Developer Proposes Transit-Oriented Apartments in Miami-Dade County

A South Florida developer hopes to build a 225-unit multifamily project near the Tri-Rail station in Opa-locka, Fla.

Christopher Sutton of VS Real Estate in Davie, Fla., submitted a pre-application with Miami-Dade County for the 5.1-acre assemblage at 13454, 13331, 13321 and 13317 Alexandria Drive.

Sutton paid $3 million for the parcels in 2022, according to property records.

The proposed Alexandria Gardens would include 225 apartments in seven four-story buildings, plus 285 parking spots, a dog park, a playground, bike racks and gated entry points. The project was designed by Ramos Martinez Architects of Miami.

Because the site is near a Tri-Rail station, VS Real Estate filed its plans under the county’s Rapid Transit Zone. That designation lets the developer seek approval from the county rather than the city, and also to request permission to build fewer parking spaces.

The developer also aims to take advantage of the county’s Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit, or SMART, program.

“The SMART corridor subzone allows for the highest and best use of this property for the development of a transit-oriented community,” attorney Maria Lievano-Cruz wrote in the application.

Opa-locka is a city of 16,230 in northern Miami-Dade County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Opa-locka’s median household income is $30,101, less than half the South Florida average, and the poverty rate is 28 percent, more than double the regional level.

Jeff Ostrowski can be reached at jostrowski@commercialobserver.com.