“Don’t build here”. That’s the message from the Village of Palmetto Bay, a small enclave on Miami-Dade’s Biscayne Bay, when talking about a flood prone stretch of coastal property. In fact, regulators say the property has a one-in-four-chance of serious flooding. For most builders, this stretch of Florida real estate is the place NOT to be. But that hasn’t deterred Manny Varas.
Manny Varas is the owner and CEO of MV Group USA, a luxury home builder in Miami. Varas is convinced that he can build a $50 million dollar luxury estate on the property which he describes as “a flood proof bunker”. If his track record of building high-end luxury homes that encompass both value and environmental resilience is any indication, he can do it too.
Varas obtained a skeptical “go ahead” from Palmetto Village for his latest project, the G house, after he agreed to abide by federal, state, and local building regulations. From the outside, the project looked like it was one of those things that you can do, the question remains should you do it? For Varas, the answer was a resounding yes.
Designed by Studio KHORA architects, construction has started on the G House, 26,000 square feet of waterfront living that makes it likely the largest waterfront home in Miami-Dade. The home will feature amenities like an infinity pool, cascading waterfalls, ponds, patios and balconies without view-obstructing columns, and even a golf course, all accented by a lush mangrove garden.
Varas says the home is built to withstand a Category 5 Hurricane – and it may have to. G House is being built right where Hurricane Andrew raged across the Florida coastline in August, 1992. That storm set a record storm surge in this very spot of 16.9 feet, packing winds of 140 mph…