Aria on the Bay Condos for Sale — Edgewater, Miami

Aria on the Bay is in Edgewater, the bayfront neighborhood that runs from NE 17th Street north to NE 37th Street between the Florida East Coast Railway and Biscayne Bay. The tower sits at its southern edge, across North Bayshore Drive from Margaret Pace Park, about two miles north of Brickell and a few blocks north of the Adrienne Arsht Center. Wikipedia describes Edgewater as a mix of early-twentieth-century houses inland and towers built along the bay since 2000; Aria is one of the newest of those towers.

Melo Group, a developer that has built repeatedly in Edgewater, completed Aria in April 2018 with Arquitectonica as architect and interior designer and GEO as landscape designer. Portals list 53 stories and 648 residences. The curved plan gives the pool deck its shape, with a sunrise pool and a sunset pool on opposite sides and a hot tub cantilevered toward the water.

The 648 residences come in one-, two- and three-bedroom plans plus penthouses, from roughly 710 to 2,018 square feet according to portal listings. Ceilings are nine feet, glass runs floor to ceiling, and balconies reach up to 11 feet deep on the bay side. Units were delivered with washer and dryer, walk-in closets and a contemporary kitchen spec, and most are still in original 2018 finish.

Exposure is the main variable. East-facing units look over Margaret Pace Park to the bay and the Venetian Causeway; west-facing units look toward Biscayne Boulevard and the city. Because the building is curved, some lines pick up both. Lower floors on the park side still see water over the park's tree line, which is not true of every Edgewater tower.

One association governs the tower, and its two rules that most affect a purchase are clear on the portals: leases must run at least six months, with no more than two rentals per year, and pets are permitted for owners only, each registered through the association's DNA program for a $100 fee. That combination points the building toward owner-occupants and longer-term tenants rather than seasonal rentals. Dues cover the pools, spa and fitness center, theater, social rooms, reception, valet, security and master insurance, with basic cable, internet, water, sewer and trash bundled in.

The certificate of occupancy dates to 2018 and the building stands on the bay, so under Florida Statute 553.899 the first milestone inspection is due by December 31, 2043. The structural integrity reserve study under Statute 718.112(2)(g) applies now; for a bayfront tower, the reserve assumptions for the pool deck, balconies and seawall are the lines to read.

Margaret Pace Park is the reason to choose this block. The eight-acre bayfront park, created in the late 1960s and named for a founder of the Miami Garden Club, has tennis courts, outdoor fitness equipment, running paths and picnic areas, and went through a $4 million renovation as the surrounding towers rose in the 2000s; the historic Miami Women's Club building stands at its southern edge. The city's planned Baywalk will eventually link it to the waterfront neighborhoods on either side.

The Metromover's Adrienne Arsht Center station, at 1455 Biscayne Boulevard on the Omni Loop, opened in 1994 as Omni station and was renamed in 2009; it is a few blocks south, beside the performing arts center. iPrep Academy at 1500 Biscayne Boulevard is Miami-Dade's pre-K through 12th grade magnet on the same blocks. The Bacardi Building on NE 21st Street, a Miami Modern landmark, is three blocks north. Confirm the zoned school for the unit with Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

If you plan to rent the unit, read the six-month minimum and the two-per-year cap before anything else, and if the unit will house a pet, confirm that the buyer, not a tenant, will hold title. Request the structural integrity reserve study, the current budget, the master insurance declarations and twelve months of board minutes, and ask whether any special assessment is pending. The parcel is on Biscayne Bay, so check the FEMA flood zone with our flood tool and ask for the association's flood policy. Confirm that the parking space and any storage convey, and whether the space is deeded or assigned.

With 648 units, there is almost always competition inside the building, so a listing wins on exposure, floor and presentation. Photograph the park and bay view from the balcony at the right hour, state the rental and pet rules plainly so the wrong buyer self-selects out, and have the estoppel and association documents ready. Price against closed sales on the same line first, then against the other post-2015 Edgewater towers a buyer will tour the same afternoon.