Welp, the legendary Shorty’s Barbecue, which has occupied its prime location on US-1 for 70 years, adjacent to the Dadeland South Metrorail Station, is being replaced by two gigantic transit-oriented towers. The restaurant’s owners sold off the site early this year, and the developers have just submitted their proposed plans for county approval. And boy, the new stuff will look nothing like the down-home, eclectic, laid-back restaurant that’s there today. Everyone involved, including the developers and the restaurant’s owners, promises that the iconic country-style barbecue joint will live on in the project’s commercial space. Although a lease has already been signed to that effect, ensuring its survival, as we’ve seen from many other old-school and well-loved Miami spots that are no longer here, such as Scotty’s Landing, Tobacco Road, and others, in reality, that survival is far from assured.

According to FL Yimby: “Designed by Coral Gables-based Corwil Architects, with Witkin Hults + Partners as the landscape architect, plans call for two connected mixed-use towers of 20 and 25 stories that would collectively yield 780,703 square feet of space, including 500 multifamily residential units, 4,851 square feet of ground floor retail, and 668 parking spaces. The towers would rise 318 and 280 feet and would be connected by a bridge designed to provide a free flow of light and air from east to west.”

Feature Image: Photo of Shorty’s Barbecue by Phillip Pessar.