HomeMy WebLinkAboutCRA-R-26-0022 ProposalDr. Evalina Bestman, PhD
9230 NW 13th Court
Miami, FL 33147
ewbestman@yahoo.com
May 13, 2026
Carlos Suarez, Executive Director
Omni Community Redevelopment Agency
1401 N Miami Avenue
Miami, FL 33136
Dear Mr. Suarez,
I am pleased to submit a proposal to develop the vacant property at 1695 NW 1st Court, adjacent to the
Dorsey Library (folio 01-3125-048-1160), tailored to the needs of Overtown residents, including a prototype for a
large, multi -generational, family -centered duplex. This project presents a significant opportunity to address critical
housing shortages and uplift our community while demonstrating a new way to develop in the large areas of the
City zoned T3-O.
Having grown up in Overtown, I have a deep connection to this neighborhood. My career has been
dedicated to serving our city's black residents, with a particular focus on fostering healthy and inclusive
communities. Developing high -quality, affordable housing for families in Overtown has long been a personal goal
of mine, driven by a desire to give back to the community that shaped me.
Our proposed development is designed with the specific needs of Overtown families in mind. The plan
includes modern, energy -efficient duplexes that offer safe and comfortable living spaces for families of various
sizes and income levels. We also envision community spaces, green areas, and essential amenities that will
promote a vibrant and healthy community life.
To ensure the success of this project, our team has conducted research and engaged with local residents.
We are confident that our development will not only provide much -needed housing but also stimulate economic
growth, create jobs, and foster a sense of pride and ownership within the community.
We are eager to collaborate with the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency to bring this vision to life.
We are committed to maintaining transparent communication and ensuring the highest standards of quality
throughout the project.
Thank you for considering our proposal. We look forward to the possibility of working together to
revitalize this historic neighborhood.
Sincerely,
Dr. Evalina Bestman
Proposal for Omni CRA funding for
Dr. Evalina Bestman Duplex Project
1695 NW 1st Court: 2-unit Multigenerational Duplex
Project Introduction
Dr. Evalina Bestman was born and raised about a block away from these properties in Overtown. She
has gone on to make a successful career in Miami, founding the New Horizons Community Health Center
in Allapattah—which serves both adults and children with mental health needs, providing critical
counseling services as well as supportive housing —and serving as a founding director of the Chapman
Partnership for the Homeless based in the Omni neighborhood.
Having spent her life in service to her community, she intends to use the land she owns to build a set of
buildings in Overtown and Allapattah where people with lower incomes can safely and comfortably live,
close to jobs, transit, and the neighborhood community and character they know.
Dorsey Duplex
The City of Miami has many neighborhoods zoned for duplex, but it is hard to feasibly build unless the
rents are high. Unfortunately, many vacant lots waiting for eventual rapid assembly and potential
gentrification are the result. This pilot project uses CRA funding to explore a new idea in how to develop
these lots by their current owners and to create a permanent layer of affordability for the residents.
The costs of childcare have rapidly outpaced wage growth, and more and more families have dual -
employed parents. The large Dorsey Duplex located next to the Dorsey Library on NW 17th Street is an
exciting concept to explore large -bedroom duplexes as a way to allow families to become both more
financially efficient, as well as to provide a healthy and time -tested safety net for the elderly, the young,
and working parents. With up to 5 bedrooms per unit, and multiple bathrooms, as well as outdoor
space, the entire family can live side by side, while still enjoying their own private spaces as needed.
If this project is successful, Dr. Bestman also plans to build these on her lots zoned for Duplex
Residential in the Allapattah neighborhood as well.
Project Map
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Development Team
Dr. Evalina Bestman - Owner Developer
Dr. Bestman is a Licensed Psychologist and former Chief Executive
Officer of New Horizons Community Mental Health Center. She
was also a Research Associate Professor at the University of
Miami, Department of Physiatry and a founding professor at
Florida International University (1972).
She is a Native Miamian born to the late David and Florence
Poitier-Williams at 1630 NW 1st Court (Overtown). Her early
education began at St. Agnes Episcopal Church Kindergarten and
Phyllis Wheatley Elementary School. She graduated as
Valedictorian of Miami Northwestern Senior High School. She
continues as a member of The Historic St. Agnes Episcopal Church
(Overtown).
Dr. Bestman was invited by Alvah Chapman to join the Miami -Dade Homeless Task Force, which
developed the Miami Dade Homeless Plan. She has been a member of Chapman Partnership for the
Homeless Board of Directors, Executive Committee since its inception. She has further demonstrated a
commitment to housing for low-income persons including disabled individuals for over forty years.
