A South Florida restaurant group will launch a workforce housing project in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood later this year.
An adaptive reuse of the historic building at 2003 N. Miami Ave., now dubbed Kush Korner, is slated for completion by late October, a representative of Coral Gables-based Kush Hospitality Group confirmed to the Business Journal, putting the total investment at $12 million.
Once renovated, the two-story, 7,524-square-foot building will include ground-floor commercial space for the company’s Kush Wynwood restaurant and other retail concepts, and 10 income-restricted studio apartments above, all reserved for hospitality professionals.
An affiliate of Kush Hospitality Group paid $2.6 million in March 2022 to acquire the property, which dates to 1926, according to the Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser. Miami-based Dwntwn Realty Advisors represented both the buyer and seller in the transaction, the Business Journal previously reported. Prior to that, Kush Wynwood was a commercial tenant in the building.
Kush Hospitality Group then embarked on a revamp of the building to add workforce housing, in partnership with Miami’s Omni Community Redevelopment Agency and supported in part by the city’s Public Benefits Trust Fund.
Members of the Omni CRA, which covers parts of Wynwood, initially allocated $3.1 million in grant funding for the property’s rehabilitation in July 2024, followed by a further boost of an additional $2 million Feb. 12. The Public Benefits Trust Fund provided another $500,000, according to the Kush Hospitality Group spokesperson.
Eight of the 10 residences will be rented to residents making up to 80% of area median income, while the remaining two units are capped at 100% of area median income, Omni CRA documents show. All the apartments range from 350 to 450 square feet and will be income restricted for 50 years. Preleasing has not yet launched.
The median annual household income in Miami-Dade County is $87,200, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Aside from a reimagined Kush Wynwood restaurant, which remained closed during the renovation process, other retail tenants will include a cocktail bar called Broth and Bitters and a tattoo studio called Creative Souls, the Kush Hospitality Group representative said.
Founded in 2011 and led by Matt “Kush” Kuscher, Kush Hospitality Group also operates the Kush Brickell restaurant in Miami’s financial district, at 650 S. Miami Ave. Other notable ventures include LoKal restaurant, in Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood, which closed permanently earlier this year.
“[Kush Korner] is, and always will be, my passion project. This was never about making money. It’s a project rooted in my love for Miami and this community,” he told the Business Journal. “For me, it’s about preserving an important piece of the city’s history, giving back to the neighborhood and creating something that will continue to serve the people who make Miami what it is.”
Wynwood has transitioned in recent years from a warehouse district to a nationally known cultural destination. Now, luxury property developers, major retailers and big technology companies are entering Wynwood, as the neighborhood starts to evolve once again — this time from an eclectic arts district to a base for residential living, high-end brands and corporate offices.
