Cutler Bay Town Council approves U.S. 1 development with 760 housing units and retail

Seven-story apartment buildings with rooftop pools could soon be a fixture on U.S. 1 in Cutler Bay after the Town Council on Wednesday night approved the application for a four-building mixed-use development, one of several projects that city leaders hope will spur an economic renaissance in the South Dade suburb.

The project will include two stories of retail and restaurant space below five stories of housing, including 274 apartments for people 55 and older, 338 market-rate apartments and 148 workforce housing apartments, a percentage of which will be reserved for military personnel and teachers and staff with Miami-Dade Public Schools, according to architect Erick Valle.

The project will also include a seven-story-high green wall, visible from U.S. 1, a lanai area, sculptures and open public green space, Valle said.

Mayor Tim Meerbott, who described the development as a “beautiful project,” noted Wednesday that Cutler Bay residents can be resistant to growth.

“And I say, ‘well, if we don’t want more growth we have to buy the property,’ ” Meerbott said. “If we’re not going to buy the property, I’m glad that at least there’s a nice project coming in.”

The project is one of several that are underway in the town of 45,000. This year, developers plan to break ground on the $1 billion Southland Mall redevelopment. And in October, the Town Council approved a $100 million, 196-unit senior housing development called “The Contemporary.”

Will Cutler Bay be Miami-Dade’s next boomtown? Its hopes are set on a $1 billion project

The applicants for the U.S. 1 project are a group called A&E Partners Holding, connected to Aetna Realty, which is currently building mixed-use residential projects in New York and New Jersey, and has listings in Miami, West Palm Beach, New York City, Baltimore and Chicago, according to a statement from the applicant’s representative.

During a zoning workshop in December, attorney Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, who represents A&E Partners Holding, said the project will cost $250 million.

At that workshop, Council Member BJ Duncan said the project is unique for the region.

“You’re not gonna find that anywhere else on U.S. 1 in this area,” Duncan said. “What’s currently there is by no means attractive, so this is definitely a proposed improvement.”