This week, the West Perrine Community Redevelopment Agency (WPCRA) hosted a public ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the pre-leasing office at Hibiscus Grove apartments. Located at 9948 W. Hibiscus St., the 10-story high rise features 270 one-, two- and three-bedroom units at affordable and workforce housing rates.
“Hibiscus Grove is the first development in I don’t know how many years that the community [has] seen,” said WPCRA Executive Director Krystal Patterson. “It’s a really proud moment. It gives hope to the residents that live here.”
All 270 apartments are restricted to households at or below 60 percent of the AMI, or area median income. According to Leviticus Gilliard Sr., chair of the WPCRA Board, the aim is to house those who live in the West Perrine community first.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held across from the new development.
(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)
“I’ve only been a part of the CRA for four years,” said Gilliard. “It’s been a stalemate. Nothing has been going on. Nothing really has happened… It was a program that was just in existence by name, not by action. So when I became the chair of the CRA, I decided that we’re going to look at improving [it].”
According to the World Population Review, West Perrine’s average per capita income is $31,709. The poverty rate is slightly above 18%, over 6 percentage points above the Florida average.
According to the WPCRA website, the agency exists to eliminate “slum and blight” by expanding affordable housing, supporting local business and driving economic opportunity.
“I want West Perrine to look like Doral,” said Gilliard. “What I mean by ‘look like Doral’: You have a city center and a community that is vibing. I want the city of West Perrine to have meaning. I want us to have beautiful houses… We hear this word [“project”], and it’s a stigma. The word is not a bad word, but the way we as Black people hear it, it’s a stigma. This is state of the art for low-income residents.”
Hibiscus Grove apartments will include a fitness center, computer room, club room and playground. It was developed in partnership with Integra Florida, a multi-disciplinary real estate investment and development firm. Jake Morrow, head of Integra Florida’s affordable and workforce housing development division, was in attendance at the ribbon-cutting ceremony and addressed those gathered on behalf of his company.
“We are incredibly honored to open the leasing office for Hibiscus Grove for the community of West Perrine,” said Morrow in a statement to The Times. “This is significant in that it serves as a new mixed-use, transit-oriented development, right at the eastern gateway into the established West Perrine community.”
Others in attendance included Dr. Remiel Lockwood, senior pastor of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in West Perrine, and Dionne Brown, the team manager of the Perrine Community Resources.
“[Hibiscus Grove] is important to the community in the sense of uplift[ing] and bringing a fresh look and start to Homestead Ave., which is central to the community of West Perrine,” said Lockwood. “We’re grateful for this opportunity to be able to house those that are already dealing with the financial crisis that we see all across the United States of America, ensuring that those that are in our community are able to be housed in our community.”
Brown emphasized the self-sufficiency that the development can bring to the neighborhood, highlighting that West Perrine is “house-poor.”
“My prayer is that [the development] can assist and maintain the community that they serve,” said Brown.
Another resident, Debi Cain, has lived in the community almost all of her life. She also hopes to see primarily West Perrine residents occupy the state-of-the-art development.
“Having interacted with the developer, it is his desire to have me identify those who are from this community who want to be in this program and assist them in getting qualified,” said Cain. “He’s seen and heard what other developers in this neighborhood have done, and he wants to be different.”
While many are hopeful, some have expressed doubt over the intent of the developers. Alphonso Bruton has been a lifelong resident of West Perrine. He wants to see proof that the new development will prioritize providing affordable housing for those in the neighborhood.
“When I was a little kid, you had Black-owned stores, hotels, restaurants — everything,” said Bruton. “[Homestead Ave.] was a thriving business avenue from day one. Now, it’s changing course. Developers are coming in, putting in high rises. It’s a big change. They’re putting in apartments here and saying that it’s going to be available for the residents here. But you can only see once they start filling it up.”
The temporary leasing office is currently open for applications. Find out more about the new apartments at hibiscusapts.com, or go to westperrinecra.com for more information about the CRA’s work in the West Perrine neighborhood.