BridgePrep Academy Signed Lease for Miami Shopping Center
The school will open at the California Club Shopping Center in an effort to address local demand for educational space.
Updated on Oct. 9, 2026 in Commercial
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BridgePrep Academy has signed a lease for a 56,000-square-foot space at the California Club Shopping Center in the Ives Estates neighborhood. This new location marks an expansion for the charter school operator, which currently runs 19 campuses across Florida.
Why it matters
The deal highlights the intense competition for large, school-ready commercial spaces in Miami, where demand continues to outpace available inventory. Repurposing existing retail centers is becoming a necessary strategy for educational institutions to secure property in the region.
The school occupies a 56,000-square-foot site formerly held by Waterways Preparatory Academy in 2025. The center remains home to retailers including Planet Fitness, Five Below, and Burlington.
The players
BridgePrep Academy
An educational operator that currently manages 19 school locations across Florida.
RK Centers
The property management firm that owns the 273,050-square-foot California Club Shopping Center.
CBRE
A global commercial real estate services firm that represented the tenant during the lease negotiations.
The details
BridgePrep Academy secured the space at 750 Ives Dairy Road through a formal commercial agreement facilitated by brokers from CBRE. The site is located 15 miles north of Downtown Miami within a property owned by RK Centers. The conversion of this retail footprint reflects the broader scarcity of properties specifically suitable for educational operations in Miami-Dade County.
Timeline
2025: Waterways Preparatory Academy occupied the shopping center space.
- 2026-10-09
The lease agreement was reported publicly.
The Home Front
This lease follows the documented trend of school operators securing former retail space to bypass the scarcity of suitable, purpose-built educational facilities in metropolitan areas. Such conversions are increasingly common as developers look to stabilize occupancy in suburban retail centers.
Residents living near Ives Dairy Road should anticipate future traffic pattern adjustments associated with school drop-off and pick-up logistics at the shopping center. Keep an eye on local school board announcements if you are looking to enroll students in the upcoming school year.
The takeaway
The transformation of retail properties into schools is a growing response to the specific land constraints facing Miami families. Property owners and tenants in mixed-use centers should track local zoning changes as these commercial facilities continue to evolve.
Further reading
For more updates on local business moves, read our Commercial section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Commercial Observer.
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