Liberty City Innovation District
A 90-acre tech corridor anchored by community ownership.
The pitch
A 90-acre district anchored by a publicly-owned tech campus, a community land trust on 60% of the residential parcels, and a guaranteed 30% set-aside for Liberty City-based businesses in the commercial space. Designed by Miami's only Black-led urban design studio in collaboration with longtime residents.
Why now
Liberty City has been cycled through redevelopment plans since the 1960s, every one of which extracted more wealth than it created. A community-owned model — proven in Atlanta's Westside Future Fund and DC's CityFirst — produces durable economic gains where conventional zoning incentives have not. Capital is now available through New Markets Tax Credits + opportunity zone wind-down structures.
Where it fits
NW 22nd Ave from 54th to 79th Streets. Existing assets: Miami-Dade College North campus, Liberty City Charter School, Hadley Park, the original Pork & Beans housing footprint.
Specs · back of the envelope
- › Land: 90 acres mixed (residential, commercial, civic)
- › Housing: 2,400 units · 60% community land trust
- › Commercial: 1.4M sf · 30% Liberty City businesses
- › Anchor: 220K sf publicly-owned tech campus
- › Governance: community board with veto on land sales
- › Estimated total investment: $1.1B over 10 years