Miami’s Little River neighborhood is facing yet another ‘Live Local Act’ high-rise. The development, which will rise on the corner of NE 2nd Avenue and NE 75th Street, is joining a growing cluster of planned and already completed high-density projects in an area once conceived as an industrial corridor. Backed by Midtown Capital Partners and designed by Corwil Architects, the development will bring a U-shaped 22-story building to the area, containing ground floor retail, amenity space, and a blend of workforce and market-rate units.
The building is proposed to include approximately 350 residential units, offering a mix of studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom configurations. Under traditional zoning regulations, this level of density would be considered highly uncharacteristic. The site lies within a T6-8-O zone, which typically limits density to 150 homes per acre. However, the Live Local Act significantly expands that threshold, allowing up to 1,000 homes per acre for qualifying projects.
This dramatic increase in allowable density comes with a condition: developers must reserve at least 40% of the units for workforce housing, defined as housing to those earning up to 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI). For this development, that requirement translates to a minimum of 140 workforce units, with the most common workforce unit being a 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom unit.
On the ground floor of the project, there will 5,912 SF of retail, a lobby, and a leasing office facing NE 2nd Avenue. To handle an increase of pedestrian traffic from retail patrons and residents, the existing sidewalk will be expanded to 28 FT.
The project will also include 406 parking spaces: significantly fewer than what the Miami’s zoning code would typically require. While standard code would call for 575 spaces for a development of this scale, the project qualified for a 30% reduction due to its location within a designated transit corridor, where walkability and public transportation access justify lower parking counts.
According to elevations, the 22-story tower will rise to a maximum height of 235 FT. While the site’s zoning traditionally caps buildings at 8 floors, the project is leveraging height from 1 mile away. In this case, the Magic City Special Area Plan (SAP), located within one mile of the site, permits buildings up to 25 stories.
Located at 7501 NE 2nd Avenue, the existing property will require extensive demolition before site work can begin. While the UDRB will approve or deny the project based on compliance with code and design standards on July 16th, the project lies in a contested area that may bring challenges to the project’s approval down the line. For instance, The Magic City Innovation District, which is located blocks away, has been facing years of community concerns regarding displacement from gentrification.