In a significant milestone for the Liberty Square redevelopment, the final 27 legacy families from the original public housing community have officially moved into their new homes at “Serenity at Liberty Square.” Serenity is the fourth of nine phases in a sweeping revitalization effort to transform one of the oldest public housing developments in the southeastern U.S.
“Since we started this project, many of them (residents) have lived in those older units for 30 to 50 years,” said Albert Milo, president of Related Urban Development Group, the development company spearheading the project.
“It’s a huge accomplishment, and we're proud that's something that we promised the community. The fact that we can give new housing to the previous residents of Liberty Square is important to us.”
The newly completed phase includes 193 residential units — 27 designated as public housing for legacy families, 50 Project-Based Voucher units, and the rest for affordable and workforce housing, priced for households earning under 80% of the Area Median Income. Rents range from $779 to $1,932.
The entire redevelopment has so far delivered 793 attainable housing units, supported by a public-private investment of more than $220 million.
“It’s lovely and beautiful over here”
Among the final residents to move into Serenity is 74-year-old Minnie Davis, who had lived in Liberty Square since 2009. She was among those who chose to remain on-site throughout the redevelopment.
“You had to be on the waiting list for a while — and I was there until they found a place for us,” Davis said. “And so when they told us about the new building, I just stayed there.”
After years of waiting, she’s now settling into a brand-new unit, marking a major improvement in comfort and quality of life.
“I’ve gotten older and injured my knee a while back,” Davis said. “I feel better and more confident over here because I don’t have to go up and down stairs. It’s better for me.”
Her new apartment features larger bathrooms, an in-unit washer and dryer and a full kitchen that allows her to cook her own meals, including a Thanksgiving turkey.
“It’s lovely and beautiful over here,” Davis said with a broad smile. “Everything is modern. I love my living room. It’s more spacious than the one I moved out of.”
Her previous unit came with challenges as the redevelopment process progressed. As neighbors moved out, she said, rodents became more of an issue.
“I managed to keep the roaches out, but the rodents, they were still bad,” she recalled. “Most of the time when I did call maintenance, they came.”
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Davis, who now pays $122 a month with housing assistance, praised the property management team for helping with the move, setting up utilities and changing her address through DMV services hosted at Serenity.
“They help us handle a lot of stuff, changing our address, helping us get everything established in the apartment,” Davis said. “Especially me. I’m not good with technology, so they helped me too.”
A devout churchgoer, Davis said she’s grateful to have essential services close by, and excited about the new resources coming to the neighborhood. While she’s still settling in, she’s already making the apartment feel like home, arranging everything just the way she likes it.
More than housing
A cornerstone of the Liberty Square redevelopment is its mixed-income model, which Milo said is driving economic revitalization.
Milo explained that residents’ collective income was just under $9 million before the redevelopment. Now, with four phases, it’s up to $56 million, and once the remaining phases are complete, it will be up to $140 million.
“It's going to allow us to continue to draw additional investments, businesses and services that would not come before because there just wasn't enough economic buying power to sustain those businesses,” he said.
Serenity also includes community-serving institutions. Jessie Trice Community Health System (JTCHS), Florida’s first federally qualified health center, will open an on-site clinic this year.
Ryan R. Hawkins, president and CEO of JTCHS, said the return to Liberty City is personal.
“It's a continuation of the historical area that has housed many generations of community members. My grandmother was right there on 63rd and 13th. My other grandmother was on 50th and 12th,” he said. “We’re really coming from a trailer where we started all of this.”
The new clinic will provide affordable primary care and connect residents with specialized services such as dental or dietitian support nearby.
“It’s really about bringing services closer to home,” Hawkins said. “Having a provider within a block or two is a game changer.”
The clinic also aims to close health equity gaps in the community.
“Oftentimes people put their healthcare needs on the back burner until it’s a major problem,” Hawkins said. “We want to make it easier for people to get the care they need and deserve.”
In another significant step, the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce will open its first permanent headquarters in Liberty City, where it was founded in 1974.
“The insight that those founders had 51 years ago — it just proves the chamber was needed then and is needed more so now,” said G. Eric Knowles, president of the Chamber. “We’ll be helping to revitalize that community.”
The MDCC will be located at Northwest 15th Avenue, the business corridor back in the day.
Through a new on-site incubator, the Chamber will support Liberty Square entrepreneurs with office space, technical assistance, notary and copying services, and even a business address for home-based enterprises.
“You can be great at baking cakes or landscaping, but not necessarily know all the moving parts to run a business,” Knowles said. “We’ll help them get the back of their house together.”
The chamber will provide licensing guidance, business planning and training in partnership with FIU's Small Business Development Center. It also aims to address barriers like access to capital through partnerships with groups such as Lendistry, the Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust, and BAC Funding.
“We want to make sure they’re ready to apply for grants, pitch to investors and take advantage of every opportunity,” Knowles said. “Small businesses are the lifeblood of America, and we’re proud to be back where we started.”
Milo said there are also plans for educational facilities, expanded retail and fresh food options along the historic Northwest 15th Avenue corridor.
Responding to community concerns
Milo responded to past criticisms raised in the documentary “Razing Liberty Square” and by residents regarding issues like construction defects.
“Any concerns regarding construction matters, we address immediately, as part of our normal course of business,” he said. “We are a vertically integrated company, any issue that arises — construction, management, maintenance — we address it.”
He acknowledged some minor issues but said they’re typical of new construction.
“Could there have been some issue that arose at a certain point in time? It could be,” he said. “But we take care of them, so that's not a long-term concern.”
Milo also defended the block-by-block redevelopment strategy, noting how it was designed to avoid displacing residents.
“We did a redevelopment on a block-by-block basis on purpose so we wouldn't have to displace anyone who wanted to stay,” he said. “And the fact that we just moved the last 27 legacy families proves our point. No one was displaced.”
As for the documentary, Milo said: “We’re not out here to create documentaries, and I understand everyone has the right to share their opinion. But we’re going to stay focused on what we promised this community.”
He pointed to the public community benefits agreement as a marker of accountability.
“Anyone is welcome to see it — everything we stated and how we’ve accomplished all of those things,” he said. “All the families are moving in. Health center's moving in. Chamber's moving in.”
Looking Ahead: phase five and beyond
The next phase, set to begin within 90 days, will be the largest to date, adding 424 new units. It will be accompanied by an elderly housing phase with 37 units and additional community services, to be announced at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Serenity this Thursday.
The final vision for Liberty Square includes 1,800 new public, affordable, workforce and market-rate housing units alongside green spaces, retail, healthcare and educational institutions.
“Our approach was to rebuild a community,” Milo said. “Not just housing.”
This story was produced by The Miami Times, one of the oldest Black-owned newspapers in the country, as part of a content sharing partnership with the WLRN newsroom. Read more at miamitimesonline.com.
