Global private school targets ex-Archbishop Curley campus

A global private school network plans to build a school in the City of Miami near Little Haiti on property that for many years was home to Archbishop Curley High.

Avenues – The World School is planned for 4949 NE Second Ave.

It will be a new school campus that will serve children from daycare through high school.

The developer-applicant is identified as AVE FL 1 Operating LLC TRS Land Trust.

The city’s Urban Development Review Board approved the project with conditions.

The board was told the project will be phased and will include an early learning building, a primary school building, a high school building, a gym/pool complex, a garage and a dormitory with 180 rooms. Open space on the campus would be about 328,242 square feet.

Total floor area is calculated at 680,850 square feet, and the highest structure would be five stories.

A plan shows parking for 491 vehicles and space to park up to 25 bicycles.

The Miami Jewish Hospital is directly west of the property and the FEC Railway is to the east. The property is the former Archbishop Curley campus.

The property had been an educational campus since the establishment of Archbishop Curley in 1953 through closure of the school following the 2017 school year. As such, the property has a nearly 70-year history of operations as an educational facility which coexisted with the surrounding neighborhoods.

Attorney Iris Escarra, representing the developer, wrote: “The Avenues World School seeks to continue the educational history of this property by developing a new campus. The Avenues World School is planned to be an integrated ‘learning community’ with a shared vision, curriculum, technology, professional development of faculty and oversight by a centralized headquarters team.”

Ms. Escarra said the non-parochial school has campuses in New York, San Francisco, Brazil, Asia and other locations.

She said the Miami campus at the property will join the New York campus and others being opened around the world.

The applicant proposes a pre-school through 12th grade school at the property that will fulfill a need in the community, said Ms. Escarra. The early learning center is to be the first built.

She wrote: “The surrounding neighborhoods, including Little Haiti, the Design District, Midtown, Wynwood, Edgewater, Morningside, and the Biscayne Corridor have seen a rapid increase in development in the past few years, with the population growing exponentially.

“While the number of apartments, condominiums, offices, and commercial uses has grown, the number of school options has not kept pace. The available school options were further limited with the closure of Archbishop Curley Notre Dame High School. The applicant proposes a use which will remedy the situation,” said Ms. Escarra.

The Miami 21 zoning code allows educational uses on the property as an exception, and dormitory uses.

She told the board the exception is appropriate as the project will provide a much-needed educational use that will serve the community.

The project proposes 2,440 students, 347 faculty members, and dormitory facilities to house 288 students.

Ms. Escarra said the lot area consists of 683,839 square feet, or 15.699 acres.

She said the project must also go before the city’s Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board for approval.

A representative of the school said, “Avenues school is an urban school. It does not have high walls. This is very much engaging the street and community,” referring to a site plan.

All vehicles dropping off and picking up students will occur on site, to avoid clogging traffic on neighboring streets, he said.

Board member Willy Bermello noted the developer’s team was advancing good connectivity yet the proposed student housing “is totally disconnected from campus … how will you reconcile that?”

Board member Neil Hall said, “The reason Curley closed was they didn’t have enough students. Where are these students coming from?”

He referenced the impact on poor neighborhoods when big dollar projects move in.

“It is a minority community … it became a black community – it’s not a white community, and now you’re proposing a school on par with Ransom and Gulliver, and that sends another kind of message which is very disturbing for me,” Mr. Hall said.

Ms. Escarra indicated the students would come from all walks of life, and said the Avenues schools offer financial assistance.

“They have a significant amount of scholarship programs. And they are extremely into creating and connecting with the community around them,” she said. The potential student population will come from many areas, she said, including children in the neighborhood who can walk to the campus.

Mr. Hall said, “I’m hoping when you have this magnificent school here, I hope there are some means to assist in this community.”

Ms. Escarra responded, “We understand, and we hear you loud and clear.”

New board member Gia Zapattini said, “The connectivity to the neighborhood is lacking … The floor plan is almost like it creates a barrier. See how you can explore ways that invite the neighborhood in.”

Mr. Bermello said, “Words are important. You say this is an urban school (but) we want to see connectivity … You have a great vision but there is a disconnect between what you’re saying and what I see.”

Ms. Zapattini said, “It doesn’t seem like an urban school. Two or three stories doesn’t seem very urban to me.”
Ms. Escarra said zoning limits them to five stories.

Mr. Bermello voiced concerns about the impact of the large project on four adjacent single-family homes. He made a motion to recommend approval of the project with a condition that the developer work to mitigate impact on the residential properties next door, with a wall or landscaping and more, “and I would like further study on the connectivity between the housing dorm and the campus.”

Prior to requesting a building permit for the student dormitory, he said, the developer must provide the planning director proof that connectivity with the campus is enhanced and established.

Mr. Bermello added, “My heart goes out to you, and I compliment you, you’re coming back and filling a hole in that part of the city … I wish you all the success in the world.”