Belle Plaza · #12

Belle Plaza is a 15-story, roughly 226-unit condominium at 20 Island Avenue on Belle Isle -- the easternmost of Miami Beach's Venetian Islands and the only Venetian Island with condominium zoning. Completed in 1962, Belle Plaza was one of the first waterfront residential towers on the island, and it remains one of the most affordable entry points into Belle Isle ownership. Residences run from about 590 square foot studios up to roughly 1,960 square foot three-bedroom layouts, with bay, downtown Miami skyline, and island views depending on line and floor. The building sits directly on the Venetian Causeway, the 1926 historic-landmark route that links South Beach to downtown Miami via a chain of six low-rise residential islands. Belle Plaza's immediate neighbor at 40 Island Avenue is the Standard Spa, Andre Balazs's wellness hotel that opened in 2005 (a Sternlicht / Bjarke Ingels-led redevelopment is now underway). Belle Isle Park -- with tennis, dog park, and playground -- is a two-minute walk. Sunset Harbour, the grocery-and-dining district that anchors the Miami Beach mainland side of the causeway, is a short causeway hop away, and Lincoln Road is roughly 10 minutes on foot. A 2016 common-area renovation modernized the Belle Plaza lobby and corridors while keeping the mid-century architectural footprint. The amenity package is unusually deep for a 1960s Miami Beach condominium: heated bayfront pool and jacuzzi, tennis court, updated fitness room, community boat dock with slips, direct paddleboard and kayak launch access, bayfront BBQ area, 24-hour front desk staffing, assigned garage parking with guest valet, bike storage, and per-floor laundry. For buyers who want the Belle Isle lifestyle -- causeway walkability, Venetian charm, and direct-water access -- without the price point of Nine Island Avenue, Grand Venetian, or 1000 Venetian Way, Belle Plaza is the entry building.