A Toronto-based trade school is planning to sign a 30K SF lease in Downtown Miami to open a new campus, marking its first venture in the U.S.
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Skilled Trades College is planning to ink a deal with a subsidiary of the Genting Group to lease space at 1501 Biscayne Blvd., also known as the Omni Offices, according to data provided to Bisnow by CBRE.
Colliers Senior Vice President Kevin Gonzalez, who represented the landlord alongside Vice President Ana Paula, confirmed the deal to Bisnow, saying in a phone call Wednesday that he expects it to close by the end of the month.
“We’re honored to be selected for Skilled Trades College’s first campus in South Florida,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “Their decision to establish operations at 1501 Biscayne underscores the building’s highly accessible and connected location, with immediate highway access and adjacency to the Miami Metromover.”
A Colliers team of David Preston and Jonathan Carter represented Skilled Trades College in the deal.
Skilled Trades College, led by founder Ralph Cerasuolo, offers 12-week preapprenticeship courses on electrical, HVAC, plumbing and intro to home renovations, according to its website.
This is Skilled Trades College's first venture outside of Canada, Gonzalez confirmed, where it has campuses in Vaughn, Ajax, Oakville, Toronto and Cambridge. The trade school didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 435K SF Omni Offices building is part of the 1.5M SF mixed-use Omni Center, a redevelopment of the former Omni International Mall. It also has 300K SF of retail and a 527-key Hilton hotel, according to the Tower Commercial Real Estate website.
The office building has long been a hub for education. Key Point Christian Academy signed a 62K SF lease there last year, the South Florida Business Journal reported. It was also the home to the Miami International University of Art and Design, which shut its doors abruptly in 2023.
Other tenants that have an address at the building are the Miami Passport Agency, Passport Photos LLC and Subway.
“Skilled Trades College will be a great addition to the tenant roster at 1501 Biscayne, which stands out for having the highest parking ratio in Miami’s central business district, large and efficient 80,000-square-foot floor plates and robust infrastructure,” Gonzalez said in the statement.
Resorts World Miami, a subsidiary of Malaysian gaming company Genting Group, purchased the site in 2011 and originally planned to turn it into a casino but never received approval, the SFBJ reported.
Genting Group, which didn't respond to a request for comment, in June sold off six parcels less than a mile west of the Omni Offices to an opportunity zone fund led by two South Florida attorneys for $21M.
The deal comes as tensions between Canada and the U.S. are high amid shifting trade policies and President Donald Trump's rhetoric about turning the country's neighbor to the north into the 51st state. Trump imposed a 35% tariff on most Canadian goods and raw materials that went into effect in August.
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