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A developer is floating a plan to erect the tallest building in the history of Overtown, Miami’s historically Black neighborhood.
The Miami Beach-based David Om, LLC, which is managed by Alan Omsky, the founder of the “Asian-inspired” Kyu (pronounced “cue”) restaurants, has pitched the idea to build a 56-story tower at the northwest corner of NW 2nd Avenue and NW 12th Street. The project — which would feature 498 residential units, 200 of which would be “income-restricted” micro-apartments as small as 290 square feet — was submitted under the controversial Live Local Act, a state law that allows developers to exceed standard zoning limits if they dedicate at least 40 percent of units to affordable housing. (Typically, properties in the area would be limited to eight stories and 150 units per acre).
The mixed-use residential and commercial project is slated for review by the city’s Urban Development Review Board (UDRB) on October 15.
“The Project brings needed residential units to an area that is very well-served by transit and transportation options,” the proposal reads. “The addition of these units helps place density in the most appropriate location possible – in close proximity to fixed mass transit in an area already legislatively decided by the City as one that is appropriate for increasing opportunities for housing.”
David Om, LLC and Davchi Development, LLC both currently own the 22,500-square-foot property, which consists of three parcels.
The building would be designed by well-known Miami-based architect Kobi Karp. Photo renderings show a strikingly tall, glass-and-steel tower rising from the heart of the historic neighborhood, looming over the surrounding low-rise buildings that define much of Overtown’s landscape.
The base of the proposed tower would feature a large-scale mural depicting a series of Black women in colorful headwraps and garments created by Miami-based artist Yana Volf, according to the proposal. Social media posts show that Volf is married to Omsky, who pitched the project.
“Her language of pixels bridges digital abstraction with human touch, mirroring Overtown’s own tension between disruption and harmony, tradition and transformation,” the proposal reads. “Here, the podium becomes more than structure: it becomes testament—an invitation to see the familiar faces of Overtown not as background, but as the very foundation of its future.”
Amenities for the building, which the proposal emphasizes would be conveniently situated near the Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre Metrorail station and the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Metromover stations, would include a large pool deck with cabanas and a barbecue area, a co-working space, an entertainment room, and a rooftop lounge and bar on the 56th floor.
In addition to apartments, the massive complex would also feature 1,824 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. It remains unclear what the retail space would house or how much the apartment units would cost.
Omsky is the co-founder of Kyu, the popular Asian-inspired restaurant that debuted in Wynwood in 2016 and later expanded to New York City, Las Vegas, and Mexico City (the latter of which appears to be permanently closed). The Wynwood flagship is about a six-minute drive from the proposed Overtown tower site.
