A swath of public land in Allapattah could be redeveloped. Some residents are worried

Fátimo García has lived in the same Allapattah apartment for seven years. He’s almost a decade into his retirement and had planned to stay settled in central Miami. But now the 74-year-old says he can no longer afford his rent — not without working a part-time job.

“I started paying rent for about $800, right now my rent is $1,300 for the same location,” he said. “I’m moving to the Dominican Republic next year. I cannot afford to live in Miami anymore.”

García said he already feels priced out of his home, and now he’s worried looming redevelopment of 18 acres of city-owned land in his neighborhood might drive up costs even more.

Miami’s city government will soon ask for proposals to redevelop the land it owns at Northwest 20th Street and 14th Avenue, next to the Miami VA Healthcare System. Several city departments currently use the land for office space and storage and maintenance facilities.

In July, commissioners accepted an unsolicited proposal from developers and agreed to open up public bidding, a process that will take at least a few months before the commission can select a winning development team.

Under the proposal, development team NR Investments would lease the property for 99 years and build a mix of high-, mid- and low-rise residential buildings with 2,500 units. The proposal includes a hotel, 100,000 square feet of retail space and 200,000 square feet of office space.

Some residents want to have input on how the real estate is revamped, and some worry the wrong plan could drive many residents out of the area.

“It’s going to make the community more expensive,” García said.

A coalition of community and housing advocates from more than 30 organizations known as Public Land for Public Good held a town hall meeting in Allapattah on Saturday to discuss the city’s plans for the lot’s development ahead of the bidding war. García and more than 20 other residents were in attendance.

“We want to make sure the community that has worked so hard for Allapattah to be what it is can remain and take advantage of the benefits of this community: being on higher ground, revitalizing the area, we want all of that,” said Mileyka Burgos-Flores on Saturday. Burgos-Flores is the founder and CEO of the Allapattah Collaborative Community Development Corporation, part of the coalition.

“We welcome development. But we want to make sure that the people in Allapattah can remain in Allapattah,” Burgos-Flores added.

Developers Ron Gottesman and Nir Shoshani run the group behind the unsolicited proposal, NR Investments. The firm has invested more than $2 million in the redevelopment of greater downtown Miami since 2015, according to its proposal, including the the Canvas Miami condominium.

The firm’s connection to downtown Miami worries some Allapattah residents who point to Overtown, Wynwood and Liberty City as examples of development that displaced low-income residents.

“We see what’s happened in Wynwood and it’s sort of slowly encroaching into areas where other people have been displaced,” said Sherlain Stevens, a pastor at Ebenezer United Methodist Church. “What happens is developments come in, there are nice new shiny buildings, the prices go up, the housing market goes up and people get priced out.”

For more than a year, members of Public Land for Public Good have pushed to ensure the development of the city-owned lot along Northwest 20th Street and 14th Avenue include affordable housing protections and public green spaces to retain its current residents.

NR Investments’ proposal does include plans to create five acres of green space alongside 500-units of “workforce” housing — a designation that is typically considered affordable for teachers, police officers and other similar professionals. But members of the coalition say that’s not affordable enough — that the area’s median income is based on a countywide estimate, and Allapattah’s residents make less.

Miami-Dade County data from three months ago shows the area median income for the county is $68,300, while the Allapattah Collaborative CDC reports Allapattah’s median income is less than half of the county’s figure.

The demand for affordable housing is outlined in a report created by the coalition last year. Public Land for Public Good received financial support of the Health Foundation of South Florida, the city of Miami and The Miami Foundation to interview more than 100 Allapattah residents on what needs they wish to see met with public land. Affordable housing is prioritized.

The report states that the city “verbally committed” to incorporate the coalition recommendations but advocates say they haven’t seen any indication that the city will incorporate them into the bidding process.

“That particular developer [NR Investments] reports that they never received our report,” said Annie Lord, executive director of Miami Homes for All. “I’m extremely disappointed.”

Coalition members say they have not felt heard through this process. Despite several meetings with Mayor Francis Suarez and Miami City Manager Arthur Noriega over the past year, the coalition has yet to receive a meeting with District 1 Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla. Neither Suarez, Noriega or Díaz de la Portilla responded to the Miami Herald’s requests for comment.

“We were all but promised that there would be a significant component of affordability required,” Lord said. “I think this is very, very disappointing.”

Residents are discussing how to make sure they have input in the process. At 6 p.m. Thursday, the coalition will host a virtual town hall to discuss their next steps. They also plan to attend the upcoming City Commission meeting on Sept. 13 to voice their demands.

The city is expected to finalize the solicitation in September and hold a three-month open bid.

NR Investments’ proposal has turned some heads in Miami’s political class because the group’s registered lobbyist is former Miami commissioner Humberto “Bert” Hernandez. Hernandez served more than three years in prison for his role in a voter fraud scheme in 1997 and separate mortgage fraud charges. He was released in 2002. Hernandez registered to represent the development team on June 27.

Herald staff writer Joey Flechas contributed to this report.