Swerdlow Group has proposed affordable housing, workforce housing and market-rate housing in Little River.

Michael Swerdlow and Related Urban are one step away from landing separate ground leases to develop mixed-income projects on land owned by Miami-Dade County.

Groundbreaking “should come next year” for a massive project in Little River, its developer told the Herald last week. The plans include a new Tri-Rail station, which will be financed through the creation of a new taxing district encompassing the development area. Other infrastructure improvements will also be financed through the taxing district. There will be over 5,700 residential units, with 2,000 workforce condos. The plans include 2,284 rental apartments for low and very low income residents. The plan also includes main street shopping, big box stores, and parks and public spaces.

The Residences at Sawyer’s Walk are part of a new mixed-use development that serves as an example of how dense and creative projects can address critical needs in underserved areas across South Florida. The 1.5 million-square-foot, mixed-use project opened last year and includes 578 units for low-income seniors, 175,000 square feet of fully leased retail space, an office component of around 130,000 square feet and a 25,000-square-foot plaza occupying an entire city block.

MSC Group invested more than $100 million in downtown Miami for its new North American headquarters, creating nearly 500 jobs. The Switzerland-based global logistics and shipping company bought 130,000 square feet of office space at Block 55 at Sawyer’s Walk last year for $67 million. MSC Group is spending $40 million to build out the space and get it ready to house the company's North American headquarters. Employees from three of the company's divisions — MSC Cargo, MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys — will work at the firm's new U.S. headquarters.

The future housing development would cover at least 33 acres of publicly-owned land and include a train station and several big national retailers, such as Home Depot, Publix and BJ's Discount Store.

Developer Michael Swerdlow wants to develop 5,730 multifamily units with some affordable and workforce apartments, replacing five public housing complexes across Miami. Coconut Grove-based Swerdlow Group’s project also will include 370,000 square feet of commercial space such as offices and a school; 250,000 square feet of open space and amenities and a new Tri-Rail passenger train station, according to Miami-Dade records. 

A company led by developer Michael Swerdlow is seeking a 99-year land lease with Miami-Dade County to redevelop numerous public housing sites in Little River with 5,720 affordable and workforce apartments.

Michael Swerdlow, managing partner of SG Holdings, is among developers taking a fresh approach to affordable housing in and near the Magic City. He has called the shortage in Miami-Dade County "the largest affordability crisis in the nation," one that has displaced some senior citizens, who are struggling against homelessness. "I don't like seeing people living in deplorable conditions, so I wanted to provide affordable housing that doesn't sacrifice quality," he says of Miami's Sawyer's Walk.

The Community Voice with Host Fara Sax welcomes Michael Liu, EVP/Chief Strategy Officer.

Sawyer’s Walk, the largest mixed-use development in Miami’s historic community of Overtown, has announced the delivery of the retail component with a new Target that just opened and other major retailers set to open over the coming weeks and months, including a Burlington, Five Below, Aldi super-market, and Ross Dress for Less, which will serve the immediate community and surrounding neighborhoods.

The downtown Miami area now has its first Target store. The big-box retailer, along with other stores, opened in October at Sawyer’s Walk, a new shopping and affordable apartment complex in Overtown. Burlington, Five Below and an Aldi supermarket also opened in October and November. Ross Dress for Less should be ready for customers by March. “The new stores are already performing very well, with Target being ahead of what it projected,” Michael Swerdlow, the project’s developer, said in a statement to the Miami Herald.

Sawyer’s Walk, the largest mixed-use development in the historic community of Overtown, announces the delivery of the retail component with a brand new Target that just opened and other major retailers set to open over the coming weeks and months, including a Burlington, Five Below, Aldi supermarket, and Ross Dress for Less, which will serve the immediate Overtown community and surrounding neighborhoods.