Workforce Housing Proposed on Miami-Dade School Property in South Dade

A portion of a Miami-Dade County public school campus could soon be transformed into a new workforce housing community, offering hundreds of income-restricted apartments in South Dade.

Atlantic Pacific Companies has submitted preliminary plans for a residential development on the Arthur & Polly Mays Conservatory of the Arts campus near Southwest 216th Street in the Goulds area. The proposal calls for 364 apartments, along with resident amenities and on-site parking.

The apartments would be constructed on the eastern portion of the school property. Current plans also include a clubhouse and swimming pool, creating a more complete residential community rather than a basic apartment complex. Although the proposal has been described as workforce or affordable housing, specific income qualifications and rental rates were not included in the initial application.

The project remains in the early planning stage. Atlantic Pacific filed a pre-application, which allows the developer to receive preliminary feedback from county officials before submitting a formal development application. The size, design, apartment count and affordability requirements could therefore change as the proposal moves through the review process.

The timing of the housing proposal is connected to a broader transformation of the Arthur & Polly Mays campus. Miami-Dade County Public Schools is moving forward with an approximately $85 million project that will combine the existing conservatory with Pine Villa Elementary School. The unified Arthur & Polly Mays K-12 Conservatory of the Arts Academy is expected to include separate lower and upper academies.

As part of that school project, 13 buildings on the existing conservatory campus are expected to be demolished, while 15 buildings at Pine Villa Elementary would be renovated and incorporated into the new K-12 facility. The district has estimated that the educational project could be completed by June 2029.

Using underutilized public property for housing could offer several advantages. Miami-Dade continues to face a serious affordability challenge, particularly for teachers, first responders, health care employees, hospitality workers and other residents whose incomes have not kept pace with the region’s rapidly rising housing costs.

Building apartments on public land may reduce one of the largest development expenses: acquiring property. Those savings could make it easier to offer residences at below-market rents while preserving access to employment centers, schools and established neighborhoods.

The concept could also create opportunities for school-district employees to live closer to where they work. However, it has not yet been confirmed whether teachers or other public employees would receive priority for the proposed apartments.

The development would still need to address important community concerns, including traffic, parking, school safety, construction impacts and the long-term relationship between the residences and the educational campus.

For South Dade, the proposal represents more than a new apartment community. It demonstrates how public agencies and private developers are exploring creative ways to use available land, modernize community facilities and address the region’s growing need for attainable housing.

If approved, the Arthur & Polly Mays project could become a significant example of how school property can support both education and housing. For now, the 364-unit development remains preliminary, but it could signal a new approach to workforce housing throughout Miami-Dade County.