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Terra CEO David Martin is calling on Miami Beach and Bay Harbor Islands to change zoning rules that block row houses and townhouses.

Speaking at The Real Deal's Salon Series Miami on Sept. 23, Martin said current zoning forces developers to choose between single-family homes and high-rise towers. That binary, he argued, blocks the kind of midscale housing that could ease South Florida's affordability crunch.

"We need that missing middle," Martin said, calling for garden apartments, courtyard buildings, row houses and townhouses in urban neighborhoods closer to jobs.

Terra targets housing near Miami-Dade job centers

Terra, which Martin co-founded in 2001, has developed more than 8 million square feet across South Florida. The firm is now targeting Bay Harbor Islands, Miami Beach, Coconut Grove, Doral and Little Havana for office, hotel, retail, industrial and residential projects at luxury, boutique and affordable price points.

The company is building 4,000 rental units across Miami-Dade County, in Little Havana, Doral, South Dade and west of Overtown. Martin said more flexible zoning would let developers add supply near employment centers without relying on costly high-rise construction.

Neither Miami Beach nor Bay Harbor Islands has announced zoning proposals or hearing dates tied to his call.

Existing projects include The Well and Grand Hyatt

Terra already has a significant presence in both communities. In Bay Harbor Islands, the firm developed The Well at 1177 Kane Concourse. The project pairs a five-story, 113,000-square-foot office and retail building with an eight-story, 66-unit condo building. Tom Brady's investment firm, TEB Capital Management, leased 8,400 square feet there.

In Miami Beach, Terra and Turnberry are co-developing the Grand Hyatt Miami Beach, an 800-room, 17-story hotel at 1701 Convention Center Drive. The hotel, designed by Bernardo Fort-Brescia of Arquitectonica, has topped out and is expected to be completed in late 2027, Florida YIMBY reported in July. The developers secured a $392 million construction loan from Tyko Capital, and the Miami Beach Redevelopment Agency awarded the project a $75 million grant in 2024.

Branded partnerships court international buyers

Martin spoke at the sales center for Jean-Georges Miami Tropic Residences in the Miami Design District. He also discussed how branded residential partnerships help attract international buyers. At Terra's Villa Miami in Edgewater, Major Food Group will run food and beverage operations. At Miami Tropic, chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten will open ABC Kitchens, a ground-floor restaurant that combines his ABC Kitchen, ABC Cocina and ABCV concepts.