A 211-unit multifamily development with workforce housing is planned for the Naranja neighborhood in south Miami-Dade County. Alcazar Development Group has proposed the Aura Living apartment complex on a 4.3-acre vacant site at the southeast corner of Southwest 280th Street/Waldin Drive and Southwest 152nd Avenue, according to recent filings with Miami-Dade County.
The project comes as developers continue to pursue residential construction in south Miami-Dade, drawn by the availability of less expensive land compared to other parts of the county. The area includes municipalities such as Homestead and Florida City, along with unincorporated neighborhoods like Naranja, Leisure City, Princeton, and Goulds.
Alcazar filed a zoning verification request last week with Miami-Dade County through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC), a step required for securing funding and incentives for affordable and workforce housing projects. FHFC offers state and federal loans and grants for developments that include below-market rate units.
At least 12.5 percent of apartments at Aura Living—27 units—will be offered at workforce rents. In Miami-Dade County, workforce apartments are available to households earning between 60 percent and 140 percent of the area median income (AMI). According to FHFC, Miami-Dade’s annual AMI is $87,200.
The Aura Living project received administrative site plan approval in 2021. Designed by Anillo. Toledo. Lopez, it will consist of two six-story buildings and one four-story building.
Alcazar acquired the development site in 2015 for $3.1 million. The company is led by Jose Jorge Figueroa, Justo Fernandez, and Guillermo Villar.
In 2018, Alcazar completed The Olivia apartment complex nearby in Leisure City—a three-story property with 288 units—which was later sold to an entity affiliated with Artemis Real Estate Partners and Grand Peaks for $70.5 million in 2021.
Most of Alcazar’s upcoming projects are also located in south Miami-Dade.
Other developers have announced plans for large-scale residential projects near Aura Living. MAS AJP intends to build Mandarin Lakes Traditional Neighborhood Development—a mixed-use community on more than 200 acres featuring over 500 homes and commercial space—starting with row house complexes totaling nearly 300 homes on a site at South Dixie Highway and Southwest 280th Street.
Elsewhere in Naranja, Aconcagua has proposed a seven-story apartment building with 239 units at South Dixie Highway and Southwest 264th Avenue/Bauer Drive; meanwhile, Shadi Shomar, Gonzalo De Ramon, Ghassan Abboud, Roger Abboud, and Royal American Construction plan two eight-story buildings totaling 278 units at another location within Naranja.
