McDowell Housing Partners has broken ground on Ekos at Rockledge Park, a $38.2 million affordable housing project in Rockledge, marking the Miami-based developer’s first project in Brevard County and its 18th affordable development to start construction in Florida since 2019. The five-story building is rising at 1505 Cogswell Street and will bring 100 apartments to the market for households earning between 30 percent and 70 percent of area median income.
The project is one of a growing number of income-restricted rentals being added across Florida as housing costs continue to strain lower- and moderate-income households. In Rockledge, the development adds new affordable supply in Brevard County, where large-scale apartment construction has been more limited than in South Florida’s core counties.
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City officials joined McDowell Housing Partners at a groundbreaking ceremony on October 6, 2026, including Rockledge Mayor Thomas J. Price, Deputy Mayor Frank T. Forester, and City Council members Michael A. Cadore Sr., Sammie Brown Martin, Duane A. Daski, and Tara L. Connor. The ceremony formally launched construction on the project, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2028.
| Project Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Project Name | Ekos at Rockledge Park |
| Developer | McDowell Housing Partners |
| Address | 1505 Cogswell Street, Rockledge, Florida |
| Total Cost | $38.2 million |
| Units | 100 apartments |
| Building Height | Five stories |
| Income Restrictions | 30% to 70% of area median income |
| Expected Completion | First quarter of 2028 |
Project overview
Ekos at Rockledge Park will include 70 one-bedroom apartments, 25 two-bedroom apartments, and five three-bedroom apartments. Floor plans will range from 671 to 1,162 square feet, giving the project a mix of unit sizes intended to serve a range of household types.
The development is structured around several income tiers. According to the project details released at groundbreaking, 15 percent of the apartments are reserved for extremely low-income households earning 30 percent of AMI, 40 percent are set aside for households earning 60 percent of AMI, and the remaining 45 percent will be leased to households at 70 percent of AMI.
McDowell Housing Partners has positioned the project as part of its broader affordable housing pipeline in Florida. The firm said the Rockledge project is its first in Brevard County and the 18th affordable housing development it has started in the state since 2019.
Apartment features and resident amenities
The apartments are planned with finishes that are commonly found in newer affordable housing developments. Interiors are expected to include full-size stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, contemporary cabinetry, luxury vinyl tile flooring, private balconies, and washer and dryer hookups.
Shared amenities will be concentrated in an internal clubhouse. The building is expected to include on-site management offices, a fitness center, a media and business center with computer workstations, and a multipurpose clubroom with a kitchenette and game tables. Additional features will include a mailroom, package lockers, communal laundry facilities, and an outdoor shaded pavilion with seating areas.
For residents, the amenity package is designed to provide both practical services and shared gathering space within the building footprint, which is typical for affordable multifamily projects that seek to maximize usability on a single site.
Location and development context in Rockledge
The project site at 1505 Cogswell Street places Ekos at Rockledge Park in the city of Rockledge, a municipality in Brevard County on Florida’s Space Coast. While the project is not in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach counties, it remains relevant to South Florida readers because McDowell Housing Partners is based in Miami and continues to expand its statewide affordable housing portfolio.
Rockledge has seen steady residential growth tied to broader population increases in Florida’s east coast corridor. New affordable apartments in the area can help address the shortfall between market-rate rents and local household incomes, particularly for workers and families who may not qualify for traditional market housing but earn too much for deeply subsidized units.
The project also underscores how Florida developers are increasingly pairing public financing tools with tax-credit equity to make new rental construction viable. In this case, the financing structure includes tax-exempt bonds, $10 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding, and four percent noncompetitive Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.
Financing and development team
According to the project’s financing details, resources are being issued or administered through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. Bank of America is serving as both the project’s tax-credit investor and construction lender, while Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust is providing long-term permanent financing.
That combination of public and private capital is common in affordable housing projects in Florida, where rising construction costs and higher interest rates have made financing more complicated for multifamily development. Access to tax-exempt debt, state-administered tax credits, and disaster recovery funding can be critical in moving projects from planning to construction.
McDowell Housing Partners has emerged as an active affordable housing developer in the state, and Ekos at Rockledge Park adds another entry to its expanding Florida pipeline. The company’s move into Brevard County broadens its geographic reach beyond South Florida and into the Space Coast market.
Green building and construction timeline
Ekos at Rockledge Park is planned to pursue National Green Building Standard certification, a designation that points to a range of energy- and water-saving construction measures. The project’s sustainable features are expected to include ENERGY STAR-rated appliances, low-flow plumbing fixtures, impact-resistant windows, and LED lighting.
Those features are intended to reduce utility consumption and operating costs over time, which can be especially important in income-restricted housing where monthly expenses weigh heavily on residents. The use of impact-resistant windows also reflects Florida building expectations in a hurricane-prone market.
With construction now underway, the project is scheduled to reach completion in the first quarter of 2028. No public pricing has been announced, as the apartments are income-restricted rather than offered for sale.
Why the project matters
Ekos at Rockledge Park adds 100 affordable apartments to a market that continues to need more attainable rental housing. While the project is modest in scale compared with large urban towers in Miami or Fort Lauderdale, it demonstrates how Florida’s housing shortage is being addressed through smaller, county-specific developments that rely on state and federal housing finance tools.
For McDowell Housing Partners, the groundbreaking marks a new milestone outside its traditional South Florida base. For Rockledge, it introduces a purpose-built affordable rental building with a defined income mix, modern amenities, and a financing structure designed to support long-term affordability.
As construction advances toward the 2028 delivery target, Ekos at Rockledge Park will be one of the more visible new affordable housing projects on the Space Coast and a reminder that the state’s housing crunch extends well beyond the Miami metro.
