In a region known for ambitious real estate projects, one development stands out for its sheer scale and transformative vision. Metropica, a sprawling $2 billion mixed-use megaproject rising in Sunrise, Florida, is poised to add more than 3,000 luxury apartments and condos to South Florida’s housing market while fundamentally reshaping the identity of western Broward County. What began as a vision more than two decades ago is finally gaining momentum, promising to create a bustling downtown in a city that has never had one.
A Mini-City Takes Shape
Joseph Kavana, the Uruguay-born developer and CEO of Metropica Development, describes his project as nothing less than a dream community, a mini-city where residents can find everything they need within walking distance. The ambitious development calls for 3,300 luxury apartments and condos, two hotels, four office towers, and nearly 500,000 square feet of retail space across a 50-acre tract strategically positioned between two of South Florida’s major attractions: Sawgrass Mills, one of Florida’s largest tourist destinations, and Amerant Bank Arena, home of the Florida Panthers hockey champions.
The vision is bold: create a pedestrian-friendly urban center that brings metropolitan living to the suburbs, complete with upscale restaurants, boutique shops, entertainment venues, and office space, all set against the backdrop of views overlooking the Everglades. Kavana envisions Metropica as the future “Downtown West” of Broward County, giving Sunrise something it has always lacked: a true urban core.
“We are trying to create a special lifestyle where people can walk to the coffee shops and the restaurants and have it all there,” Kavana explained during a recent groundbreaking ceremony. “Sunrise is a city without a downtown. So this is going to be downtown Sunrise and the new downtown of west Broward.”
Two Decades in the Making
The Metropica story is one of patience, persistence, and adaptation. Kavana began assembling the parcels that would become Metropica more than 20 years ago, starting his land acquisition in the early 1990s. He secured approvals for the mixed-use project in 2014, but progress has been anything but linear.
So far, only one tower stands completed. One Metropica, a 28-story condominium tower offering 263 luxury residences, opened in late 2020 after construction began in 2017. Units in the building sell for anywhere from $600,000 to $2 million, attracting buyers seeking a cosmopolitan lifestyle in a suburban setting with unobstructed views of the Everglades.
The project faced significant setbacks over the years. The 2008 housing crisis and Great Recession derailed early momentum. Just as conditions improved, the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, right after the first tower opened. Then in 2019, iPic Entertainment, which was slated to be a key entertainment anchor for the development, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, forcing Kavana to rethink his tenant mix.
“They were a very important anchor,” Kavana acknowledged, reflecting on the iPic loss. “The time horizon of this project has been greatly extended beyond what would be normal,” noted Brad Hunter, a housing industry expert who runs Hunter Housing Economics in West Palm Beach. “But they did try to open during a time in one of the greatest downturns in history since the Great Depression. It was just bad timing.”
New Partners, New Momentum
After years of delays and false starts, Metropica is experiencing a resurgence. In a ceremonial groundbreaking held in October 2025, Kavana announced that construction on the next phase would begin immediately, with new strategic partners joining the project. Memphis-based Poag Development will handle the retail component, while Boca Raton-based Waypoint Residential will develop the residential phases.
These partnerships represent roughly $300 million in new investment. Waypoint has committed to building at least 900 residential units over the next several years, while Poag will create more than 150,000 square feet of retail space focused on restaurants, specialty shops, and entertainment venues that will complement rather than compete with the adjacent Sawgrass Mills mall.
The next phase, which Kavana expects will be operational within three years, will include nearly 1,000 luxury apartments and over 150,000 square feet of retail, along with about 50,000 square feet of condo office space above the retail. Metropica Development sold portions of the property to its new partners, though Kavana declined to disclose the purchase prices. His company will continue handling infrastructure and retains the right to participate in the joint venture.
“All the stars are aligned right now for us to be able to carry forward,” Kavana said at the October groundbreaking. “We were ready to do this back in 2020 when Covid hit, and we had just finished the first tower.”
