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Aventura Mall's Expansion Could Include More Luxury Tenants

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Photo by <a href="http://wordmiami.blogspot.com/2014/03/is-aventura-mall-gutting-their-food.html">Prem Lee Barbosa</a>
Photo by Prem Lee Barbosa

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If you shop by the old saying the bigger the better, Aventura mall is about to become the second best in the country. You've probably already heard the buzz about Aventura's impending expansion; the mall is currently the largest in Florida and the 16th largest in the country. As Curbed put it, "Suck it, King of Prussia Mall." Now, proposed floor plans reveal some hints of things to come—including, potentially, some exciting new high-end tenants.

Prem Lee Barbosa, blogger at local news commentary site Miamuh, got the scoop the good old fashioned way, by visiting the City of Aventura's planning department and photographing the design plans. We're not architects, but we are seasoned shoppers who know how to decode a mall floor plan. A quick look at the plans (which you can see here) suggests that the first floor will contain uniformly-sized spaces, the second will have a bit more variety, with both smaller and larger spaces, and the third floor only has room for a handful of tenants in larger spaces.

The expansion is set to focus on building up the mall's luxury tenants who will most likely take up those smaller boutiques on the first floor. "What will occupy the third level remains a mystery, although it may be some kind of 'special feature' like the Equinox Gym and AMC movie theater that are on level three of the other two expansions," reports Curbed.

Barbosa is most interested in the future of the "transit hub," the bus stop area that's accessible through the food court. Rumors are flying that the food court will get a renovation, but with that renovation comes a concern that "any closure of the food court would also seal off the entrance to the mall nearest the bus stop."

As for those driving their own cars to the mall, Barbosa picked up some useful intel. A new seven story parking garage is going up right next to JCPenney, plus Macy's will finally get to expand, not to mention the 241,000 new square feet.

There hasn't been much word on future tenants but we're crossing our fingers for some New York stores that haven't made it this far south yet—we're talking to you, Barneys, Uniqlo and Muji. —Patricia Guarch Wise
· It's Official: Aventura Mall is Beefing Up [Racked Miami]
· Plans Revealed For Aventura Mall's Third Huge Expansion [Curbed Miami]
· Is Aventura Mall gutting their food court? [Miamuh]