A Dubai-based developer plans to build a 12-story luxury condominium project on the South Florida site where a building collapsed in 2021, killing 98 people. DAMAC International said Tuesday that it planned to build The Delmore on the site where the Champlain Towers South partially collapsed in Surfside, Florida, in June 2021. Construction has already started and the project is expected to be finished in 2029, the company said in a release.
The building with staggered floors designed by Zaha Hadid Architects will have 37 "mansions" with units averaging 7,000 square feet. The price of a four- or five-bedroom unit will start at $15 million, and the project will include a private restaurant, residential butlers, a wellness spa, and other resort-style amenities. "We have been focused on delivering an ultra-luxury product to the South Florida market that is unlike anything the area has seen previously," said Jeffery Rossely, senior VP of development for DAMAC International. The news release makes no mention of the tragedy.
- What happened: In June 2021, the 12-story, 136-unit oceanfront condo building came down with a thunderous roar, claiming 98 lives—one of the deadliest structure collapses in US history. Only two teenagers and a woman survived. A judge in 2023 approved a settlement topping $1 billion for victims. The money comes from 37 different sources, including insurance companies, engineering firms, and a luxury condominium whose recent construction next door is suspected of contributing to structural damage. None of the parties admitted any wrongdoing.
- The investigation: National Institute of Standards and Technology investigators told an advisory panel that tests show that some of the steel-reinforced concrete columns at Champlain Towers South were half the strength they should have been and were not up to 1980 construction standards. The steel in some columns had become moderately to extremely corroded, weakening them further. Investigators also confirmed eyewitness reports that the pool deck fell into the garage four to seven minutes before the beachside tower collapsed.
- Legislation: After the collapse, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed new legislation requiring condo associations for buildings with three or more stories to file an inspection report focused on structure, maintenance, and expected costs for repairs or renovations.
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