If all proceeds according to plan, the entire project should be completed by 2032, making it a 15-year endeavor from initial construction to final buildout. “To finish the entire project is going to take another seven years,” Kavana told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Market Confidence Despite Housing Challenges
The timing of Metropica’s acceleration is noteworthy given the broader challenges facing Florida’s housing market. While some Florida markets are experiencing price declines and inventory buildups, local officials express unwavering confidence that Metropica will succeed in filling all 3,000 residential units.
“No doubt,” said Sunrise Commissioner Joey Scuotto when asked if Kavana could find buyers for thousands of apartments and condos. “Just think, everybody is coming down here from up North. People are selling their $2 million apartments and buying places here for $500,000 and still have money left over.”
Scuotto predicts Metropica will become a regional destination, drawing visitors from across South Florida and beyond. “Will Metropica become a destination? 100%,” he said confidently.
Housing expert Brad Hunter agrees that the project’s prospects have improved dramatically. “The stars are finally aligning,” Hunter told the Sun Sentinel. “I think it has a very bright future. The financial environment has been difficult but now the developer has these partnerships lined up. And I think there’s a fantastic synergy that occurs when you have retail and office and entertainment and residential combined together. It will help with condo sales. And by bringing in hundreds of residents, that will create built-in demand and support for the retail. That’s a nice symbiotic relationship.”
Bridging East and West
Metropica’s significance extends beyond its sheer size. The development represents an attempt to bridge the geographic and cultural divide that characterizes Broward County. As Hunter notes, there are essentially two types of Broward residents: those who won’t live west of Florida’s Turnpike, and those who won’t live east of it.
Roger Wishner, a former mayor of Sunrise, remembers when the city’s first high-rise condo tower, a 26-story complex called Tao, opened more than 15 years ago. At the time, he doubted there would be another. Tao sat largely empty for years following the housing bust, becoming a monument to overambitious development. When One Metropica finally opened in 2020, it became only the second residential high-rise tower in the area.
Now, with construction resuming on a much larger scale, Metropica aims to prove that western Broward can support sophisticated, urban-style development. The project will give Sunrise, a city of 97,000 residents, a more cosmopolitan edge, helping it shed its reputation as merely a suburban bedroom community.
Creating a Downtown from Scratch
What makes Metropica particularly ambitious is its attempt to create an entire downtown district essentially from scratch. Rather than infilling an existing urban core, Kavana is building a complete mixed-use environment on land that was previously undeveloped, located at the intersection of Northwest 136th Avenue and Sunrise Boulevard.
The development will feature lushly landscaped plazas, a main street with pedestrian-oriented retail, hiking and biking paths, multiple outdoor recreation areas, and what developers describe as a “park-like environment” with native landscaping. The design, created by an award-winning international team including Oppenheim Architecture + Design, YOO Studio, CI Design, and EDSA, emphasizes walkability and connectivity.
Residents will have access to 40,000 square feet of resort-style amenities including an infinity pool, outdoor jacuzzi, two full-size tennis courts, an indoor movie theater with surround sound, massage and treatment rooms, outdoor yoga areas, conference rooms, and even a pet grooming lounge. The emphasis is on creating a live-work-play environment where daily needs and leisure activities can be met without getting in a car.
The Long Road Ahead
While momentum is building, Metropica still faces a lengthy timeline. Even with construction resuming, seven more years of development lie ahead before the vision becomes reality. The project will need to navigate economic uncertainties, changing market conditions, and the practical challenges of executing such a large-scale, multi-phase development.
Yet for Kavana, who has invested more than two decades of his life into this project, the finish line is finally visible. The partnerships are in place, the market conditions appear favorable, and construction equipment is once again active on the site.
For Sunrise and western Broward County, Metropica represents more than just 3,000 new condos and apartments. It represents a bet that suburban communities can successfully create dense, urban-style downtown districts that offer the sophistication and amenities typically associated with established city centers. If Metropica succeeds, it could become a model for suburban reinvention across South Florida and beyond.
As Kavana surveys the 50 acres that will soon teem with thousands of residents, office workers, shoppers, and diners, he sees more than a real estate development. He sees the realization of a decades-long dream to transform a suburban city into something more, a place where work, life, and play seamlessly intersect, where you can walk to dinner or coffee, where downtown isn’t just a direction but a destination.
