Allapattah debuts affordable apartment building. More coming in $108M project
Elina Crespo, a 72-year-old Havana native, is enjoying her apartment in the first new building at Three Round Towers complex, a gated 7-acre affordable housing community in inner city Miami.
Miami-Dade County and Related Urban partnered to gut and remodel the 1970s-era towers that have 391 apartments. They broke ground in 2020 as part of a $108 million plan incorporating federal, state and local funding to revamp the three existing towers and build another three buildings with apartments priced affordably.
Once the project is completed by 2025, the community in Allapattah will have over 870 apartments, more than doubling the amount of housing originally built on the site and adding to the county’s much-needed housing supply. Last week, Miami-Dade officials declared a state of emergency due to the county’s affordable housing crunch.
Crespo now lives at Brisas del Este, the first of three new buildings to complement the three older ones. She’s one of the existing residents that relocated on the property to the first new apartment building. That boutique building received its temporary certificate of occupancy in March, which allowed tenants to move in. The 120-unit building is fully leased, and has 83 apartments occupied. On Wednesday, Miami-Dade County and Related Urban celebrated its opening.
READ MORE: Miami-Dade declares state of emergency over housing affordability
The 8-story Brisas del Este sits at 2926 NW 18th Ave., steps from the Juan Pablo Duarte Park. Apartments range from 555-square-foot to 590-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom units. On the ground floor, residents have access to a communal workspace, game room and — Crespo’s favorite — a gym.
Today, Crespo spends her time bike riding through the neighborhood to run errands and hosting her four adult children, 11 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren who visit her often in Allapattah.
“I love this,” Crespo said. “This has been the best thing that’s happened to me. I’ve won the lottery.”
A single tenant must earn $54,600 — 80% of Miami-Dade’s median income — or less to qualify to live in Brisas del Este, which has apartments designated and priced as affordable, workforce and rental assistance demonstration. Most tenants pay between $300 a month and $1,414 a month to live in either Brisas del Este or the other open towers. Some pay even less, like Crespo, who pays about $100 a month for her apartment.
While Brisas del Este, Towers A and C are fully leased — Tower B is under renovation and expected to be completed late this year — prospective tenants can apply for any openings by visiting the on-site leasing office or calling the office at 786-633-4360.
Demand remains high for the Three Round Towers complex, said Albert Milo Jr., principal and senior vice president of Related Urban Development Group. His team receives tenant applicants across different socioeconomic levels, including retirees, teachers and lawyers in the public sector.
“Historically people would think that [demand is from] the beverage and food industry. It’s not just that. Miami has grown more than relying on tourism,” Milo said. “Many professions qualify. A starting teacher makes $47,000. Public defenders make in the $40,000s. That population has to have housing near the place of employment.”
Three Round Towers’ second new building Brisas del Este Apartments, an 8-story building with 161 apartments, is slated to open by summer 2023, Milo said. Still under design, the third and final 8-story building will have between 200 and 250 apartments. Construction is anticipated to start by early 2023 and take nearly two years to complete.
Other affordable housing communities have opened in Allapattah, and the county plans to build more in the neighborhood.
“Allapattah is close to the workforce,” said Michael Liu, director of the Miami-Dade County Public Housing and Community Development Department. “The cost of housing and land is rising, but it is still relatively affordable. That’s why it makes those area enhancements of housing stock very attractive.”
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
