ELLE Residences Miami: A Bayfront Edgewater Tower Beside Its Resale Neighbors

ELLE Residences Miami is a planned condominium tower in Edgewater, the Biscayne Bay neighborhood north of Downtown Miami and south of the Julia Tuttle Causeway. It is the first residential building for the ELLE fashion and lifestyle brand. In a May 30, 2024 press release, Lagardère described it as the brand's first real estate development and said it would bring Parisian influence to the neighborhood. Florida YIMBY reported in June 2024 that the name is used under a licensing agreement with Lagardère Médias News, the owner of the ELLE brand.

The Real Deal reported on May 29, 2024 that the tower would rise 25 stories and hold 180 units, and that it would stand on a half-acre site at 3618 Northeast Fifth Avenue, which also fronts Northeast 36th Street and Interstate 195. Florida YIMBY reported that the developers' plans cover a 19,292-square-foot assemblage of parcels along Northeast 36th Street and Northeast Fifth Avenue. It also reported that the building was designed by Behar, Font & Partners, with ELLE collaborating with The One Atelier on interiors.

The development team is Vertical Developments and Urban Network Capital Group. The project's official website describes Vertical Developments as a South Florida developer led by Fernando de Nuñez and backed by a Peruvian development group, with a focus on boutique branded condominiums. Those are the facts a buyer can verify today. Anything about final finishes, unit mix and timing belongs in the offering documents the developer furnishes, which the project's own marketing materials say can change.

Edgewater's identity is tied to Biscayne Bay. The neighborhood is anchored by Margaret Pace Park, an eight-acre waterfront park with bay views, and many of its older and newer towers line Biscayne Boulevard and the streets running east to the shore. The ELLE Residences site sits a few blocks inland from that edge, with Northeast 36th Street and I-195 as its documented frontages. Marketing describes the project as a bayfront address in the neighborhood sense. The reported site description does not say the parcel touches the bay.

The distinction matters when you compare buildings. Some existing Edgewater condominiums sit directly on the bulkhead, with their own bay-facing pool decks, lounges and, in some cases, dockage. Others are a street or two back and rely on elevation for their views. For a 25-story tower, upper floors will see the bay and skyline over the neighborhood, but the exposure of each line, whether east toward the water, north, or south, is something to confirm on the actual floor plan and stack. Ask the developer which residences have direct bay views, what is likely to be built in front of them, and where the nearest public access to the water is.

For a building of this height, ask for the view study and the unit-by-unit orientation, rather than relying on a rendering. A view of open water, a view of the causeway and a view of a neighboring tower are three different things. A physical visit to a comparable floor height at an existing nearby building can also help.

The most basic difference is that ELLE Residences Miami is a project in development, while the existing waterfront condominiums of Edgewater are finished, occupied buildings. Edgewater's stock is wide-ranging. Buildings such as Blue Condominium, Cite on the Bay, Onyx on the Bay and One Paraiso differ from each other in era, scale and setting, and they range from smaller loft-style buildings to tall high-rises. Each has a different physical history, so there is no single resale profile to compare against.

New construction offers modern building systems and contemporary finishes, and a longer period before major updates are needed, as a general matter. A resale building lets you walk the property, see how the common areas have aged, read the association's operating history and meet the people who live there. Neither path is better in the abstract. Buying pre-completion means judging a plan, while buying a finished building means judging a record.

With a resale building, ask for the association's recent financial statements, any structural or milestone inspection reports, and the reserve schedule. With a tower still in development, ask for the developer's offering documents, the construction schedule as currently stated, and how the association's budget is built when no operating history exists. The questions differ, but the aim is the same: to see the building behind its marketing.

ELLE Residences Miami is a branded project, and its identity rests on design. The project materials describe interiors inspired by ELLE DÉCOR, and the developers say ELLE will work with The One Atelier on the design. Florida YIMBY's 2024 report on the tower described two floors of amenities. The final amenity list, its layout and any operator arrangements should be confirmed against the current offering documents, since marketing descriptions at this stage are subject to change.

Existing Edgewater buildings, by contrast, tend to compete on how they use the water. Photographs of Blue Condominium, Cite on the Bay, Onyx on the Bay and One Paraiso emphasize pool decks, amenity decks, bayfront lounges and, at One Paraiso, tennis courts. These are amenities you can use, test and judge on a weekday afternoon. A bay-facing pool deck at a resale building has a real sun path, real crowding and real upkeep.

A useful comparison is to ask where each building places its outdoor space relative to the bay. An amenity floor in a 25-story tower a few blocks from the shore offers a different experience from a deck at the water's edge. The better question is which version of waterfront living you intend to use day to day.

Layouts are the area where a new development and a resale building are hardest to compare without documents in hand. The ELLE Residences materials describe an interior style that blends mid-century modern and contemporary French influences with a tropical note. They do not, in the material reviewed here, give a verified breakdown of unit sizes. Request the current floor plans, including interior square footage and any terrace dimensions, and ask how the developer defines the square footage it quotes.

Existing Edgewater condominiums offer a wider spread of plans. Older buildings may have larger rooms and different ceiling heights or glass lines. Newer ones may favor open kitchens and broad window walls. In a finished building you can measure the room, check the sun, listen for noise from the street and look at the actual balcony. In a project not yet built, floor plans are drawings, and the developer's own disclaimers note that dimensions are approximate and may vary.

Pay attention to the practical details that plans reveal: storage, laundry location, balcony depth, elevator count relative to the number of homes, and how the unit sits relative to the corridor and the neighboring tower. These matter more over time than the finish palette.

Edgewater is among Miami's more central neighborhoods. The Design District and the Shops at Midtown are close to the ELLE Residences site, which sits near the Julia Tuttle Causeway and the I-195 corridor toward Miami Beach. That connectivity is part of the appeal, and it also means the tower is next to a major road. Ask about sound, the orientation of the units relative to I-195, and the construction activity expected nearby.

Edgewater has become a center of new development, with branded and luxury projects joining older bayfront buildings. The Real Deal noted in May 2024 that other branded projects were planned in the neighborhood, including Edition Residences. That means a buyer in Edgewater is comparing not only one new tower with older ones, but several planned and existing buildings with different positions on the shore. Walk the streets around each address at different times of day, and note what stands between the building and the bay.

A fair comparison begins with a short list: one or two Edgewater buildings directly on the water, one inland tower, and ELLE Residences Miami. For each, gather the same items: the exact view line from the unit you would buy, the amenity spaces and who can use them, the association documents or offering documents, and the building's physical condition or construction status. Keep the comparison to what you can verify, and leave out claims about what any building will be worth later.

Because this is a waterfront decision, treat the water as its own line item. Ask whether the bay view is protected or open to change, whether the building has dockage or a bayfront deck, and whether the water you would see is open bay, a causeway or a neighboring tower's facade. If you would like help sorting a short list of Edgewater buildings, Denis Smykalov and the team at Wolsen Waterfront can walk through the buildings and documents with you.