Miami's new affordable housing plan

The county takes millions in losses in order to create incentive for developers to invest in this new housing deal

BY MAYA SHAH, STAFF WRITER

Miami-Dade County (MDC) commissioners have voted on which developers will be a part of the no-bid deals regarding the $10 transfer of acres surplus county land. The land will be used to create affordable housing for members of the community.

Many MDC jobs are centered on hospitality and tourism, thus the lack of travel due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has harmed the economy. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity reported a 14.5% rise in unemployment in May 2020 and an estimate of 1.4 million additional Floridians out of work. This has created a housing insecurity problem in MDC.

According to the Aspen Institution and the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project, 28.9 to 39.9 million Americans in rentedhouseholds are at risk of eviction in 2020.

The Housing Advocacy Action Committee and other housing advocacy groups for MDC are pushing for the county to have a plan to transform excess land into low-cost homes for years.

“The government is taking a necessary step in the right direction to better the community and help lower-income families,” junior Gloria Reyes said.

Habitat for Humanity and Elite Equity have secured multiple acres of county land outside of Homestead. Habitat for Humanity is a non-governmental organization that brings resources and volunteers together to build homes for impoverished families. Both have begun generating projections for the housing they will build.

into 70 townhouses and duplexes. Elite Equity will partner with the Housing Trust Group to construct a 200 unit apartment complex on five acres of land. MDC has regulated that for this development program home prices must stay at or below $205,000 and must be sold only to buyers who meet income criteria. Both Habitat for Humanity and Elite Equity have agreed to sell all of their homes under the $205,000 limit.

“This is our mission; to assist lowincome families reach their dream of homeownership,” Chief Executive Officer at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami Mario Artecona said. “To date, we have built close to 1,400 homes in [MDC].”

The county’s $10 no-bid deals often transfer more modestly valued, smaller plots of land; however, exceptions were made in this circumstance. No-bid deals allow developers to go directly to the commissioner and deliver their pitch for land inside their district, thus allowing for a less competitive procedure. Commissioners then sponsor legislation that goes along with the deal, such as clauses that allow MDC to seize back land if it is not used for affordable housing. Commissioner and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is the only member on the board to set up a competitive process for developers seeking surplus land in District 8.

The processing of the larger plots being transferred in the $10 development deals has not been completely free of obstacles. Unanimously, on Oct. 6, 2020, Miami-Dade commissioners approved the $10 handover of 32 lots to the Palmetto Homes Urban Development Group, however, three of the land parcels given up required federal clearance because they were former public housing properties .The board is working on legislation that will remove those lots from the deal with Palmetto Homes Urban.

MDC’s development program and $10 development deals have the potential to create housing stability for many members of the Miami-Dade community.