SUNRISE — Right now, this sprawling parcel home to the future $2 billion project known as Metropica might not look like much.
But in time, this patch of earth in western Sunrise will be teeming with people who live in one of 3,300 homes. People who work in one of four office towers. People who book a room in one of two hotels and flock to the high-end restaurants, shops and entertainment spots.
“We are trying to create a special lifestyle where people can walk to the coffee shops and the restaurants and have it all there,” said Joseph Kavana, CEO of Metropica Development. “This won’t be just a city within a city. This is going to be a dream community.”
The long-awaited mixed-use development sits between Sawgrass Mills, one of the largest tourist destinations in Florida, and Amerant Bank Arena, home of the Florida Panthers hockey champs.
So far, one condo tower has been built.
One Metropica stands 28 stories high and offers 263 luxury residences selling for anywhere from $600,000 to $2 million. The tower opened in late 2020, three years after construction began.
On Tuesday, Metropica celebrated another groundbreaking at 2000 Metropica Way, where crews will continue to develop the first 20 acres of the entire 50-acre development over the next three years.
“Today is an important day not just for us, but for all of West Broward and Sunrise,” Kavana said during the groundbreaking ceremony. “We are creating a downtown for Sunrise.”
Before vertical construction can begin, the underground work needs to be completed. Over the next 12 months, crews will install water and sewer pipes, landscaping and lighting, streets and sidewalks.
When the work is done, three residential towers with a total of more than 1,000 apartments will be standing along with one hotel, one office building and more than 150,000 square feet of retail space.
Sunrise Mayor Mike Ryan spoke at Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony, praising Kavana for never giving up on his dream project.
“You never lost sight of the vision, which is why we stand here today,” Ryan said.
The mayor called Tuesday’s groundbreaking a milestone for Metropica and the city of Sunrise.
“Metropica is not just about buildings,” Ryan said. “Metropica is about people. It’s about walkability. It’s about a way of life. We’re going to be turning over more than dirt today. We’re turning a page in the history of Sunrise and, I would say, in the history of West Broward.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan
