A developer has significantly reduced his original proposal for a 500-unit apartment project near Naranja, instead opting to build a 245-unit townhome community, citing increased demand for larger residences.
Attorney Gus Deribeaux, acting through two separate entities, has submitted plans to develop the townhomes on a primarily vacant 17.3-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Old Dixie Highway and Southwest 280th Street in unincorporated Miami-Dade County. The application was filed with the county late last month.
The property comprises several vacant lots at 28030 and 28240 Old Dixie Highway, 15450 Southwest 280th Street, and an additional lot at 28105 Southwest 157th Avenue, which currently contains a single-family home.
The proposed development, designed by Pascual, Perez, Kiliddjian, Starr & Associates, would feature two-story buildings, each containing five townhomes. The units would range from two-bedroom to four-bedroom layouts, accommodating a variety of family sizes.
The decision to scale back the original plans stems from a noticeable shift in demand in south Miami-Dade, with more families seeking larger homes, explained Ben Fernandez, the attorney representing Deribeaux in the application process.
Last year, Deribeaux obtained county approval for a project allowing up to eight stories and 500 units, which would have included 424 multifamily apartments and 76 townhomes, according to the submitted documents.
“It’s not often that you see a reduction in density of this magnitude,” Fernandez noted.
It remains uncertain whether the planned townhomes will be offered as rentals or for sale.
Deribeaux did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Property records indicate that Deribeaux’s entities paid a combined $2.2 million across three transactions in 2018, 2021, and the previous year for the vacant parcels. Fernandez added that Deribeaux is currently under contract to acquire the lot with the existing single-family residence.
South Miami-Dade continues to attract developers, thanks to its abundant supply of buildable land, which is available at lower prices compared to parcels in Miami’s urban core. Over the last five years, this has spurred a surge of proposed developments in the area.
Miami-based homebuilder Lennar, the nation’s second-largest by volume, has outpaced competitors by delivering 8,430 single-family homes and townhomes in south Miami-Dade over the past five years—accounting for nearly 70 percent of all such units built in the region, according to Colliers Research. Lennar is also responsible for close to 60 percent of the housing currently under construction in the area.
Bluenest Development, led by brothers Salim and Kamil Chraibi and based in Miami, has become a leading provider of workforce housing in south Miami-Dade. The company’s portfolio includes 1,000 completed homes, with another 3,000 in the development pipeline.
In Princeton, a neighborhood in south Dade, Miami-based Paxton Development Group has proposed developing the 230-unit Legacy Park affordable rental community at 13850 Southwest 248th Street.
Elsewhere, Atlantic Pacific Companies and the Archdiocese of Miami have proposed a 600-unit affordable apartment project at 28520 Southwest 148th Avenue, adjacent to St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Leisure City.
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