What’s being built there? 2 Ritz-Carlton buildings offer luxury seekers a beach restaurant, spa, yacht club
This real-estate feature from the South Florida Sun Sentinel highlights the latest plans for new construction as demand rises for more housing, offices and stores across the region. You can submit questions through this form or by emailing buildings@sunsentinel.com, if you’re wondering about “what’s being built there?” in your community. Here’s one of the latest projects.
The location? 1380 S. Ocean Blvd. in Pompano Beach, about a mile south of East Atlantic Boulevard.
What’s planned? The Ritz-Carlton Residences will be two buildings, on both sides of State Road A1A with 205 move-in ready homes.
The Beach Tower on the east will be 31 stories with 117 beachside units and one floor of underground parking. The Marina Tower, which is 14 stories high, has 88 residences. This won’t be a hotel, and no AirBnB is permitted.
“Pompano Beach is putting on the Ritz,” said Mayor Rex Hardin. “I’ll tell you, it’s a great time for the city of Pompano Beach. To get this kind of recognition that Pompano Beach is a destination, the recognition that the city, the staff cooperate so well with the development community to attract this type of investment, it’s fantastic.
“It’s a validation of what we’ve been working on for many years.”
What will the homes cost to purchase and what are the amenities? Homes range in price from $1.256 million to $7.133 million. Marina-side units are already sold during pre-construction. The beachside building has just nine units left, said Harvey Daniels, the vice president of development sales.
Homeowners will be in the lap of luxury with access to both a private Beach Club with a beach restaurant — with the Ritz menu that is typically seasonal — and towel service and wait service to be served a drink or lunch (or both) on the beach.
“It’s only open to residents and guests,” Daniels said.
There is also a private Yacht Club, with 13 slips, which are all already sold. There will be a bar area for a cocktail at sunset on the marina, and a pickup and dropoff dock “if someone has friends with boats you can get picked up and dropped off,” Daniels said.
There also will be a spa, two pools facing the ocean, a gym, business center, dog park, bocci court, paddleball or pickleball court, 24-hour valet, and a doorman.
“This is a hot commodity,” said Ron Choron, the vice president of construction for Fortune Development & Construction, one of the project developers. “Ritz is the best. It’s where I try to stay when I go out of town. The service is always the same.”
The architecture for the Residences is crafted by Piero Lissoni, an Italian designer.
The homes will range from one to four bedrooms, which are the penthouses. Homeowners have a choice of flooring, doors, baseboards, cabinets and vanities.
What’s being replaced? The property on the east side of State Road A1A was previously a 3-story, 96-room motel called Paradise Beach Resort that sustained hurricane damage and was eventually demolished in 2009. The west side parcel was tennis courts, which were demolished about a decade ago, according to Sandra King, city spokeswoman.
Other than in Pompano Beach, where is the nearest Ritz to purchase? The Ritz-Carlton Residences Sunny Isles Beach is an oceanfront 52-story, 212-unit, luxury building located at 15701 Collins Ave. in Miami-Dade County that opened in 2020. It boasts a private elevator lobby for each residence and kitchens designed with Italian cabinetry and stone countertops.
There are two-, three- and four-bedroom ocean-view residences for sale as resales in the building. No new units are left.
Kelly Charles, a Realtor with “The Luxury Team” at Compass, who has sold in both Sunny Isles Beach and Pompano Beach, said many of her buyers are from the northeast who are “planning for future retirement or second homes.” Those well-to-do clients are getting “all the amenities they could possible want” that come with “Ritz-trained staff.”
“There’s nothing else to compare to in Pompano,” Charles said. “People feel comfortable with the brand they already know.”
How long will Pompano Beach construction take? The residences are scheduled to open in September 2026. Both the east and west buildings are expected to open at the same time.
What is the project anticipated cost? Construction costs are $350 million, Choron said.
Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash