Photo Courtesy of City of Miami
Audio By Carbonatix
By 6 a.m., a steady mechanical hum seeps into bedrooms at Quantum on the Bay in Edgewater, the soundtrack of Edge House construction on the other side of the narrow alley behind their building. The developer has floated a so-called Good Neighbor Agreement that would have allowed 5 a.m. concrete pours under a city noise waiver, with token concessions like debris netting and pool-deck cleanings, but none of the closest buildings signed on. To neighbors, the proposal looked less like a gesture of goodwill and more like a developer tactic to secure waivers while sidestepping the real disruptions residents are already experiencing. Considering that construction has taken place at all hours, despite the lack of signed agreements, their concerns seem well-founded.
Edge House is the latest monolith due to rise in Edgewater’s skyline, a 57-story tower marketed to buyers as a condo with short-term rental flexibility. “With short-term rentals permitted, residents will have the flexibility to capitalize on Miami’s thriving tourism industry,” a September 2024 Edge House blog reads, “making it not just a residence but an investment opportunity unlike any other.”
That contradiction is no accident: it’s enabled by the Miami 21 Code of Ordinances, the city’s form-based zoning code, which developers and their architects have learned to treat as a playbook of exploitable loopholes.
The zoning analysis Edge House filed with the city is explicit: “Hotel units to be used for short-term stay (30 days or less).” Under Miami 21 Article 4, lodging uses are subject to lighter parking requirements and have clearer paths to obtaining zoning waivers.
But its marketing tells a different story. On Instagram and at a Biscayne Boulevard sales gallery, the high-end condos are sold as a “luxury home-sharing tower” with 608 turnkey residences and “flexible ownership.” A petition opposing the project, signed by more than 1,500 neighbors, spells out the frustration: “The developers appear to be disclosing two different narratives: one to foreign and local investors and another to city officials. This is a blatant violation of ethical business practices and potentially legal regulations, as it misleads the public and undermines the trust in the planning and approval processes.”
“The applicant is proposing a hotel with 608 Lodging Units,” a City of Miami spokesperson wrote in an email inquiring about whether the property was a hotel or residence. “For all lodging uses stays must be less than 1 month in duration. Please note that each lodging unit has a density of 0.5 dwelling units. Thus, if they have 608 lodging units then their total density on site will be 304 units as lodging units have half of the density of a multifamily dwelling units.”
Miami 21’s public benefits program is designed to balance taller towers with civic amenities, including parks, plazas, playgrounds, community gardens, and open spaces. In practice, the benefits often vanish once shovels hit the dirt. At Edge House’s September 17 Urban Development Review Board hearing, the team flip-flopped on whether its promised park would even be open to the public. Neighbors know how that ends. The nearby Amara, luxury apartments in Wynwood, touted a bayfront “public park” to earn its bonus height. Today, the space is fenced off, effectively private.
Edge House’s detrimental impacts are visible long before it opens its doors. The shared alley behind Quantum on the Bay and the 1800 Club has already taken a beating from heavy equipment and service trucks, with residents reporting broken pavement and worsening disrepair. Mature trees on the property were removed under circumstances neighbors say were misrepresented to the city. Complaints also point to crews starting work outside approved hours and blocking public sidewalks before permits for closures were even in place. For neighbors, the pattern is clear: if these are the developer’s practices during construction, the neighborhood can expect little regard for rules once the tower opens.
Edge House did not return New Times’ requests for comment via phone or email.
Beyond the quality of life issues that Edgewater residents face during construction, adding a short-term rental property to the block often comes with its own drama. Opera Tower embraced short-term rentals in the last decade, and chaos followed: party units, shootings, and round-the-clock turnover. In 2020, its condo association sued Airbnb, arguing the building had become an “unlicensed hotel.” Only after stricter house rules did the building stabilize.
Developers often work with architects who are well-versed in the complexities of the city’s zoning code. Kobi Karp, the architect behind Edge House, has designed numerous projects under the code, including the 1600 Edgewater tower, the Ellipsis project on NE 26th Street, and the Edgewater Collective towers at 1900 and 2000 Biscayne Boulevard. His firm is recognized for its familiarity with navigating Miami’s development regulations.
Kobi Karp did not respond to a New Times email request for comment.
Edge House is not a one-off. Within a few blocks, at least three more towers are in process: the twin 42-story Edgewater Collective, 1600 Edgewater, and 2900 Terrace. Together, they add thousands of units to a district where the infrastructure already strains. This wave traces back to Miami 21. Pitched in 2009 as a progressive, walkable zoning code under Mayor Manny Diaz, it was shaped with significant input from developers. Its DNA favors density, waivers, and “public benefits” that often stay private. And since 2025, the Administrative Site Plan Review process has streamlined development approvals and eliminated the need for special permits for projects that meet zoning requirements.
Edge House reflects broader trends in Miami’s development landscape, where construction has accelerated faster than upgrades to local infrastructure. Each new project adds to the demand on existing roads, drainage systems, and schools. More than a decade after Miami 21’s adoption, questions remain about whether the code has delivered the balanced, livable growth it envisioned.
