North Miami’s industrial fringe could be in for a major makeover, as Dezer Development rolls out plans for Dezerland Park West, a roughly 600-unit residential complex that would take over a low-rise industrial stretch with a trio of new buildings.
The proposal sketches out a 14-story tower, an eight-story mid-rise and a small cluster of two-story townhomes on about 4.4 acres. The plan calls for structured parking, limited ground-floor retail and a streetscape that tries to feel more residential than warehouse. MSA Architects is listed as the design firm on the filing.
Project documents filed with the city lay out a two-parcel site at 1890 NE 146th Street, delivering 600 residences, 944 parking spaces and about 4,526 square feet of retail, according to Florida YIMBY. The site plan shows walk-up units at ground level, an eight-story parking garage and streetscape upgrades that widen sidewalks and add landscaping. Elevations in the filing depict a stucco-heavy design with stepped building heights to break up the long block.
How the city review works
Dezer is pursuing the project through North Miami’s Special Development and Transit-Oriented District framework, using a Conditional Use Permit that allows higher density without a formal rezoning, per Floridian Development. City staff have recommended approval of the initial requests, but the plan still has to get through the Development Review Committee and secure City Council approval before any permits are issued.
The requested CUP would come with a sunset clause that wipes out approvals if permits are not pulled within a year of council sign-off, according to Floridian Development. In other words, Dezer would be on the clock once the council votes.
Jobs, parking and neighborhood change
The developer is projecting roughly 40 to 50 permanent jobs tied to the complex and is branding the plan as Dezerland Park West, South Florida Business Journal reports. Neighbors and city planners are expected to watch closely how the added density plays with traffic and public services along NE 146th Street and nearby arterials.
To ease that transition, Dezer has offered up streetscape improvements in the submission, including wider sidewalks and added landscaping, as described in project documents.
Buildout numbers and process
Economic materials submitted to the city estimate about 2,831 short-term construction jobs and roughly 151 million dollars in wages over the buildout, with most parking tucked into an eight-story garage and only a few surface spaces, according to Floridian Development. The filing asks North Miami to allocate 600 units from the Special Development and Transit-Oriented District pool, a sizable bite out of the remaining capacity.
Even if officials are inclined to say yes, any approval would still require a separate site plan review and another City Council vote, so final permission remains months away.
Developer track record
Dezer is already a familiar name in South Florida real estate. The firm is currently building Bentley Residences in Sunny Isles Beach and has other large-scale projects in its pipeline, per Florida YIMBY. That track record is central to the company’s argument that an experienced local developer can deliver the kind of public benefits the SDTOD program is supposed to produce.
The filing surfaced in local reporting this month and is now set to move through North Miami’s full review sequence, starting with the planning commission, then the Development Review Committee and finally the City Council, according to South Florida Business Journal. Public hearings along the way will determine whether the project can tap the SDTOD unit pool and proceed toward permitting.
