The City of Miami has approved $4.2 million in funding to support a new affordable housing initiative in the historically Black neighborhood of West Grove.
Grand Bahamas Place, a joint venture between Prospera Real Estate Collective, the Collective Empowerment Group (CEG), and Believers of Authority Ministries, aims to bring forth new homeownership opportunities to families that the traditional real estate market has long left behind.
Grand Bahamas Place will include 56 micro-condominiums designed for families earning 80% or less of Miami-Dade County’s area median income (AMI), which, as of April 2024, was $79,400. The development will revitalize Grand Avenue between Gibson Plaza and what used to be the Tikki Club near Douglas Road.
It includes a five-story residential building and another two-story building with nearly 3,000 square feet of retail space and a 4,000-square-foot religious and community space.
Believers of Authority owns two of the properties: a 4,500-square-foot lot at 3655 Grand Ave., where a church currently stands, and a 5,000-square-foot empty lot behind it at 3650 Florida Ave. The third parcel, a 9,000-square-foot lot at 3659 Grand Ave., is owned by Stirrup Properties and under contract to Believers of Authority.
The Believers of Authority building at 3655 Grand Ave. near Douglas Road is where the development partners have proposed the affordable housing project.
The residential units will be 400 to 650 square feet and priced between $305,000 and $405,000. According to Redfin, the median sale price of a home in Coconut Grove was $1.4 million in February 2025.
“The smaller size units are intended to allow for that affordability so that individuals and families can afford to live within the Grove and have a unit of their own to build that home equity,” said developer Ellen C. Buckley, founder and CEO of Prospera Real Estate Collective.
City Commissioner Damian Pardo, whose district encompasses West Grove, emphasized the significance of homeownership.
The development will revitalize a portion of Grand Avenue between Gibson Plaza and the former Tikki Club, plus 3650 Florida Ave.
“It’s not just about rental options; it’s about giving people the chance to own a unit in the neighborhood,” he said. “This project gives those who may have been displaced a chance to stay in their community at an affordable level.”
The $4.2 million came from Pardo’s share of funds allocated for affordable housing within the Miami Forever Bond. Once the project is complete and sales begin, the money will be used to provide downpayment assistance for low-income buyers. The total cost of the development is $21.3 million.
Faith-based development
The third parcel is owned by Stirrup Properties and under contract to Believers of Authority. It is currently where food trucks park for the weekly Taste of the Bahamas event.
The collaboration between CEG, Believers of Authority Ministries, and Prospera Real Estate Collective brings a unique perspective to the project.
CEG is a faith-based nonprofit representing a consortium of more than 40 churches, while Buckley, who joined CEG two years ago, has prior experience as a former director of development at the Coconut Grove-based Terra Group.
Believers of Authority is a local church with longstanding ties to the Little Bahamas community, founded in 1995 by Apostle Dr. John H. Chambers.
Bernard Phanord wears two hats within this project as the CEG’s President and CEO and also the lead project representative for Believers of Authority.
“The intent behind CEG is to empower underserved communities, and we recognize that the houses of worship within these various communities are doing that very thing and playing a key role in this mission,” said Bernard Phanord, CEG’s president and CEO. He is also the lead project representative and ordained minister with Believers of Authority.
Faith-based organizations often have land assets that can be used to create positive and lasting change.
"Our job is to help them maximize what's in their hand to benefit the development and community,” Phanord said.
READ MORE: New high-rises and vanishing roots in West Grove
Antonio Prado, executive director of CEG, highlighted the evolving role of churches in modern development. Though many churches prefer to maintain traditional sanctuaries, these spaces are only used about twice a week.
He noted a new and progressive effort by leaders like Chambers to maximize the land for other community needs, including affordable housing.
“Pastors are trying to move into a direction with multipurpose space that doesn't necessarily look like a traditional church inside,” Prado said. “We're trying to be responsive and sensitive to the wishes of the congregations while at the same time providing feasible and affordable housing solutions.”
The CEG and Prospera Real Estate Collective have worked together on similar projects, including one in the city of North Miami with Faith Community Baptist Church, currently in the construction phase. The collaborators have several more planned across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Homeownership vs. displacement
While the Grand Bahamas Place project offers affordable housing for families within the target income range, it also aims to address another important issue: the risk of displacement due to gentrification. Prado shared a key insight into the project’s approach.
“Our secret ingredient is a single word: trust,” he said, adding that the immediate past president and CEO of CEG, Rev. Dr. R. Joaquin Willis, “likes to say that our projects with churches proceed at the speed of trust. For a Black church in Miami, the story is that people who look like me and Ellen [both white] have been taking advantage of people who look like Bernard [who is Black] for 60 years. So, how do you build trust? By showing we’re not just a developer who wants to make a lot of money."
Prado emphasized the project's broader impact, which aims to ensure that low-income families are not left behind.
“We’re trying to cater to those that conventional developers don’t seem to care much about,” Prado said. “Those 56 families will be stakeholders. They're going to help stabilize the neighborhood in ways that people that are renting and transiting will not do the same.”
Clarice Cooper, president of the Coconut Grove Village West Homeowners & Tenants Association, echoed the need for affordable housing. Having lived in West Grove her whole life, Cooper has seen many families displaced as property values rise.
“We've seen so many changes since a lot of our friends and other families have been displaced because of properties being bought and sold on Grand Avenue and also on the Douglas Road corridor,” she said. “We have homes here that have been newly built or restored, and they're asking a million dollars for them. The average Black person here can’t afford anything like that.
“We know many people who would love to move back here, but at the current market, they can’t afford to get back here,” Cooper added.
Cooper appreciates that Grand Bahamas Place is focused on affordability and led by local, community-oriented organizations.
“We do need more housing here,” she said. “I like the fact that it’s being offered by a local organization. People who have a long-term interest in Coconut Grove, like Apostle Chambers and the Believers of Authority, have been here for a long time, just like my family, so we understand the importance of having more housing here.”
Other community members voiced their support at the city commission meeting on Thursday.
“This project and its sponsors are people who are constantly engaged in the community. They are known to the community,” said Jihad Rashid, a West Grove resident.
Reynold Martin, chairman of Grove Rights and Community Equity Inc., also supported the initiative, emphasizing the need for affordable housing in the area.
“We would encourage you to work closely with some of the churches that have property and would like to use it for this purpose as well,” he said.
What’s next?
The project is now progressing after receiving city commission approval. The next steps include finalizing documents, obtaining entitlements and design approvals, and securing zoning permits.
Construction is expected to begin once those processes are complete. Phanord also highlighted the developers’ commitment to educating the community.
“We’re not just giving first-come, first-served access — we're educating people. We’ll have homebuyer workshops and homebuyer education sessions. There’s an 18- to 24-month window where we can help people within the community prepare to capitalize on the opportunities when they present themselves," he explained.
The project will also assist individuals in navigating available subsidies and financing programs in Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami.
This story was produced by The Miami Times, one of the oldest Black-owned newspapers in the country, as part of a content sharing partnership with the WLRN newsroom. Read more at miamitimesonline.com.
