Less than two years after Coconut Grove developer David Martin was cited for irreparably damaging the protected Silver Bluff outside his waterfront mansion, the owner of the property next door is seeking approval for new construction — where archaeologists have uncovered 19th-century artifacts and possible evidence of prehistoric activity.
Less than two years after workers damaged a protected stretch of the Silver Bluff — a rare geological formation — during construction of Coconut Grove developer David Martin’s sprawling North Grove mansion, new construction is planned along the same ancient limestone formation next door.
The 2.7-acre waterfront property, at 3029 Brickell Avenue near Alice C. Wainwright Park, includes an 8,584-square-foot mansion once owned by the pop star Madonna.
The protected Silver Bluff, which once extended through much of Coconut Grove’s coastal ridge, is not the only concern for city preservation officials.
Beneath a 1930s terrace proposed for demolition, archaeologists have uncovered 19th-century artifacts along with animal bone and shells they say are consistent with prehistoric food refuse.
Under city rules, development within city-designated environmental preservation districts, as is the case for this property, requires review by the city’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board (HEPB).
Proposed improvements on the site include new buildings, a swimming pool, a redesigned motor court, a koi pond, a Zen garden, an orchard lawn and seating areas, along with extensive new landscaping, pathways, stone walls and other hardscape. The plans also call for removal or relocation of dozens of existing trees.
The site lies within Environmental Preservation District No. 49, established by the city in 1975 to protect environmentally significant areas and features, including natural rock outcroppings.
When the board reviews the proposal on Tuesday, city preservation officials will recommend approval — but with conditions intended to protect both the Silver Bluff and archaeological deposits beneath the property, city records show.
Among the conditions: Move a proposed pool 25 feet to protect the bluff, preserve significant coral-rock features and require archaeological monitoring of ground-disturbing work.
Miami-Dade property records list Paul Morelli, a managing partner at San Francisco-based wealth management firm Vernal Point Advisors, as trustee of Brickell Holdings Trust, which acquired the 2.7-acre property in 2022 for $29 million.
The proposed site alterations come after extensive damage at Martin’s adjoining property, where workers removed roughly the top 2½ feet of a 46-foot section of the Silver Bluff while lowering a nearby retaining wall.
Read more: Protected Silver Bluff Damaged at Home of Prominent Grove Developer
The damage occurred despite construction plans identifying the bluff as a protected feature.
Martin, CEO of Coconut Grove-based development firm Terra Group, later apologized to the HEP Board, saying there was “really no excuse” for what happened and that he and his wife took full responsibility.
The board approved a restoration plan in January 2025, but members expressed frustration that Miami’s code did not give them authority to impose an administrative fine for the damage.
At the property next door, the Silver Bluff isn’t the only concern.
Archaeologists hired by the property owner found bottle glass, ceramics and a clay pipe stem dating primarily to the mid- to late-19th century. Two test areas also contained animal bone and oyster and clam shells “consistent with prehistoric food refuse.”
The terrace appears to have effectively sealed the deposits when it was constructed in the 1930s, leaving them with little subsequent disturbance, wrote Bob Carr, executive director of the Archaeological and Historical Conservancy.
The terrace is now proposed for demolition.
Carr recommends archaeological monitoring during its removal and more extensive archaeological documentation in portions of the terrace footprint affected by the proposed swimming pool.
City preservation staff is separately recommending that a Certificate to Dig be obtained and archaeological monitoring conducted for all ground-disturbing work because the property lies within a High Probability Archaeological Conservation Area.
Madonna owned the Mediterranean-style mansion from 1992 until 2000. The existing two-story house, built in 1928, has nine bedrooms, according to county property records.
The HEP Board is scheduled to consider the proposal on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.
