The Collins Avenue corridor stretching through Surfside and Bal Harbour has entered a new chapter, one defined by ultra-luxury development, architectural ambition, and a community still processing the trauma of the Champlain Towers South collapse that killed 98 people in June 2021.
The most significant development is The Delmore, a 12-story luxury condominium being built on the former Champlain Towers South site by DAMAC International, the Dubai-based developer. Announced in January 2025 and designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the project launched sales in May 2025 with units starting at $15 million. Construction has already begun, with completion expected in 2029. The project emphasizes state-of-the-art structural engineering, a pointed response to the tragedy that preceded it.
The Delmore joins a growing roster of ultra-luxury projects reshaping this stretch of oceanfront. Rivage Bal Harbour, Ocean House Surfside, and Surf Row Residences are all in various stages of development, collectively adding several hundred high-end units to a market segment that barely existed a decade ago.
Bal Harbour, the tiny municipality of just 3,000 residents known primarily for its upscale shopping center (Bal Harbour Shops), has essentially run out of buildable oceanfront land. That scarcity has pushed developers south into Surfside, where zoning allows for taller buildings and oceanfront parcels are still (relatively) available.
The luxury DNA of the area was established by FENDI Chateau Residences, the 12-story all-glass boutique tower that opened in 2016 with units starting at 3,400 square feet. A few blocks south, The Surf Club Four Seasons Hotel and Residences occupies 815 linear feet of oceanfront, offering both hotel rooms and private residences. In November 2025, Fort Partners sold the penthouse at its adjacent Seaway Condos and Villas at The Surf Club for a record $86 million, the highest price ever paid for a condo in Miami-Dade County.
That $86 million sale topped the previous county record set at the same complex, where an entity tied to Apple had sold a penthouse for $44 million in 2024.
Oceana Bal Harbour continues to perform well on the resale market, with strong demand driven by its resort-style amenities spread across 5.5 acres. By contrast, Champlain Towers North and East (the surviving sister buildings of the collapsed tower) have seen values stagnate around $490 per square foot, a stark reminder of the collapse lingering shadow.
For buyers, the Collins Avenue corridor offers something increasingly rare in Miami: direct oceanfront living in a low-rise, residential neighborhood with walkable access to Bal Harbour Shops and some of South Floridas best dining. As new product delivers over the next few years, this stretch is poised to rival Miami Beach for the title of premier oceanfront address.
Photo: Daniel A / Unsplash
