A 43-story tower proposed for downtown Miami's Park West neighborhood could include a fire station on its ground floor. The Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency was considering a proposal from Atlanta-based developer ACRE Communities for a project that would bring 391 apartments to a 0.77-acre site at 604 NW 1st Avenue and 25 NW 6th Street.
According to the South Florida Business Journal, ACRE emerged from a November 2025 request for proposals that drew three competing bids. The proposed building would total 630,000 square feet across 43 stories, making it one of the more ambitious residential projects to move through Park West's pipeline in recent years. ACRE's pitch also drew coverage from Florida YIMBY, which reported the development would include 432 parking spots for residential and public use and that construction, if approved, could begin in 2028 and wrap by summer 2030.
A Housing Mix Built Around Affordability Mandates
The 391-unit residential plan includes studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments, according to the Business Journal. Of those, 188 units — 48 percent — would rent at market rate, while the remaining 203 are reserved as income-restricted housing: 156 apartments for households earning up to 60 percent of area median income and 47 workforce units capped at 120 percent of AMI. Florida YIMBY reported that residential units would average about 780 square feet.
That unit mix lines up with Florida's Live Local Act, the state housing law updated in 2026 under House Bill 1389. Per Becker & Poliakoff, the law requires local governments to administratively approve qualifying mixed-use developments in commercial zones, bypassing rezoning, when at least 40 percent of units are set aside as affordable rentals for 30 years. Originally enacted as SB 102 in 2023, the statute includes zoning preemptions and limits on certain dimensional standards for qualifying projects.
The Fire Station Trade-Off
The proposal also includes a potential 13,000-square-foot fire station on the ground floor, tucked beneath the residential tower, Florida YIMBY reported.
Downtown Miami and Park West have absorbed much of that growth, straining existing infrastructure built for a smaller population.
Who's Behind the Project
The Business Journal reported that Michael Van Der Poel is involved in the development. ACRE previously co-developed Adela at MiMo Bay, a 236-unit waterfront apartment property in Miami, completing it in 2020 before securing a $72 million refinancing package from Nuveen Real Estate in August 2025, as The Real Deal reported.
A Deal Shaped by a Deepening Housing Gap
The project arrives against a backdrop of acute housing strain across Miami-Dade County. Housing research from Miami Homes For All, cited by WLRN, found the county faces a shortfall of more than 90,000 affordable rental homes for households earning up to 80 percent of area median income.
The CRA is working to establish a development agreement, with construction potentially beginning in 2028. The project adds to a string of Live Local Act proposals moving through Miami's approval pipeline, following Hoodline's earlier coverage of a separate workforce housing bid under the same law.
