Eight Floor Apartment Building Proposed in Princeton, Miami-Dade

Aconcagua Developers, LLC is proposing a new apartment building in Princeton under a recent pre-application request. The development, designed by Caymares Martin, will measure 8 floors and include 162 units and 307 parking spaces, although only around 209 are required without reductions. The development is proposing no waivers or conditional use permits to increase density, instead solely utilizing the zoning already on the site. After the pre-application is completed, an administrative site plan review will take place. The 2.7 acre lot is located under Miami Dade’s “Princeton Community Urban Center District (PCUC)”, formed to promote density in the growing South Miami-Dade region. Lawmakers adopted the PCUC in 2006 following calls for increased walkability, sustainable development, and residential growth to meet the expanding population. The PCUC and this development itself is safely in the County’s Urban Development Boundary (UDB), which conserves agricultural land to create a buffer between urban areas and the Everglades for environmental conservation and smart development. Because the lot is zoned into two portions, R (lower-density up to 2 floors) and RM (higher density of up to 12 floors), a 2 floor parking garage will be on the R portion and an 8 floor building will be on the RM portion. According to site plan drawings and elevations, the tower will rise 78 floors and include a fairly uniform facade with glass balconies extending about 6 FT. Large sidewalks will also be included, generously extending 28 FT from the lobby to the street. Native greenery will line the sidewalks and street parking. Units range from 2 bedroom or 1 bedroom configurations shown below. The property is located at 12867 Southwest 248th Street, Miami-Dade.
Miami Beach’s “First Street & South Pointe Stormwater Improvements Project” Progresses to Bring Much Needed Flooding Relief

Miami Beach is continuing their progress on a comprehensive stormwater improvements project in the South of Fifth Neighborhood. The project was recently highlighted in a Hybrid Meeting on November 12, 2024 to discuss the latest developments, along with updates on the project’s development phase. The First Street & South Pointe Stormwater Improvements project originally began when its conceptual layout was proposed in 2022. Since then, multiple public meetings were held to incrementally present the design to the community. The design is now mostly complete, with construction commencement likely happening soon. The goal of the project is to decrease flooding while enhancing the walkability, safety, and aesthetics of the neighborhood. A PowerPoint from April, 2024 highlights such improvements for Washington Avenue and 1st Street. An underground water treatment and pump station will be constructed at the intersection between Washington Avenue and First Street. By the pump station will be a newly-built station for above-ground electrical components, such as a generator in case of power outages. All electrical components will be shielded from the public via an enclosure wrapped in greenery and perforated metal. 1st Street will be entirely reconstructed, both for pedestrian safety and road raising. The road will be raised by around 1.5ft to protect homes and businesses from rising waters, while widened sidewalks and native greenery will be included for expanded pedestrian improvements. As per a graphic from early 2024 that’s likely been updated, the road will be cut to 2 lanes: a 50% reduction from the original amount of lanes. Parking will not significantly reduce for 1st Street or for the adjacent Jefferson Ave. In total, proposed infrastructure improvements include 4 drainage wells, with 2 along Alton road and 2 along Washington Avenue. Pictures below show the improvements done to flooding after construction is completed. Ideally, once all planned South of Fifth Neighborhood upgrades are completed, flooding will cease to exist. The project will begin in 4 phases, with the first phase including the underground pump station for $80M, the second phase constructing improvements for 1st street at $24M, and phase 3 and 4 building improvements to both Washington Avenue and Alton Road at $34M and $40M respectively. The total construction timeline is 51 months, or 4 years and 3 months, with the longest phase being phase 4. Construction on 1st Street will close westbound traffic, though one eastbound lane will remain open during the work.
New Design and Specifications Revealed at Earlington Heights Workforce Housing

Earlington Heights, a transit-orientated development in Brownsville, is moving forward with new facade treatments and floor plans. The development was originally proposed in June of 2024 by Vivian Dimond, a principal at Bayshore Grove Capital. Plans showcased two 15 floor towers containing 856 workforce units, 33,827 SF of retail space, and 0 parking spaces due to transit reductions. The development is working to keep most of the original specifications, but with changes to the retail space and parking. The updated plans are reducing the retail space to 29,009 square feet. Reduced retail space derives from lowering the grocery store from 23,590 SF to 20,063 and replacing a front-facing retail space with a leasing center. Included among retail is a daycare center and space for a non-profit. Additionally, there will be 41 additional parking spaces. The 856 units are still 100% workforce, ranging from studios, 1 bedrooms, 2 bedrooms, and 3 bedrooms. Workforce Housing according to Miami-Dade is housing that’s within 60% to 140% of the county’s area median income “($42,600 to $99,400, respectively, for a family of four)”. Elevations showcase two 175-foot, 15 floor buildings that underwent some value engineering. Rather than incorporating large floor-to-ceiling windows along parts of the facade, with white and brown accents, the development will feature a new color palette of white, gray, and red. Both buildings are designed in a U-shape, framing around a central courtyard that hosts a swimming pool and other amenities.The park-and-ride garage, used also by the two towers, will keep its original design. The garage will be wrapped in a facade of blue and purple, along with red stairwells and added landscaping. The development is extremely transit-orientated, flanked by a metrorail station leading to Downtown Miami and a Metrobus depot. Unfortunately, the amount of bus drop-off stations at the depot will be slashed by around half, reduced from 15 to 6, creating future dents in bus-ridership near the Earlington Metrorail station. In all, the developer is hoping housing nearby the Earlington Metrostation will spur not only transit ridership, but further capital investment in the area. The development is designed by Arquitectonica. The location is 2100 NW 41 Street.
Redevelopment Plans Revealed for Miami’s Abandoned INS Building

