The joint venture has a site under contract near the New River for two towers of 28 and 22 stories holding 440 luxury apartments. Every unit is market-rate, a straight luxury play in a corridor filling fast with new development.
Key Takeaways
- A Cain International and Kushner Companies joint venture has a site under contract at 633 S Federal Highway for the Rio Vista Residences, two towers holding 440 luxury apartments.
- The towers would rise 28 and 22 stories with about 69,000 square feet of health and fitness amenities, and every unit is market-rate.
- Oko Group has owned the land since 2020, and the project is in city planning review.
Another pair of towers is coming to Fort Lauderdale, and the names behind it are national heavyweights. According to Florida YIMBY, a joint venture between Cain International and Kushner Companies has a site under contract on South Federal Highway, just south of the New River, for the Rio Vista Residences, two towers of 28 and 22 stories holding 440 apartments. It is a big, amenity-heavy bet on the corridor between downtown and the Rio Vista neighborhood.
What are Kushner and Cain planning?
The Rio Vista Residences would total about 570,000 square feet across two towers, 28 and 22 stories, connected by a nine-story podium, yielding 440 residences from studios to three-bedrooms (roughly 565 to 1,625 square feet). The amenity program leans hard into wellness: about 69,000 square feet of health and fitness space, multiple resort-style pools, hot and cold plunge pools, and a Pilates studio, plus around 11,550 square feet of retail, over 4,000 square feet of restaurant space, and 841 parking spaces. That amenity load rivals other downtown Fort Lauderdale towers like the 754-unit Ombelle with its Equinox club.
The developer is CI River District Phase 1 Owner LLC, a joint venture of Cain International, a London-based investment manager, and Kushner Companies, the New York firm founded by Charles Kushner, once led by Jared Kushner, and now run by CEO Laurent Morali and president Nicole Kushner Meyer. Palma Architecture is designing it, and the project is in city planning review at 633 S Federal Highway. No pricing or construction timeline has been released.
Why is this a straight luxury play?
Here is what sets it apart. Every unit is market-rate, with no workforce or affordable housing, which stands out because so many recent Fort Lauderdale towers lean on affordable components to unlock incentives. Affiliated Development, for example, used the Live Local Act and public tax breaks on projects like The Era. Rio Vista Residences skips that route entirely and competes on amenities and location instead.
As Larry Mastropieri put it on the Discover South Florida Podcast: "This area is prime for development." The bet is that enough high-end demand in this corridor will fill 440 luxury units without leaning on public incentives.
Who owns the land, and why does the handoff matter?
The bigger signal is who is involved. The land is owned by Oko Group, the firm of billionaire developer Vlad Doronin, one of Miami's biggest luxury names, which has held this parcel since 2020 and is now selling it to the Cain and Kushner venture to build. It is a telling handoff. Oko and Cain are longtime partners who teamed up on the nearby One River tower, but that 34-story project stalled for years and drew an investor lawsuit against Oko, though Cain was not named. Passing this site to a fresh Cain and Kushner partnership reads like a reset. Either way, big national names keep circling this downtown-adjacent corridor, which tells you how valuable it has become.
Thinking about buying or investing in the downtown Fort Lauderdale and Rio Vista corridor? Knowing which projects are real and which ones stall makes all the difference. Talk to a Fort Lauderdale real estate agent who tracks the pipeline. Reach out to The Mastropieri Group, Realtors® or call (954) 833-1468.
Why do developers keep betting on Fort Lauderdale?
Rio Vista Residences is one piece of a much bigger wave. Across downtown Fort Lauderdale, older commercial land keeps converting into high-density housing, part of a multiyear waterfront building surge. As Larry noted: "There's 40-plus projects with roughly 16,000 condos and apartments in the works in Fort Lauderdale right now."
The location helps explain the confidence. The site is just south of the New River on the edge of Rio Vista, one of the city's most prized luxury neighborhoods, a short walk from Las Olas Boulevard, downtown, and the Brightline station. When national developers with billions in assets keep choosing this corridor, it is a strong vote of confidence in Fort Lauderdale's shift from spring-break town to luxury and finance hub, even as some individual projects stall along the way.
Watch More on This Topic: Watch this segment | Full Episode | Last week's recap
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rio Vista Residences?
Rio Vista Residences is a proposed two-tower luxury apartment project at 633 S Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale, just south of the New River. The plan calls for 440 market-rate units across towers of 28 and 22 stories, with extensive wellness amenities. The project is currently in city planning review.
Who is developing Rio Vista Residences?
The developer is a joint venture of Cain International, a London-based investment manager, and Kushner Companies, a New York real estate firm. The land is owned by Oko Group, the firm of billionaire developer Vlad Doronin, and Palma Architecture is designing the project.
How many units will Rio Vista Residences have, and how tall will it be?
The project would deliver 440 residences across two towers rising 28 and 22 stories, connected by a nine-story podium, totaling about 570,000 square feet. Units would range from studios to three-bedroom layouts, roughly 565 to 1,625 square feet.
Is Rio Vista Residences affordable housing?
No. Every unit is market-rate, with no workforce or affordable housing component. That sets it apart from many recent Fort Lauderdale towers that include affordable units to qualify for incentives like the Live Local Act. Rio Vista Residences is a straight luxury play.
Where is Fort Lauderdale's Rio Vista neighborhood?
Rio Vista is a historic luxury neighborhood just south of the New River in Fort Lauderdale, known for its riverfront streets and deep-water canals with private docks. It sits a short walk from Las Olas Boulevard, downtown, and the Brightline station.
Local help for Fort Lauderdale buyers, sellers, and investors
Whether you are buying near the New River, selling in a fast-moving market, or weighing an investment as downtown Fort Lauderdale keeps growing, it helps to work with a team that closely follows local development. Reach out to The Mastropieri Group, Realtors® in Fort Lauderdale, or call (954) 833-1468 for practical, hands-on guidance across South Florida.
Posted by Larry Mastropieri
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