Lissette Calderon Plans 1,250 Apartments Near Beckham Stadium

Lissette Calderon wants to develop a 1,250-unit apartment complex near the planned Beckham soccer stadium, marking her largest project yet, in a long-overlooked area along the Miami River. 

Neology Life Development Group, led by Calderon, proposes three 15-story buildings on the 7.3-acre site of a shuttered car rental facility at 2301 Northwest 33rd Avenue in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, according to an application filed to the county last week and Neology representatives. 

Plans also call for 48,300 square feet of commercial space and 879 parking spaces. Calderon confirmed the units will be apartments.

In September, the Miami-based firm bought the site, which includes 25,000 square feet of buildings that were formerly a National Car Rental facility, for $32.2 million, records show. 

The property is on the north side of the Tamiami Canal and about 900 feet from the Miami River. The area, known as Palmer Lake, has been mostly untouched by the development flurry that has taken hold along the eastern portions of the river near Miami’s Brickell and downtown neighborhoods. 

Among the few projects on tap near Calderon’s proposed development is the Beckham Major League Soccer stadium, or Miami Freedom Park. A partnership of David Beckham, Ares Management, MasTec billionaire Jorge Mas and his brother Jose Mas plan a 25,000-seat stadium and a real estate complex on Melreese Country Club at 1400 Northwest 37th Avenue. 

While Calderon’s latest efforts have focused on building multifamily projects in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood, developing along the river has long been her forte. In the early 2000s, she was a pioneer developer with her Neo Lofts, Neo Vertika and Wind by Neo condominium projects. 

In 2018, Calderon paid $61 million for the River Oaks Tower & Marina on the Miami River and converted the building into the Pier 19 Residences & Marina apartment tower. 

In Allapattah, she completed the 13-story, 192-unit No. 17 Residences at 1569 Northwest 17th Avenue in 2021. 

Neology Life is expected to complete the 14-story, 323-unit The Julia at 1625 Northwest 20th Street, and the 14-story, 237-unit Fourteen Allapattah Residences at 1470 Northwest 36th Street early next year.