Retail roster weak as Miami Marlins set to open

Written by John Charles Robbins on March 11, 2015

The Miami Marlins home opener of the 2015 season is Monday, April 6, the start of the fourth season at the 37,000-seat Major League Baseball facility. Meanwhile, the bulk of the Marlins Park garage retail space remains empty.

Most of the more than 50,000 square feet of retail space available for lease in three of the four parking garages built by the city remains unclaimed.

The Miami Parking Authority, by way of the Off-Street Parking Board, approved signing a rare lease for some of the retail space for a state drivers license office March 4, but most of the space goes unwanted.

As the county-owned stadium ages another year, the only commercial activity in the garage retail space has been a cigar shop and, one year ago this month, the long-awaited opening of a Subway sandwich shop.

The Subway opened March 20. The store is about 1,400 square feet at 1576 NW Seventh St.

The only other major tenant, Caf Rubio, finally signed an amended lease in November 2014 for 3,196 square feet along Seventh Street.

And while build-out work has begun on the interior of the restaurant, it is far from ready to open for business.

Caf Rubio is a Latin restaurant and sports bar. It first signed a lease for garage retail in January 2013 but then ran into budget issues and was close to walking away from the deal, according to parking authority officials.

But Caf Rubio came back to the authority seeking an amended contact.

Continue reading here:
Retail roster weak as Miami Marlins set to open