Miami-Dade County purchased a vacant property in Wynwood from developer Moishe Mana for $6.5 million, according to a statement released on Mar. 27. The county plans to use the site for a mixed-use project that will include affordable housing, a Puerto Rican community center, and an office for County Commissioner Keon Hardemon.
The sale is part of an agreement that requires Mana to give the county the proceeds in order to resolve a previous dispute over a missed payment related to an earlier land swap deal. The property is located at 2900 Northwest Fifth Avenue and spans about 0.3 acres, as confirmed by public records and real estate database Vizzda.
This parcel was only a small portion of Mana’s larger holdings in Wynwood, where he owns about 30 contiguous acres and has previously proposed building an arts and technology hub—plans which remain in early stages. Earlier this year, Mana expanded his portfolio further by acquiring another assemblage nearby for $33.5 million.
The origins of the transaction date back to a 2015 land swap agreement between Mana and Miami-Dade County involving multiple properties and commitments to build community facilities. Due to environmental contamination at one site, revisions were made in subsequent years, shifting development plans before ultimately settling on requiring Mana’s payment instead of construction obligations.
County commission meeting minutes show that Commissioner Hardemon requested the inclusion of the Puerto Rican community center component as support for residents affected by rising rents and redevelopment pressures in surrounding neighborhoods such as Allapattah and Wynwood Norte. While there is no set timeline yet for construction, planning documents indicate Miami-Dade will seek private partners through requests for proposals expected later this year.
