Shopping Center in Poor Miami Neighborhood Opens 95% Rented

MIAMI-Liberty City, a three-square-mile area that has seen little major construction for years, is getting a new shopping center. The 79,000-sf project, opening Oct 28, will allow residents to shop in a modern Winn-Dixie supermarket, the center’s anchor tenant.

Redevco Enterprises built the new stores with financial assistance from Fannie Mae. The site had been a haven for the homeless ever since the discount store that had occupied the parcel went bankrupt in 1994.

The developer reports no difficulty in finding firms to join Winn-Dixie. The center was 95% committed before ground was broken last fall. Other tenants include Hollywood Video, Payless ShoeSource and Wendy’s. Winn-Dixie had operated a smaller store about a mile away from the new unit that has now been closed.