Miami-Dade school board approves 364-unit housing project at school site

More than 360 units of workforce and affordable housing will soon be built on part of a school site in South Dade after the Miami-Dade school board approved a unique land lease with a developer Tuesday.

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With traditional public school closures and consolidations increasing in number, this project is not the first of its kind — but it is the largest. The agreement comes on the heels of Pine Villa Elementary merging with Arthur and Polly Mays Conservatory of the Arts to form a K-12 campus in Goulds.

A portion of the current Arthur & Polly Mays building will be demolished at the close of this school year to make way for a 10-acre, 364-unit, income-restricted multifamily housing development. The school district will get $12.7 million from the developer in exchange for leasing the land to developer Atlantic Pacific Communities for 99 years.

Language in the agreement states that “a workforce housing preference will be provided for eligible teachers and district employees.” Teachers are to be provided first priority to lease the units, under the agreement.

Affordable housing for teachers has been a tricky issue for the district given cost-of-living increases in Miami. In South Miami, a similar project is underway on the site of the J.R.E. Lee Education Facility, with more than 300 units planned.

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The apartment development will occupy the northeast portion of the overall property. The district will operate the newly-configured K-12 campus on the remaining 18-plus acres of the property, which is near the intersection of South Dixie Highway and SW 216th Street.

The project is expecting to take advantage of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, and aims to serve households making 60% to 80% of the area median income.

Construction is slated to start November 2029 and be completed by late 2031. Three buildings will stand three stories tall

According to the agreement, the breakdown in unit types will be 25% studios, 50% one-bedroom units, 20% two-bedroom units, and 5% three-bedroom units. The agreement also states that, if the developer adds any units to the project, they will provide the district with an extra $20,000 for each unit.

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