Affordable housing planned for Miami Beach school site

Jewish Community Services is continuing to work toward an affordable housing development on the grounds of Fienberg-Fisher K8 School in Miami Beach. Miami Today reported in February Jewish Community Services was waiting to have the area conveyed to the county. Today, the wait goes on.

“At this point, it [the land] has not been conveyed,” said Miriam Singer, president and CEO of Jewish Community Services. “First step, the school board is to get an appraisal of the land and then their staff will be able to negotiate for the conveyance of the land.”

For over 20 years, Jewish Community Services has had a site on the campus of Feinberg Fisher. The idea of an affordable housing development within the grounds of the K8 school was first explored during the pandemic. Once the affordable housing development was presented to the board of Jewish Community Services, it gained support from the City of Miami Beach as the city commission unanimously passed a resolution in support of the project.

Jewish Community Services is a nonprofit agency founded over 103 years ago that serves individuals with various needs, and affordable housing was a way in which the agency aimed to help.

“For years and years, there has been a housing affordability challenge for frail and vulnerable populations,” said Ms. Singer. “Over the last two years, it has been exacerbated and it’s in the media and so on. We felt that it was an important gap that could be filled and cannot think of a better location to co-locate with a wide array of services and serving and engaging with a school community.”

The project has received support and excitement, she said.

“We have not received any pushback,” said Ms. Singer. “All we hear is support and enthusiasm from all the parties involved. It is important to observe and respect all the steps that each of the government agencies have in order to make sure that all of the requirements are satisfied.”

The project has been in progress and the estimated date when the land will be conveyed is still unknown.

“That [when the land will be conveyed] I do not know because it involves an approval process by the school board and Miami-Dade County,” Ms. Singer said.

As Jewish Community Services continues to wait, it looks forward to breaking ground.

“After the conveyance of the land to the county, I would say the construction timetable, given the permitting process and all approvals, would take probably 18 months,” said Ms. Singer. “I would say that would be the best estimate at this point.”