Miami-Dade County officials recently joined developers Adler Group and 13th Floor Investments in the groundbreaking for Link at Douglas, a mixed-use development that will transform the land surrounding the Douglas Road Metrorail station into one of the largest transit-oriented development projects in Miami-Dade County.
The project, which will be built in phases over the next five years on seven acres of land, will have:
• 1,500 residential units, including a workforce housing component;
• 25,000 square feet of retail space;
• a 250,000 square-foot office building, and
• a public plaza that will connect with The Underline, which will transform the land below Miami’s Metrorail into a 10-mile linear park, urban trail and living art destination.
“Once completed, the Link at Douglas will offer nearby residents all the benefits of an exciting urban lifestyle without ever needing to worry about a car, parking or traffic,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “Just like Motion at Dadeland, the new Link at Douglas development will provide the connectivity to public transportation that our county has been working so diligently to develop in order to reduce the congestion on our roadways and make our great county even more livable.”
As part of the partnership with the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW), the Adler Group and 13th Floor Investments will contribute more than $17 million in improvements to the Douglas Road Metrorail station and approximately $1 million toward the development of The Underline. Overall, Link at Douglas is expected to generate approximately $500 million in new revenue for Miami-Dade County.
The improvements to the Douglas Road Station include a redesign of the bus driveways and bays, passenger waiting areas and shelters, and a new parking garage with 750 spaces shared with DTPW.
“This type of integrated transit-oriented development is what helps us improve mobility,” said DTPW director Alice N. Bravo, PE. “When you look at the great transit systems, internationally, that have great ridership, that’s not an accident. The reason why those systems are widely used is because of the planning and land use around them.
“You have to have the density of people living and working and all the amenities that they need around the [transit] systems, and that is what leads to more and more people riding. And the more people ride, that’s how we’re going to reduce congestion,” Bravo added.
Bravo said transit-oriented developments, better known as TODs, change the way people live, work and play. She said TODs serve as great examples of how transit can serve as the backbone that connects high-density developments where people can easily access transit services to enjoy time with family and friends or to pursue employment and educational opportunities.
In addition, Bravo said the county is working with transportation partners at the local, state and federal levels to expand transit through transformative initiatives, such as the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Plan. The SMART Plan will extend transit along corridors that will reduce pressure on the county’s urban development boundaries while also promoting densification and development along the county’s major population and employment centers.
“We are tremendously grateful for the support the county is receiving from our transportation partners, the Florida Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration,” Bravo said. “We are particularly grateful to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao and Acting FTA Administrator K. Jane Williams for their support, which is key in developing the county’s SMART Plan.”
