Bal Harbour Shops and Church by the Sea Make Decades-Long Dream to Expand a Reality
Church by the Sea Deal Signed, Sealed and Delivered
(firmenpresse) - BAL HARBOUR, FL -- (Marketwire) -- 09/18/12 -- For five decades the Whitman family, owners of the Bal Harbour Shops, has struggled with a dilemma that most other luxury retail centers would love to have: Increasing demand by high-end retailers and not enough space to accommodate them. But thanks to the Church by the Sea, a progressive Protestant church located adjacent to the shopping center, Bal Harbour Shops -- recently named the world's most productive shopping center in per-square-foot sales -- can finally move forward with its long anticipated, 200,000-square-foot expansion.
Late last week, the two hammered out a final binding agreement that becomes effective today. The deal gives Bal Harbour Shops the right to acquire the land at 501 96th St., on which the church has stood for nearly 70 years. In exchange, Bal Harbour Shops will build a 50,000-square-foot, eco-friendly church on land that it owns at the intersection of Bal Bay Drive and Park Drive (on the northwest corner of the shopping center's property).
"We reached a critical benchmark when the congregation voted in favor of the deal in June," said operating partner Matthew Whitman Lazenby, a third-generation Whitman family member involved in the business. "But we could not begin to move forward with our expansion plans until we had this binding agreement."
Before Bal Harbour Shops could ink the deal, it had to be acceptable to both parties.
"Our objective during this process was to ensure the changes and relocation would continue to best serve the spiritual needs of our diverse community and minimize disruption to the families, the elderly and the homeless who rely on the congregation for community and healing," said Rev. Robert Asinger, senior minister at Church by the Sea. "We look forward to the ways this new building will usher in a new chapter in the life of the Church by the Sea."
The church's design provides an outside play and worship area for small outdoor services, vigils, labyrinth walks and weddings. "The additional space will better accommodate the growing, socially-minded congregation and our burgeoning church school," Asinger said. Plus, it will open the door to a variety of new programs open to the public. The church also will be provided with free parking in the Bal Harbour Shops.
The culmination of the deal plays a pivotal role in Bal Harbour Shops' ability to proceed with its expansion plans. The Village wanted an agreement reached between the Shops and the church before moving forward with the approval process. With this agreement now in place, the Shops is ready to work with representatives of the Village of Bal Harbour and its residents to optimize the expansion.
"My family and I have been in conversations with our neighbors, the Church by the Sea, for the better part of half a century," noted Lazenby. "We are just delighted to have found a solution that allows the church to advance its mission, while affording us the opportunity to finally move forward with our long-awaited expansion."
Bal Harbour Shops is home to more than 100 luxury retailers including Brunello Cucinelli, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Lanvin, Neiman Marcus, Prada, Roger Vivier, Saks Fifth Avenue and Valentino. The venue at 9700 Collins Avenue in Bal Harbour is across from the ocean and the new St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort.
The International Council of Shopping Center's Shopping Center Today recently named Bal Harbour Shops the world's most productive as ranked by sales per square foot. The open-air luxury center, with its $2,555-per-square-foot in sales, is nearly seven times the ICSC-estimated $451-per-square-foot industry average.
The Church by the Sea is a progressive Protestant church associated with the United Church of Christ that has served the spiritual needs of people of all ages and backgrounds in the Miami Beach area and surrounding communities since 1945. For more information, visit
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Media Inquiries:
Susan R. Miller
Boardroom Communications Inc.
954-370-8999 (office)
954-294-4973 (cell)
Rev. Robert Asinger
Church by the Sea
305-866-0321
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Datum: 18.09.2012 - 08:45 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
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