Miami-Dade County And Related Urban Development Group Break Ground on Three Round Towers

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez,  Chairwoman Audrey M. Edmonson and Related Urban Development Group (RUDG) have celebrated the ground-breaking of Three Round Towers B&C and Brisas del Este, an affordable housing development encompassing three buildings for a combined total of 383 units in the Allapattah area of Miami-Dade County. They were joined by a special guest on this occasion, the Honorable Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Three Round Towers development was originally built in 1970 on approximately 6.98 acres and included three towers (Towers A, B and C), a Community Center and parking for residents. Tower A was substantially renovated in 2018 by Related Urban. The current renovations are focused on the major rehabilitation of Towers B and C along with the construction of Brisas del Este, a new 120-unit affordable housing project. RUDG, the affordable housing arm of prolific developer Related Group, will serve as Miami-Dade County’s developer partner. 

The rehabilitation of the two existing towers and the new construction of Brisas Del Este will result in stylish, well-appointed residences tailor made to serve a primarily senior population through elevated accessibility options. The projects will serve residents from 30% area median income (AMI) up to 80% AMI and will be completed in the beginning of 2022.

“By fully leveraging multiple financing sources, our County is paving the way more for smart projects that create vital affordable housing for our residents,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “Miami-Dade’s public-private partnership with Related Urban Development Group has been a key component leading to the success of this particular project, and I look forward to the County’s continuing wise use of P3’s moving forward.”

The total development cost for the three buildings is more than $106 million. The layering of financing makes this development the largest of its kind in the nation  utilizing Opportunity Zone Funds ($24 million) in combination with other federal and HUD resources, such as Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), Rental Assistance Demonstration funding (RAD), Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) from the City of Miami, and a Purchase Money Mortgage (PMM) of $18 million from Miami-Dade County to the developer. County and State surtax funds are also being invested in the project. More importantly, the Opportunity Zone investment of $24 million was made by personally by Related Group CEO Jorge M. Peréz.

“The redevelopment of Three Round Towers and the addition of Brisas Del Este leverages the widest range of financing available in affordable housing development,” said Albert Milo, Jr President of RUDG. “It is truly a first-of-its-kind project made possible by our partners at the County, who we have worked with over a dozen times to create transformative affordable housing solutions across Miami-Dade. Through collaborations like this, we are able to continue making a real difference for the residents of the communities we build in.”

“With this project we are proving that Opportunity Zone funding is scalable for major affordable housing developments,” said Michael Liu, Director for Miami-Dade Public Housing and Community Development (PHCD). Liu continued, “With a visionary like Jorge Perez and extraordinary builder in Albert Milo, our plan to transform all of our public housing with private sector partners will succeed.” 

Residents at Icon Brickell Host Parties As David Guetta Plays "United At Home" Set On Pool Deck Despite COVID-19 Social Gathering LIMits

In what was supposed to be an evening of fundraising and hope, a backlash has now swept through the Miami community. On April 18 David Guetta teamed up with the Miami Downtown Development Authority to host a 2 hour “United at Home” fundraising concert on the pool deck of Icon Brickell. The event raised over $6 million with over 30,000 listeners on instagram and in many ways was a huge success. Unfortunately many residents hosted parties in violation of Miami-Dade’s 10 person social gathering limit, issued by County Mayor Carlos Gimenez to help stop the spread of COVID-19, the effects of which have wreaked havoc on Florida’s economy. In one example videos have emerged with the help of the popular instagram account @OnlyInDade of a Miami entrepreneur hosting a large party on his balcony with guests not practicing social distancing and most wearing no masks and no gloves. The backlash in the comments on the instagram post has continued to grow as Brickell and Downtown Miami residents are enraged that they are now exposed to the dangers of the virus continuing to spread in their community. In March, hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs were ordered shut down in an effort to stop Florida from growing into a hotbed of infection. Parties have been identified as one of the major ways that COVID-19 has spread rapidly across the United States, at least 2 deaths have been reported from attendees who contracted the virus at the Winter Party Festival in Miami Beach in March.

The State of Florida is working hard to open up the states economy and get residents back to work. On Friday April 17 governor Ron Desantis gave the green light for some beaches and parks to reopen including in Jacksonville, but not Miami-Dade, which is one of the most populated regions in the state. The beaches which have opened allow walking, biking, hiking, fishing, running, swimming and surfing. They are only open from 6 AM to 11 AM and 5 PM to 8 PM. with gatherings of 50 people still prohibited state wide and proper social distancing practiced. Florida has over 23,300+ diagnosed cases of COVID-19 including 7,459+ in Miami-Dade, 3,177+ in Broward County and 1,704+ in Palm Beach County.

Miami-Dade Orders All Hotels And Short-Term Rentals To Shut Down Due To COVID-19

Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami Beach have ordered all hotels, motels and short-term rentals to begin immediately shutting down and vacate their guests, with full-closure by 11:59 PM on Monday, March 23. The announcement comes as Miami’s next step in curbing the spread of COVID-19 which has now surpassed 560 cases in Florida and over 123 in Miami-Dade. The move also comes to help dissipate the spring break crowds, many of whom have written off any care of the virus and are in Miami “to party.”

“Our hotels have always been the lifeblood of our economy, so shuttering them is not something to do impulsively. But right now, as painful as it may be, the reality is we just cannot be a tourist destination,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. “Attracting visitors and tourists is just utterly incompatible with social distancing. For the many amazing operators and employees who are impacted, and the families that rely upon them, we are so sorry that you will feel this most acutely and we will advocate for whatever relief will be available at the state and federal level. These decisions were made collaboratively with County Mayor Gimenez, our City Manager Jimmy Morales and after input from all of our Miami Beach City Commissioners.”

The closures will apply to all hotels, motels, apartment-hotels, hostels, dormitories, and vacation and short-term rentals in Miami-Dade County. Miami Beach will also enforce a curfew from 12 A.M. to 5 A.M. Acqualina Resort in Sunny Isles Beach and Coral Gables’ historic Biltmore Hotel both closed in advance of the announcement as reports of layoffs in the hotel and hospitality industry continue to grow. Last week Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez issued an executive order to shut down all non-essential business’ including restaurants, retail stores, nightclubs, casinos, gyms, public parks and beaches.