Gibson center would house elderly, offer classes

The proposed Gibson Community and Educational Center aims to provide affordable housing and an educational center for the Village West area of Coconut Grove.

It’s a collaboration among the University of Miami School of Education, the Theodore R. Gibson Memorial Fund, the Coconut Grove Collaborative, Inc. and Pinnacle Housing Group. Plans call for 54 units of affordable housing for the elderly, an educational center and a place where the community could come together.

The partnership is competing for half of the $10 million in government obligation bonds allocated to Miami-Dade County District 7 Commissioner Carlos Gimenez.  Another developer, Pointe Group Advisors, has submitted a proposal to use $9.4 million for 32 units of housing. If the Gibson project wins, development will begin at the project site at 3629 Grand Ave.

The site is owned by the Theodore R. Gibson Memorial Fund, which raised money through fund-raising to purchase the land, said Thelma Gibson, president emeritus of the fund. The property was the original location for The Gibson Charter School, which was built in Overtown instead.

“Since we didn’t get to put the school, we are hoping that the educational center will accomplish what we couldn’t do otherwise,” Gibson said.

The educational center, which will feature 7,000 square feet of classrooms, computer labs, exercise rooms and meeting spaces, will be located on the lower level of the building.

Programming at the educational center will be run by the University of Miami School of Education, which will provide programs focused on the educational, psychological and physical needs of the community, said Guerda Nicolas, chairperson and associate professor of the Educational and Psychological Studies Department at the University of Miami.

The educational center will also be an asset to the School of Education, which requires students in certain programs to complete 20 community service hours each week at a local agency. The center will hire people from the community and partner them with students from the School of Education.

“It provides an already-made mechanism for students who want to be involved in the community,” Nicolas said.

The upper levels of the building will feature 54 units of affordable housing, which will be aimed at the elderly population of Coconut Grove and people who have moved out of the community because of gentrification.

“I’m excited about the possibility not only for the educational center but also about the possibility to bring back displaced people to the Grove with the affordable housing,” Gibson said.

The combination of the educational center and housing for the elderly will also create the opportunity for intergenerational programming and computer, literacy and educational opportunities for all ages.

The construction of the Gibson Community and Educational Center will be undertaken by Pinnacle Housing Group.

“It’s exciting for us because we really have been responsible at Pinnacle for the redevelopment of several neighborhoods and this is an area that is in desperate need,” said Michael Wohl, a partner at Pinnacle Housing Group. “Hopefully, it will be the start of redevelopment for the entire community.”

The prospect of the development has excited many community members who view the center as an opportunity to provide much needed services to a historically neglected community.

“We’ve been to the altar many times and we’ve been left there,” said Jihad S. Rashid, president and CEO of the Coconut Grove Collaborative, Inc. “What this community is asking for is equity and sustainability.”

With the creation of the Gibson Community and Educational Center, Village West residents will gain the opportunity to live, learn and thrive in their community.

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