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.
Mixed-Income Housing Revealed at River Parc According to Preliminary Plans
The ‘Related Urban Development Group’ has announced plans to build hundreds of new homes at River Parc, a revitalized public housing community in Miami. As per a recently filed pre-application request, the developer indicated that they will take advantage of the newly assigned SMART Corridor Subzone and the recently enacted Live Local Act to increase density and height. Currently, the site has 1,379 units and 659 parking spaces. Conceptual plans suggest that plans call for nearly double that, adding 1,038 additional units to create a total of 2,417 homes. It’s uncertain if all the new units will be designated as affordable and workforce housing, or if some will be market-rate. However, the Live Local Act dictates that at least 40% of the units must be affordable. The plans also feature 1,500 additional parking spaces, raising the total amount of parking to 2,159 spaces. With nearly one parking space per unit, it’s likely there will be some market-rate component this time around. Additionally, there will be 22,527 square feet of commercial space added along both the Miami River and NW 7th St. Elevations reveal plans for three new towers. The two tallest will be situated along the Miami River, both reaching 21 floors or 246 FT tall. The shortest proposed tower will stand at 145 FT, measuring 14 floors along NW 7th St. The rental towers will be developed in phases, with the two tallest being built in two separate phases. Site improvements include a riverwalk that will extend up to 28 feet and new green spaces, such as a small park preserve. The site’s location is 800 NW 13 Ave, Miami. It’s well within multiple transit modes including the MetroMover and multiple bus stops.