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SHFT Is Shifting Miami's Condo Mindset

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Between Wynwood, Brickell Avenue and downtown Miami is a sparse, almost vacant area now called the Arts and Entertainment District.

Just west of the Adrienne Arsht Center and blocks of the Metro Mover is a newly remodeled 81-unit rental space called the Filling Station. The building, with nothing much else around, is getting some star power.

"We're so happy to be a part of this project. It's given us an opportunity to bring a little SHFT to Miami and see what the good folks at The Filling Station are doing to help to revitalize this neighborhood,"  said actor and co-founder of SHFT Adrian Grenier. "But also to put their values in the building, which is SHFT values, conscious values."

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Grenier and his business partner film producer Peter Glatzer have partnered with the developers of the Filling Station to curate the studio apartments in sustainable design.

"The base is all reclaimed wood. It's 100 percent sustainable," said Glatzer.

Grenier and Glatzer's company, SHFT, is all about giving back to the planet.

According to the duo, SHFT is an opportunity for a growing number of people who want to live better lives and provide a sustainable world for their children.

SHFT's philosophy is that great design and sustainable living are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they should go hand-in-hand.

"Look at any blighted area and look at the people who are building from scratch. You need infrastructure from the ground up. So why not do it sustainable in this day and age?" SHFT's founders said.

Nir Shoshani, from NR Investment, is the Miami based developer of the Filling Station and "Canvas" a 512-condo unit building down the street. The idea is to turn the entire area into a sustainable village.

"It will be a neighborhood with a sense of place. They won't need to have cars, they won't need to leave," said Shoshani. "People are looking for a higher level of living and the basic concept for that higher level of living is what SHFT represents to sustainable living."

Grenier, who has spent a lot of time in Miami and knows all about the glitzy side of South Beach, said it's time for a change.

"Keep South Beach, but let's get excited about what's happening around in these often abandoned neighborhoods," he said.

Of the 81 rental units at the Filling Station, half are already rented through word of mouth only.

In Spring of 2015, Canvas will open down the street with more than 500 condo units for sale.

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