13th Floor Investments and Barings Break Ground on Final Phase of Miami's Link at Douglas Transit-Oriented Development with $134 Million Construction Loan

13th Floor Investments, in partnership with Barings, has secured a $134 million construction loan to finance the development of Crescendo, the fourth and final residential tower at Link at Douglas, one of Miami’s largest and most transformative transit-oriented communities. The construction financing is led by Santander Bank in partnership with TD Bank and First Horizon Bank. Located at 3070 SW 37th Avenue adjacent to Miami-Dade County's Douglas Road Metrorail Station, Crescendo will include 392 multifamily units and complete the 7-acre Link at Douglas mixed-use community, strategically positioned at the intersection of US-1 and Douglas Road between Coral Gables and Coconut Grove. Now under construction, the 37-story tower is expected to deliver in 2029.

Link at Douglas' first phase, which delivered in 2023, introduced two fully leased residential towers totaling 733 apartments, the 312-unit Core and 421-unit Cascade buildings, along with more than 30,000 square feet of retail space anchored by Milam's Market. The project's third residential tower, the 432-unit Cadence building, is currently under construction and expected to deliver in 2028. With the addition of Crescendo, Link at Douglas will encompass more than 1,500 residential units across four towers, fully realizing a long-term vision for a dynamic mixed-use community integrated with one of Miami-Dade County's most important transit hubs.

"Crescendo is far more than the final tower at Link at Douglas," said Daryl Shevin, Chief Financial Officer of 13th Floor Investments. "It represents the culmination of years of planning, investment, and partnership with Miami-Dade County to create a community that brings housing, retail, and transit together in one of Miami's most connected locations."

Developed in collaboration with Miami-Dade County and its Department of Transportation and Public Works, Link at Douglas has transformed publicly owned land surrounding the Douglas Road Metrorail Station into a mixed-use community that integrates housing, retail, and transit. As part of the original agreement, the development team invested more than $17 million in public infrastructure improvements, including a complete renovation of the Metrorail station and the creation of a public plaza connecting directly to The Underline linear park.

Barings has partnered with 13th Floor Investments on the development since breaking ground on Link at Douglas’ first residential tower in 2019 and has remained a key capital partner throughout the community's multi-phase evolution.

“We're proud to continue our partnership with 13th Floor Investments at Link at Douglas as the project enters its final phase,” said Chris Cassella, Managing Director at Barings. “Crescendo is the realization of a thoughtfully executed vision in one of Miami's most connected locations, and we're pleased to help bring the final piece of the community to life.”

The completion of Link at Douglas further advances 13th Floor Investments' transit-oriented development strategy across South Florida. The firm recently broke ground on Link at Boca, a mixed-use development adjacent to Boca Raton's Tri-Rail Station that will deliver 340 residential units and 24,000 square feet of retail space. The firm also plans to develop Link at SoMi, a two tower 670-unit multifamily community adjacent to the South Miami Metrorail Station that emphasizes walkable design and urban living near major employment and education hubs.

Since its founding in 2008, 13th Floor Investments has delivered more than 4,700 residential units across South Florida and currently has more than 4,800 units in development or under construction. Today, the firm is focused on the development of luxury residential and mixed-use multifamily communities, growing its industrial portfolio, and expanding its single-family homebuilding business, 13th Floor Homes.

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13th Floor Investments & Adler Group Lock Down $99 Million In Construction Financing For 2nd Tower At Link at Douglas

Miami-based real estate developers Adler Group and 13th Floor Investments have finalized a $99 million loan that will open the door to the construction of a second tower at Link at Douglas, a 7-acre master-planned development that will transform Miami-Dade County’s Douglas Road Metrorail Station into a mixed-use transit hub with residential, retail and commercial office uses. The loan, which was issued by Banco Santander and TD Bank, will help fund the construction of the 36-story multifamily building, which will include 421 rental apartments and 17,000 SF of ground-floor retail space.

Situated directly adjacent to the Douglas Road Metrorail Station at 3100 Douglas Road, the Arquitectonica-designed building will also feature a public plaza with connectivity to The Underline, a 10-mile-long linear park being built underneath the Metrorail tracks running from Downtown Miami to South Miami.

