Sears is one step closer to disappearing in South Florida. The last department stores in Miami-Dade and Broward could be demolished as part of a redevelopment plan approved by the city of Miami.
The site owners sold the property to Coral Way and Douglas Road.
The combined site plan proposed on the eight-acre site where Sears department stores have been around since 1954 will feature three eight-storey buildings with 1,050 residential units and nearly 50,000 square feet of retail space. The plan shows that there is no space for Sears Store.
“This extraordinary opportunity will appeal to a wide range of developers,” said Robert, vice-chairman of CBRE, a real estate and investment company that handles real estate sales listings. “The size of the site and proximity to coral gables provide an unparalleled opportunity to create composite enclaves in one of the most popular locations in South Florida.”
The store near the Coral Gables border is located on land owned by RK Associates and is listed for sale in May. Miami spokesperson Kenya Foratt said the site plan, designed by architects at Behar Font Partners at Coral Gables and submitted more than a year ago, was approved by the city of Miami on April 18.
Sears has one more Florida store in Orlando and only eight remaining stores nationwide. The last Tampa Bay store closed about seven years ago.
Sears holding company Transformco did not respond to comments or requests for information about when Douglas Road Sears in Miami will be closed.
The history of “Gables Sears”
According to Miami historian Paul George, the portion of the undeveloped land that Sears built in the early 1950s was originally considered by the Miami City Commission to be a new orange bowl site.
It never happened. Built in the Little Havana district, west of downtown Miami in 1937, the Orange Bowl was demolished in 2008.
For generations, department stores have been called “Gables Sears of Corals” because of their proximity to beautiful cities.
“What made Sears Store so distinctive was its size, its vast array of products and services, and its location on the eastern edge of Miracle Mile and Gables,” George said last summer when redevelopment stories were swirling around, as customers came across deep discounts in crowd-free aisles.
But the Miami location near Lesjeune Road Boulevard, a busy lead from Miami International Airport, also once made the Sears a popular destination with tourists.
“It looks like it was all there at first glance,” George said. “I’m not surprised that this store is one of the last Sears stores to survive. This has been around for a long time because of its amazing location. Another big plus – lots of free parking.”
Spend your days with Hayes
Subscribe to our free Stephenly newsletter
Columnist Stephanie Hayes shares thoughts, feelings and interesting business with you every Monday.
You’re all signed up!
Want more free weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.
Check out all options
Will Sears survive the redevelopment?
The proposed complex utilizes a live local act in Florida. This allows developers to submit projects that are higher and more dense than allowed by local zoning, if they reserve 40% of their apartments for renters, who make up 120% of their local median household income. That level is currently set at $96,000 on Miami-Dade.
According to documents submitted to the city’s Urban Development Review Board and approved by the city, the site also features paseos, courtyards and parking for more than 1,900 vehicles.
CBRE does not disclose the asking price for the property.
It has not yet been publicly decided whether Sears will survive and coexist with the proposed development. However, the approved artistic rendering of the proposed building does not show evidence of the 192,493 square feet of Sears, which has dominated the land for more than 70 years. The retail footprint for future mixed use developments is almost the fourth smallest.
“We are pleased to announce that we are a great opportunity to speak to you,” said listing agent Brad Capas, speaking through CBRE Communications Director Justin Lula. “It is too early to decide when construction can begin and when new projects will be opened.
As seen in other Sears locations, redevelopment could be years away.
The Searstown Landmark Store and its auto repair division have anchored strip shopping centres at Fort Lauderdale’s Federal Highway and Sunrise Boulevard since its closing in 1955-2022. The store was demolished by January 2024.
The land, owned at the time by RK Center and acquired by Denver-based developer Aimco, gave way to the construction of a mixed-use development that incorporates homes, retail and hotels.
Once new Miami developments are built, there are good companies in the area. From Dallas-based CBRE, we cited how the proposed development is close to Coral Gables’ retail, dining, office space and entertainment destinations, and how the average household income for residents exceeds $198,000.
The outdoor Giralda Plaza is within walking distance of numerous restaurants, mixed use developments of Plaza Coral Gables and the Miracle Theater. The shops at Merrick Park, an outdoor shopping mall, are almost a mile away from the quiet Miami Sears.
Shuttered Sears in South Florida
In addition to the former Fort Lauderdale Seatown site, South Florida once boasted numerous locations nationwide at its peak with 3,000 Sears. In recent years, however, Sears has closed most of its mall locations, including Aventura in North Miami-Dade, which was demolished in 2017 and converted to Esplanade Ventura Open Air retail, dining and entertainment village. Cutler Bay Southland Mall Sears, which survived Hurricane Andrew in 1992, closed in 2020.
Palm Beach Gardens Sears closed in May 2024. Key West Sears closed in 2022.
Opened in 1929, Biscayne Boulevard Sears in Miami on Northeast 13th Avenue, was the most notable one to say goodbye to Florida when it closed in 1983.
But you can still see some of that Sears.
The Art Deco entrance tower was preserved and incorporated in the design of the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center in 2001.
