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School board authorizes negotiations with Crescent Heights on downtown parcel, with parents pressing for iPrep safeguards
Summary
The board authorized staff to negotiate redevelopment terms with a Crescent Heights affiliate for district‑owned land at 1370 NE 2nd Ave and to negotiate an MOU with the Omni CRA; iPrep parents voiced support, board members flagged complexity and asked for timing and policy guardrails, and General Counsel noted unsolicited proposals remain permitted under board policy.
The Miami‑Dade County School Board on Nov. 19 authorized district staff to negotiate redevelopment terms for a downtown parcel at 1370 Northeast 2nd Avenue with an affiliate of Crescent Heights and to negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency in support of a district redevelopment framework for the full assemblage.
Supporters from the iPrep parent community urged the board to advance the plan and to include nearby parcels the parents said are important to the school. "You have our full support for this item," one parent said, thanking board members and the Omni CRA for their work.
Board members stressed the complexity of a multi‑partner redevelopment, urged clearly defined timelines and economic analyses, and asked staff to preserve procedural protections. Board member Joe Geller asked General Counsel Walter Harvey to confirm that the district’s unsolicited‑proposal rules and public‑private partnership policy remain in force and that outside proposers may still submit competing ideas while the district negotiates; Harvey confirmed those points and said meritorious unsolicited proposals will be evaluated under policy 63‑27, with the district able to provide a "last look" to an incumbent negotiating partner.
Superintendent José El Dautres and staff said the revised item reflects board comments from an extensive workshop and that any final agreement will come back to the board for approval. The motion to authorize negotiations passed on the day’s vote.
Board members and community speakers repeatedly described the effort as a marathon, not a sprint, and asked for continued reporting to the board as negotiations and any CRA steps proceed.
