A 211-unit apartment complex with workforce housing is planned for the Naranja neighborhood in south Miami-Dade County. Alcazar Development Group, based in South Miami, has proposed the Aura Living project on a 4.3-acre vacant site at the southeast corner of Southwest 280th Street/Waldin Drive and Southwest 152nd Avenue, according to filings made to the county last week.
The development is part of a larger trend of residential construction in south Miami-Dade, where developers are attracted by available land at lower prices compared to other parts of the county. The region has seen an increase in apartments, townhomes, and single-family homes as demand for housing remains high.
Alcazar submitted a “zoning verification” request to Miami-Dade County as required by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) for projects seeking funding and incentives for affordable and workforce housing. FHFC offers state and federal financial support for developments that include below-market rate units.
At least 12.5 percent of Aura Living’s apartments—27 units—will be offered at workforce rents. In Miami-Dade County, workforce housing targets households earning between 60 percent and 140 percent of the area median income (AMI). According to FHFC data, the annual AMI in Miami-Dade is $87,200.
The 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.
Property records show Alcazar acquired the development site for $3.1 million in 2015.
Alcazar Development Group is led by Jose Jorge Figueroa, Justo Fernandez, and Guillermo Villar. The company focuses on residential and multifamily developments primarily in south Miami-Dade.
In 2018, Alcazar completed The Olivia—a three-story, 288-unit garden-style apartment complex located near Aura Living’s future site—in Leisure City. Alcazar sold The Olivia for $70.5 million in 2021 to an entity linked to Artemis Real Estate Partners and Grand Peaks.
Other developers are also active nearby. MAS AJP plans Mandarin Lakes Traditional Neighborhood Development on more than 200 acres in Naranja with over 500 residences and commercial space; initial phases include row house complexes totaling nearly 300 homes at South Dixie Highway and Southwest 280th Street. Brickell-based Aconcagua intends to build a seven-story apartment building with 239 units at South Dixie Highway and Southwest 264th Avenue/Bauer Drive; another group including Shadi Shomar, Gonzalo De Ramon, Ghassan Abboud, Roger Abboud, and Royal American Construction proposes two eight-story buildings with a combined total of 278 units at another Naranja location.
South Miami-Dade includes cities such as Homestead and Florida City along with unincorporated areas like Naranja, Leisure City, Princeton, and Goulds.
