Six years after Miami residents approved a plan to build an eco-adventure resort on the site of the Jungle Island theme park, a new proposal to redevelop part of the city-owned site could go before voters this fall.
Terra, a Coconut Grove real estate developer, and ESJ Capital Partners, an Aventura investment firm, have proposed building a residential tower and public park to replace the 18-acre Jungle Island that exists today. That plan is expected to go before the City Commission in July, according to a city spokesman. If the commission approves the proposal, it will go before Miami voters on the November ballot. The project must be put to a referendum because of its location on Watson Island, a city-owned waterfront property.
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In addition to the residential tower, which would occupy five acres, the developer’s plans for the site include a 13-acre waterfront public park and a boardwalk connecting the north side of Watson Island to the south side, where the Miami Children’s Museum is located, according to a statement from Terra and ESJ Capital Partners released last week. ESJ Capital Partners acquired the lease and rights to Jungle Island in 2017 and brought Terra in as a partner on the residential plans.
The new proposal deviates from a previous redevelopment plan that was approved by voters in 2018 and received final approval from the City Commission in 2021. That project, an eco-adventure resort with a 300-room hotel, zip line and water slides, was also led by ESJ Capital Partners, which said the plans were changed because the market is different than it was six years ago.
“The world has changed due to Covid, and Miami’s urban core has grown and evolved exponentially,” Arnaud Sitbon, president and CEO of ESJ Capital Partners, said in an email. “These changes in the community, coupled with ESJ’s focus on ensuring the best possible use of this property, led us to transition from the hotel model to a residential model.”
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Sitbon said Jungle Island will continue to operate at its current capacity until the referendum and the “subsequent process” are completed. He said his team is exploring the possibility of relocating the theme park’s animals elsewhere, but did not provide further details.
Sitbon added that the city will receive more property taxes and public space under the new plan.
The previous hotel plan was approved by 59% of voters in a 2018 referendum. To be viable, the condominium proposal would need to receive more than 50% approval on the November ballot.