Miami’s former Immigration and Naturalization (INS) building at 7880 Biscayne Blvd has a new plan: a 12-story building designed by Stantec. Originally left abandoned in 2008, the INS building was planned to be the “Triton Center” by Chinese developers. When plans fell through around 2021 because of permit inactivity and funding issues, the property was already more than a decade vacant, creating visual and safety problems for local residents. LGE 79, LLC is planning to breathe new life onto the lot with 35,044 SF of commercial space, 355 units, and 589 parking spaces. Units will all be market-rate and range from studios, 1 bedrooms, 2 bedrooms, and 3 bedrooms. The project aims to exceed the maximum lot coverage through the flexible lot coverage program, however, it complies with the rest of Miami code standards. In addition, the developer is seeking multiple waivers including a 10% reduction of guest parking, commercial parking, and residential parking. Because of the project’s proximity to mass transit (Metrobus routes 3 and 203), Miami code allows for a reduction in parking to promote walk-ability and transit use. The tower’s configuration is designed to minimize impacts to local residents. The site’s location is within two major thoroughfares with a multitude of retail space and car traffic, allowing for high density without proximity to single-family homes. Likewise, the project adds much needed housing, walk-ability, and retail space for the area. The different heights and facade coloration’s were designed to create the “feel of a multitude of buildings”. According to elevations, the mid-rise will measure 167 FT to the upper roof level, encompassing 12 floors. Site plan drawings showcase commercial space fronting 79th street, NE 5th Avenue, and Biscayne Boulevard. The largest space is a 21,017 SF grocer commercial space designed for a small grocery store or a large retail store. Palm trees and native greenery will line the sidewalk. Sidewalks will extend around 20 FT to the tower’s facade, including multiple visibility zones for drivers. The site’s location is 7880 Biscayne Blvd.
Updated Plans for The Valley at 22nd in Miami-Dade Expand Workforce Housing & Units

The Valley at 22nd by VMS Architecture and Ballybunion Investments is moving forward with new density/heights according to a recent Pre-Application filing. The proposal is located at 5712 NW 22nd Ave in unincorporated Miami-Dade (Brownsville). The project was originally submitted as an 8-story apartment complex with 67 units, 24 parking spots, and 1,850 SF of commercial space. The developers, however, are planning to increase those numbers. The new project will measure 17 floors and include 150 units, 1,052 SF of commercial space, and 47 parking spots. This will measure out, in total, to 126,787 SF of build-able space. Likewise, the highest occupied point will be 176 FT, making the tower the tallest in the area if built. The units will be a mix of workforce housing and market-rate units ranging from one to two bedroom apartments. One bedroom units are 550 SF and two bedroom units are 810 SF. Meanwhile, the low parking requirements are due to reductions allowable under Miami code. For instance, the required 190 parking spaces are reduced 25% if the project includes workforce housing, 20% if its within 1/4 mile of a bus stop, and 60% for parcels between 15,000 and 30,000 SF. This project meets all those requirements, meaning 0 parking spaces can be built if needed. As per Miami-Dade property records, the developer acquired the lot for $490,000 in 2021. The developer will most likely sell the property according to for-sale signs captured by google imagery in August, 2024. The lot currently houses an abandoned grass lot, creating limited environmental impacts in the case of demolition.
ROVR Developments Submits Plans for “Delaware Parkway”

ROVR development has submitted new plans for a 3-phased development named, “Delaware Parkway”. Plans include 1,000 units, 1,318 parking spots, and 0 SF of commercial space. There will be three towers in total. Two towers rise 12 floors (136 FT) while one rises 15 floors (159 FT). The 15 floor building will be at the lot’s corner. To meet requirements for retail square feet, the developers are planning to add 65,852 SF of commercial space in the second parcel. Likewise, the next parcel will feature about 400 less units than the first parcel proposed. The architectural firm and its respected renderings are credited to Anillo Toledo Lopez. The site is located at 1701 Delaware Parkway.