Matthew Whitman Lazenby and Bal Harbour Shops
A looming special election tied to easing height restrictions for the Bal Harbour Shops would give the luxury shopping center’s owners the flexibility to possibly add a mid-to-high rise building in the future. But some prominent residents fear Whitman Family Development wants to bypass the village’s voters in seeking approval for a skyscraper more than 290 feet tall.
As of Thursday morning, 391 mail-in ballots had been turned into the Miami-Dade elections department for the special election that will be held Tuesday. Voters, who will also be allowed to cast ballots in-person on election day, will decide whether to amend the Bal Harbour village charter and allow height increases above five stories in the special business improvement area, which encompasses the Bal Harbour Shops at 9700 Collins Avenue. Currently, the village charter prohibits structures above five stories from being built anywhere in Bal Harbour.
Share via Shortlink
Matthew Whitman Lazenby, Grant Cardone, Phil Collins, Orianne Bates, Russell Galbut, Natalie Brabner, Craig Studnicky and Masoud Shojaee (Lazenby by Sonya Revell; Getty, iStock)
The pandemic did not stop top real estate players from seeking relief through the courts or from becoming legal targets, themselves. So, there was no shortage of juicy lawsuits featuring the top names in the industry. Here are the top 10 lawsuits reported by
The Real Deal in 2020:
Bal Harbour Shops vs. Saks Fifth Avenue
The economic fallout of the pandemic is endangering one of the longest running tenant-landlord relationships in luxury retail. In early September, Bal Harbour Shops sued to evict Saks Fifth Avenue for allegedly failing to pay more than $1.8 million in rent. Saks Fifth Avenue, claiming government shutdowns associated with Covid-19 mitigation measures impacted its ability to operate and produce sales, countersued Bal Harbour Shops and Whitman Family Development