South Miami commission OKs affordable housing complex

The South Miami City Commission has approved developer Beneficial Communities’ plan to a 91-unit affordable housing complex for senior citizens, following a city dispute over the building’s height.

Commissioners had voted against the Metro South Senior Apartments at 6101 Sunset Drive project last year because they were opposed to the height. South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard had argued that eight-story buildings “don’t really fit in the neighborhood and have a huge effect on the demographics and quality of life in the neighborhood.”

The developer filed a federal lawsuit alleging infringement on the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act.

The recently approved settlement agreement puts the building’s planned height at seven stories with a tiered design.

Beneficial Communities is under contract to buy the property from an entity listed only as “6101 Sunset LLC,” for an undisclosed sum. The deal is slated to close by the spring, the Miami Herald reported. [Miami Herald] – Mark Maurer