Housing complex moves forward despite outcry from Miramar residents. What to know
The residents of apartments and condos on Foxcroft Road gathered at a Miramar commission meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 5, to speak out against a new 55-unit affordable housing apartment building.
But the project is moving forward anyway.
Arbor Ridge Housing Partners sued the city over their application to build affordable apartments at 3300 Foxcroft Road, which was denied in 2024.
City Attorney Jordan Gary clarified that the city cannot point to criteria that Arbor Ridge did not meet, and that is why they’ve moved to settle during the Nov. 5 meeting.
“If I had to tell you which side I would prefer to be advocating for, it’s the developer (who) has better legal arguments,” Gary said.
Though the entire commission expressed disapproval of the project, some followed the advice of the lawyers to avoid letting the court decide, and the commission ultimately voted to settle, allowing the project to move forward.
Many community members expressed that the area is already too crowded, there aren’t enough safety measures to curb crime and there will be too much traffic on Foxcroft Road if the apartments are built.
Millicent McBean has lived in the Foxcroft Condominium community at 3285 Foxcroft Road since 2001.
“I’ve been through a lot,” she said. “They stole my car. They break into my husband’s truck three times. So, if we have all these houses built here now it will be getting worse.”
This is not the first time these residents are making public comment about the proposal.
After initial discussion with the community in 2024, the sitting commission members expressed concerns, wherein the mayor “urged the petitioner to continue ‘to negotiate’ with the residents, ‘see if you can meet their concerns,’” according to court documents.
But when the developers said they failed to get residents to come to the table again for a meeting, the commission claimed that the developers were disrespectful to nearby condominium residents and voted against the application on Oct. 16, 2024, the documents read.
But Gary said during the Nov. 5 meeting that disrespect from the developer is not against legal requirements.
According to the lawsuit and the city attorney, developers increased their donation for maintenance of the road, added more security measures, planned to implement background checks for tenants and other safety aspects.
“It doesn’t look good, I’m gonna be blunt,” Mayor Wayne M. Messam said on Nov. 5. “We’re being accused of saying no when they’ve met and checked all of our boxes.”
Commissioner Avril Cherasard and her husband are residents on Foxcroft Road who oppose the development. Cherasard claims that this is not a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) issue, but an issue with the developer specifically.
“I know there will be a lot of conversation saying this is only NIMBY; however, those who feel as though a project of this scale tips the balance of them being happy in Miramar, there’s way too many people saying that,” Cherasard said. “This lawsuit is showing their colors.”
This story was originally published November 6, 2025 at 1:16 PM.
