Christmas Wish List: A Sidewalk on South Bayshore

Residents say sidewalks near the Four Seasons Private Residences construction site have been closed for nearly two years, forcing pedestrians into traffic along South Bayshore Drive and raising questions about safety and the appropriation of public rights-of-way.

Construction of the Four Seasons Private Residences in Coconut Grove is chugging along, with developers breaking ground last month. 

The planned 20-story building at Southwest 27th Avenue and South Bayshore Drive will include 70 luxury residences with ample perks including a yoga room, massage suites, and a sauna inspired by ancient Roman bath chambers. 

But as the construction progresses, some local residents are asking for a more basic amenity to be restored around the building: a sidewalk to protect pedestrians. 

Sidewalks on both sides of the corner lot — formerly home to the Kaufman Rossin building — have been closed for nearly two years and repurposed as staging areas for the Four Seasons construction, cutting off pedestrian access along one of the Grove’s busiest and fastest-moving corridors.

Pedestrians seeking to navigate the area are instead directed to detours south near the One Park Grove complex and east toward Pan American Drive. Sidewalk closure signs have been in place throughout the construction period, though at least one has occasionally been knocked over.

Coconut Grove resident Christopher Lunding, a longtime attorney and land-use expert, said that since the sidewalks were closed in early 2024, pedestrians have increasingly stepped into adjacent roadways to move around the site or attempt to cross traffic.

“My neighbors and I are concerned someone is going to be hit and injured or killed while walking in this turning lane because there is no sidewalk,” Lunding said. “This is an inherently dangerous situation, but it seems there has been little if any regard for pedestrian safety.”

Lunding, a resident of the nearby Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove condominium, said his unit has a direct view of the construction site and traffic turning onto Southwest 27th Avenue. He said a “Coming soon” marketing banner and opaque fencing along the site obstruct drivers’ sightlines as they navigate the sharp right-hand turn around the property.

“I strongly believe the construction site should not be allowed to expand like this into a municipal right-of-way,” he said. “Saving a developer time and money in its construction activities at the expense of public safety is not a proper governmental goal.”

Complicating safety issues around the site, a bicycle lane crosses directly through an area where traffic wraps around and merges abruptly into Southwest 27^th Avenue. 

Developed by CMC Group and Fort Partners, the Four Seasons project is slated for completion in 2028. The development team’s spokesperson told the Spotlight the sidewalk would be restored as part of the construction process, but did not provide a timeline for when the walkway would be reopened. 

“The temporary sidewalk closure along SW 27th Avenue is a county requirement during the demolition and construction phase of the project, in order to ensure public safety,” the spokesperson said. “The development team has obtained all required permits and approvals and is fully compliant with city and county requirements.”

The debate is playing out against broader resident concerns that Grove neighborhoods are at risk of losing their trademark walkability as developers raze older buildings in the Grove to make way for more high-rise condos.

Earlier this year, Center Grove residents waged a similar battle just blocks away when the construction team for The WELL — an eight-story, mixed-use tower — walled off the sidewalk during the project’s demolition phase. 

Jonathan Lieberman, a resident of the nearby Grove at Grand Bay, said the wave of new high-rise condominiums in Coconut Grove has significantly changed traffic patterns over the past three to four years, increasing the need for safe pedestrian passageways.

“Developers are basically using the sidewalks as part of their construction sites,” Lieberman said. “Even exiting out of our building, the construction fence [at the Four Seasons site] obstructs our view when we’re making a turn. It’s hard to see anything there.” 

Responding to concerns raised by Lunding in a series of emails, Diego Abreu, a project manager for Miami-Dade County Commission District 7, said ongoing demolition work at the site posed a hazard to passersby. Abreu promised the sidewalks would be opened when conditions allow. 

According to county land records, the building site is barely over an acre, leaving limited room for construction staging for a building this size. Fencing abuts the roadways on both South Bayshore and Southwest 27th Avenue. 

Ugo Colombo, founder and CEO of CMC Group, has called the Four Seasons Residences “the crown jewel” of his career. The building is slated to have units ranging from roughly 2,000 square feet to nearly 4,000 square feet, with penthouses as large as 9,600 square feet. Real estate news outlets are reporting that prices for units start at several million dollars.

“It surpasses everything I’ve done in terms of quality of details,” Colombo wrote on CMC Group’s website. 

In comments posted to a public discussion forum earlier this year, District 7 staff justified the sidewalk closure by pointing to a 2023 incident in which chunks of a building tumbled from a Brickell construction site to the street below. 

In response, Lunding said the Four Seasons site differs from earlier conditions because demolition has been completed and no overhead construction is underway, leaving speeding traffic — not falling construction materials — as the primary risk to pedestrians.