In a city where new construction could come with a hefty 400% markup compared with existing homes, one developer is betting on “attainable luxury” with a musical twist.
The Rider is bringing a rock ‘n’ roll edge to Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, offering a rare sub-$600,000 entry point into the new-construction market. It also offers high-end features: beach access, a nightclub, rooftop pool, golf simulator, fitness center, and wellness spa.
But developer Diego Ojeda, president of South Florida’s Rilea Group who grew up with an “Easy Rider” poster tacked on his wall, wanted to tap into not only his own passion for music, but the art-gallery-clad and graffiti-painted neighborhood’s edgy energy.
The Rider will be the inaugural project of Ojeda’s off-shoot development firm, Ciprés, which will focus on boutique residential living.
“When someone is browsing where to spend a weekend in Miami and comes across our amenity mix—a Steve McQueen photograph and a motorcycle in the lobby, Keith Richards 12 feet tall on the facade—they’re going to say, ‘That’s where I’m staying,'” Ojeda tells Realtor.com®.
Welcome to The Rider
The 152-unit condo is “inspired by Americana culture,” Ojeda says. “I had a poster of ‘Easy Rider’ on my wall growing up. I wanted to bring that spirit to this project. The Rider is exactly that: the nomad, the adventure, wrapped in high-end amenities.”
The 1969 film “Easy Rider”—starring then-barely knowns Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson—not only became the seminal film about the 1960s counterculture, but was known for its classic rock soundtrack.
The condo will have a cool boutique hotel vibe that pays tribute to rock ‘n’ roll legends, while the amenities would make Keith Richards himself feel at home.
“There’s what we call the Recovery Room—very rock star-inspired—with a Turkish hammam [a bathhouse], IV therapy, plunge pools, and infrared saunas,” says Ojeda.
You and your fans—or perhaps just friends—can lounge by the rooftop pool and then head to the vinyl room, a listening room with a turntable setup.
Also planned is a private nightclub—dubbed Studio 29, for the NE 29th Street address and an homage to the infamous discotheque Studio 54—that Ojeda says is “fully decked out, so you can host until the early hours without disturbing the neighbors.”
The rock ‘n’ roll theme doesn’t end there. Throughout the building, to be completed in Q3 2027, will be dozens of museum-grade autographed photographs of music icons such as The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Blondie, and Bob Marley.
But Ojeda says the “real talking point” of the development will be its facade, which will boast eight 12-foot-tall photographs of icons Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Madonna and more.
“Everything is boutique and bespoke, with that Studio 54 rock ‘n’ roll spirit at its core,” he says.
The aesthetic seems to be working. Ojeda says that 80 units, roughly half the project, have been sold. Studios start at $599,900 and three-bedrooms with lockout options at $1,512,900. The top priced unit is $2.2 million for 1,600 square feet.
The “lockout” option offers an adjacent studio with its own kitchen and separate entrance. “Many buyers are purchasing these units, renting out the studio, and using that income to offset their carrying costs,” says Ojeda.
All apartments come with a balcony with ocean or skyline views.
The entry point is fairly accessible for the neighborhood, with its median price tag of $913,000, especially given the plethora of unique amenities.
Beyond the recovery wellness room, there’s a fleet of 12 motorcycles, including Harley-Davidsons, Vespas, and Ducatis for residents to tool around the city; a private office suite; and no rental restrictions (you’re welcome to list on Airbnb and other platforms).
For those who want beach access, the condo offers a partnership with Bentley Beach Club in Miami Beach. Condo buyers get a free one-year membership. Penthouse buyers will also get a free one-year membership to The Moore Miami, a private members’ club in the Design District.
“The owner is a motorcycle enthusiast who loved the project,” says Ojeda.
Ready for something new?
How the Wynwood arts district is changing
New construction in Miami doesn’t come cheap. The metro’s urban new developments carry as much as a 461.8% price premium over existing urban homes, the most in the nation, according to the latest New Construction Report from Realtor.com.
The Miami metro area’s median price tag for new construction is $2,578,695 versus $459,000 for existing homes. With one-bedrooms in The Rider starting at $860,900, the project can be an accessible entry point to a new build with plenty of amenities in a young-leaning, rapidly developing neighborhood.
Until the mid-2000s, Wynwood was a neglected area. Then New York City real estate developer Tony Goldman, who was essentially responsible for rehabilitating the SoHo neighborhood in the 1970s, began buying up buildings.
“It’s our Brooklyn, our Melrose,” Ojeda says of the neighborhood. “The edgy, alternative, high-end neighborhood, like Williamsburg.”
Despite its gritty beginnings and colorful wall murals, the neighborhood is quickly becoming a corporate hub.
Amazon’s offices are kitty-corner to The Rider at 95 NW 29th St., and other corporate neighbors include Spotify, Live Nation, Sony Music, cryptocurrency firm Gemini (founded by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss), and Peter Thiel’s capital fund.
While The Rider’s energy is inspired by the freewheeling counterculture, the reality is that it’s the button-downed employees of those corporate behemoths who will likely be partaking of the recovery room and vinyl turntable.
In fact, says the developer, a future Amazon employee has already snapped up a unit.
