With ceremonial shovels in hand, leaders from the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County officially launched construction Friday on a major mixed-income housing development in Allapattah — one of the first local projects to advance under Florida’s Live Local Act.
.jpg)
The $89.2 million development, named Dulce Vida, will rise at 1785 NW 35th St., just west of downtown Miami. The project signals a tangible step forward for a city long strained by escalating rents and limited affordable housing inventory.
At the groundbreaking, District 1 Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela described the moment as critical for a neighborhood facing intense housing pressure.
“Nowadays, land is not cheap and there's not an abundance,” said Gabela, whose office gave about $13 million for the project. “In Allapattah, we probably have one of the greatest needs. But I think this is probably the center of the affordable housing need, because of all the seniors.”
Developed by Coral Rock Development Group, Dulce Vida will feature:
Unit distribution includes:
Developers say the layered income model is designed to integrate workforce families and lower-income residents into one cohesive residential community rather than separating income tiers.
Michael Wohl, principal partner at Coral Rock, emphasized the urgency of the region’s rental strain.
“People are paying the highest percentage of their gross income for rents here compared to any place in the country,” said Michael Wohl. “So it's very important that we attack the affordable housing issues head on.”
Wohl added that Allapattah’s central location — near 36th Street, the health district and roughly two miles from Miami International Airport — makes it ideal for workforce housing tied to healthcare, aviation and service industries.
The project’s capital stack includes:
Still, local officials credit the Live Local Act as the primary catalyst that allowed the project’s scale and speed.
Passed in 2023, the law reduces zoning barriers, streamlines approvals and provides tax incentives for developers who commit to long-term affordability. According to Florida Tax Watch, more than 3,000 units have been built statewide since its passage, with thousands more underway.
“The act allowed for more units to be built,” Gabela said, noting that increased density gives projects like Dulce Vida a “more success rate.”
Despite momentum, the Live Local Act remains controversial.
In Surfside, residents and officials recently objected to a proposed 12-story mixed-use building filed under the law. Mayor Charles Burkett criticized that proposal as a "disaster" and a “a developer-driven initiative that doesn’t address affordable housing.”
Wohl acknowledged that implementation challenges exist but argued Dulce Vida represents responsible use of the legislation.
“It is utilizing Live Local to subsidize mixed income developments that include affordable housing and workforce housing.”
The housing shortage in Florida remains stark. A 2025 report from the Florida Housing Coalition found there are only 24 affordable rental units available for every 100 extremely low-income renters statewide.
Still, there are signs of improvement. According to RentCafe.com, Miami added nearly 9,000 affordable apartments between 2020 and 2024 — a 95% increase over the previous five-year period.
Local faith leaders partnering in Dulce Vida see the project as part of a broader transformation.
“We're bringing projects that will bring dignity, that will bring productivity, that will bring stability to a city,” said Obed Jauregui, pastor of Miami Bethany Church of the Nazarene and CEO of Miami Bethany Community Services, in Spanish. “For a long time this community in some cases wasn't well-known, and in others it was known for violence, gangs, drugs, and other things. And now that it's known for having such beautiful projects…that's completely changing the community.”
Jauregui underscored the scale of unmet need.
“We need more than half a million apartments for low-income families throughout the county,” said Jauregui. “But well, we can't bring in half a million all at once, but we brought in 227.”
Construction is expected to take 18 to 24 months, with completion projected for 2028. Given anticipated demand, leasing may involve a lottery system.
For residents of Allapattah and the broader Miami area, Dulce Vida represents more than new housing units — it reflects a policy experiment in real time, testing whether state-backed incentives and local investment can meaningfully slow one of the nation’s most severe affordability crises.
Originally reported by WLRN Public Media.
.webp)
