Plan for affordable complex in Overtown moves forward as housing needs grow
Coconut Grove-based affordable housing development firm Housing Trust Group is moving forward with plans to build more than 1,000 mixed-income units in Overtown.
The project will replace two garden-style public housing developments — Rainbow Village Apartments and Gwen Cherry 23C — now, with a total of 136 units. In late April, Miami-Dade County commissioners approved an 11-month ground lease of the 10.4-acre site on the corner of Northwest 20th Street and Northwest Third Avenue, according to Matthew Rieger, chief executive officer and president of HTG. The ground lease is the result of a 2019 Request of Proposal that includes a 75-year lease.
The project comes as unemployment soars, potentially exacerbating the county’s existing affordability crisis.
“Prior to the pandemic, we were in an affordable housing crisis. Miami was ground zero. Some of the people that wanted and needed affordable housing did not qualify prior to the pandemic. Now they do because of the sharp unemployment spike. Demand for units just went up exponentially,” Rieger said.
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The location, near downtown, is in high demand, Rieger noted.
The firm will consult with the community and county before deciding which of three scenarios to pursue, Rieger said. Construction is expected to begin in late 2021, pending financing commitments.
The three options are:
▪ Scenario A: A mixed-use community with a total of 1,014 units. Most would be mixed-income apartment units for rent — 136 public housing units, 134 affordable, 733 market rate — and 11 would be townhomes for sale. The amenities would include a community center, day-care center, gym, library, 7,600 square feet of retail space, swimming pool and picnic areas with barbecue grills.
▪ Scenario B: A total of 1,316 units. Most would be mixed-income apartment rental units — 136 public housing units, 106 affordable, 1,059 market rate — and 15 would be townhomes for sale. The buildings would have additional floors to accommodate more units. Amenities would mirror the first option.
▪ Scenario C: Residential units mirroring the first two options, with 70,000 square feet of retail, office and community spaces made possible through a 10.7-acre expansion via partnerships with adjacent property owners.
It hired the Miami-based Zyscovich Architects to design the development.
Units would include a one-bedroom, one-bath apartment measuring 800 square feet; a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment with 1,000 square feet; and a three-bedroom, three-bath apartment with about 1,200 square feet.
HTG must receive approval to replace existing units by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The firm also plans to meet with area residents for input. Given social distancing and concerns regarding the coronavirus, it expects to hold meetings through Zoom.
The firm plans to pursue financing in September. The budget is yet to be determined, Rieger said, since it depends on the scope of the development.
The firm has “established roots in Overtown,” Rieger said. Existing projects in the neighborhood include Courtside Apartments at 1699 NW Fourth Ave., completed in collaboration with Alonzo Mourning’s AM Affordable Housing.
HTG is a 40-year-old family-run developer with a portfolio of affordable, workforce, market rate and mixed-use developments across Florida, Georgia, Texas and Arizona. Local projects are located in Fort Lauderdale, Miami’s Health District, Homestead and Pembroke Pines.
All of the firm’s existing buildings are 100 percent occupied with an average 100-person waiting list for a 100-unit building, Rieger said.
South Florida locals have long struggled to afford rising housing prices as wages have stagnated. A proposal to ease the crisis was presented early this year but was sidelined by a combination of policy disagreements, politics and the COVID-19 crisis.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
