On a site long known in Liberty City for healing and community care, officials and developers broke ground last Wednesday on Yaeger Plaza, a $60 million mixed-use affordable housing development set to bring new life to a historic local landmark.
Located at 1177 N.W. 62nd St., the project will deliver 135 apartment homes for income-qualified families. However, speakers at the groundbreaking ceremony emphasized that the development represents more than just housing; it continues a multi-generational family legacy rooted in medicine, entrepreneurship, and service to the community.
The project, led by The Integral Group, will rise on the site of the historic Yaeger Clinic, a neighborhood institution established by integrative medicine pioneers Dr. Carl E. Yaeger Sr. and his son, Dr. Carl Yaeger Jr., who began serving the community in 1955.
A legacy of care during segregation
The Yaeger family's story in Miami began when Dr. Yaeger Sr. and his son relocated from New York, opening a clinic just blocks from the current site. According to Ivan Yaeger, CEO of The Yaeger Companies and the youngest son of Dr. Yaeger Jr., they soon outgrew the initial location.
I’m truly honored and blessed to share this day with you. Not only is it a legacy, but also the realization of a dream that will positively affect our community for future generations.
“They decided to purchase the building that sat on the spot, right over there,” Ivan said at the ceremony, gesturing to the plot of land. “And it was a two-story building that became the Yaeger Clinic.”
The clinic became a vital healthcare provider, offering family medicine, chiropractic care, OB-GYN services, physical therapy, and minor surgery. At its peak, it delivered over 400 babies in its second-floor maternity ward and served more than 100,000 patients, including prominent figures like boxing champion Muhammad Ali and Grammy-winning artist Betty Wright.
Elaine Black, president of the Liberty City Community Revitalization Trust, highlighted the clinic's critical role during the era of segregation. Access to quality healthcare was severely limited for Black residents, making the Yaeger Clinic an essential resource. The neighborhood itself was shaped by segregationist policies, including the construction of walls in the 1940s to separate the new Liberty Square housing project from white residential areas. These historical barriers made community-focused institutions like the Yaeger Clinic indispensable.
“The Yaeger Clinic has been here for generations,” Black said. “Many people born in this community were actually born right there. At the time, Black people living in Liberty Square were not allowed to cross over here, so even though the clinic was within walking distance, they actually had to go around this whole area in order to come to the clinic.” She noted Dr. Yaeger's mission was to ensure residents received “the best care possible.”
A modern vision for a historic site
After Dr. Yaeger Sr.'s death in 1971, Dr. Yaeger Jr. continued operating the clinic until 2005. The family's vision for the property always included future growth. Over the decades, the site was expanded to include workforce housing and office space for The Yaeger Companies, which grew to encompass various ventures, including Ivan Yaeger's own Yaeger Innovative Products Corporation.
Ivan, an inventor who gained recognition for developing a patented prosthetic arm, first envisioned a larger mixed-use development for the site in 1998. “God blessed me with a vision: a mixed-use development, to be called Yaeger Plaza,” he said. The path from that vision to last week’s groundbreaking was long and challenging, marked by concept revisions, regulatory hurdles, and economic downturns like the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Black worked closely with the Yaeger family for years, helping to shape the future of the site while preserving its history. These conversations ensured the new development would honor the clinic’s legacy, with plans for an on-site museum, while addressing the pressing modern need for affordable housing.
Addressing Miami's housing crisis
The need for affordable housing in Miami-Dade County is severe. The development of Yaeger Plaza provides a significant new housing option in a neighborhood where the median home value is approximately $400,000 and the median rent hovers around $2,500, according to data from real estate marketplace Trulia. These prices create immense pressure on longtime residents and low-to-moderate income families.
The 135 units in Yaeger Plaza will be available to households earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income (AMI). This range is designed to cater to a diverse group of residents, from service workers to young professionals who are increasingly priced out of Miami's expensive rental market. The project is financed through a complex mix of public and private funding, including sources from Miami-Dade County and the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, reflecting a broad-based commitment to addressing the housing shortage.
Kareem Brantley, managing partner of The Integral Group's Florida division, said the team is “honored and privileged” to partner with the Yaeger family. He emphasized the project’s goal to create more than just buildings. “What you're really seeing a picture of behind me is a community,” Brantley said. “What we’re attempting to build and what we know we will build is a community that represents the best of Liberty City.”
The development will also feature 2,000 square feet of commercial space and the aforementioned museum dedicated to the Yaeger family's contributions. Construction is expected to take approximately two years.
