Teachers and school employees in South Dade will get first crack at 364 new affordable apartments after the Miami-Dade School Board voted Tuesday, Aug. 11, to lease 10 acres of the Arthur & Polly Mays Conservatory of the Arts campus to developer Atlantic Pacific Communities.
The project, near the intersection of South Dixie Highway and SW 216th Street, puts workforce housing within a few miles of both Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay. It is described as the largest development of its kind in Miami-Dade County. Units will target households earning 60% to 80% of area median income, which under 2026 HUD limits translates to roughly $57,240 to $81,720 annually for a single person and $81,720 to $108,960 for a family of four.
In exchange for a 99-year land lease, Atlantic Pacific Communities, led by President of Development Ken Naylor, will pay the school district $12.7 million, the Miami Herald reported. The lease agreement specifies that teachers get first priority to rent the units, with a broader workforce housing preference for other district employees.
The development follows the merger of Pine Villa Elementary with Mays Conservatory to form a consolidated K-12 campus in Goulds. A portion of the current Mays building will be demolished at the end of this school year to clear the 10-acre footprint on the property's northeast corner. The district will continue operating the K-12 school on the remaining 18-plus acres.
What the project looks like
The 364 units break down as 25% studios, 50% one-bedrooms, 20% two-bedrooms and 5% three-bedrooms. Three buildings will stand three stories tall; a project rendering also shows a five-story structure. The development will use Low-Income Housing Tax Credit financing.
If Atlantic Pacific adds units beyond 364, the agreement requires an additional $20,000 per unit paid to the district.
Local context
The vote adds to a wave of workforce housing aimed at educators in South Dade. Cutler Bay's Town Council voted unanimously June 17 to approve a separate 322-unit mixed-use project with 147 units prioritized for teachers, first responders and healthcare workers, as we reported Aug. 4. A similar 300-plus-unit project is also underway at the J.R.E. Lee Education Facility site in South Miami.
The housing push comes as the district faces budget pressure. Miami-Dade schools tentatively adopted a $7.36 billion budget for 2026-27 that depends on a November property tax referendum to fund $569.5 million in teacher raises and school safety improvements.
What's next
Construction is scheduled to begin in November 2029, with completion expected by late 2031. No additional public hearings or zoning approvals were mentioned in the board's action; the Aug. 11 vote appears to be the final approval needed.
