A joint venture between Cain International and Kushner Companies has put a 40,504-square-foot property at 633 S Federal Highway under contract, planning twin towers of 28 and 22 stories that would deliver 440 residences just south of Fort Lauderdale's New River. The entity behind the deal, CI River District Phase 1 Owner LLC, is negotiating to buy the site from current owner OKO Group, which has held the parcel since 2020.
Renderings and plans for the project, dubbed Rio Vista Residences, were detailed by Florida YIMBY, which reported that Palma Architecture is designing the mixed-use venture. The site sits at 633 S Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301, in Broward County, and the plan calls for 570,362 square feet of new construction connected by a nine-story podium linking the two towers.
What's Inside the Two Towers
According to the outlet's report, unit layouts would range from studios through three-bedroom configurations, with floorplans spanning roughly 565 to 1,625 square feet. The project would also include 841 parking spots. Amenities described in the plans include multiple resort-style swimming pools, hot and cold plunge pools, and a fitness center with a Pilates studio.
Commercial space folded into the towers' podium includes 11,550 square feet of retail, more than 4,000 square feet of restaurant space, and 69,363 square feet dedicated to health and fitness uses, per figures the outlet attributed to the South Florida Business Journal.
A Site OKO Group Has Held Since the Pandemic
OKO Group originally bought the property in June 2020 for $33.16 million, as part of a larger three-block, $63 million assemblage, according to Avison Young. That purchase came as downtown Fort Lauderdale's central business district office vacancy rose 385 basis points during the second quarter of 2020, a shift the firm says encouraged developers to convert downtown commercial land into high-density residential projects. OKO Group has held onto the Federal Highway parcel for six years before agreeing to put it under contract with the Cain-Kushner venture.
Land-use attorney Stephanie J. Toothaker of Toothaker & Thomas is handling the municipal planning and zoning submittals for the project, according to information posted on her firm's website. Toothaker is a well-known figure in Fort Lauderdale land-use law, frequently representing major downtown development proposals as they move through the city's review process.
Part of a Bigger South Florida Push
The Rio Vista Residences proposal follows Cain International and Kushner Companies formally launching a joint venture in April 2026 to pursue residential and mixed-use developments across South Florida. That partnership started with a 364-unit project in Miami's Edgewater, seeded in part by a $42 million loan from BDT & MSD Partners, according to Cain International.
Kushner Companies already has a substantial residential pipeline underway in downtown Fort Lauderdale. In 2022, the company won approval for a 48-story, 932-unit tower at 300 West Broward Boulevard after acquiring the 2.3-acre site with Aimco for $49 million, as reported by The Real Deal. The company also submitted plans in September 2023 for a 1.4 million-square-foot mixed-use project with twin 41-story towers holding 852 apartments at 400 North Andrews Avenue in Flagler Village, per Florida YIMBY's earlier reporting.
Kushner's local footprint has also included aggressive legal maneuvering. As Hoodline reported in prior coverage, the company acquired the Natiivo Fort Lauderdale site at a foreclosure auction in March 2026 for just $35,100, after winning a $25.7 million foreclosure judgment against former partner Newgard Development Group.
OKO Group's Track Record With Cain International
OKO Group and Cain International are not strangers to collaborating in this stretch of downtown Fort Lauderdale. The two firms partnered in July 2022 to secure a $97.2 million construction loan from Bank OZK for One River, a planned 34-story, 251-unit luxury rental tower at 629 SE 5th Avenue, not far from the Rio Vista Residences site.
Rio Vista's Growing Luxury Reputation
The historic Rio Vista neighborhood south of the New River has drawn attention as one of Fort Lauderdale's top luxury enclaves, prized for its river positioning, canal access, and proximity to downtown, according to market reporting from Million | Redefine Lifestyle. Nearby, OceanLand Investments is developing a separate 100-unit luxury condominium project called Sixth & Rio at 501 SE 6th Avenue, per The Real Deal.
How Rio Vista Residences will ultimately be positioned — as rentals or condominiums — along with the timeline for Fort Lauderdale's Development Review Committee approvals and the final closing terms between OKO Group and the joint venture, remain open questions as the project moves through the local planning process.
