Leadership Talks: BCC David

Brickell City Centre stands as a testament to the power of visionary planning and a commitment to creating spaces that resonate with the community. Brickell City Centre is not just a development; it is evidence of the potential of thoughtful urban design and the important role it plays in enriching the fabric of Brickell and Miami as a whole. Completed in 2016, Swire conceived BCC as an anchor for Miami’s Brickell neighborhood and a catalyst for reshaping the landscape of the neighborhood by providing a vibrant retail, office, and residential destination. Swire envisioned a neighborhood that would offer locals and visitors a downtown experience that would energize the entire area as part of Swire’s long-term dedication to placemaking and placekeeping.

When it was completed, at 4.9 million total square feet, it was the largest mixed-use development in the United States and has never stopped evolving, attracting the most coveted tenants such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Sephora, Zara, Nike, Levi’s, and Lululemon, which has made Brickell a distinctive shopping destination in downtown Miami. BCC also offers fantastic food options, like the recently opened Motek Cafe, and entertainment, such as the tech-driven mini-golf course Puttshack, to round out a visitor’s experience. As we continue to refine our tenant mix, we are encouraged by the constant positive responses we receive from consumers and retailers. Brickell City Centre is currently 97% leased and has seen a 14-16% increase in foot traffic year-over-year, which underscores the resilience and attractiveness of the destination.

The Brickell City Centre story began with the assembly of three city blocks, which Swire acquired in stages between 2009 and 2013, and the goal we set out. We worked with a team of city planners and architects to enhance the existing city grid, preserve the boundaries of traffic circulation, and retain accessibility and walkability- we love that pedestrians can step straight off the street into the Centre. It has reinvigorated South Miami Avenue, which is now a bustling walkable street.

One of the most important outcomes Brickell City Centre has been able to achieve is that it has influenced the perception of the Brickell neighborhood as a whole. It is no longer just a financial district populated primarily during the weekdays between 9am-5pm, but a lively neighborhood filled with people actively seeking out leisure and entertainment. Before BCC, the Brickell neighborhood lacked a focal point, and the mixed-use nature of the development, comprising retail, offices, hotels, and condos, created a bustling downtown destination and has become the core of the neighborhood. People bring people, and people want to be in the center of it all. I’m no exception – when I moved to Miami, I settled in Brickell and wouldn’t have it any other way. Brickell City Centre serves as a blueprint for how carefully conceived mixed-use retail destinations can originate spaces that resonate with the community and can revitalize a neighborhood. I am thrilled to watch the continued evolution of my new home.

— David Martin, Senior Vice President, Retail Leasing & Office Leasing

David Martin, Senior Vice President, Retail Leasing & Office Leasing