Waterfront Penthouses in North Miami: Bayfront New Developments to Watch

North Miami sits on the western shore of Biscayne Bay, north of the dense condominium corridors of Edgewater and Miami Beach. For decades its waterfront was defined by older, low-profile condominium buildings and single-family streets. That is beginning to change, and the top floors of the newest towers are where the change is most visible to a buyer who cares about the water.

Florida YIMBY reported in June 2025 that North Miami's City Council had approved a 22-story luxury condominium project by Continuum Company on Biscayne Bay. According to that report, the tower will replace an aging waterfront condominium building, and the outlet described it as one of the most prominent signals yet of the city's waterfront redevelopment potential and growing luxury appeal. A building of that height on the bay is the kind of site where a penthouse can offer a wide, unobstructed view in more than one direction.

A note on geography helps when you search. North Miami and North Miami Beach are separate cities with separate planning processes, and several new bayfront projects marketed under one name sit in the other. Always confirm the municipality, the street address and the exact shoreline condition of a building before comparing it with another.

Public approvals are the firmest ground for judging which projects are real. In its June 2025 coverage, Florida YIMBY described the Continuum Company tower as approved by the North Miami City Council. The same report noted that Redwood Co. is planning two major developments in North Miami: a proposed 561-unit apartment community near a city park, and a larger 2,190-unit, eight-building complex designed by Kobi Karp. Those are not waterfront penthouse products, but they show the scale of the activity around the bayfront sites.

Florida YIMBY also reported a major 39-acre, city-owned redevelopment in planning. Large public sites like this can change the character of surrounding blocks over time, which matters to a penthouse buyer because the view from a high terrace usually includes the neighborhood as well as the bay. Ask what is approved or proposed on neighboring parcels, and check the city's planning records instead of relying on renderings alone.

For any project still being planned, treat approvals, heights and design details as subject to change until permits are issued and construction is under way. A sales gallery can show an intended terrace and a view corridor; the building department record shows what has actually been authorized.

Solana Bay is listed among the bayfront new developments in North Miami Beach, immediately north of North Miami, and it is one of the names buyers meet first when they search for new bayfront residences in the area. Public information does not detail its penthouse floor plans, terrace dimensions or exact view orientation, so those are questions for the developer rather than assumptions.

When you evaluate a penthouse at a project like this, begin with the practical facts a floor plan reveals. How deep is the terrace, and is it covered or open to the sky? Does it run along one side of the residence or wrap a corner? Which compass direction does it face, and what is directly in front of it: open bay, a neighboring building, or a marina? A bayfront label alone does not answer any of those questions.

Ask also how the penthouse differs from the floors beneath it. Ceiling height, private elevator access, a rooftop or plunge-pool option and the number of parking spaces are the usual separators, and each should appear in the contract documents, not only in the brochure.

Several other waterfront projects appear in developer and listing directories for the North Miami Beach side of the bay. Continuum 12000 is listed as a bayfront-view project in North Miami Beach with a later delivery window than Solana Bay. VODA Waterfront Residences is listed at 4098 Northeast 167th Street, and The Harbour at 16385 Biscayne Boulevard. These projects span different scales and delivery stages, and a buyer should verify each one's status directly, including whether it is marketed, under construction or complete.

Further south along the water, the pipeline reaches North Bay Village and North Beach. Industry updates in early 2026 tracked a proposed 26-story waterfront tower by El-Ad National Properties at 7913-7915 West Drive in North Bay Village, where the developer was seeking approval to exceed an earlier 22-story height and had submitted plans to the village's Planning & Zoning Board. In North Beach, Ella Miami Beach was reported as under construction, and 7200 Collins and Ocean Terrace were among the projects tracked.

These comparisons are useful because they show how many different shoreline conditions are bundled under the phrase waterfront: open Biscayne Bay, a canal, the Intracoastal side, or the ocean itself. A penthouse buyer is paying for a particular view, and the water in that view differs a great deal from one address to the next.

Start with orientation. On the western shore of Biscayne Bay, a west-facing terrace looks toward the downtown Miami skyline across the water at sunset, while an east-facing terrace faces the bay and, beyond it, the barrier islands. Neither is better in the abstract; it depends on whether you want sunrise over the water, evening light, or both from a corner residence. Ask the developer for a view study from the actual floor and position, not a generic rendering.

Next, compare how each building handles outdoor space. Look at terrace depth in square feet, whether the railing is glass or solid, whether there is an outdoor kitchen rough-in, and how wind and sun are managed. Where a developer states a feature, such as a private pool or a summer kitchen, confirm it appears in the unit specifications and the contract exhibits.

Finally, look at the building itself. Check the marina or dock arrangements, if any, along with the amenity deck, the guest policies and the delivery schedule. Review the association documents before reserving a unit, because the budget and rules shape daily life in a building more than the view does.

Because the North Miami penthouse market is still forming, the most useful research is direct and specific. Request the floor plan for the exact residence, the view orientation, the terrace dimensions, the current status of permits and construction, and the developer's track record on completed waterfront buildings. Compare at least two projects on the same criteria so that differences in the water, not in the marketing, drive the decision.

Denis Smykalov and the team at Wolsen Waterfront cover waterfront property across Miami-Dade and Broward, from bayfront condominiums to estates and marinas. Buyers who want a side-by-side review of the North Miami and North Miami Beach projects can contact Wolsen Waterfront to arrange one.