County Commissioners approved a second large-scale development this week with 450 mixed-income apartments along Douglas Road in the West Grove.
Miami-Dade County has given a pair of developers the go-ahead to build two high-rise housing projects with a combined 795 apartments along a short stretch of Douglas Road between Grand Avenue and South Dixie Highway.
Both projects will be built on public land under 99-year lease agreements, and both will replace low-rise public housing with mixed-income residential towers.
More than half the new apartments – 425 in total – will be market-rate rentals. The remaining 370 units will be priced within reach of low-income and working families.
The second of the two projects – Eviva by Integral Florida – was approved on Tuesday by county commissioners, completing a competitive process that began in April 2023. The first project – Gallery in the Grove by Related Urban – was approved in February.
The two projects are part of an ambitious effort by the county to supersize residential development on public land within walking distance of the Douglas Road Metrorail station.
Both Douglas Road projects will take advantage of the county’s new RTZ zoning that allows developers to pack more housing into taller buildings in rapid transit zones.
Together, the two developments will replace 89 existing homes and apartments built in 1982 and owned by the county, for a net gain of 706 new residences.
The $159-million Eviva project, with 450 apartments, will replace 24 two-story residences between Oak and Day Avenues. The project will straddle Percival Avenue with a high-rise tower to the north and a smaller building to the south.
Judging from a project rendering provided by the county, the tower appears to be 21 stories tall, while the smaller building would top out at six stories.
The $148-million Gallery in the Grove project will replace a three-story building and 65 units of senior housing with a 20-story tower and 345 apartments at the corner of Douglas and Day, across from the neighborhood’s new Aldi supermarket.
Both towers will back up to a residential neighborhood of single-family homes – a point of contention for neighbors.
Another point of contention: the subsidized apartments in both developments will be leased through a lottery system open to all county residents, with no preference given to current or former West Grove residents.
Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado, whose district includes the West Grove, has pledged to hold a community meeting to present both projects to the public and address neighborhood concerns. The date of that meeting has not been announced.
Regalado did not respond to a request for comment from the Spotlight for this story. Integral Florida also did not respond this week when contacted by the Spotlight.
