McDowell Housing Partners (MHP) and Miami Jewish Health (MJH) have announced the completion of the largest affordable senior housing development in Florida’s Broward County and the second largest in the state.
Located in Pembroke Pines, Douglas Gardens Senior Health and Living combines 410 homes for seniors earning 30%, 60%, and 100% of the area median income with on-site health care services for the state’s largest Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) under one campus.
“This project demanded something more than standard development. It demanded creativity, persistence, and an unshakeable belief that the seniors of Broward County deserve better,” said W. Patrick McDowell, chairman and CEO of McDowell Housing Partners. “Douglas Gardens is not the result of a formula. It is the result of a team that refused to accept ‘no’ as an answer and engineered solutions when conventional ones ran out. We are immensely proud of what we have built here.”
Florida PACE Centers, a subsidiary of MJH, will deliver comprehensive medical and social services to Medicare- and Medicaid-eligible seniors, enabling elderly residents to receive hospital-grade care without leaving their community. For seniors who might otherwise face institutionalization, on-site PACE access is transformative.
“The affordability crisis does not discriminate based on age. South Florida’s seniors face tremendous challenges as they often live on low fixed incomes,” said Jeffrey Freimark, president and CEO of MJH. “Being able to build a community that directly addresses the need for comfortable, safe, and cost-effective housing, combined with a comprehensive health program like Florida PACE Centers, is a necessity and something we are proud of. Douglas Gardens IV completes the final phase of our campus vision in Pembroke Pines and fulfills a promise we made to Broward County’s seniors.”
Financing for the $139 million project required multiple public and private sources. The Broward County Housing Finance Authority served as tax-exempt bond issuer; Citi Community Capital provided construction and permanent financing; CREA invested as the low-income housing tax equity partner; and Broward County Housing Trust Fund contributed subordinate financing.
Douglas Gardens IV represents the third project completed by partners MHP and MJH. The project team also includes construction manager ANF Group, engineer and landscape designer Keith & Associates, REPRTWAR Architecture and Design, and Jewel Toned Interiors.
Since its founding in 2019, McDowell Housing Partners has secured competitive funding for 22 affordable communities, delivering more than 3,100 units across Florida and Texas.
link