Neighborhood Development

Snapshots of the projects noted below are in the following format:

  • Project / Location
  • Rating System / Award Level / 
    Date Certified
  • Spinnaker Services -- e.g., Consulting, Commissioning, Energy Modeling
  • Architect / Owner / Contractor
  • Square Footage

Northwest Gardens / Fort Lauderdale, FL
LEED ND / Silver / 2/8/2019
Spinnaker Services: Consulting
Noteworthy: This is the first ND project to be fully built out and certified in the State of Florida.
33 acres

This 33-acre, primarily residential and secondarily mixed-use, neighborhood development, incorporated universal design strategies. The project was started in December 2010 and completed with LEED Neighborhood Development Silver certification in February 2019. Click here to review full project description.

Miami Design District / Miami, FL
LEED ND/ Gold / 10/1/2012
Spinnaker Services: Consulting
SB Architects / Dacra / Coastal Construction
23 acres, 2.2 million sf

Spinnaker Group provided LEED for Neighborhood Development consulting for this unique project, which achieved LEED Gold Certification in 2012. All north of downtown and less than 10 minutes away from South Beach in a pedestrian-friendly environment, the neighborhood became the first LEED ND Gold Certified project in Miami-Dade County. The 23-acre redevelopment area features many distinct and artistic façades in addition to an energy-efficient infrastructure. The old Buena Vista neighborhood that suffered from urban decay has been reconverted into retail spaces, art galleries, restaurants and cafés, transforming it into a world-class destination and fashion experience. The Miami Design District locality benefits from excellent quality transit, with access to public transportation and best-in-class parking structures at the edge of the area. Heat effect is considerably reduced thanks to the expanse of vegetated roofs and the tree-shaded streets, making structures not only exceptionally pleasant and sustainable, but also contributing to an amazing walkable district. Water savings were also one of the principal objectives of the developer -- the design and its features achieved 20% water reduction in fixtures and irrigation for all of the new buildings within the project. As part of a public-private partnership with the City of Miami, two above-ground parking structures, City Garage and Museum Garage (with respectively, 559 and 800 parking spaces), became cornerstones of vehicular access on the western edge of the redevelopment efforts and featured many distinct and artistic façades in addition to energy efficient and best-in-class parking management technology. The result? The Miami Design District is a truly unique, sustainable community, open and inviting for every imaginable aspect of life.

Miami Worldcenter / Miami, FL 
LEED ND Silver Pre-Certification in October 2020
Spinnaker Services: Consulting, Building Commissioning, Energy Modeling
Miami World Center
25 acres

Spinnaker Group provided LEED for Neighborhood Development Consulting, Building Commissioning and Energy Modeling for this large mixed-use development, which earned prestigious LEED ND Silver Pre-Certification in October 2020. The project received the prestigious Innovative Project of the Year Award for 2021 from US Green Building
Council Florida.  Click here to review full project description.

CityPlace Sustainability Assessment / West Palm Beach, FL 
Spinnaker Services: Sustainability Consulting
Related Companies / West Palm Beach
72 acres

CityPlace (now Rosemary Square) is West Palm Beach's entertainment and retail center. The 72-acre, vibrant destination offers residences, retail, a convention center, arts and cultural programs, and a convention-center hotel (which achieved LEED Silver, assisted by Spinnaker Group). In 2018, Spinnaker Group was called on to provide sustainability consulting for then-CityPlace, which was looking to reshape the site's long-term vision. Spinnaker Group joined developers, owners and the City to create goals that met present needs while preserving resources required for its future generations. The resulting assessment embraced building a green economy for Rosemary Square, minimizing the production of waste and greenhouse gas emissions, acting as leaders within the region in achieving energy independence and security, and preparing for a changing climate. Policy and tenant changes included businesses making an operational shift toward eco-friendly, sustainable practices. The resultant Rosemary Square vision of sustainability would balance human needs with the needs of the destination's culture and natural environment, and included:

  • Community education.
  • The availability of quality jobs, both high-tech and green collar.
  • Developing a functional residence and business community with a sense of character and place. Opportunities for recreation.
  • The integration of artistic principles into green building, natural resources, energy conservation, transportation and job creation.

With Spinnaker Group's assistance, an open, transparent and participatory dialogue between everyone at the table -- from owners and developers to community and business members and other key partners -- cemented a commitment and roadmap that embraced the triple bottom line -- economic, environmental and social equity -- to achieve set goals.

City View Garage -- Miami Design District / Miami, FL
LEED ND/ Gold / 10/1/2012
Spinnaker Services: Consulting
SB Architects / Dacra / Coastal Construction
7-story, 286,481 sq ft parking facility

As part of the Miami Design District LEED for Neighborhood Development process (see above), Spinnaker Group provided assessment in order for City View Garage to meet the LEED building requirements. By providing easily accessible anchor parking spaces at the edges of the District’s core, this 7-story, 286,481 sq ft parking facility reduces vehicle idle times by saving drivers from fighting through traffic to find parking. Moreover, the pay-before-you-exit kiosks help keep fewer cars waiting to leave, lowering queues and idle times, and ultimately lowering fuel consumption and vehicle emissions. Apart from adding an aesthetic value to the Miami Design District thanks to its artistic envelope and architecture, the building itself combines different outstanding sustainable fixtures, from equipment and lighting that offers considerable energy savings to plumbing strategies that reduce the water consumption by more than 20%. Additionally, walkability is improved since the ground floor is fully dedicated to tenants' retail spaces, who are required to follow certain sustainability criteria for the interior spaces and who must commit to install unshatterable clear glass along the sidewalk in order to increase the sense of comfort and security for pedestrians.