Two Players Pitch Loft Project
Douglas Hanks
February 24, 2003
A Marlin and an ex-Marlin are joining a crowded field: developers of lofts in South Florida.
Luis Castillo and Edgar Renteria are partners in the Westside Lofts venture, planned for 1320 14th Ter., in Miami Beach. The site sits on West Avenue across from the Waverly condominiums.
Developer Royal Bay Group said the building will rise five stories and house 15 loft condominiums, with 18-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass windows. (For information, call 305-672-7722.) The project joins a growing list of buildings being designed as lofts: wide-open and sparse units evoking urban edginess and all-around trendiness. Developers have also used the concept to dress up B-list real estate.
Castillo and Renteria, who are putting up half the money for the project, each reseverd a unit, Royal Bay Group said. Prices start in the $200,000s.
Second-baseman Castillo, a league leader in stolen bases who managed a 35-game hitting streak last season, renewed his Marlins contract this winter for $4.8 million. Renteria, a shortstop with the St. Louis Cardinals, was a hero of the Marlins' 1997 World Series championship. The team won it on Renteria's single, scoring Craig Counsell in the bottom of the 11th inning.
''El Nino'' was hailed as a national hero in his native Colombia, embraced as a star here, and named an All-Star the next year. And then Florida traded him to St. Louis.
Renteria is back as South Florida baseball remains in the dumps, but South Florida real estate continues a remarkable streak of soaring prices and new project announcements. Turf won't speculate on the standings come October.
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