A hotel on U.S. 1 in Cutler Bay is still the best option for a homeless housing project that would serve mostly seniors, according to a memo from Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava that has Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins and Cutler Bay Mayor Tim Meerbott a little unhappy.
The plan by the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust to transform the La Quinta Inn & Suites, 10821 Caribbean Blvd., into 107 studio apartments with kitchenettes, permanent housing for homeless individuals, first came before the county commission last December. Cohen Higgins got her colleagues to support a delay while the mayor’s office sought alternative sites, citing no outreach to the Cutler Bay community and the area’s future development.
She didn’t like the fact that there are not good options in the mayor’s report, which will be presented to the commission on Tuesday.
“On the horizon for South Dade residents is the over $1 billion Southland Mall redevelopment project—a beacon of hope in a sea of uncertainty. This investment is the type of ambitious and comprehensive project that South Dade needs and deserves,” Cohen Higgins wrote in an oped piece published over the weekend in The Miami Herald, clearly objecting to the administration’s persistence.
“Let me be clear: a decision to specifically earmark the La Quinta Inn property for the Homeless Trust’s mission will swiftly capsize our community’s vision.”
Read related: Homeless advocates protest city of Miami’s treatment of the unsheltered
Cohen Higgins — who has an uphill battle because she is increasingly disliked by her colleagues — also objects to the price tag of $14 million, which is $4 million over the appraised value. The Homeless Trust is funded through a penny food and beverage tax.
Her opinion piece was sparked by an April 9 report in which the county mayor states that there are no alternative sites that compare to the Quinta property in District 8. After a “through examination” of the available land, the Internal Services Department only found one vacant county property and three privately-owned existing properties suitable for conversion, but they are all more costly than the La Quinta option, Levine Cava wrote in her status report.
The estimated cost to retrofit the original site is $650,000. When added to the $14 million price, it brings the per unit estimated cost at $136,916. The other properties would not serve nearly as many unhoused adults and would cost more per unit. They are:
- 24705 SW 129 Avenue — 15 townhomes built in 2022 on 0.75 acres and listed for $6,750,000.00, equal to a price per unit of $450,000.00. All units are 3-bedroom/2.5-bath.
- 29401 SW 174 Avenue — a multifamily property built in 1924 on 1.25 acres listed for $995,000.00, equal to a price per unit of $248,750.00. The main house consists of 3 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms, the remainder of the property has 3 units that are 1/1 each.
- 221 NW 12 Street, Homestead — a fourplex built in 1945 on 0.64 acres listed for $875,000.00, equal to a price per unit of $218,750.00. Each unit is a 1/1.
Those private properties also have existing moderate or low-income tenants who could be displaced by the conversion, the memo states. “Utilizing these properties would necessitate the families to be accommodated if redevelopment is needed.”
The county-owned vacant parcel is 3.3 acres at 29650 Harriet Tubman Way, in Homestead. It is currently zoned commercial with an estimated value of almost $1.4 million.
Read related: Cutler Bay voters approve $37 mil bond for 16-acre ‘legacy’ park, Town Hall
None of the other options would provide the needed housing with the speed that the La Quinta property would, the memo says. The Homeless Trust has had an agreement to purchase the property since last September Chairman Ron Book says permanent continuum of care housing is part of any serious plan to end homelessness and that the project, much like one that opened last year in North Miami, would prioritize seniors aged 55 and up.
Want more micro local coverage of your Miami-Dade government? Consider making a contribution to the watchdog journalism found on Political Cortadito. Your support keeps Ladra barking!
“The largest growing group of homeless individuals nationwide and in our community are senior citizens,” Book told WPLG Local 10, which first reported the county administrations memo with their findings.
Meerbott has expressed concern over the number of people allowed to lease per unit and the felony backgrounds, which is something that the Homeless Trust cannot control. He would also prefer it be entirely dedicated to homeless seniors. He said in February that he was concerned the facility would become “a needle exchange” or shelter, which Book has said is not going to happen.
“I’d cut off both my arms before I would let a needle exchange happen there,” he told Channel 10.
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
The meeting Tuesday begins at 9:30 a.m. in commission chambers at County Hall, 111 NW First St. A webcast can also be viewed online.
Cutler Bay hotel still best option for homeless housing project, county says added by Ladra on
View all posts by Ladra →
[…] Read related; Cutler Bay hotel still best option for homeless housing project, county says […]
DLC is spending taxpayer $ like a drunken sailor ( The real Mayor is her campaign manager Cristian Ulvert who has way too much power). Why would anyone spend more money than appraised value? There’s your RED FLAG. This is smoke & mirrors for something more sinister & she isn’t even hiding it. Notice how she can care less about the residents & future impacts on their lives and properties. Follow the $ and who gains from this horrible move. Lobbysist Ron Book is rolling in it & doesn’t live there so why do people continue to lick his a**?
Affect the community and lower the price of properties, in our community, homeless and illegal, there will soon be drugs, theft, total insecurity. They never have a positive idea. And what do they do to the money, or whether to create additional positions in the county, like the one in the heat, a place that is tropical, also now I create another position to help the new sheriff 300,000 a year. corrupt mayor
The politicians, and if they are liberals and from the socialist democratic party, are enemies of the people. We don’t know what they do with the money, they are corrupt, but they love it to lower the level of the cities and turn them into places for illegals and homeless people, take them home. They only like to affect our standard of living through insecurity and drugs. Trash
This will destroy are community and lower the value of our properties! Cutler Bay will become like downtown Miami and increase crime! We already have the highest crime rate! Why? Because they’ve have spent millions of dollars renovating the East side of Miami by bringing all from there and bringing it to Cutler Bay and homestead area making it look like the East side like the area where Camila’s house is in down town. She should by a hotel by the area she lives and put a shelter there .
