Our Vision
Background
In 2024, Miami-Dade County’s Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) was awarded a Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support the revitalization of the Annie Coleman 16 public housing site and the surrounding MLK Station neighborhood.
The grant focuses on 70 units within the larger 210-unit Annie Coleman 16 development, identified as the Target Housing Site for redevelopment. Through this grant, Miami-Dade County and its partners will work together to create a shared vision for the future of the community and build momentum for neighborhood revitalization.
Over the next two years, this community-driven planning process will engage public housing residents, neighborhood residents, local businesses, and community stakeholders to help shape a Transformation Plan that reflects the priorities and ideas of the community.
The Transformation Plan: Three key areas
Housing
The Plan would explore the redevelopment of the 70 units that are part of the Target Site within the Annie Coleman 16 public housing development. The new units would bring high-quality affordable housing as part of new mixed-income developments in the neighborhood intended for formerly relocated residents and future tenants.
People
The Plan would connect partners in the city and neighborhood to fill gaps in existing programs and services to ensure residents have access to a good education, affordable childcare, healthy food, safe places to play, and quality job opportunities.
Neighborhood
The Plan would create a vision for strengthening the neighborhood through new and improved parks, walkability, public transportation, stores, and other amenities.
The Planning Area
The MLK Station neighborhood is located approximately four miles northwest of Downtown Miami in unincorporated Miami-Dade County. The area is generally bounded by NW 71st Street to the north, NW 54th Street to the south, NW 22nd Avenue to the east, and NW 32nd Avenue to the west.
At the center of the neighborhood is the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Station, part of Miami-Dade County’s Metrorail system. The Metrorail is a 25-mile elevated rail network that operates seven days a week and connects residents to major destinations throughout Miami-Dade County, including Downtown Miami, the Health District, the Civic Center, and Miami International Airport.
The target neighborhood for the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative is defined by an area within approximately a half-mile radius of the MLK Metrorail Station. This distance reflects a walkable area that allows residents to easily access transit, jobs, education, healthcare, and other key services.
The goal of this effort is to build on the neighborhood’s strengths while creating a more connected, vibrant, and opportunity-rich community for current and future residents.
Annie Coleman 16
The target public housing site, which consists of 70 units, was constructed in 1966 in a series of two-story garden-style buildings spread over three separate sites.
These 70 units are a portion of a larger 210-unit development named Annie Coleman 16, which is a scattered site development primarily located outside of the eastern boundary of the target neighborhood.
In 2019, residents were offered the opportunity to voluntarily relocate from Annie Coleman 16 through the use of public housing transfers and the issuance of Housing Choice Vouchers due to an on-going and pervasive gun violence epidemic in and around the target site as well as the physical condition of the units.
MLK Station
MLK Station
The Process
The planning process for the MLK Station Choice Neighborhood Transformation Plan will take approximately two and a half years, with the final plan expected to be submitted to HUD in March 2027. During this time, the planning team will conduct research and outreach to better understand the needs, priorities, and opportunities within the community.
Miami-Dade County will work closely with residents, community partners, and local stakeholders throughout the process. Their feedback and ideas will help guide the planning effort and ensure the final plan reflects the community’s vision for the future of the MLK Station neighborhood.