Faith Community Baptist Church Pastor-Emeritus Richard Dunn II (Photo courtesy of David L. Snelling)

By David L. Snelling
South Florida Times

MIAMI – Faith leaders and local dignitaries were on hand for the groundbreaking for an affordable homes project on the property of Faith Community Baptist Church.

Faith Place Village is the first of a kind in Miami-Dade County, where a 37-unit townhouse home ownership development project is going up on church property, 10401 N.W. 8th Avenue.

The project has been a vision for Faith Community Baptist Church Pastor-Emeritus Richard Dunn, a former Miami City Commissioner, for over 20 years, but the journey was met with some challenges including finances and permitting and zoning issues.

But on September 22, 2026, the $15 million project finally came to fruition, as the community celebrated with an afternoon church service to bless the land and the future of families who can secure homeownership amid an affordability crisis.

The event coincided with the church’s 25th anniversary.

The 37 townhome units will be built on 2.5-acres of the church’s land with parking spaces.

Faith Community Baptist Church said the project is to empower low-income people to homeownership.

“Words cannot adequately express the excitement I’m enjoying right now,” Dunn said. “It’s the appreciation of god to allow us to see this day… it is blessing the ground for actually turning soil into a development.”

Dunn said the project was his vision when he sat on the City of Miami Commission but was delayed as long as he was in political office because of conflict of interest.

When he left office, he put his plan in the works but first had to convince the church congregation and members to support his idea.

“I would be totally remiss if I didn’t thank Faith Community Baptist church members for embracing the unheard of… first of a kind to give up church land for people to benefit from,” Dunn said. “There were some difficult days ahead of us, but the people stayed with it.”

Faith Community Baptist Church partnered with Faith Place Community Partners, LLC let by PROSPERA Real Estate Collective, a development company.

Alex Myles of Enterprise said the company issued the church a grant for the project after it met all the qualifications for the funding including congregational commitment and doing its part to address the affordable housing shortage.

“We are looking forward to families building their future here,” he said.

Ellen Buckley, Founder and CEO of PROSPERA Real Estate Collective, said it was a long road to travel, but the church finally reached its destination.

“It truly takes a village to get this done,” she said. “I’m thrilled and it’s a pleasure to be here.”

Miami Mayor Eillen Higgins said the project creates a pathway for affordable homeownership when most people believe it’s out of reach due to South Florida’s skyrocketing home prices.

She said the city of Miami is exploring similar faith-based and nonprofit organizations projects on using land for affordable housing development.

“We are witnessing a truly remarkable project that’s an opportunity for homeownership,” she said on video. “I look forward to seeing families call this their home.”

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Marliene Bastien said she has known Dunn for years and all the effort he has put into the project.

“Rev. Dunn has been doing this for a long, long time,” she said.

Bastien said since she was first elected to the County Commission in 2022, her focus has been affordable housing.

During the campaign trial, she heard the cries of her constituents needing affordable housing.

“My goal was to find solutions to the grave crisis of affordable housing for residents in District 2,” she said. “They said help us with durable solutions and my first legislation which got support was a program to address the issue.”

But Bastien said Faith Community Baptist Church’s housing development plan takes it up several notches.

“Some people are renting,” she said. “But it’s not about renting. Nothing is as exciting as owning your own home. A place where no one is able to push you out.”

Miami-Dade County School Board member Dr. Dorothy Bendross Mindingall, said Faith Place Village brings much needed affordable housing at a critical time.

“Housing is costly and it is timely that the homes will come to fruition,” she said. “I believe in Rev. Dunn, the congregation and community, the homes will be affordable.”

Dunn summed up the affordable housing development project.

“This is a legacy project,” he said.

Dunn said the project will take 12-18 months to complete once construction commences.

Photo: Faith Community Baptist Church pastor-emeritus Richard Dunn II, Pastor Gregory Thompson, Miami-Dade Commissioner Marliene Bastien, Pastor Brandon Dunn and Michele Johnson from the office of Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (Photos courtesy of Faith Community Baptist Church and David L. Snelling)