CREATIVE AGENCY
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Features
On the Rise
Words by Jenny Starr Perez. Photography by Nick Garcia.
Real Estate powerhouse
Lissette Calderon leads the charge
to improve Allapattah with new
developments that enhance the
neighborhood, while paying homage
to its colorful, vibrant culture.
It’s been said that power is not something that is given but taken. In
the case of Miami developer Lissette Calderon, the adage rings true,
in a way. Calderon is the quintessential modern multi-hyphenate
businesswoman/wife/mother. But she is also one of the city’s most
lauded visionaries, spending the last two decades making moves
in the boys’ club that is Miami’s ever-evolving real estate scene,
a role she cherishes and has navigated on her own terms since
opening Neology Life Development Group in 2003. “I try to be the
person who young girls and minorities can look up to” she says. “I
have a system that incorporates both working hard and smart. By
that, I mean supporting the people and businesses that reside in the
neighborhoods I build in.”
After breaking ground on Neo Lofts, one of the first major projects
along the Miami River and a purveyor of the now-popular loft living
concept, Neology Life would go on to add almost 2,000 units to the
Miami skyline, mainly in the Miami River District where she went
on to complete NeoVertika and later a rebuild of the 199-unit Pier
19 Residences & Marina in 2019, adding flair to an area whose
renaissance Calderon influenced first-hand. “I wanted to change the
paradigm and redefine waterfront living to mean riverside living,” she
says. “We filled every unit in each river property almost immediately.”
THE DAWN OF A NEW AGE
The “Queen of the Miami River” soon set her sights on a new
opportunity to improve an often looked-over Miami neighborhood,
Allapattah.
“Looking at it from a macro-economic standpoint,” Calderon explains,
“I could not understand why Allapattah had been forgotten for so long
when it is a proverbial ‘hole in the donut’, meaning all these other
burgeoning areas like Wynwood and Miami Design District and even
Little Haiti with booming businesses were close by. You have the best
job opportunities in the city available nearby in the neighboring health
district, downtown, Brickell, and even the airport district nearby — all
places that provide real employment opportunities. And then you have
this forgotten neighborhood in the middle of it. One that happens to
also have mass transit (two Metrorail stops and easy access to the
expressway) blazing through it.”
Allapattah is the one of the last relatively untouched neighborhoods
within Miami in terms of development, and there is still an authenticity
to the area that resonates with Calderon’s innate affection for Miami
nostalgia. Now, she can count her passion for redefining urban
neighborhoods in South Florida through lifestyle-driven residential
and commercial development as directly instrumental in the rise of
another of the city’s historic areas, where she currently has several
projects in the works. The first, No. 17 Residences Allapattah, was
completed in 2021, and is a love letter to the neighborhood.
Incorporating Miami-inspired neon details and sleek design, the
building also nods to Allapattah’s burgeoning art scene, with exclusive
commissioned murals by artists Bollee Patiño and Carlos Navarro
gracing different spots on the property. “Art beautifies not only the
building but the community,” Calderon says. “In this case, those
murals are symbolic of our long-term commitment to the area.”
Another commitment is to local creatives. “You don’t have to travel all
over the world to find wonderful artists. Miami has so much talent.”
The city also has a rich history influenced by women, including the
one whose name graces Neology’s forthcoming property in Allapattah.
“No. 16, also known as The Julia, was named after Julia Tuttle, one
of the pioneering female Floridians. We are experiencing such a
remarkable time for women all around the world and Miami is no
exception. Voters elected our first female county mayor, Daniella
Levine Cava. As one of the few women developers, I felt the Julia—set
to open in 2023—would be a testament to our region’s great women
predecessors.”
“When you love what
you do, it doesn’t feel
like work.”
Lissette Calderon.
KEEPING IT REAL
As part of her business ethos, Calderon sees to it that each property
backed and built by Neology Life Development retains elements that
pay homage to the neighborhood, while embracing modern amenities
that are on par with the attainable luxury residents have come to
expect. In fact, Calderon considers this as one of the secrets behind
the popularity of her buildings and in no place is more prevalent
than Allapattah. “I thought that if someone comes in and reimagines
Allapattah not for what it is but what it can be — staying true to the
authenticity of the neighborhood — it guarantees great success. No.
17 is proof of that. It has shown that if you do something right and it
speaks to the neighborhood it will work.” Boasting modern amenities
like shareable workspaces, large screen TVs, and game tables in the
lobby, WiFi in every corner of the building, and an expansive pool deck
highlighting jaw-dropping views of the city. It’s no wonder that the
Neology property has all units rented.
“Whether you are sipping tea or coffee on the spectacular rooftop
terrace, playing pool in the lobby, reading in the urban garden, walking
your pup in our private dog park, or lounging on the pool deck, there
is something for all residents to enjoy and be proud of,” Calderon tells
us.
Along with The Julia, Neology Life Development has also begun work
on its next residential project in Allapattah, aptly named No. 14., soon
to break ground on the corner of NW 36th Street. The development
company will have close to 1,000 units in the neighborhood by 2023
ready for new residents to live and thrive in Allapattah, aligning with
Calderon’s vision of what this next important Miami lifestyle hub can
be.
“Every single project I’ve built, from Neo Lofts, which stands as the
Grande Dame of ‘river living’, to No. 17, which exemplifies the best that
Allapattah has to offer, has always been about creating something
that serves as beacon of hope for the next generation, and the idea
that they too can accomplish it if they work hard enough.”
Calderon then repeats her own preferred often-used adage: “When
you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work.”