Coral Springs puts 377-unit downtown apartment project on hold while developers make permit corrections
Coral Springs, Florida – Plans for a major apartment and retail development in the heart of Coral Springs remain in the city’s approval process after officials placed the project’s building permit application on hold while developers make requested corrections.
The project, known as Downtown Coral Springs, is planned for 4.2 acres at the intersection of Sample Road and University Drive, on the site of a former Publix. Plans call for an eight-story building with 377 apartments and 11,525 square feet of retail space.
According to city permit records, officials rejected portions of the application in July and returned them to the developers for changes. The city identified corrections needed in at least 10 areas of the application.
Those areas include engineering, fire safety, plumbing and utilities, as well as plans involving public art. The developers must address the issues before the permit can move forward.
In August, city records showed the application listed as “on hold” while officials wait for the requested corrections.
Miami-based Key International and 13th Floor Investments submitted the current building permit application on Nov. 13, 2025, according to the Coral Springs Building Department. The application has gone through the review process since then, but construction cannot begin until the city approves and issues the building permit.
The current application is not the developers’ first attempt to secure a permit for the project. An earlier application expired in March 2025.
The project has been in the works for several years. Key International announced Downtown Coral Springs in October 2022, describing it as part of an effort to bring additional housing and retail space to the city’s downtown area.
Coral Springs city commissioners approved land use exemptions for the property in the fall of 2022. The developers later purchased the 4.2-acre site for $8 million in the summer of 2023.
Construction had initially been expected to begin later that year, but the project has continued through the approval process.
Last summer, a spokesperson for Key International told that the project was still moving forward. The company said its design team was working to advance the permits and that there were no plans at the time to alter the approved site plan.
The development is expected to include several features beyond the apartments and retail space. Plans call for a water fountain, public art and shade trees along the street. Key International also says the project will include a 629-space parking garage.
For now, however, the timing of construction remains uncertain. The city’s Building Department said work cannot start until the permit is issued.
Downtown Coral Springs is part of a much larger redevelopment effort around what city officials have promoted as the city’s new downtown. Three major apartment and retail projects have been approved around the intersection commonly referred to as the “four corners.”
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Together, the developments are expected to add more than 1,000 apartments and more than a dozen restaurants and stores to the area.
One of the other projects is Cornerstone, located on the southwest side of the intersection. The development includes more than 700 apartments and 46,572 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
The third project, City Village, was also approved by city leaders. It is planned for the northwest corner of the intersection and extends west toward Coral Hills Drive.
Developers with Amera Downtown Development Company plan to build 300 apartments along with about 20,000 square feet of commercial space.
The status of Downtown Coral Springs therefore remains tied to the permit review. Developers must first make the corrections requested by the city before officials can issue the building permit and allow construction to begin.
