Neisen Kasdin, Miami Office Managing Partner, spoke to Law360 about his recent success in getting a complex and high-profile mixed-use project approved. OKO Group, a developer, hoped to update the former Versailles Hotel in Miami Beach and add an adjacent residential condo tower. The project required multiple design and zoning changes, in addition to a rigorous historic preservation review, a particularly difficult thing to achieve in Miami Beach. Through Kasdin’s involvement, the city granted approval for the project to move forward.

“The building is Art Deco, and so in Miami Beach, when you do work on historic buildings, it’s very sensitive. There’s a large constituency in the city that’s interested in making sure that historic aspects of properties are respected and preserved,” Kasdin said. “Initially, there was opposition from many of the [nearby] residents. Basically, this was a process of working closely with the neighbors and city staff.”