The Lake Katharine Shopping Center is the second commercial district built in Miami Lakes, and was opened in 1972.
It will be rebuilt within the next two years, The Graham Companies has announced.
“From the demolition date to completion, it could take 18 months for the new building to be built,” said Danny Martinez, commercial leasing manager for The Graham Companies, which owns the center. “We’re looking at early 2025 to open.”
The plans for 6105 Miami Lakes Drive by Albert Gonzalez, of AOG Architects in Hialeah, call for a new single-story building with 12,300 square feet. Restaurants are proposed for the northern and southern ends.
The town will review the site plan; variances won’t be required, the company said.
Demolition is expected to be finished by the end of 2023.
The property shares its name with a lake just to the west, which by company tradition is named after a woman in the family.
In this case, it’s the late Katharine Graham, who was married to the late Philip Graham. She was publisher of The Washington Post and inspired the titles for the lake, shopping center and neighborhood.
Not part of the rebuilding project are the NQC drive-thru restaurant or the office condominiums along the north side of the center.
The restaurant planned for the southern end closer to Miami Lakes Drive “has a large outdoor space which we think would really nice [for dining],” Martinez said. “It’s kind of what you see at some of other centers, like at Cypress Village.”
Martinez predicted that both restaurants would do very well.
“With the adjacent business park, Elevate Church and the residential neighborhoods around it, we think it can be a nice value add for the area,” he said. “East of the Publix Shopping Center has been lacking in dining options. NQC is the only food option there.”
As for retail spaces between the restaurants, Martinez said, “We’re open to pretty much any concept. We’ve talked with different fitness concepts.”
The center will be constructed as a shell interior without internal columns, ready for businesses to build out their spaces.
Martinez said there is interest from prospective tenants who realize the value of the neighborhood’s location and its proximity to Northwest 57th Avenue.
“We will not sign any leases until we believe we’re 12 months out from being able to deliver the space,” Martinez said.