Under her leadership, New Horizons Community Mental Health Center has been a provider of mental
health, substance use and social services including residential for fifty years in the City of Miami
including Overtown. Dr. Bestman has co-authored numerous publications one of which is:
Homelessness and Mental Illness; A Transcultural Family Perspective —Treating the Mentally III.
She has received many honors some of which are: Axa Advisor Lifetime Achievement Award, Healthcare
Hero, Greater of Miami Chamber of Commerce; Big Brothers, Big Sisters Miracle Maker Award; Five
5000 Role Models of Excellence as a Distinguish Bahamian American; Chapman Partnership for the
Homeless Take A Walk In Her Shoes Award for dedicated community services. The Golden Ads
Corporation Building in Allapattah was renamed The Dr. Evalina Bestman Professional Building. Most
recently, the New Horizons' Board of Directors renamed the Center Dr. Evalina Bestman New Horizons
Community Mental Health Center.
Development Team Continued
Robert Chisholm and Moises Romano, R. E. Chisholm Architects, Inc.
- Owner's Rep and Architect
Since 1982, R.E. Chisholm Architects have provided services in Architecture,
Planning, Interior Design, and Urban Design, executed and delivered with the
highest technology. Chisholm Architects has extensive experience in a variety
of project types over the last 42 years. Among the firm's clients are corporate,
municipal, state, and federal agencies, private clients, public and private
institutions. The firm has had extensive experience in the planning,
development, design, and construction of governmental, institutional,
corporate, educational, transportation, commercial and housing projects.
Tracey Slavens and Wesley Huevia, LSN Partners, LLC
- Land Use & Legal
Tracy Slavens, Partner at LSN Partners, LLC, is highly regarded for her deep
expertise in land use, zoning, and government affairs. Tracy uses this
specialized knowledge to assist and advise clients regarding land use, zoning,
environmental, and legislative matters on the county and municipal levels.
Additionally, Tracy helps clients obtain development approvals and vested
rights for all types of residential, commercial, office, hospitality, and industrial
projects and assists clients with permitting, platting, water and sewer, and
concurrency issues. Tracy's primary focus is South Florida, with a particular
emphasis on Miami -Dade County and its numerous municipalities.
Sandra Socarras, SoFL Design Group, Inc
- Capacity Building Mentor, Miami Homes For All
Sandra Socarras earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of
Miami and a graduate degree in Management from Harvard University. She
continued to explore her passion, earning a Master of Architecture degree
from Florida International University. Sandra is driven by a sense of community
and inspired by the local Ecology that makes South Florida unique. Her
approach to each design project is based on gaining a deep understanding of
the people, the climate, the culture, and the historical context of a site and
place. She advocates for communities facing climate change and resolves to
propose spaces that promote well-being, preservation and a sustainable
future.
Neighborhood Need
Downtown Miami is in the midst of a construction boom, symbolizing growth and urban revitalization.
Yet, this expansion conceals a critical issue: Miami faces a severe housing affordability crisis. Rising
housing costs coupled with relatively low wages have made the city one of the least affordable in the
nation, with the shortage of affordable housing particularly acute in neighborhoods like Overtown. Here,
residents struggle with both gentrification pressures and a specific scarcity of quality; 4- or 5-bedroom
units capable of accommodating an extended family are almost never built today, except within luxury
developments.
Overtown's challenges are not new; redlining and the construction of 1-395 in the 1960s left lasting
impacts, disrupting the neighborhood's social fabric and economic vitality. As the interstate divided the
community, thousands of residents were displaced, businesses closed, and once -vibrant streets became
fragmented and isolated. While development surges across the Omni CRA, much of Overtown has
struggled to regain its footing. High predevelopment costs and complex financing often deter property
owners from investing in vacant or neglected sites, which are frequently sold to outside investors
seeking to consolidate land.
The CRA has committed to assisting Overtown's residents and landowners in building out the
neighborhood without displacing the residents. In its amended Redevelopment Plan (pages 4-32 and 5-
56), the CRA emphasizes housing affordability as a central priority, outlining several measures to support
development:
"To Assist For -Profit Housing Providers in the CRA could:
2) Pay some portion of development costs, such as impact or permit fees
3) Provide a direct cash subsidy in the form of a rebate equal to a percentage of the increases in
taxes paid over a defined period of time after completion if affordable units are provided."
6) Housing Affordability - The CRA should fund established and creative new ways to increase the
stock of workforce and lower -income affordable housing within the district.
GOALS:
a) Create project -specific developer incentives to ensure that new or significantly
redeveloped residential projects in the CRA contain a sufficient number of units that are affordable
to the target populations."