We the People of Cutler Bay were never asked for our vote in this, yet they want our tax dollars to pay for this? Absolutely not! Cava is a resident of Palmetto Bay, she would never put that in her backyard. What makes her think we want this so close to our churches, daycares, and schools right down the street from this project? I agree with Commissioner Cohen- Higgins, why should we flip the bill for something WE did not get a say in? These elites slid this in very quietly and want us to just shut up! Nope! Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, will NOT HAVE OUR VOTES! Her reign over this county will end come this election.
4more4DLC
You, the residents of CB, already have them there.
I’m reading the comments and y’all are some nasty heartless people. Instead of arguing to make it a FULL Senior housing facility, you’d rather have nothing available for seniors in our area. The person posting under the name “We Say No” sounds so terrified asking “WAIT! WILL IT BE ILLEGAL ALIENS??!!
So would it be better if they’re ILLEGAL ALIENS from CUBA? “Cause I’ve seen those suckers coming off their little rafts and running to cars parked on the stretch. We don’t protect our borders for some insane reason….oh yeah, the FL governor sent FL $$ & resources to protect the Tx border. No wonder younger cubans love him. How many of those illegals are living in Cutler Ridge/Cutler Bay with their families? Those old Cubans living in the Sec 8 / Hud housing also off Caribbean right across US1? Less than 2 miles from La Quinta, are they already destroying your property value and your community? Aren’t they already putting a burden on MDC??
I’ve worked doing political canvassing in that area since 2017, at those apt buildings, 20199-20101 SW 110th Ct, Cutler Bay, FL 33189 and 80% of those residents complaining about how the Democrats, those Liberals, those Communists and my absolute favorite…those “Socialist!!” are just “letting in illegal aliens at the southern border” They’re of the opinion that people coming across are just getting handed cash and prizes. The hateful ignorance the residents in these bldgs spew gets real old, real fast. Full disclosure, I’m Mexican American, yes, 3rd generation, and a Democrat. So what really just turns my stomach and is sickening, is hearing Old, Cuban, Non english speaking after 20 yrs of being in the US, Republicans, boiling the beans on the stove that they bought with the “socialist program “foodstamps THEY’RE sucking up, in the “sociali program” Sec 8 subsidized $150 month rent apt while my aunt nor the Jewish ladies can’t find rent assistance, after they just got back from receiving free medical care from that damn free Medicare “Socialist program” that, lets not forget, also provides Free transportation, be it in a van with others, or (why turn down a good Socialists provided perk) A private UBER. Let’s also not forget the other Socialist program perks they gladly take with 2 outstretched hands, electric bill assistance, over the counter meds, dental services, etc.
ALL WHILE THESE NASTY A** PEOPLE YELL AT ME IN SPANISH TO GO BACK TO “MY COUNTRY” AND TAKE THAT COMMUNIST, SOCIALIST, DEMOCRAT BIDEN WITH ME!!
On a good day I laugh in their face and on a bad I tell them they should of yelled and screamed the way theyre doing to me in THEIR OWN country instead of running like a bunch of scared cockroaches.
I’m 60 years old disabled u.s. citizen worked 2 full time jobs most of my life corona closed my job of 8 years one year later I was evicted my savings having been consumed I need the studio at Quinta’s badly
Mayor Cava does not care about Cutler Bay residents at all, She is the WORST🤬MAYOR.
How does Meerbot support what appears to be his extreme idea of attaching the homeless trust purchase with somehow derailing the Southland Mall redevelopment?
Mayor Cava and the Homeless Trust are proposing to install a trojan horse under the guise of helping the senior homeless, that will lead to the destruction of our communities.
Mayor Cava should back off and listen to the Residents (aka “Stakeholders”), District Commissioner and Mayor of Cutler Bay who are ALL against allowing MDC to buy the hotel, remove it from the tax rolls, increase property taxes for the adjacent communities, increase police, fire and rescue costs for us, and serve as a destructive force in our community.
It’s a bait and switch tactic designed to lower our standard of living using the warm and fuzzy “help the homeless seniors”. BTW, the original application says “no less than 65% of homeless seniors shall be housed”. But now says “up to 60% of homeless seniors shall be housed”. Does that mean if they put 10% of homeless seniors the “up to 60% target” would be considered to be met? If so, who are they planning to house? The list of undesirables could be long. Wait. Will it be ILLEGAL ALIENS?????
The Devil is always in the Details.
Put them someplace else. We don’t care if this is the “best” place. It’s not the best place for residents and businesses around the Hotel. It’s not good for Cutler Bay and Palmetto Bay. And we are the residents that will be affected by it.
Cutler Bay Liberals Will Love The New Neighbors !
We the residents of Cutler Bay DO NOT want this here! It is unconstitutional for Mayor Cava to move forward without putting this to a vote by the community. Our voices are NOT being heard, and it is quite evident that somebody is getting their pockets lined with the egregious price tag for the property that isn’t worth the asking price.