Largest Mixed-Use Development in the Dominican Republic Breaks Ground
The approximately 3.2 million-square-foot City Center by Lady Lee heralds a new era of opportunity in the country’s capital city.
MIAMI December 5, 2025 – RSP Architects, a leading national retail master-planning and design firm, announces the groundbreaking of City Center by Lady Lee, the largest mixed-use development in the Dominican Republic by developer and operator Corporación Lady Lee. During the November 27 ceremony in Santo Domingo East, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader emphasized that this landmark destination reflects the nation’s continued economic strength and stability.
Described as a world-class development that will reshape the country’s capital city, City Center by Lady Lee is strategically located at the intersection of Autopista Las Americas and Avenida Charles de Gaulle, two urban arteries not far from the ocean and just 13 miles from the international airport. In addition to retail, the master plan includes two 27-story office towers, six 30-story residential high-rises with nearly 1,800 total units and a 17-story AC Marriot branded hotel and convention center. The program elements are woven into the urban fabric through a network of connected landscaped spaces and pedestrian paths that foster walkability.
The development reflects the growing sophistication of the Caribbean consumer while creating an authentic sense of community. “City Center by Lady Lee will attract both regional and international tourists as well as the support the daily shopping needs of locals,” says Christina Villa, AIA, RSP project manager. “It reflects the culmination of Santo Domingo’s commercial aspirations and stands as a beacon for the future.”
At the main entrance, the mall’s “front door” with a double-height canopy and water feature gives City Center by Lady Lee a distinct address and creates a bold and recognizable identity for the district. The three-level retail component has been conceived as a series of five interconnecting themed neighborhoods that not only align with a potent merchandising strategy but create an engaging, state-of-the art shopping environment. City Center by Lady Lee will host a diverse mix of national and international retail brands, alongside restaurants, cinemas, a gym, medical facilities, and entertainment zones. It will also dedicate space to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and promote female entrepreneurship.
“With centers this large and complex,” says David Herbert, AIA, RSP project designer, “it’s important to create a series of inter-connected spaces that orient shoppers and help bring the scale down to a human, understandable level.”
The different hubs have been designed to reinforce the city’s growing prominence as a center for business and investment. To the west, adjacent to the office towers, the court has been conceived as a platform for corporate events, product launches and branded initiatives. To the east, adjacent to the hotel and residential uses, the spaces are more park-like and are intended as a type of urban oasis. The result is a unified district that blends a local sense of place with international sense of sophistication.
RSP has worked throughout the Central and South America, the Caribbean as well as South Florida since the early 1990’s via the work of Larry Beame and the Beame Partnership, which joined RSP in 2019. Their portfolio includes work for such developers as Corporación Lady Lee, Iguatemi, Sobloco Construtora, Tacla Shopping and Maiojama Empreendimentos, among others.
In the last five years, RSP Miami has been instrumental in a series of high-profile, impactful projects throughout South Florida, including the award-winning renovation and repositioning of CocoWalk, the iconic retail development in Coconut Grove; Grove Central, the ground-breaking transit-oriented development (TOD); and the global headquarters for the Miami Association of Realtors.
Other active projects include the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRIC) transformation, 14 Roc luxury residential tower in Miami, Southplace City Center in Cutler Bay and Ovation in Orlando.
About RSP
Founded in Minneapolis in 1978, RSP Architects has emerged as one of the country’s most trusted, diverse, and agile architecture and design firms. The practice’s clients are a dynamic cross-section of established Fortune 100 global brands and retailers, innovative start-ups, thoughtful non-profits, government entities, and more. In addition, RSP i_SPACE is a proprietary consultancy service that specializes in facility data collection, while RSP Dreambox offers strategic branding and environmental graphic design services.