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Miami Council discusses Inspiration School project

By David Sowders
Posted 10/16/24

Monday evening, October 14, after the Arizona Silver Belt went to press, the Miami, Arizona Town Council went into an executive session to discuss a project to convert the historic Miami Inspiration …

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Miami Council discusses Inspiration School project

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Monday evening, October 14, after the Arizona Silver Belt went to press, the Miami, Arizona Town Council went into an executive session to discuss a project to convert the historic Miami Inspiration Addition School into affordable housing.

The project envisions 40 new housing units. The three-story school building, which dates to 1916, would hold 20 of those units, with a newly-constructed building where the auditorium building now stands providing the other 20.

Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC), an Arizona-based nonprofit corporation, will serve as project developer and service provider. Tiempo, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CPLC, will manage the property. In 2023 the Arizona Department of Housing reserved approximately $2.6 million in federal and state tax credits for the project. That, combined with construction and development loans, completely funded the approximately $20 million project.

“I think this is a really exciting project, the first new housing in Miami in a while,” CPLC

Executive Vice President for Economic Development Jose Martinez said in a Friday interview with the Silver Belt. “It’s a nice way to bring this historic school back to life.”

In the September 9 council meeting, new Miami Councilmember Gil Madrid requested a work session on the project along with formation of a task force committee. “We have to have a plan to help the project move forward in a good, productive way but not sacrifice one iota of safety,” he said. In the same meeting, Mayor Jose “Angel” Medina suggested a progress report.

Madrid noted that the Inspiration Addition School is in “a confined area.” The building sits on a narrow street and is surrounded by residences. The Town Council executive session was held, the meeting agenda read, “for discussion or consultation for legal advice with the Town Attorney regarding safety and infrastructure matters.”

Martinez said CPLC has put together a parking plan for the site itself that anticipates 43 spaces – “We don’t think we’ll need more than 40,” he added – and that more parking could be added at the rear of the building. He also said the Town of Miami will move forward with an engineering capacity study of the road.

In a September 28 notice letter that was distributed in the school’s neighborhood to inform the community, CPLC stated that “construction of the project is scheduled to begin within the next few weeks” and promised regular updates. In Friday’s interview, Martinez said work was anticipated to start after the first part of 2025.

Residents can direct any questions or concerns to CPLC Community Liaison Fidelis Garcia at (602) 810-2761 or fidelis.garcia@cplc.org.