The Miami City Commission voted down a proposal to allow affordable housing development on land zoned for religious institutions and other civic uses.
Commissioner Ralph Rosado called it a “wasted opportunity in what is arguably the least affordable city in the United States of America,” at the Thursday meeting, the Miami Herald reported.
Rosado proposed the citywide zoning change and was its sole “yes” vote. The city had identified more than 660 properties spanning 1,800 acres that would have been opened up to affordable housing development under the proposed zoning change.
The proposal was inspired by a Florida Senate bill passed in 2025 that gives local governments the choice to allow housing development on land owned by religious institutions so long as 10 percent of the units meet affordability requirements. Rosado’s proposal would have required 50 percent of the units built on Miami sites be affordable.
This failed effort is part of a growing “Yes in God’s backyard” or YIGBY movement to counter NIMBYism by building on church-owned land.
Religious groups own millions of acres across the U.S., and with church membership and attendance in a decades-long decline, much of it is underutilized. Properties can also prove to be a financial burden. Many orders of nuns have turned to selling convents as they seek to shore up funds to care for their aging sisters.
Real estate has seized on the opportunity to snag prime, historic properties. Hoteliers Alex and Sue Glasscock bought a 140-acre estate in Tuxedo Park, New York, from the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate for $11 million in 2023. They opened the east coast outpost of their wellness retreat the Ranch Malibu in the 40,000-square-foot mansion that once housed the sisters.
While church land is eaten up across the U.S., it’s a growing phenomenon in South Florida. Tal Levinson and Eric Malinasky are planning a 500-unit residential development on a former church site in Fort Lauderdale. Billionaire Steve Ross is planning a luxury condominium in West Palm Beach on the waterfront site of Temple Israel, which will be relocating within the city.
In voting down the YIGBY proposal this week, Miami commissioners cited concerns it would incite an open season for historic church properties.
“I’m not typically this firm on ‘no,’ but this is a ‘no’ in every respect for me,” Commissioner Christine King said. “It is a solid, firm, I’m not crossing the line, I am not bending, modifying. These churches, historic churches — all they have is their land.”
King’s district had the largest share of properties zoned as religious or civic in use in the city, according to the outlet. Her district had 247 of the more than 660 parcels that were identified.
This could be “disastrous for our churches, particularly our historic churches,” she said. “They do not have the expertise to negotiate deals such as this.”
–– Kate Hinsche