Developers pitch 16‑story student housing project next to South Miami MetroRail station

The City of South Miami Planning Board on Tuesday heard a full staff and applicant presentation for Somiwok, a proposed 16‑story multifamily building immediately adjacent to the South Miami MetroRail station.

Mark Alvarez, presenting the staff report, described the 1.01‑acre, L‑shaped site at 5959 Southwest 71st Street and 7090 Southwest 59th Place as in the city’s Transit‑Oriented Development Area (TODA). Alvarez said the project proposes 173 units (about 171.3 units per acre) in a 16‑story building and requests bonuses and waivers for lot coverage and floor‑to‑floor heights. He said the project meets the city’s public open‑space requirement (10% public open space) and complies with parking rates established for the TODA zoning, and that staff recommends approval of the special‑exception application as presented.

The applicant’s team told the board the redevelopment has been reviewed and cleared by the city’s development review committee. “We obtained unanimous approval from the DRC for the project,” attorney Javier Avigno said, and described operational plans the team says will limit off‑site impacts: assigned, gated parking with stacked lifts, a 24‑7 valet operation limited to permit holders and coordination with alternate transit providers. Avigno added that the team intends to pull demolition permits in February and start construction as soon as drawings are finalized.

Architect Omar Morales described the building’s two‑tower, Z‑plan layout, a southeast‑corner open plaza facing the MetroRail and roof‑deck amenities. He said the design responds to the site’s small 20,000‑square‑foot floor‑plate constraint and seeks to maintain sun exposure for amenity spaces.

Board members focused questions on parking, garage circulation and traffic impacts. Alvarez and the applicant said the traffic impact statement was reviewed by city engineers and Miami‑Dade County traffic staff and that the study included committed projects and growth‑rate assumptions. The applicant said the project will provide 194 parking spaces (above the multifamily minimum of 173 spaces) using mechanical lifts, and emphasized proximity to the MetroRail and a monthly college pass that reduces residents’ parking demand.

A member of the public asked when work would begin; the applicant replied they planned to pull demolition permits in February and begin construction thereafter. The planning board discussed design, stack and circulation details and asked staff to follow up on glazing percentages, loading and trash access. The board did not vote on the special exception during the hearing and deferred a formal recommendation pending any follow‑up submissions and final numeric clarifications.

The board’s review will be reflected in a subsequent staff report to the city commission if the item proceeds.