The Mayor and Commission referred this item to the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee at its May 8, 2019 meeting. Commissioner John Elizabeth Aleman is the sponsor.
BACKGROUND
The Housing Authority of the City of Miami Beach (HACMB) has several lots in North Beach that it plans to develop to create workforce and affordable housing units. These properties are located at:
On June 10, 2019, HACMB issued Request For Qualifications (RFQ) #1-2019 for co-developer for new construction in Miami Beach to seek a development partner for these undeveloped North Beach properties. On August 20, 2019, the HACMB’s Board of Commissioners selected the Housing Trust Group, LLC to provide the necessary development services for the HACMB’s North Beach properties.
On August 26, 2019, HACMB submitted a funding application to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) for the development of 22 units of workforce housing at 1144 Marseille Drive. The funding was made available by FHFC through the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program. The city provided several affidavits in support of the Housing Authority’s application. Miami Beach is located within a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) designated Most Impacted and Distressed (MID) area and qualifies for the funding. This is specially allocated, one-time funding made available to support long-term recovery efforts following Hurricane Irma.
The demographic commitment for the CDBG-DR funding is for workforce households earning at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) serving general occupancy (no age restrictions). The proposed development includes studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. The total estimated development cost of the project is $5.7 million. HACMB will serve as the owner and developer of the development. The FHFC anticipates making final funding recommendations in December 2019.
The HACMB and the Housing Trust Group expect to submit funding applications to the FHFC for the development of its other vacant land properties in the coming months.