Miami-Dade County Commission Chairwoman Audrey M. Edmonson, Commissioner for District 3, had the pleasure of cutting the ribbon on the first tower to be refurbished at the Three Round Towers elderly housing complex administered by the Miami-Dade County Public Housing and Community Development (PHCD) department on Feb. 22, 2019. She was joined by Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and City of Miami Commissioner Willy Gort, who represents the Allapattah neighborhood; Related Urban Development Senior Vice President Albert Milo; Related Vice Chairman Adolfo Henriques and PHCD Director Michael Liu.
“I am very pleased that finally we are on our way to refurbishing Three Round Towers, one tower at a time,” Chairwoman Edmonson said. “Now our elderly will have working elevators and brand new units. This project didn’t come about without a bit of aggravation, broken elevators, outdated appliances and interior spaces. However, renovating a 49-year-old structure is no easy feat, but this team and your patience are doing it with care – one building at a time. All tenants have moved back to a state-of-the-art unit and facility with new ‘everything.’ For that, we all have a reason to applaud.”
Features and amenities include new electrical, plumbing and HVAC system upgrades, new impact windows and doors, new kitchen appliances including full-size range, oven and refrigerator, new kitchen cabinets with granite countertops, new plumbing fixtures in kitchen and bathrooms, new shower, vanities, sink, toilets and faucets, carded/touchpad secure entry into the building, new flooring throughout, cable/satellite TV hookup, programmable air conditioning, ceiling fans with lighting fixtures in bedrooms and living areas, daylight sensors, timers, motion detectors on outdoor lighting, emergency call system and new fire sprinklers.
Three Round Towers, originally built in 1970, is comprised of three towers on 6.98 acres. The current project includes a major rehabilitation of Tower A, which contains 128 public housing units. The public-private project cost was $15,551,488; the County’s Surtax contribution was $4 million and the estimated annual operating and capital fund subsidy is $385,521.Construction of the project began on October 31, 2017, and all residents returned to their rehabilitated units by December 26, 2018. The project also included refurbishing the Towers’ Malcolm Ross Senior Center/Community Center.
