Miami Jewish Health (MJH), a nonprofit provider of healthcare and living options for aging adults, and McDowell Housing Partners (McDowell), a leading real estate investment and development firm, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony today in anticipation of Douglas Gardens Residences, Broward County’s newest affordable senior health and living community, slated for completion in late 2024.

The ceremony, which included Broward County Mayor Lamar P. Fisher and leaders from MJH, and McDowell, celebrated what will be the largest affordable living development for seniors in the County, meeting the needs of income-qualifying South Florida seniors. Broward County is one of the most unaffordable places to live in America with 61.9% of renter households categorized as cost-burdened and seniors, who live on fixed incomes, are one of the most affected demographics.

The $137 million development will deliver an updated mixed-income community, successfully merging health care and housing. Douglas Gardens Residences are being built on the current 25-acre Miami Jewish Health Douglas Gardens North Campus. Douglas Gardens Residences will provide 410 fully ADA-accessible studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units offered at moderate and market-rate prices for residents 62 years of age and older.

“Everybody needs access to housing and healthcare,” said Jeffery P. Freimark, president and CEO, Miami Jewish Health.  “Seniors who live on fixed incomes especially need affordable housing, and Douglas Gardens Residences will deliver an attainable housing option integrated with comprehensive healthcare services for Broward County elders.”

On the site, MJH and McDowell have also planned a 15,500-square-foot medical facility that will offer an adult day health center under MJH’s Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, Florida PACE Centers. Florida PACE Centers provide comprehensive medical and social services to Medicare/Medicaid eligible elderly of Broward County living on the current Douglas Gardens North campus and in the program’s designated service area. The program has now been successfully providing care to South Florida seniors for 20 years.

In addition to Freimark, Broward County Mayor Lamar P. Fisher, Broward County Director of Policy and Public Affairs Eugen M. Bold, and McDowell CEO W. Patrick McDowell shared remarks emphasizing the importance of strategic partnerships in affordable housing and healthcare.

“After years of relationship building, development, design and preconstruction work to make this deal happen, we couldn’t be more excited to have broken ground,” said Chris Shear, chief operating officer and project partner of McDowell. “Douglas Gardens is another one of our many Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) developments that will help to alleviate the affordable housing crisis here in Broward County for those who are among the most affected.”

In addition to McDowell and MJH, the project team includes general contractor ANF Group; engineer and landscape designer Keith & Associates; REPRTWAR Architecture and Design; interior designer Jewel Toned Interiors; and law firm Nelson Mullins.

About Miami Jewish Health 

Miami Jewish Health (MJH) is one of the largest healthcare, residential, and community health care service providers in the southeast dedicated to aging adults. MJH’s visionary approach to healthy aging is grounded in the EmpathiCare℠ philosophy and devotion of more than 1,000 team members. Serving clients and residents for more than 80 years, MJH offers a continuum of care that helps them live life better. The Douglas Gardens North campus is home to three HUD Section 202 buildings with 410 units and one LIHTC project of 110 units. The 20+-acre main campus located in Miami, provides services that include short-term skilled nursing and rehabilitation, a state-of-the-art dialysis center in partnership with DaVita, a 32-bed non-surgical hospital, an outpatient health clinic, an inpatient hospice unit in partnership with accentCare, home health, and independent, assisted, and long-term care residential options.

MJH specialty services include a memory and research institute specializing in the treatment and support of those living with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurocognitive disorders. MJH also has the largest Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) in Florida, with locations throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.

About McDowell Housing Partners 

McDowell Housing Partners (MHP) is a preeminent affordable/workforce housing development company based in Miami, FL. MHP was established in 2019 as an affiliate of McDowell Properties, a national multifamily investor and operator of apartment communities.  Collectively, the companies have developed or acquired over 45,000 apartment communities.   MHP’s mission is to provide high-quality housing options for families and seniors, regardless of socioeconomic status. In 2021, the firm had already risen to the rank of 27th in the AHF Top 50 Affordable Housing Developers in the nation based on unit production.

MHP’s principals and senior management team maintain decades of experience in multifamily development and operations.  The company utilizes a vertically integrated structure with dedicated acquisitions, development, construction, finance, capital transactions (closing), accounting and asset management teams.  The company endeavors to create long-term value through our core competencies which include LIHTC development; acquisition and value-add rehab; strategic partnerships with local governments and non-profits; efficient navigation of capital markets; creative financial structuring; skillful design and construction management; and diligent asset management.