Snafu pits affordable housing against county’s space needs

A triangle of “surplus” land in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood has county commissioners squabbling over its best use.

Commissioner Marleine Bastien wants to build affordable housing on the site at 2750 NW 20th St.

A resolution she submitted at the latest county commission meeting proposed selling the less than two-thirds of an acre for $10 for construction of up to 150 very low income, affordable, workforce and market rate housing units.

It turns out, however, the parcel has been used by multiple county departments and agencies “since 1986,” first-to-speak Commissioner Micky Steinberg asserted, questioning whether the land is, in fact, “surplus.”

“My concern with this item isn’t about that (affordable housing) per se,” Ms. Steinberg said. “It’s more about” whether “it’s truly surplus.”

“I think we need to have all the information and provide context for this item,” she continued, “so that we can truly make an informed decision.”

Other commissioners echoed Ms. Steinberg’s surplus question. Commissioner Bastien, however, said the county administration notified her in May 2023 that the land in her district was deemed surplus by the Internal Services Department and that her staff has been working the past 18 months on the housing resolution.

A small parade of officials followed, all saying they were using the area along the Miami River, one way or another, that it wasn’t surplus and that they wanted to keep using it.

Lisa Battin, director of the Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM), said her department “has been using a portion of this property for the artificial reef program since the mid-1980s.”

DERM has multiple plans for the land “to expand our artificial reef program” as well as “enhancements on the natural reef, our mooring buoy program … our derelict vessel program and our marine debris program,” she said.

Ms. Battin said the department has not “not been able to determine any other properties that are owned by the county that could be used for this purpose.”

A fire department spokesman said “We have an absolute need for the use of this property, any property on the waterfront, but this one specifically for the maintenance repair of our vessels. There’s no other property that we know that we own … or could possibly use to repair our vessels, to have them on the water ready to respond.”

Tom Buchanan, assistant director of the county police, told the commission that “public safety concerns have increased tremendously on the river. We have four marine patrol officers assigned just to the Miami River to address those concerns. Those officers need space to work out of and they need somewhere to dock their boats. They need somewhere to store their equipment, and they need to have a presence on the river.”

Mr. Buchanan said his department presently dispatches boats from a marina 45 minutes away from the mouth of the Miami River “and then, once we’re there, it takes another 30 minutes to get further up into the river. There’s no other properties like this, and we need it for public safety. We have a mobile command post that we want to move there, and a portable dock.”

Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez praised Ms. Bastien’s efforts to increase affordable housing, but said “many mistakes were made along the way, and in my opinion, (the land) should never have been offered.

“I understand the work that Commissioner Bastien has put into this,” Mr. Gonzalez continued. “I understand the importance of having public housing, but I also understand trying to balance out the need of public safety for our community as well.”

Given the parcel’s unique use along the river, Commissioner Gonzalez took the side of public safety.

Sen. René García appeared more concerned about the process than about choosing between public safety and affordable housing.

Addressing county Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, sitting across the horseshoe-shaped dais from the commissioner, Mr. García came as close to finger-pointing as the space between them would allow.

“There obviously was a … failure in our administration … How much time is this taking because someone dropped the ball? So, my question to the administration is, Madam Mayor, what have we done? … What now?”

“Senator,” Mayor Levine Cava began her measured response, “when I learned about this, which was a couple of months ago, I was extremely upset, to be very frank, because this property should have been circulated (offered as available to county departments) long ago.

“There was failure of communication across departments, which is, unfortunately, too often the case, and we’re doing a lot to remedy that situation … I believe we need to have a more centralized approach to how we handle real estate.

“The current law does not provide for circulation until there’s a proposal received, and there was apparently a lot of negotiation about that proposal, again, unbeknownst to me.

“My plan is to circulate earlier, and also to consolidate our real estate functions because … each department that has real estate … operates autonomously…

“So, I share everybody’s concern. It’s with great regret that we are, at this point, down river, if you will, with the negotiations that have gone on.”

By “this point,” the mayor meant plans for a “River View” project by Coral Gables-based Goldstein Kite Environmental LLC, which would create more than 400 housing units on the contested land and three adjacent parcels.

Sen. García responded “I appreciate that and I thank you for that.” But, unwilling to yield, he continued, “but I really think someone should take responsibility for taking up so much of this board’s time and pitting people against each other in this community.”

Commissioner Bastein, clearly annoyed, began her firm response: “This space has not been occupied for 24 years. It’s been sitting there for 24 years.

The minute we came with a plan for affordable housing, mixed-use housing for very low to moderate income and also including workforce housing, we’ve been hearing about” other departments already using the parcel.

Responding to several commissioners’ suggestion for a 60-day deferral, Ms. Bastien asserted “I’m going to be clear about this. I’m willing to defer … But there’s one thing that I will not allow, is for them to be using the space in District Two to store boats. That will not happen.”

The land that ignited the firestorm of disagreement among commissioners consists of 28,039 square feet, according to a report from the county property appraiser. Its estimated value, the appraisal notes, is $1,154,250, or a little more than $41 per square foot.

Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez reminded the commissioner that the developer has agreed to amend site plans “to accommodate a boat ramp and a mobile command center,” and has agreed to spend $2 million to clean up the contaminated land.

“I don’t see the issue,” Mr. Bermudez said. “To be honest with you, I think it seems like a good idea … and I think concerns were misunderstood…” If both fire and police are taken care of, he said, “then I can’t see it being a problem.”

Commissioners unanimously approved a 60-day deferral, scheduling a second look on Sept. 17.