October 15, 2020
DDC Journal: Live Eat and Stay in Delray
By Live Eat and Stay in Delray
Live, Eat and Stay in Deray
Mixed-use development company breaks ground on Florida's largest food hall and an upscale boutique hotel in Delray Beach
In the heart of downtown Delray Beach, Florida, construction is un• derway on Delray Beach Market, a best-in-class food hall, and The Ray, a luxury boutique hotel in Pineapple Grove. Menin Development, Inc., a premier commercial real estate developer and manager, is behind the two game-changing projects. The Ray and Delray Beach Market are located two blocks north and 50 yards south of Atlantic Avenue, respectively--onc of Florida's busiest and most pedestrian-traveled streets. The Ray will help fill the local market's demand for high-end accommodations, and Delray Beach Market will enhance Delray's reputation as a food and beverage destination with the addition of healthy quick-service, eclectic and authentic dining options. "A lot of these chefs, who have food trucks or are in green markets, can't yet afford brick-and-mortar [locations)," says Jordana Jarjura, Vice President and General Counsel at Menin Development. "They have, with social media and word of mouth, created a real following, but they're maybe not at the point where they could go into a standalone building or take on a construction build-out. Having a food hall takes them to that next step without the risk and upfront financial investment." STANDOUT DESIGNS Both Delray Beach Market and The Ray will feature noteworthy architectural designs. Delray Beach Market is poised to be the largest food hall in the state, encompassing 60,000 square feet of a 150,000 square-foot, four-story building with mezzanine levels and an additional basement level. The structure will have a 220-car, four-level parking garage, as well as a drop-oH area for Uber and Lyft vehicles. It will feature 35 indi-vidually curated vendors, each offering authentic cuisine from South Florida chefs or quick-serve healthy food and breakfast options. Jarjura says food brings people together, and Delray Beach Market will be the Village by the Sea's community hub.
"The food hall craze has really taken off," she says. "A community marketplace (concept) featuring local vendors and artisans has been around forever in Europe, but it's really on-trend in the U.S. right now."
KAST Construction is the general contractor for the Delray Beach Market project, with RCC Associates serving as the interior contractor of the individual booths. Crews broke ground in December 2019, and the project is set to open in Spring of 2021. The architecture, by Gonzalez Architecture, is "Masony Modern." and the interior design is by Celano Design Studio. The project's design intent is to pay homage to Delray's beachside surf culture and to keep the focus on the food.
Meanwhile, The Ray, also designed by Jose Gonzalez and under construction by Moss Construction, embraces "Tropical Modernism"-an architectural style brought to life with an abundance of landscaping, living walls, rooftop gardens and large-scale art installations that utilize sustainable building practices and local materials.
"Tropical Modernism, unlike the other architectural styles [that] have consistent design characteristics, is instead dictated by the local context of where the structure is." Jarjura says. "A Tropical Modern building in Brazil is going to look different from a Tropical Modern building in Florida." In addition to referencing local culture and materials, Tropical Modernism is known for incorporating rating open spaces, native vegetation and light and air ventilation. The Ray will be LEED® Certified and incor-porate living walls and a green roof. The design-focused hotel boasts the work of three award-winning interior designers: Celano Design Studio, Studio Munge and Virserius Studio.
The Ray will offer 141 oversized "smart" ho-tel rooms and a ffoating, glass-enclosed. 200-person event space called "The Cube." Additionally, the boutique hotel will offer many luxury amenities, including a 20,000 square-foot rooftop deck with a pool, restaurant and bar. On the ground floor, the Ray will have a fitness center, a coffe shop and two full-service restaurants, including a Michelin-rated chef's signature restaurant. Menin Development expects to welcome The Ray's first guests in April 2021.
UPSCALE MIXED-USE
Founded in 1985, Menin Development is seasoned in the acquisition, development,leasing and management of high-end urban commercial properties across the United States. The privately held firm is currently headquartered in Delray Beach and has acquired and developed in excess of $1 billion of property in South Florida and throughout the Southeast. In 2014, the firm began pivoting away from large-scale suburban retail properties to pursue more mixed-use commercial projects in urban areas in South Florida, as well as some select tenant acquisitions in upscale real estate markets across the country. The Ray and Delray Beach Market are the first projects to come out of Menin Development's concerted move toward vertical urban design and construction. The team at Menin Development is passionate about enhancing the communities in which it develops and manages properties. Downtown Delray is a rapidly developing and highly concentrated area, and Jarjura says the team is thrilled about the opportunity to contribute to the burgeoning market that both she and the company's President and CEO, Craig Menin, call home. "The uses that we're bringing into the city, the type of designers and tenants we're bringing to these projects and the elevated architecture-I'm proud to be part of that, because I'm making my city a much better and more desirable place to live, work and play,• she says.
View Source: https://www.ddcjournal.com/issues/spring2020/