A new $4.6 billion project is coming to Sweetwater. “Flagler Center” will be built on the previous location of the now-closed Li’l Abner Mobile Home Park. This project is planned to be one of the largest redevelopment sites in Miami-Dade County.
Sakari Biorn | Contributing Writer
A new development project may be coming up near FIU’s engineering campus and the Modesto Madique Campus Center, which Sweetwater has approved early plans on.
The project plans to include a major commercial space and more than 6,000 housing units, with at least 1,000 units committed to affordable, workforce, and senior housing.
The future land-use map and zoning code will establish regulations for what can be built on the site, which is located near the Dolphin Expressway, Florida’s Turnpike, and a proposed transit stop at NW 107th Avenue, included in Miami-Dade County’s East-West transit planning studies.
As development around FIU continues to grow, FIU Senior Director of Housing Andrew Naylor said increased density could bring more student-oriented amenities and job opportunities near campus.
“I think any new housing project will be helpful to juniors and seniors…there’s going to be retail, restaurants, and all of those things that are going to provide job opportunities for students that are close to the campus; density brings other opportunities,” the director said.
The plans also emphasize the need to make the development walkable and interconnected.
The City of Sweetwater told PantherNOW News that “the city consistently considers the university population when evaluating projects in the FIU corridor and encourages development that supports access to housing, services, and transportation for students and residents alike.”
Much of the land will be built on the former Li’l Abner Mobile Home Park, a 94.5-acre trailer park that for decades housed roughly 900 families.
The park, built in 1968, became the focus of controversy after its owner and the developer behind the Flagler Center District project, CREI Holdings, moved to redevelop the property and began evicting residents last year.
After tenants challenged the eviction in court, a judge ruled in September in favor of the landowners and developers, clearing the way for the mass removal.
The Flagler project aims for the redevelopment to increase tax revenue in the city.
Flagler Center will be developed in phases; the first phase cannot begin until more details have been finalized and approved by the City of Sweetwater City Commission.
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