Outline of Community Development Activities (1985 to 2008)
Engaged in by John Little While Employed by Legal Services of Greater Miami

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1985 - 1995

• Public Housing Economic Development Project - Collaboration between LSGMI, the Overall Tenant Advisory Council, Mott Foundation, Miami Dade County, and the National Economic Development and Law Center. Assisted public housing residents and tenant councils to form small business such as convenience stores, laundromats, lawn maintenance companies, child care centers, etc.


• Blue Ribbon Panel. Participated on a so called blue ribbon panel put together by the Mayor of Miami Dade County that identified potential new sources of funding for affordable housing.


• CDC Coalition - Facilitated the creation of an early predecessor South Florida Community Development Coalition


• Goulds CDC - provided legal assistance in the development of the Goulds Shopping Center.


• Haitian Task Force - provided legal assistance in the development of the Caribbean Marketplace


• Wynwood Community Development Corporation - provided legal assistance in the development of the Wynwood Foreign Trade Zone project.


• Magic City Development Corporation - provided legal assistance that led to "Project N.I.C.E." which was a program that introduced low income minority women to the construction trades and assisted them in finding employment.


• West Perrine CDC - Assisted in creation of the Housing Opportunity Center and a small business incubator. Also provided legal assistance leading to the creation of affordable single family houses.


• DEEDCO - provided transactional legal assistance to DEEDCO acting as lender for County Funded small business loan program


• Alapattah Business Development Authority (ABDA) - Assisted with two affordable condominium projects (Ralph Plaza and Fern Isle). Provided legal assistance in the implementation of a County and City funded commercial facade program that eventually assisted hundreds of small businesses.


• Coconut Grove Local Development Corporation. Assisted with the Grove Pointe affordable single family housing subdivision. Assisted in the creation of a small business incubator.


• Centro Campesino. Assisted in the creation of subdivision of affordable single family homes for current and former farm worker families.


• Hurricane Andrew recovery - Provided legal assistance to the nonprofit members of the South Dade Alliance in their efforts to develop new affordable single family houses


• Haitian Task Force - provided legal assistance in the creation of the Caribbean Marketplace


• Miami Dade Neighborhood Housing Services (now called NHSSF) - provided legal assistance in the creation of affordable single family housing


• Opa-locka CDC - provided legal assistance for the creation of affordable single family housing. Provided legal assistance in the effort to presere and restore of the historic Hurt Building and the historic Opa-locka train station.


• St John CDC - assisted with the creation of the corporation and its early multifamily housing ventures.


• Little Haiti Housing Association - assisted with the creation of the corporation and its early housing development ventures.

1995 - 2008

• East Little Havana CDC - legal assistance with the Sunrise Gardens affordable condominium project.


• South Florida Community Development Coalition - Facilitated the creation of the Coalition and maintained its website. Provided staff support, first informally and then from 1998 to 2003 through a grant to LSGMI obtained from the MacArthur Foundation


• 79th Street Corridor Initiative - played a key role in creating the Initiative and the awarding of its initial funding. Maintained its website.


• St John CDC - Provided legal assistance that let to a major land donation In 2000 consisting of 10 dilapidated apartment buildings (some of which were eventually rehabilitated with rest being demolished to be to make way for new construction).


• Opa-locka CDC - provided a wide variety of legal assistance leading involving the construction or rehabilitation of multiple affordable rental complexes and, through a joint venture, the creation of a strip shopping center in Miami Gardens


• St John CDC Townhouses - provided a wide assortment of legal assistance to create a the 15 unit St John Townhouse condominium project


• Miami-Dade NSP Consortium - provided a wide variety of legal assistance to the six nonprofit consortium members with respect to a multitude of multi-family and single family housing development ventures


• Brownsville CDC - provided legal assistance that led to the reconstruction of 13 houses destroyed in a freak 2006 tornad0


• Model Housing Cooperative, Inc. - provided a wide variety of legal assistance leading to the construction of the affordable 32 unit Villa Godoy Condominium project


• Coconut Grove Local Development Corporation. Provided legal assistance that led to the creation of a small business incubator.


• DEEDCO - provided legal assistance that led to the construction of the Brownsville Renaissance Shopping Center.


• Miami Beach CDC - provided a wide variety of legal assistance leading involving the construction or rehabilitation of multiple affordable rental complexes.


• Neighbors and Neighbors Association (NANA)- provided legal assistance that allowed NANA to qualify for a $750,000 federal grant and then provided further legal assistance so that the funds could be loaned to Naranja Bargain Town Market so that its food court could be made to meet the requirements of the building code - over 40 jobs created.


• Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida - provided extensive legal assistance leading to the construction of the affordable 32 unit Dupuis Point subdivision the Gladeview section of Liberty City.