A Wynwood restaurateur is turning a historic Miami building into housing for the workers who keep the neighborhood’s restaurants and bars running. Matt Kuscher, a Florida International University hospitality alumnus, is finishing Kush Korner at 2003 N. Miami Ave., the northernmost point of Wynwood.
The flatiron-style building is more than 100 years old. It was slated for demolition before Kuscher bought it in 2022. The renovated structure now holds the revived Kush Wynwood restaurant and bar on the ground floor, along with retail space. Upstairs, 10 newly built studio apartments are reserved for local hospitality workers. Under state rules for designated affordable units, rent cannot exceed 30% of a household’s gross income, and the units will stay affordable for 50 years, according to the project’s backers.
Kuscher said the idea came from a single employee. A dishwasher lost an apartment, and Kuscher spent two days looking for a new place. The worker had no car, and Kuscher said he could not find listings in time despite having the resources to help.
The project was developed with the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency and the Public Benefit Trust Fund, with support from Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo. Researchers at FIU’s Jorge M. Pérez Metropolitan Center, which studies affordable housing policy, said employer-assisted housing is the kind of approach they encourage, since leisure and hospitality account for most jobs in South Florida.
The building will also give first-time entrepreneurs a space to launch businesses. The first tenant is Broth and Bitters, an Omakase-style bar run by Erika Holtz. Kush Korner is set to reopen this November, and the restaurant will include a gallery featuring 30 local artists.
Kuscher has also spoken at the inaugural Emerging Developer Conference, urging other business owners to take a similar approach.
