151 At Biscayne

My friend recently moved in so I paid a visit. It’s nice to see all the upgrades being made around the property. We hung out in the new lobby with some other friends – it’s a really nice new space. Looking forward to hanging out there more often.

Had not been to this property in a few years, but came back recently to visit the new sales center. It’s nice to see work being done to make improvements — security has definitely been stepped up (security guards take down the license plate numbers of all visitors) and the landscaping was being worked on while I was there. The new sales center is gorgeous… glad I came back to check it out.

Happy to see the new security measures in place – the security guards at the front are doing a great job of checking ID’s and taking down license plate numbers. Plus, a new security gate will be up and running soon. Glad that safety and security are now a top priority.

We’ve need a new lobby here for a long time and we finally got one. It has a pool table, ping pong table and room to hangout with friends.
Good new addition to the property.

In the market to purchace a condo with a killer view at a reasonable price point, stopped by there new sales center and was very impressed for the new plans on this building. The young lady in the sales office was very knowledgeable and explained every question I asked in details. I was blown away with what is coming to this area «The best kept secret in Aventura/​Sunny Isles» needless to say I will be buying and calling this my home!!!

So glad to finally see that the new improvements will be done. The units are huge really huge!!! Views are amazing you can’t get a better deal for the money. As the market for both rent and sale keeps increasing. I can see how this is the best option for my family.

Where should I start? After one year as a tenant, it’s time to go. There are too many cons to suggest anyone move to these buildings. Hotwire, which is the worst cable/​internet/​phone company I’ve EVER done business with. They supply BL with service. Elevators are animal urine filled, dirty and not air conditioned. Forget about amenities except our wonderful gym where most machines are broken and the tenants steal the free weights. The maintenance team cannot speak English and take three days to respond to issues. Our management office is clueless and unhelpful. Situations happen on the grounds and BL tries to keep tenants in the dark. Unfortunately, 2 weeks ago, someone decide to take their life and jump off of their 12 story balcony. 2 weeks later, the building has failed to inform residents of post a letter of sorrow for the family. All they care for is rent money. The parking is another story along with the security situation.
Take it from me, the apartment is beautiful but this is not the place to be. Spend your hard earned money somewhere where it’s appreciated!

I really wanted to like this place – I really did. In the end, it was too risky and too much of a forecast of hassle, trauma, headache, more hassle… Okay, you see where this is going.
As we all know, the apartment hunt quickly becomes a massive headache here in Dade. Back in 2009, I saw over 100 apartments! Having made the decision that I wasn’t going to do that ever again, I started jokingly screaming, «[expletive]! I’m just going to move into a [expletive]ing roach motel for $ 800/​month and just live with it!»
We all know that’s not going to happen!
Biscayne Landing is built upon a former EPA Superfund site. It was a dump for all sorts of mid-​level toxic items back in the 1970s. A Miami-​Dade wastewater treatment plant is situated across the street and hidden amongst the mosquito condos (mangroves). The entire planned development is almost 200 acres, but only these two buildings and its parking garage have been built. There is the Biscayne campus of FIU and several Miami-​Dade public schools nearby. They were part of the original masterplan, but recently decided to distance themselves and become their own little area.
As you drive up to Biscayne Landing, you can see that the streets were only half finished, trees & plants appear unkempt, the irrigation system appears broken, street lights are missing a few globes, chain link fences with faded green construction netting surrounds you at every turn – and to top it all off – a one-​lane road has been made into two extremely narrow lanes (can you imagine a moving truck’s hassle) because there’s only one way in and out of this place.
As you arrive to the section of mildly better landscaped areas, you’ll see a guard standing outside in front of a cone. There’s a litter of radios scattered on the sidewalk near the outdoor guard shack – which consists of those radios, a couch and a few clipboards. It’s not the most flattering site when guests arrive.
The buildings themselves have a strong Russian/​North Korean look to them and they look much better from afar. As you get closer you can see rust and dirt collecting on the buildings.
The parking garage is a nightmare. On each level there are four sets of speed bumps. No, not humps… bumps. Believe me, going up and down that dingy dark garage would get seriously old after a few weeks of those speed bumps.
The leasing office staff were surprisingly friendly. During my initial visit, I had no idea of the EPA Superfund site. I was alarmed that a massive three bedroom with den apartment was only $ 2200. I asked our friendly leasing consultant, «Why is the price so low?!»
Her face was what prompted me to do some digging. She displayed a momentary expression of panic. She was probably thinking, «Oh, shit, I don’t want them to ask me about the toxic waste and the ammonia plume!»
The apartments are massive. Massive. Cavernous. I was shocked! Most of them have really ugly brown carpet that hasn’t been stretched properly. Yuck.
I saw a few units with tile throughout. These were the best looking ones. Some units are «to’ up» and some are in pretty good shape. It’s typical Miami… lots of mierda with some diamonds mixed in.
The bathrooms are pretty decent they went huge in the bathroom also, but the cheap shower doors were a minus.
Kitchens are semi-​decent. The appliances are medium grade, with exception for the cheap refrigerator. Cabinetry is also semi-​decent. And, yes, the drawers are soft closing. There is a separate large laundry room with storage. Very nice.
Apartments on the 11+ floors have an ocean view to Sunny Isles – there’s absolutely no complaint about the view in this building. Even the lower floors have a serene view of the mangroves – though you may want to think twice about opening your terrace doors because you know what lives virtually unchecked in mangroves – MUCHOS MOSQUITOS!
The elevators are pretty dingy and the intercom/​call box is dusty and vacant. Basically, «It be broke, [expletive]!»
There’s no pool or amenities to speak of. That’s all a big war between the developer and the people living there. Let’s not get into that now. There is a small gym that’s inside a converted apartment. It was typical crap apartment gym and it was cold as [expletive] in there!!!
The residents walking around the property didn’t seem to be growing any horns or resemble any of the deformed characters from The Oblongs. Most were pretty friendly and quite a few seemed typical Miami shady (to be fair, maybe they were visiting.) There seem to be quite a few families living here, which is typically a good sign. Most of the residents I spoke to said that their biggest complaint is when the wind kicks up the «god awful odor» from the nearby sewage plant. Ekkhh!
In the end, it’s a cheap building that includes a whole lot of bang for the buck. Cable, Internet and water/​trash is at no additional cost. Consider it carefully as it’s in a great location but also has many downsides.