UHealth Will Bring World-Class Academic Medical Center To North Miami's $4-Billion Master-Planned Community SoLé Mia

MIAMI, Feb. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Miami Health System is proud to announce that it will open a world-class medical center at SoLé Mia, the 184-acre, $4 billion mixed-use development in North Miami developed by the Soffer and LeFrak families.

The medical center will offer the communities of North Miami, Aventura, and the surrounding areas academic medicine in specialties dealing with cancer treatments from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated a Cancer Center of Excellence by the state of Florida; Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, ranked the number one eye care institute in the country; ambulatory care; cardiology; neurology; otolaryngology; urology; and orthopedics as well as a host of other specialties.

"As the sole academic health system in the region, and with internationally recognized clinical research programs, the University of Miami is leading the transformation of health care," said Dr. Julio Frenk, president of the University of Miami. "This new facility, with the high-quality, specialized care it will offer to the surrounding communities, builds upon the longstanding partnership that the University has with our South Florida neighbors."

SoLé Mia, South Florida's next great destination in North Miami, is being developed by two of the country's most successful real estate families, the Soffers of Miami and the LeFraks of New York. The developers anticipate the 184-acre mega-project will take 10-15 years to build out with plans for 12 residential towers, 500,000 square feet of retail and commercial space all anchored around Laguna SoLé, South Florida's first seven-acre swimmable Crystal Lagoon. SoLé Mia's first two amenity-rich residential towers, The Shoreline, are officially open, featuring studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom rentals.

"I'm bullish on North Miami and the impact SoLé Mia will have on the community, especially as we continue to add invaluable partners like UHealth to our master project that'll offer everyone who enters a city-within-a-city experience complete with state-of-the-art residences, scenery, restaurants, and now, healthcare," said Richard LeFrak, chairman and CEO of LeFrak.

Built on a nearly 10-acre site, the new UHealth Medical Center at SoLé Mia will have 225,000 square feet of space, with an additional 100,000 square feet available for future expansion. It will feature an adjoining parking garage, direct access from Biscayne Boulevard, open green space including a reflection garden, and views of the ocean and lagoons that will enhance the experience for patients receiving extended services in the infusion and chemotherapy unit. It is also anticipated to include a bridge to a new hotel that will be convenient for patients and families who travel to receive care.

"Creating this new facility brings the clinical excellence and innovation of UHealth physicians further into our community, increasing access for our patients in north Miami-Dade and south Broward," said Dr. Edward Abraham, executive vice president of health affairs and CEO of UHealth.

The new facility will be modeled after UHealth's award-winning Lennar Foundation Medical Center. Since its opening two years ago, the facility has been heralded as an innovative clinic for its ability to bring a positive patient experience by providing specialized care and treatment in a warm and inviting environment. Press Ganey, a national leader in health care performance improvement, recently honored the Lennar center with its Guardian of Excellence Award for patient experience.

"The University of Miami Health System continues to be a global leader in the arena of innovative and unsurpassed medical care," said Richard D. Fain, chair of the University's Board of Trustees. "We are thrilled to be involved in this latest project in North Miami and bring our state-of-the-art health care to the burgeoning and exciting SoLé Mia community."

At this state-of-the-art facility, many surgical procedures that previously involved a stay in the hospital are now minimally invasive and will be performed in operating rooms, allowing patients to return home the same day. Like the Lennar center, the North Miami UHealth center will be carefully designed to provide a comfortable and comforting environment not only for patients and their families, but also for doctors, nurses, and other staff.

"This state-of-the-art facility will not only bring job opportunities to North Miami, but it will also increase and enhance access to quality healthcare in the city and surrounding areas," said Larry Spring, city manager of North Miami. "This is a milestone, representing the start of the next phase of the SoLé Mia development project and its positive impact on the North Miami economy and overall experience. We are excited to welcome such an iconic and far reaching institution as the University of Miami to our city."

About UHealth:
The University of Miami Health System delivers transformational patient care by the region's most comprehensive team of doctors, powered by the groundbreaking research and medical education of the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. As South Florida's only academic-based health care system, UHealth is a vital component of the community, combining a superior approach to patient care, with research, education, and academic excellence. UHealth's comprehensive network includes three in-patient facilities, more than 30 outpatient sites in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Collier counties, and more than 1,200 physicians and scientists. Its flagship facility, The Lennar Foundation Medical Center, opened in December 2016 in Coral Gables, marking a new era in health care delivery that brings together the expertise of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the University of Miami Health System Sports Medicine Institute, and several other specialty services.

About SoLé Mia:
Miami's next great destination in North Miami, SoLé Mia, is being developed by two of the country's most prolific real estate families, the Soffers of Miami and the LeFraks of New York. The 8-million-square-foot project, about the size of lower Manhattan, will be a live, work, play paradise with residential towers, retail, restaurants, and wellness all anchored around a seven-acre crystal lagoon. Built from the ground up, the $4 billion mix-use project offers the perfect mix of vibrant, walkable urban retail areas, lively entertainment, acres of emerald green parks, children's playgrounds and serene natural features, while also being incredibly connected to greater Miami. It's being built on one of the largest remaining undeveloped parcels in South Florida east of Biscayne Boulevard.    

About Soffer:
One of the country's premier real estate development and hospitality groups, the Soffer family has created award-winning hospitality, retail, residential, commercial, and luxury service assets in its 50-year history. Their portfolio includes Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Aventura Mall, JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa, JW Marriott Nashville, Nashville Hilton, and SoLé Mia. They have completed numerous residential landmarks such as Turnberry Ocean Colony and Porto Vita and are currently developing Turnberry Ocean Club. Its luxury services division includes Fontainebleau Aviation, Turnberry Marina, Turnberry Isle Country Club, and some of the most successful food, beverage, and wellness destinations in the world. 

About LeFrak:
LeFrak is a preeminent, family-owned property company that has developed and built the majority of its own real estate portfolio to become one of the world's leading property firms, leveraging our internal development and construction management capabilities. Although we focus on the residential and office sectors, LeFrak affiliates also invest in numerous hospitality and retail assets as well as securities, private businesses, and energy. The LeFrak brand is synonymous with excellence in design, construction, engineering, and urban planning, and our firm is acclaimed around the globe for the quality of its projects and its properties, its financial strength and conservatism, its entrepreneurial business model, and its commitment to long term ownership.

SOURCE University of Miami