First military housing in 30 years due at SouthCom

A military housing complex project in Doral’s U.S. Southern Command land will offer more than 50 acres of affordable housing to military members and their families who serve at the command’s headquarters. Construction is set to begin in the fall.

This project will be the first military housing compound constructed in South Florida after the closure of the military housing at Homestead Air Force Base caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The project is to have 139 units, including 60 apartment units for up to 120 unaccompanied personnel, 24 duplexes, 48 townhouses and seven single-family homes.

“This multi-million-dollar housing project, which is priceless to our military service members, has required extensive planning, coordination and resources,” said Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of the U.S. Southern Command. “I think of a quote from Panama’s minister of public security, Juan Pino: ‘Individually we are strong, but together we are invincible.’ That quote is so true.”

The project will be undertaken using a process outlined in the Military Housing Privatization Initiative approved by Congress in 1996, leveraging private sector financing, extensive experience, and expertise in the planning, design, and construction of housing to address military housing needs, said a spokesperson of the Southern Command.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been working closely with the Army since 2020 to transfer up to 51.7 acres of FAA land to the Army for the much-needed housing construction project, said a press release.

“US Department of Defense (DOD) has a collection of developers that we have business arrangements with,” said Gen. Scott A. Jackson, chief of staff of the Southern Command. “Amongst that group, this proposal was put out there, a couple of developers submitted their proposals, and then DOD made a selection.”

Southern Command has partnered with investment, development and construction company Lend Lease, which has an extensive history working with DOD on other privatized housing projects, said Gen. Jackson.

“Because we are talking about a 50-year lease, it is a sort-of business agreement, where a company agrees to partner with DOD by financing the construction, assuming ownership of the homes, and operating and maintaining the homes for the life of the lease agreement,” said the spokesperson. “This helps ensure not only the quality of the housing built, but also the quality of its upkeep over that 50-year period.”

Once servicemembers occupy the housing, he added, they pay the company rent for their dwellings. The rent is set to match the basic allowance for housing the servicemembers receive, and that allowance is set based on the average cost of housing in the local area. This would alleviate financial challenges servicemembers face when living in a high-cost community like Miami.

After the 50-year lease, the land and its property would return to Department of Defense and it could offer another lease package for a private industry to maintain and operate, said Gen. Jackson.

The design of the housing complex has been completed, and the project is in pre-construction. It has been in the works since 2015, picking up speed in 2020, said Gen. Jackson.

It will be on 33rd Street, “right across our headquarters, which is a big bonus,” he said. “The fact that we were able to secure a parcel of land right outside our headquarters is absolutely phenomenal. It’s a great example of the cooperation we had, not just with City of Doral, but with the county planners and commissioners, our partners in the FAA, and congressional representatives.”

“The first part of the work would be building the quarters for our unaccompanied service members, folks that don’t have their families here living with them,” he added. “We want to take care of them the most. They are the most vulnerable from a financial standpoint. We’ll get their houses built by 2026. Simultaneously, we’ll start moving on with the other parts of the development, with eventually wrapping this up by 2027.”

The Southern Command, at 9301 NW 33rd St., held a ceremony to announce the construction of this housing complex. U.S. Army Gen. Edward M. Daly, commander of U.S. Army Materiel Command, UP Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, Doral Mayor Christi Fraga, and other local leaders attended the conference Jan. 30.

“At times, it seems as if the entire country wants to move to South Florida, which makes the housing market extremely competitive,” said Gen. Richardson. “Those situations create a significant financial strain on our military members, where they, in some cases, pay hundreds of dollars more than they get for the housing allowance, or they’re living over an hour away to afford housing in the first place. This project will provide housing for nearly 200 military members, and their families.”