Construction of Tower 2 is expected to get underway this month (February 2020) and is expected to be completed in late 2022. Tower 1, a 22-story multifamily building designed by Corwil Architects with 312 rental apartments and 6,000 SF of retail space, broke ground in July 2019 and is slated for completion in 2021.

“The closing of this construction loan is a testament to our strong bank relationships and also signals the continued confidence in our latest transit-oriented development, as well as our ability to execute as a development team,” said Daryl Shevin, CFO of 13th Floor Investments.

“Link at Douglas will set a standard for urban living by catering to Miami-Dade’s evolving residents, who are looking for ways to avoid road congestion through public transit while seeking a more connected lifestyle,” said Jonathan Raiffe, Chief Operating Officer of Adler Group.

Link at Douglas is being developed through a collaboration with Miami-Dade County in which the developers have entered into a ground lease for publicly-owned land that will usher in privately-funded transit and infrastructure upgrades at a critical connection point within the County’s transit system. Link at Douglas’ mobility plan includes connectivity to Metrorail, County buses and municipal trolleys. Additionally, the development will incorporate over $17 million in public infrastructure improvements, including a fully renovated Metrorail station, a public plaza with active retail, and a section of The Underline. Link at Douglas marks the second partnership for 13th Floor Investments and Adler Group. The development team recently completed Motion at Dadeland, a 294-unit transit-oriented rental community adjacent to South Miami’s Dadeland North Metrorail Station, which opened to renters in April 2019.

13th Floor Investments & Adler Group Complete Construction Of The Transit-Oriented Motion at Dadeland Apartments

13th Floor Investments and Adler Group have announced that the firms have completed construction of Motion at Dadeland, a transit-oriented, 294-unit luxury rental community that is adjacent to the Dadeland North Metrorail Station in South Miami, FL. The project is now is welcoming its first residents with the successful receipt of the development’s TCO. Motion at Dadeland was developed in collaboration with Miami-Dade County Transportation & Public Works in an effort to curb’s the city’s congestion issues by motivating people to live and work near transit. The project was also developed in partnership with Barings LLC, one of the world’s largest diversified real estate investment managers, which owns the property on behalf of institutional investors. Civic Construction acted as general contractor and played an instrumental role in executing the project on time and under budget while both TD Bank and Santander Bank provided the construction loan on the project.

“The Downtown Dadeland submarket has become one of Miami’s most appealing areas for residential living,” said Michael M. Adler, CEO of Adler Group. “Motion at Dadeland provides residents the ability to enjoy the Dadeland area in a modern residential community while being directly connected to Brickell and Downtown Miami via the Metrorail.”

Motion at Dadeland was designed by Corwil Architects and rises 25-stories, offering 294 rental apartments and just under 8,000 SF of retail space. The building is a vibrant and modern multifamily community of studio, one-, two-, and three- bedroom apartments located in the heart of Miami at 8400 South Dixie Highway, Miami, Florida. Motion at Dadeland is a class-A multifamily development featuring condo-quality finishes with sweeping views of Biscayne Bay and Downtown Miami. Amenities include a modern lobby, double height amenity level on the sixth floor, fully-equipped fitness center with bay and skyline views, expansive pool deck, poolside cabanas, communal sun loungers, covered seating, media room, party lounge and a co-working center for its residents.

“Motion at Dadeland perfectly embodies what today’s renters are looking for: quality, connectivity and community,” said Arnaud Karsenti, Managing Principal of 13th Floor Investments. “The success of this is project is a testament to what can be achieved through the collaboration of the public and private sectors. We appreciate the confidence that Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works has shown in our partnership and in the future of transit-oriented development in Miami-Dade County.”

“Our partnerships with the private sector, transportation stakeholders and local governments have helped us to foster the development of transit-oriented projects, such as Motion at Dadeland,” said DTPW Director Alice N. Bravo, P.E. “Getting more people to live and work around transit is the ultimate solution for congestion because it helps grow ridership and creates more livable communities.”

Mike Zammitti, Head of U.S. Real Estate Private Equity at Barings noted, “Motion at Dadeland is a prime example of executing on our investment strategy - targeting class A development opportunities, in collaboration with best-in-class partners, in live-work-play locations within strong markets that are expected to outperform. Motion at Dadeland is an outstanding development and we look forward to our continued successful relationships with our partners in this endeavor.”