The Project and accompanying request seek financial support from the CRA to underwrite the
development of residential units, specifically for low-income and workforce households, and ask the
CRA to provide the Applicant with a project -specific incentive.
This initiative seeks financial backing from the CRA to support the creation of housing solutions targeted
for low-income residents. The request entails granting the applicant special incentives tailored to the
project, underscoring the CRA's commitment to making affordable housing more accessible and
supporting the development of inclusive, thriving communities.
To address Miami's housing crisis effectively, a focused effort on neighborhoods like Overtown is
essential, where the need for affordable housing is particularly pressing, yet too many residents are
being displaced during construction. The CRA's initiatives to foster affordable housing development are
critical to sustaining the economic vitality of these communities. By supporting projects that include
affordable units and offering financial incentives to developers, there is potential to mitigate
displacement and ensure that long-time residents have access to quality, affordable housing. This
approach not only addresses immediate needs but also aligns with a broader vision of creating a more
equitable and inclusive Miami for all its residents.
Proposed Schedule of Values
Duplex: The total development costs are estimated at $3,314,963. For a detailed cost breakdown, see
the attached schedule of values.
Financing Plan & CRA Request
This project is a recipient of the 3C Early PredevelopmentAssistance Grant from Miami Homes For All —a
nonprofit champion for low-income residents across the County who struggle to find a safe and
affordable place to live —for up to $100,000 in costs associated with early predevelopment of properties
like this, including soft costs such as architecture, surveys, title search, zoning research, and more. This
allows long-time landowners, such as Dr. Bestman, to accurately assess the costs and feasibility of
building affordable in-house housing on small properties, as well as assist with some pre -development
needs, such as architecture and zoning.
This project is within a federally designated Opportunity Zone, which will allow Dr. Bestman to access
investment
These sources still leave a gap in the high costs of construction and financing in Miami today. To offset
the high cost of construction and lending, we ask the Omni CRA to support maintaining and revitalizing
housing affordable to Overtown residents, preventing displacement of residents as well as the loss of
mom & pop ownership in the community, and contribute a forgivable loan of $1,700,000 for the hard
and soft costs of the large multigenerational Duplex development.
Affordability Plan
Dorsey Duplex
Currently, the City of Miami's T3-O zoning regulation covers a good proportion of residential
neighborhoods facing intense development pressure, including Overtown, Allapattah, Little Haiti, and
Coconut Grove. This pilot project aims to develop a typology that can feature very large units.
• 2 large multigenerational 5-bedroom units will be affordable to families making under 70% AMI
EXHIBIT A
Proof of Ownership - 1695 NW 1st Ct.
Prepared by and Return to:
Peter Ariz, Esquire
2103 Coral Way #800
Miami, FI., 33145
CFN: 20230450284 BOOK 33773 PAGE 4063
DATE:06/29/2023 03:56:45 PM
DEED DOC 384.60
SURTAX 288.45
JUAN FERNANDEZ-BARQUIN
CLERK OF THE COURT & COMPTROLLER
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FL
(Space Above This Line For Recording Data)
Quit Claim Deed
This Quit Claim Deed made this 1 day of April, 2023, between Euallna Williams Bestman, a
single woman, whose post office address is 9230 NW 13th Court, Miami, FL., 33147, grantor, and
EWB HOLDINGS, LLC, a Florida limited liability company, whose post office address is 9230 NW 13th
Court, Miami, FL., 33147, grantee:
(Whenever used herein the terms "grantor and 'grantee" include all the parties to this instrument and the heirs,
legal representatives, and assigns of individuals, and the successors and assigns of corporations, trusts and
trustees)
Witnesseth, that said grantor, for and in consideration of the sum of TEN AND NO/100 DOLLARS ($10.00) and
other good and valuable considerations to said grantor in hand paid by said grantee, the receipt whereof is hereby
acknowledged, does hereby remise, release, and quitclaim to the said grantee, and grantee's heirs and assigns
forever, all the right, title, Interest, claim and demand which grantor has in and to the following described land,
situate, lying and being in the Miami=Dade County, Florida, to -wit:
Lot 2 Block 33, of WADDELL'S ADDITION according to the Plat thereof, as recorded
Plat Book B, Page 53, of the Public Records of Miami -Dade County, Florida.
Parcel Identification Number: 01-3125-0411.1160
Aka: 1695 NW t Court, Miami, FI., 33136
To Have and to Hold, the same together with all and singular the appurtenances thereto belonging or in
anywise appertaining, and all the estate, right, title, Interest, lien, equity and claim whatsoever of grantors, either
in law or equity, for the use, benefit and profit of the said grantee forever.
