Metropica is designed to create a walkable city center and skyline for suburban Broward County. Phase one, to cover 26 acres, will consist of 500,000 sf of class A office space in four six- and seven-story buildings, 363 multifamily homes in two eight-story towers and a restaurant village. The project also will include a central urban park and grand pedestrian piazza with fountains. The restaurant village is planned for five freestanding restaurants. Overall, it offers 60,500 sf of space, including retail pavilions and two more restaurants located inside two Metropica office buildings.

The first phase will set the stage for more office, related retail and residential development, according to Forrest Robinson, president of Codina Development Corp."In the Sawgrass area, the city has worked to create a high-quality urban setting with lasting value," Sunrise city manager Patrick Salerno says in a statement. "Metropica exemplifies these efforts."

Richard Heapes, a key player in the Mizner Park design, created the conceptual land plan. His company, Street-Works, also designed successful urban projects that include the Bethesda Row district in Bethesda, MD, and Front Street in Hartford, CT. Cooper Carry, the architectural firm for Mizner Park, is also designing the Metropica office complex. The design team also includes the international planning and landscape design firm EDSA, based in Fort Lauderdale, FL.