Davie, a town still known for its rural charm and equestrian culture, has embraced a cosmopolitan five-tower megaproject that will add close to 1,300 rental apartments along with shops and restaurants to a key corner along busy State Road 7.
The Plaza Davie District — a $1 billion project formerly known as The District at Davie — calls for five apartment towers ranging from 21 to 24 stories that could be standing as soon as 2031, said developer Matthew Jeffries, CEO of El-Ad National Properties in Boca Raton.
“We’re very bullish on this location due to its proximity to the Turnpike and the I-595 corridor,” Jeffries told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. ““It’s all about location. We also like the easy access to renters in this market. We hope to have all five towers built by 2031.”
The first tower is on the rise on the southwest corner of Griffin Road and State Road 7, just a few blocks north of the iconic guitar-shaped hotel at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
A topping off ceremony for the 22-story tower was held in February. Completion for the 288-unit apartment tower is targeted for early 2027.
“On a clear day you can see Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades and all the way to Sunny Isles,” said Corey Evrard, senior project manager for El-Ad National Properties.
Evrard, who was leading the Sun Sentinel on a tour of the 21st floor, pointed to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
“Everybody loves that view, with the guitar lit up,” he said. “The views here are incredible at night.”
Davie’s elected officials are hoping the new towers will transform the 8.3-acre property that was once home to a BrandsMart-anchored shopping plaza, said Councilwoman Susan Starkey.
“This is Davie’s first high-rise — and I guess it’s a shocker to some people,” Starkey told the Sun Sentinel. “But I think it’s in the right place.”
Corey Evrard, senior project manager for El-Ad National Properties, gives a tour Tuesday of the first tower that’s part of the Plaza Davie District megaproject on the rise in Davie. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The project will make room for more residents and also breathe life into that corner of State Road 7 with its shops and dining and entertainment area, Starkey said.
“It was a difficult decision,” she said. “It didn’t happen in one meeting. But it was a futuristic idea that we’d be able to bring some density to a corridor with transportation nearby where people could work in Miami and live in Davie.”
Opponents have expressed concern about worsening traffic and gridlock along State Road and nearby roads.
But supporters and town officials say the apartment towers will help meet the need for South Florida’s growing population and are in the best spot to help people get to and from work.
Jeffries said he hopes to break ground on the second tower in mid-2027. With construction expected to take two years, the tower would open by mid-2029, he said.
The next three towers would be part of the third and final phase of construction.
When fully built, the project will feature 1,292 apartments, 36,000 square feet of shops and restaurants and retail, and 1.1 million square feet of access-controlled parking with 2,650 spaces.
An artist’s illustration of the residential interior of The Plaza Davie District, a $1 billion megaproject with five residential towers being built in Davie. Completion for the first 22-story apartment tower is targeted for early 2027. (ARX Creative/Courtesy)
Each tower will include a mix of studio apartments along with one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom floor plans ranging from 600 to 1,470 square feet.
Apartments will include private terraces on each floor, keyless entry, high-speed internet and smart thermostats.
Jeffries says he’s not worried about attracting renters.
He expects people on the hunt for lower prices and larger living quarters will leave higher priced urban areas like Miami and Fort Lauderdale and make the move to Davie.
“I do think we are going to pull renters out of the Fort Lauderdale and Miami markets,” Jeffries said. “People in the downtown urban core are getting priced out.”
Rent for a luxury studio apartment in downtown Miami might cost as much as $3,700 a month, Jeffries said.
Renters will find a much better deal at The Plaza Davie District, he said.
An artist’s illustration of The Plaza Davie District, a $1 billion project featuring five towers, nearly 1,300 apartments, and 36,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space in Davie. (El-Ad National Properties/Courtesy)
Studios sized at 600 to 650 square feet will rent for $2,300 to $2,700 a month.
One-bedroom apartments sized at 820 square feet will rent for $2,700 to $3,300 a month.
Two-bedroom apartments at just under 1,200 square feet rent for $3,200 to $3,800.
Three-bedroom apartments sized at 1,470 square feet will rent for $3,600 to $4,500.
An artist’s illustration of The Plaza Davie District, a $1 billion project featuring five towers, nearly 1,300 apartments, and 36,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space in Davie. (El-Ad National Properties/Courtesy)
“We’re offering more square footage and more amenities,” Jeffries said. “And we hope that’s going to help with the absorption and take that momentum into the next phase.”
Residents will have access to a his-and-hers spa on the seventh floor along with a bistro cafe and roomy lounge area; and a premiere Sky Lounge and bar on the 21st and 22nd floors.
“Renters can rent that space out, have parties, organize daily events,” he said. “Inside the spa we are going to have saunas and a cold-hot plunge. Things you might find in a condo rather than a rental market.”
Jeffries predicts that more developers will discover Davie once they see what he and his team have done.
“That corner is kind of the gateway to their community,” he said. “They really wanted to recreate that vision, to show that Davie is an up-and-coming market.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan
Workers install kitchen cabinets in the first tower that’s part of the Plaza Davie District megaproject in Davie on Tuesday. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A construction worker works in the first tower that’s part of the Plaza Davie District megaproject in Davie on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The pool area in the first tower that’s part of the Plaza Davie District megaproject in Davie on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Corey Evrard, senior project manager for El-Ad National Properties, gives a tour Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026 of the first tower that’s part of the Plaza Davie District megaproject on the rise in Davie. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A construction worker works in the first tower that’s part of the Plaza Davie District megaproject in Davie on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A construction worker works in the first tower that’s part of the Plaza Davie District megaproject in Davie on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Corey Evrard, senior project manager for El-Ad National Properties, gives a tour Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026 of the first tower that’s part of the Plaza Davie District megaproject on the rise in Davie. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A view from the first tower that’s part of the Plaza Davie District megaproject in Davie on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel) (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The Plaza Davie District, an upscale 2.8 million-square-foot mixed-use rental and commercial project, remains under construction on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The Plaza Davie District, an upscale 2.8 million-square-foot mixed-use rental and commercial project, remains under construction on Tuesday. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Corey Evrard, senior project manager for El-Ad National Properties, gives a tour Tuesday of the first tower that’s part of the Plaza Davie District megaproject on the rise in Davie. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
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Workers install kitchen cabinets in the first tower that’s part of the Plaza Davie District megaproject in Davie on Tuesday. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
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