A high-end developer is proposing a sleek redesign of two long-neglected public spaces on either side of a planned five-story, mixed-use project in Center Grove.
A developer’s vision for a redesigned Kirk Munroe Park and a pedestrian-only Fuller Street in Center Grove received mostly positive reviews this week from a standing-room-only crowd of local residents.
Plans for the park, presented Tuesday by Spencer Morris, the chief executive of Allen Morris Company, feature a new children’s play area, a café, new landscaping and a complete refurbishment of the park’s five tennis courts.
Across Grand Avenue where Fuller Street connects to Main Highway, the short block is reimagined as a heavily landscaped courtyard filled with benches and lounge seating.
“This is by no means a final design; this is a work in progress,” Morris told the crowd. “We’re here tonight to get feedback from the neighborhood so that we can keep improving the design, which has to be approved by the Parks Department.”
The presentation at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club was sponsored by Center Grove Neighbors, a recently launched homeowners association formed, in large part, in response to rising concerns over development pressures in the Grove.
Coral Gables-based Allen Morris Company is proposing the redesigns to complement a massive mixed-use project, dubbed Ziggurat, proposed for the block where Coconut Grove Laundry & Cleaners now operates, between the park and Fuller Street.
City of Miami officials have the final say on all changes or improvements but have tasked the company with soliciting community feedback for its redesigns.
While final costs are unclear, funding is expected to come from the city, the developer, and adjacent property owners.
After years of discussion, city and county officials earlier this year approved the permanent closure of Fuller Street to vehicle traffic.
Renderings for Kirk Munroe Park show a slick design of lush landscaping, oolite retaining walls, a wooden deck for events and performances, a grass lawn, and vine-topped trellises. Plans also call for a café near the park’s center. The five tennis courts will remain and the wall for hitting practice will be moved to the park’s edge.
Morris said there are no plans to convert any of the courts to pickleball.
While some residents praised the proposed improvements as a needed upgrade, others worried it would hasten an already accelerating loss of simple, authentic public spaces in Coconut Grove.
“Although I agree that [the proposed redesign] is beautiful, the plan looks like it belongs in Coral Gables,” suggested Barbara Lange, a 44-year resident of South Grove. “I’d like to see a design that looks more like Coconut Grove.”
Ziggurat will include 100,000 square feet of office space and 40,000 square feet of retail within a five-story building on the corner of Grand Avenue and Matilda Street.
An adjacent three-story building fronting Florida Avenue will house 20 luxury condominiums with prices ranging from $2.5 million to $8 million.
A construction schedule has not been announced.
Morris also used Tuesday’s presentation to allay resident fears over noise, traffic and, above all, pedestrian safety, during the construction phase of the 1.7-acre Ziggurat project. The site is across the street from Coconut Grove Elementary School.
“I want to say that we’re going to do it so much better than anybody else,” Morris told the crowd of about 50 people. “You know me. If you see things that are happening in the neighborhood that you guys disagree with, you don’t have to write to your commissioners, you can write to me and I’ll fix it.”
Morris noted that he’s a Grove resident himself.
Construction will be staged along Florida Avenue – a one-block cut-through street bordering Kirk Munroe Park – which will allow Grand Avenue and Matilda Street to remain open.
Center Grove resident Ben Glatzer, who lives a short walk from the proposed development, said after the meeting that company officials seem genuine in their efforts at community outreach.
“Allen Morris has been transparent and inclusive with plans and willing to meet with stakeholders,” Glatzer told the Spotlight. “I have been to their office, with a Coconut Grove Elementary faculty member, to voice our concerns. It seems like they are mindful of these concerns.”
I’m sorry I missed this meeting. It’s so hard to keep up with everything going on. Thank you for reporting on it.
I agree with Barbara Lange. While the rendering of the park is aesthetically pleasing, it reads like a pass-through walkway, rather than a place to enjoy nature.
It would be nice to see some more organic lines and the use of native plants, which are less resource intensive for the City to maintain and support our native wildlife.
Also, this is directly across from a school and does not seem very kid friendly. I’m sure for the folks walking from the $8M condo to the fully refurbished tennis courts, it’s a pleasant view, but it doesn’t seem very useful as a park.
The Fuller Street rendering is pretty. Again would love to see some more use of native plants. We have one of the world’s most unique ecosystems. We should lean into that!
I’m encouraged that the developer seems responsive to working with the community.
I attended this meeting and while Spotlight has done an incredible job covering issues affecting the Grove, I do not feel that this article accurately captured the meeting or the concerns raised by those attended.