HomeMy WebLinkAboutdraft letterDRAFT
Hon. Johnny L. Winton
Commissioner District 2
City of Miami
Dinner Key
Coconut Grove, FL. 33133
RE: Support for transfer of two contiguous vacant lots located at 3710-3720
Washington Avenue, Coconut Grove, FL, to Ardent Housing Foundation,
Inc. (One Single Family Home to be constructed on 2 substandard size lots).
Dear Commissioner Winton:
First, all of the undersigned wish to thank you for your continued and consistent
support of Village West and our efforts to provide affordable housing to our
residents. With regard to the conveyance of the City owned lots at 3710-3720
Washington Avenue to Ardent Housing Foundation, Inc, we wholeheartedly and
together support this conveyance. It is a "win -win -win -win" situation because we
have all come together on the following plan:
Win #1. Ardent Housing Foundation can build the new house the quickest and
most affordably because it is tied in with a University of Miami H.U.D. grant that
the Center for Urban and Community Design obtained to help build Affordable
Houses in the Grove.
Win #2. The Coconut Grove Collaborative will find and qualify the Low -to -
Moderate income homebuyer and coordinate the Pointe Bank 1st Mortgage loan
and the"soft 2nd" Surtax loan.
Win #3. The Village West Homeowners and Tenants Association will work
together with the Coconut Grove Collaborative to convince the new homebuyer to
allow the house to become part of the new Village West Land Trust which is
under the aegis of the Coconut Grove Village West Land Trust, Inc. VWHOATA
will have the later of October 15, 2004, or the date on which the new house gets
its C.O. to accomplish this. After this date, the house will not be required to be
part of the Land Trust but will still be sold to a Low -to -Moderate income family.
Win #4. The City of Miami will have a new homeowner in a beautiful new
house, which will hopefully be the first "foundation block" in the new Land Trust.
Wind & Rain, Inc., as developer, and Ardent Housing Foundation have already
started the application with Coconut Grove Bank for the construction loan. The
plans should be ready for permitting in a few weeks with ground breaking in July,
and C.O. in October.
Ardent Housing Foundation, Inc. Village West H.O.A.T.A
Coconut Grove Collaborative, Inc. Coc. Grove Village West Land Trust