Miami Beach-based Maclee Developments is moving forward with plans to build twin 93-story condominium towers across from Bayside Marketplace.

On Wednesday, Maclee’s proposal won an endorsement from Miami’s Planning Advisory Board. The vote was 8-1 in favor. Miami city commissioners have yet to review plans and vote on the massive Empire World Towers, which would rise at 330 Biscayne Blvd.

Maclee is seeking a major-use special permit, required for large developments. Renowned Miami architect Kobi Karp is the brains behind the oval-shaped towers, which would cost an estimated $1 billion to build. Karp said he wanted the project to resemble a ship because the Empire buildings would be within walking distance of the Port of Miami and Biscayne Bay.

Leon Cohen, Maclee’s chief executive, unveiled the project in May 2005. But resistance from some city’s advisory boards and elected officials a year ago made him to put the plans on hold, he said. Cohen is confident sentiments over his projects have changed. Still, some Planning Advisory Board members voiced reservations before they cast their votes. 

“When I first looked at it, I thought the project belonged in Dubai,” board member Ernest Martin said during the meeting and who voted for the project.

Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East, has experienced a skyscraper boom in the last two decades. By 2015, Dubai is expected to have the most buildings with 100 floors or more than any other city in the world.

Initially, the Miami towers were designed to rise up 110 floors. But to comply with Federal Aviation Administration height regulations, Maclee reduced the height to 93 stories, or about 1,022 feet, said Miami attorney Lucia Dougherty, who represents Maclee.

Developer Tibor Hollo a few months ago received city approval to build One Bayfront Plaza at 100 S. Biscayne Blvd. Hollo’s glass encased building would have nearly 2 million square feet of office space and hundreds of hotel rooms. It would rise 1,049 feet over Biscayne Boulevard.

The two Empire World Towers would have a total of 1,557 condos, 3,317 square feet of offices and 24,741 square feet of retail space. But the mix of uses could change based on market conditions over the next five years, when construction of the project could start, said Cohen, whose company manages investment groups.

Air bridges are to connect the towers, and the College/Bayside Metromover station would be incorporated into the project. For that reason, Maclee wants to build a 1,321-car parking garage, with about 236 fewer spaces than the number of proposed condos. Dougherty said the city code doesn’t require any parking space at all in downtown because the area is served by mass transit.

The site, which is located south of Miami-Dade College, covers more than two-thirds of a block. It does not include the block’s northeast corner, which is occupied by a Holiday Inn. The towers would replace vacant office buildings and a parking lot.