Little Haiti Will Soon Be Home To The Multi-Billion-Dollar Magic City Innovation District

The Miami City Commission will vote this Thursday on a billion dollar real estate project located in Little Haiti. The magic city project, which will be headquartered at 6001 NE Second Avenue, is massive project that will last between 10 and 15 years to complete. The developers of the project hope that it will turn the Little Haiti area into an international draw for tourists, creatives and tech companies according to those who are promoting it.

The city's commissioners will decide on a first round of approvals for the project on September. 27. If the project passes the first round of approval, it must be re-approved in the future.

The Magic City is the latest -- and possibly the most radical real estate development being planned for Miami's urban corridor to the east of I-95. It comprises 17 acres of residential, commercial, office research, as well as entertainment spaces. It will cover everything from commercial and residential spaces as well as offices and parks, from the train station, which is an attraction for tourists that the Cirque du Soleil's founder designed. The development follows a series of large-scale development projects within Brickell, Wynwood and the Design District which have accelerated Miami's rise to become a global hub while worsening its affordability crisis and income gap.

But the architects behind the Magic City Innovation District insist they're looking to honour and improve one of Miami-Dade's most impoverished neighborhoods, not replace it.

According to Neil Fairman (chairman of Plaza Equity Partners) Plaza Equity Partners, one of three Miami-based businesses that are behind the initiative, "The entire Magic City Innovation District is just one-quarter percent of Little Haiti." It doesn't take up 10-20 percent. However, it could actually be able to activate a large part of the community around it , and permit residents to work here. It could also be the engine that pulls the Little Haiti train. The social fabric of the community is robust. It is not the intention to take the culture from the area. The idea is to enhance the culture."

The Magic City Innovation District stretches from Northeast Second Avenue east to Northeast Fourth Court/Florida East Coast Railway and Northeast 63rd Street south to Northeast 60th Street. The development spreads out over a total of seven city blocks and, once completed, it will consist of:

2.630 residential units comprising 14 percent designated as work-related housing and 7 percent as affordable housing, with the highest building rising 25 stories;

# 432 hotel rooms;

# 2,000,000 square feet of office space, and 340,000 square footage of retail.

# 5,690 garage parking spaces;

Nearly 4 acres of open space including a pop up theme park with Interactive multimedia displays.

"We are determined to help the economic development of the region and to enhance the quality of life for the people living there while celebrating the rich culture of Little Haiti. It's a partnership as well as sharing a shared vision of the project. Magic City Innovation District is a unifying project that has launched various initiatives to be open and accessible to all.