Developer Shelves Three Miami Beach Live Local Towers After Talks With County and City Commissioners

Developer Russell Galbut is shelving three proposed Miami Beach residential towers following discussions with Miami-Dade Commissioner Vicki Lopez and City Commissioner Alex Fernandez, according to a report published Oct. 30 and read in full by the Local News Desk. Galbut, a cofounder and managing principal of Crescent Heights, confirmed by email that he is withdrawing Live Local Act applications for 1575 Alton Road, 740 Alton Road and 880 71st Street.

The proposals sought mixed-use buildings reaching up to 519 feet, and all encountered problems during city reviews, according to the same report. In a Monday email to City Manager Eric Carpenter, Galbut credited Lopez and Fernandez with helping to persuade him to reconsider the projects, while maintaining his support for expanding housing options.

The report also noted Galbut's family has lived in the city for seven generations, and that he pointed to vacant storefronts and rising housing costs as underscoring the need for investment in Miami Beach. The withdrawal removes three of the tallest Live Local proposals from the city's review pipeline; no replacement applications were reported in the Oct. 30 report.