “the first phase” by Kavana. It is expected to be operational within three years and will include nearly 1,000 luxury apartments along with more than 150,000 square feet of retail space. Above some of these retail spaces will be about 50,000 square feet of condo office space. The retail offering will mainly consist of restaurants, specialty shops, and entertainment venues designed to complement nearby Sawgrass Mills.
Portions of Metropica’s property have been sold to Poag and Waypoint; Kavana did not disclose purchase prices but confirmed that Metropica Development will oversee infrastructure work while retaining rights to participate in the joint venture.
“All the stars are aligned right now for us to be able to carry forward. We were ready to do this back in 2020 when Covid hit, and we had just finished the first tower,” said Kavana. “We were ready to start with the retail. We had to wait for the right time.”
