Miami-Dade proposes 36-unit affordable housing project in Hialeah

Miami-Dade County staff recommended development and lease agreements on July 8 for a proposed 36-unit affordable housing project near Hialeah’s Metrorail station. The project would be built on 1.24 acres of vacant county property at East 21st Street and East 4th Avenue.

The recommendation is not a final project approval. Before the lease agreement becomes effective, the developer must obtain detailed approvals and building permits. The proposal also includes a construction deadline: If the project is not completed within a maximum of five years, subject to specified delays, the lease rights would revert to the county.

What is proposed

The proposed development by Pine Development LLC would contain 36 residential units, with each unit planned at approximately 500 square feet. The site is near the Hialeah Metrorail station, placing the project within an existing transit-oriented part of the city.

The plan also calls for approximately 1,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The county’s legislative document identifies the site as vacant property in the City of Hialeah and specifically places it at East 21st Street and East 4th Avenue.

Under the proposal, the apartments would be rented to households earning no more than 120% of the area median income. The income restrictions would remain in place for the full 99-year lease term.

That long-term restriction is a central part of the proposal. The units are not simply described as affordable during an initial lease period; the county document sets the affordability requirement for 99 years. The packet does not provide projected rents, household income bands below the 120% threshold, or an estimated completion date.

What happens next

The recommendation still needs to move through the county’s approval process. The source document describes the item as a proposed county action, and the exact legislative meeting and vote date were not visible in the available record.

If the development and lease agreements receive the required approval, Pine Development LLC would still need to complete detailed approvals and secure building permits. Construction would then have to be completed within the maximum five-year window, apart from specified delays in the agreement.

If that deadline is missed, the lease rights would return to Miami-Dade County. That condition gives the county a defined remedy if the proposed housing development does not reach completion under the agreement’s terms.

Why it matters in Hialeah

The proposal would add permanently income-restricted housing beside a Metrorail station rather than on an unspecified site elsewhere in the county. It also combines the residential units with ground-floor retail, creating a project that includes both housing and a commercial component.

For Hialeah, the immediate development is a county recommendation, not new housing already under construction. The practical questions are whether the county approves the agreements, whether the project obtains permits, and whether construction advances within the five-year deadline. Until those steps occur, the 36 units and retail space remain proposed elements of the plan.

Hialeah’s public-notice page lists active city meeting activity in July and August 2026, including an Aug. 11 City Council meeting and a fiscal-year 2027 budget-hearing notice. The available packet does not identify a city approval vote for this county proposal.