South Dade boom: D.R. Horton wants to build townhouses in Homestead, another developer proposes apartments in Naranja

(CFM Architects, Octavio A. Santurio Architect)

Two developers are proposing new housing projects in south Miami-Dade County, showing the area has caught the eye of builders amid high demand linked to population growth.

Major homebuilder D.R. Horton, based in Arlington, Texas, wants to build a 67-townhouse complex in Homestead, and D.E.V. & Associates proposes a 202-unit multifamily building in the Naranja neighborhood in unincorporated south Miami-Dade, according to preliminary applications submitted to the county.

D.R. Horton, whose chairman is Donald Horton and president and CEO is David Auld, is under contract to buy 6.5 acres of land it wants to develop from Southwest Sixth Street south to Lucy Street, and from Southwest 14th Avenue east almost up to 12th Avenue, according to its letter of intent. The application does not list the purchase price.

The current owner is Lucy Street 328 LLC, managed by Alicio Piña based in Miami Lakes, which paid $257,000 for the land in 2012, property records show.

North of that site, D.E.V. & Associates proposes a nine-story Palm at Parker apartment building with a clubhouse, pool and cabanas on 3.2 contiguous acres at 14201 and 14281 Henderson Street, and 14241 and 14259 Henderson Drive, according to its county filings. The property includes a next-door 0.2-acre lot without an address.

Records show the owners of the parcels are A Villas Legacy LLC, Dan Nico Properties LLC and Brian Herbert, who paid almost $1.7 million combined for the real estate last year and this year. Three of the parcels currently have single-family homes.

D.E.V. & Associates is a real estate developer and contractor based in Miami, said Jorge Vera, who represents the company, adding that D.E.V. does not yet have the property under contract.

D.R. Horton and D.E.V. & Associates are requesting a pre-application meeting with county staff members from various departments, who will review the plans for consistency with stormwater, traffic, environmental and other regulations. This is the first submission in the project approval process, with site plan reviews expected next.

The proposals are the latest for south Miami-Dade, as the long under-developed area appears poised for more projects amid high residential demand created by a growing population and lack of developable sites in areas closer to the city of Miami.

In Homestead, homebuilder Lennar paid $22.5 million for 25.3 developable acres in January, and $7.1 million for another 27 acres in September.

D.R. Horton started building homes in 1978 and has a portfolio spanning 44 U.S. markets, according to its website. https://therealdeal.com/miami/tag/dr-horton/ It also has focused on south Miami-Dade, specifically Florida City, where it has developed and purchased land, including paying $6.2 million for property in 2020.

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