Miami’s Urban Development Review Board is set to weigh in on Ohio Allapattah, a mixed-income high-rise proposed for the city’s Allapattah neighborhood. Submitted by High-Waves Properties, an Aurora, Ohio-based developer, the project would be the first high-rise of its scale in the surrounding area, a feat made possible entirely by the Live Local Act.
The Live Local Act has dominated headlines across South Florida in recent months, and for good reason. Its flexible zoning rules favor increased housing production, often clearing the way for high-rises in neighborhoods where they’ve never existed before, and Ohio Allapattah fits that pattern exactly. The site sits at 1368 NW 29th Street, on a parcel just over an acre zoned D1, or light industrial, a classification that would never permit a high-rise under normal circumstances, let alone one at this height and density.
According to a development submission prepared by the project’s architect, Caymares Martin Architects, Ohio Allapattah will include 260 units, well below the 1,055 dwelling units the Live Local Act would technically allow on this site. Units will range from studios to one- and two-bedroom layouts, and 40 percent of them will be designated as workforce housing for at least 30 years. These units will be priced below 120 percent of the Area Median Income rather than simply at that threshold, a distinction the developer has pointed to as a meaningful commitment to affordability.
Residents will also have access to coworking space, a spacious lobby with mail and package rooms, a pool deck, and additional indoor amenity space still being finalized. At street level, the project will add 3,135 square feet of ground-floor retail along with expanded sidewalks and new greenery aimed at improving the pedestrian experience along the block.
The building’s multi-level podium will hold 258 parking spaces, a number that falls below the standard minimum requirement. That’s allowed under the Live Local Act, which permits developers to reduce on-site parking for projects located within a Transit Oriented Development district, and this parcel qualifies, sitting just a few blocks from a Metrorail station.
Height is where the Live Local Act’s flexibility really shows up. The law allows developers to borrow the maximum height permitted on any parcel within a mile of the site, and because a nearby parcel allows for a 12-story building, Ohio Allapattah is entitled to the same. That translates to a 125-foot tower, or roughly 135 to 140 feet once the rooftop bulkhead is factored in. Caymares Martin Architects has drawn up a contemporary facade in black, gray, and white tones, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, metal balconies, perforated artistic screening over the parking garage, faux stone accents, and other detailed finishes.
While the project is currently before the Urban Development Review Board, the public has little say in the outcome. The board functions purely in an advisory capacity, reviewing design, and its recommendation doesn’t determine whether the project ultimately gets built. In practice, that makes approval and a green light for construction highly likely.
As land costs continue climbing in neighborhoods like Brickell, Wynwood, Edgewater, and Downtown Miami, high-rises are increasingly spilling into the areas surrounding them. With construction costs also on the rise amid strong demand, projects like Ohio Allapattah may become less the exception and more the norm.