Over 200 residential units are coming to the banks of the Tagus in Moita — one of the most significant housing investments the municipality has seen. The riverfront project, by real estate developer YOVARA, is set to reshape the town and add much-needed housing supply to one of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area's most promising growth corridors. Maven Investment Management will oversee the development and project management of this large residential development.

The project sits directly on the Tagus River in Moita, a municipality of around 67,000 residents located 30 minutes south of Lisbon. Land prices remain well below comparable areas across the river, and the Margem Sul area has seen increased demand in recent years as Lisbon prices continue to push buyers and renters outward.

YOVARA's CEO, Yuval Baruch, has become a regular presence in Moita over the past year — spending evenings at local bars and tascas, conversing with local residents and getting to know the town on a personal level.

"What struck me immediately when I first visited Moita was a sense of openness and authenticity," Baruch recalls. "You feel a real connection between the city, the river and the people. When I arrived I saw a beautiful landscape — the waterfront, the beach area, restaurants overlooking the water, trails for walking. But what stayed with me were the conversations I had with locals. Moita has a strong community identity. People are proud of where they live."

It is easy to see why. Moita sits on roughly 20 kilometres of Tagus riverfront. In the evenings, the promenade fills with families, couples, and groups of friends. Restaurants overlook the water, trails run along the bank, and on weekends the riverfront beach draws locals who have been coming here their whole lives. Once a year, that everyday pride spills into something louder, the Festas de Moita, ten days of bullfights and celebration honouring the patron saint of sailors and travellers, drawing visitors from across Portugal, a tradition that speaks to Moita's enduring sense of self.

This project intends to be an extension of that community. The plans include green spaces, fitness and sports areas, community spaces and a swimming pool, amenities that remain relatively rare in Lisbon's residential landscape. The plot itself sits directly on the Tagus riverfront, capturing that connection between the city and the river that Baruch felt on her visits.

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: Maven Investment Management;

The municipality is also investing in its own future. Moita has committed to infrastructure improvements including better road access to Lisbon and continued development of its waterfront and marina, positioning it to compete with the neighboring municipalities of Alcochete and Barreiero. For the families and young professionals increasingly looking at Margem Sul, quality of life means both what is inside the home and what surrounds it and we're seeing Moita is investing in both.

“What stood out immediately was the sense of calm and openness. The city has deep traditions, a strong community, and a very authentic local character… As developers, we believe our responsibility is to contribute to solutions that are sustainable and aligned with the needs of local communities.”

For Baruch, the project is as much about responsibility as it is about opportunity.

"Housing availability is one of the main challenges in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area today. Projects like this help create new housing opportunities in areas with strong growth potential, while also supporting local infrastructure development and community life."

To back that commitment operationally, Baruch also established YUREX, a workforce company providing qualified labour for construction across Portugal. Portugal's construction sector has long struggled with a shortage of reliable, legally compliant labour, a bottleneck that quietly undermines housing delivery across the country regardless of how much capital is available.

YUREX was built to remove that friction, managing everything from international recruitment through to on-the-ground integration, so that projects can move at the pace the housing crisis actually demands.

Along the south bank of the Tagus, that pace is already visible. Major residential investments in Barreiro and Montijo have signalled that Margem Sul is no longer peripheral to Lisbon's growth story. Two hundred units on a riverfront plot is a significant injection for a municipality of Moita's size, and a sign that the town is becoming part of that momentum. Moita, with its riverfront, its community, and now over 200 new homes coming to its banks, is becoming part of that narrative in its own way.

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