2022 Structures Awards: Best Reuse/Rehab Project
By Jeff Zbar for the South Florida Business Journal
WINNER: Harmony at Liberty Square, Related Group
Project address: 1310 N.W. 67th St., Miami 33147
Key Partners
General Contractor: Fortune Urban Construction
Architect: Modis Architects
Shell contractor: Eagle Brick Construction
Drywall: LCN Group
Stucco: Brigcon Consulting
Originally built in the late 1930s in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood, Liberty Square was a 709-unit affordable housing project that had become rundown and riddled with crime. In 2016, Related Group was commissioned to create the master plan for the new Liberty Square, along with government partners including Miami-Dade County and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Harmony at Liberty Square’s February 2022 delivery marked completion of the site’s third of nine phases. It increased housing by 192 units, bringing the available total to 600. Upon completion of all phases, the 55-acre site will feature over 1,900 new public housing, affordable and workforce housing, and market-rate units, as well as homeownership opportunities.
The garden-style apartments feature modern interiors, vinyl tile floors, wood cabinetry and granite countertops. The community features walkways, murals painted on the exteriors, lush landscaping and new children’s play areas.
The community includes 15,000 square feet of retail space reserved for locally owned small businesses, and a 40,000-square-foot supermarket is planned. To ensure existing residents aren’t pushed out, the development team gave longtime residents priority access to apartments while keeping rents as low as possible – and, in some cases, unchanged.
While years from completion, Liberty Square proved to be revolutionary. It transformed the community and lives of Liberty City residents, and provided a blueprint for building affordable and workplace housing.
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