Miami city commissioners have approved the transfer of free land and up to $8 million in forgivable loans to two developers for affordable and workforce housing projects in Little Havana. The decision comes amid criticism over local governments providing incentives such as land at below-market prices to developers.
City officials defend these incentives, arguing they are necessary to encourage the development of affordable rental housing, which is in high demand in South Florida due to high living costs.
Under the new agreements, Miami will give a half-acre-plus site at 1340 Southwest Eighth Street and 825 Southwest 13th Court to N.R. Investments. The developer plans an 11-story mixed-income building with about 114 apartments under the Live Local Act. The city will also provide up to $4 million in loans from its District 3 capital reserve, affordable housing funds, and MiamiCoin cryptocurrency-related programs.
The second deal involves transferring a 0.6-acre site at 1251 Southwest Seventh Street—already owned by the city—to Mabruk USA. This firm intends to construct a 12-story building with 105 units. It will also receive up to $4 million in loans sourced from federally allocated HOME Investment Partnership Funds.
For N.R. Investments’ project, Miami will purchase the site for $5.9 million before transferring it to the developer. According to city records, one lot is currently home to a retail plaza owned by Lopez Optical; another houses a two-story office building owned by Ray Optical.
N.R. Investments is led by Ron Gottesmann and Nir Shoshani and proposes about 41 studios, 52 one-bedroom apartments, and 21 two-bedroom apartments, plus approximately 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and a three-story parking garage with space for 90 vehicles. Around 80 units will be priced below market rate for households earning between 60% and 120% of area median income (AMI). As reported by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, Miami-Dade County’s AMI stands at $87,200 but may change next spring.
Mabruk USA’s project is proposed by Nuri Dorra and Dr. Ingrid E. Dorra of North Miami Beach and includes plans for ground-floor retail space alongside a four-story garage with all units reserved for those earning up to 80% of AMI.
The agreements include provisions requiring developers to return properties if construction does not proceed as planned.
At Thursday’s meeting where these items passed without discussion, commissioners also approved selling three acres on Watson Island for $29 million—a transaction that drew criticism after an appraisal suggested much higher values between $257 million and $342 million according to reporting from the Miami Herald.
Miami-Dade County has previously transferred “surplus” land at below-market rates through no-bid deals supported by individual county commissioners when sites are considered underutilized.
