The plans for Brickell CityCentre reflect Miami's desire to bring its downtown in line with trends occurring in business districts across the country, where developers are being encouraged to provide convenience to public transportation, street-level retail and underground parking.
The refurbishment could be financed by underground retail shops, similar to the subterranean malls in Montreal.
But he refused to rent the underground retail space for 30 years, saying he had to find the right tenant.
He refused to rent out the underground retail space at 9 West 57th for 30 years, waiting for the right tenant.
Retail and the underground are very different experiences with different rules, regulations and potentials that clients aren't aware of yet.
Mr. Trump poured more than $20 million into decorating the lobby with Vermont Verdi marble and brass trim and rebuilding the outdoor plaza, where he created an underground retail space that sits vacant today.
The towers would surround the footprints of the twin towers and would themselves be surrounded by large glass-bottomed reflecting pools, which would bring natural light to the underground retail and transit concourse.
This summer, two years of new construction and remodeling is scheduled to begin; PWV plans to add about 90,000 square feet of underground retail space and replace the old neighborhood stores with new chain stores.
Designs by David Childs, the architect for Mr. Silverstein and Westfield, call for five office towers, cultural and community buildings, a five-acre memorial and a vast retail complex, partly underground.
And there is no agreement yet on apportioning the bills for the biggest-ticket items -- the roadways, air-cooling plant and foundation walls -- that serve all the users on the site, including about 250,000 square feet of underground retail space.