In Witness Whereof, grantor has hereunto set grantors hand and seal the day and year first above written.
The land is not the homestead of the Grantor under the laws and Constitution of the State of Florida and neither
the Grantor nor any person(s) for whose support the Grantor is responsible reside on or adjacent to the land.
EXHIBIT B
Pro-Formas and Rents - Duplex
RENT AND EXPENSE ASSUMPTIONS
RESIDENTIAL RENTS
Unit Type
5-BR
5-BR
TOTAL
# Units
1
1
2
Mo. Unit Rent
3,051
3,051
$
6,102
Ann. Rent
$ 36,612
$ 36,612
$ 73,224
Unit_AMI
70%
70%
Pro-Formas and Rents — Duplex
PRO FORMA
PRE-TAX CASH FLOW
REVENUES
YEAR 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8
9
10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20
Gross Residential Rent 61,032 63,168 65,379 67,667 70,036 72,487 75,024 77,650 80,367 83,180 86,092 89,105 92,224 95,451 98,792 102,250 105,829 109,533 113,366 117,334
+ Other Income 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
- Residential Vacancy 12 206 3 158 3 269 3 383 3 502 3 624 3 751 3 882 4 018 4 159 4 305 4 455 4 611 4 773 4 940 5 112 5 291 5 477 5 668 5 867
= Residential Income 48,826 60,010 62,110 64,284 66,534 68,863 71,273 73,767 76,349 79,021 81,787 84,650 87,612 90,679 93,853 97,137 100,537 104,056 107,698 111,467
Gross Commercial Rent 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
+ Tenant Contbutions 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
= Commercial Rent 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
- Commercial Vacancy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
=Commercial Income 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
= Effective Gross Income 48,826 60,010
Operating Expenses
Management Fees 1,000 1,055 1,113 1,174 1,239 1,307 1,379 1,455 1,535 1,619 1,708 1,802 1,901 2,006 2,116 2,232 2,355 2,485 2,621 2,766
Advertise/Market 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Legal/Administrative 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Utilities and Trash 1,108 1,169 1,233 1,301 1,373 1,448 1,528 1,612 1,700 1,794 1,893 1,997 2,107 2,222 2,345 2,474 2,610 2,753 2,905 3,064
Maintenance/Repairs and Grounds 3,000 3,165 3,339 3,523 3,716 3,921 4,137 4,364 4,604 4,857 5,124 5,406 5,704 6,017 6,348 6,697 7,066 7,454 7,864 8,297
Real Estate Property Tax 17,800 18,779 19,812 20,901 22,051 23,264 24,543 25,893 27,317 28,820 30,405 32,077 33,841 35,703 37,666 39,738 41,924 44,229 46,662 49,229
Insurance 2,000 2,110 2,226 2,348 2,478 2,614 2,758 2,909 3,069 3,238 3,416 3,604 3,802 4,012 4,232 4,465 4,711 4,970 5,243 5,531
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
= Total Operating Expenses 24,908 26,278 27,723 29,248 30,857 32,554 34,344 36,233 38,226 40,328 42,546 44,887 47,355 49,960 52,708 55,607 58,665 61,891 65,295 68,887
- Transfer to Reserves 9,542 9,828 10,123 10,426 10,739 11,061 11,393 11,735 12,087 12,450 12,823 13,208 13,604 14,012 14,433 14,866 15,312 15,771 16,244 16,731
- Other Expenses 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
= Net Operating Income 14,376 23,904 24,264 24,609 24,938 25,247 25,535 25,799 26,036 26,243 26,417 26,555 26,653 26,707 26,712 26,665 26,561 26,394 26,158 25,849
62,110 64,284 66,534 68,863 71,273 73,767 76,349
79,021 81,787 84,650 87,612 90,679 93,853 97,137 100,537 104,056 107,698 111,467
- Debt Service (p+i) bank
- Other Debt Service (p+i)
- Interest Only Loan Payments
- Debt Service- Deferred Loans
- Debt Service (p+i) Developer
- Debt Service-CF Loan
= Cash Flow
- Partnership Management Fees
- Incentive Management Fees
= Cash Flow Available for
11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273 11,273
0
0
0
0
0
O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3,103 12,631 12,991 13,336 13,665 13,974 14,262 14,526 14,763 14,970 15,144 15,282 15,380 15,433 15,439
O 0 0 0 0
O 0
O 0 0
O 0 0 0 0
O 0 0 0 0
15,392 15,288 15,120 14,885 14,576
3,103 12,631 12,991 13,336 13,665 13,974 14,262 14,526 14,763 14,970 15,144 15,282 15,380 15,433 15,439 15,392 15,288 15,120 14,885 14,576