(WFLA) — Florida developers are moving forward with building a luxury high-rise building where ancient artifacts were found.

WTVJ reported that the site is located at 444 Brickell Avenue, on the south bank of the Miami River, next to the Brickell Bridge.

The news station reported that the site will be developed into a new luxury high-rise Baccarat residential building. After breaking ground, ancient artifacts dating back thousands of years were found at the site.

The findings at the site include bone artifacts (points, pins, drilled shark teeth), pumice, lithic weight and pottery shards, WTVJ reported. Archeologists believe the artifacts are significant and contribute to the knowledge of Tequesta, the Native American tribe that once occupied the area.

“This site is significant because it represents really the birthplace of Miami. This is a place, just like this is prime real estate today, this was prime real estate 2,000 years ago, 5,000 years ago, 7,000 years ago,” said William Pestle, who studies anthropology at the University of Miami, told the news station.

Native Americans in the area told the news station that the site should be left alone to show respect.

“It is a marked grave, it’s acknowledged by the city that it exists there and just like they don’t go around digging up other people’s graves and that they respect ours as well,” said Betty Osceola, with the Miccosukee Tribe.

The project’s developer, Jorge Perez, said he has spent millions to bring in archaeologists and equipment to preserve the artifacts.

Perez and his supporters said moving forward with the build will provide jobs, a larger tax base and growth for the city of Miami.

According to WTVJ, the developer for the lot, Related Group, is planning three towers of up to 82 stories and a baywalk on the property, including Baccarat Residences. The plan includes having a total of 1,400 residential units, office, hotel and retail space.

WTVJ reported that the city is allowing two of the three Baccarat towers to be built as planned.

The developer will proceed with the high-rise condos on the vacant area. The artifacts found on the site with be preserved.

The Related Group released the following statement to WTVJ:

“We invested tens of millions of dollars over the last two years to ensure the archaeological integrity of the project. We contracted (and paid for) world-renowned archaeologists to painstakingly excavate and preserve all the significant findings with the utmost respect and care. And these expenses have yet to include the cost of implementing the activities laid out by our forthcoming preservation action plan,” the statement read. “The archaeological team continues to work on the site to ensure all findings are properly excavated, documented, and cataloged. Taking any step toward additional designations and restrictions at the upcoming HEP Board meeting is premature. The site is already protected by the strict regulations of being located within a designated archeological area, and an overlapping designation that imposes the same procedural rules is redundant.”