Spotlight 177-260127

Good morning. What we’re covering in today’s Spotlight:

A Key Ally Fights for the West Grove
Last Carrot’s Last Day
Mutiny Owners Mull Another Buyout Offer
Miami Rejects Multifamily Housing on Church Land
Readers React: Enough Protest. Rebuild the Playhouse

An Open Call for Journalists to Apply

The Coconut Grove Spotlight has been chosen as a “host” newsroom this year for the Report for America program that places journalists in newsrooms across the country and subsidizes their salary for up to three years. If you are a journalist and would like to participate in the program and work for the Spotlight or another host newsroom, you can apply here. The deadline to apply is February 16.

“Taller than a Giraffe” – A UM Professor’s Impact in the West Grove

As West Grove residents fight to preserve their neighborhood, UM Professor Anthony Alfieri and the Center on Ethics and Public Service at UM have become key allies in the battle against discrimination and neglect.

By John Dorschner

At 8 a.m. on a Saturday, five Black pastors and one white lawyer sat at the directors’ table in a West Grove church sanctuary. They listened to reports from a police commander and a representative of the State Attorney’s Office. A Congressional candidate showed up to explain what he’s doing.

This was the January meeting of the Coconut Grove Ministerial Alliance, a center of power that often attracts politicians’ seeking votes, such as Eileen Higgins when she was running for mayor.

As Ziggurat Looks, Last Carrot Announces End Date

With demolition expected to begin in February, a block of Center Grove businesses — including the Grove’s oldest continuously operating restaurant — is giving way to new construction, signaling a major transition for the neighborhood.

By Jenny Jacoby

The Last Carrot, Coconut Grove’s oldest continually operating restaurant, will be serving up its last batch of all-natural juice and vegan sandwiches after more than 50 years in business.

Coconut Grove’s go-to healthy food joint has announced it will officially close its doors on Saturday, Feb. 7, bringing at least a temporary end to the beloved family-run establishment.

The Mutiny: A $160-million Buyout Proposal Inches Forward

Residents of the storied Mutiny hotel and condominium building on South Bayshore Drive are divided once again over a developer’s unsolicited buyout proposal – the third such proposal since late 2024.

By Izzy Kapnick & Don Finefrock

Emerging as the sole bidder for the Mutiny hotel and condominium, developer BH Group is presenting buyout offers to unit owners with an eye toward redeveloping the landmark Coconut Grove property on South Bayshore Drive.

BH Group held a meeting with owners earlier this month to discuss its plans to purchase the property for approximately $160 million, according to condo board leader Mayra Gomez and others.

Among other takeaways, Gomez said, the developer is planning to build a new, luxury condominium complex, and seeking to secure purchase contracts for at least 140 units to move forward with the redevelopment.

City Rejects Plan to Allow Housing on Church, Civic Lands

A proposal to allow residential and mixed-use development on more than 660 properties with Civic Institution zoning failed amid concerns about affordability mandates and the churches’ vulnerability to developer pressure.

By David Villano

The Miami City Commission on Thursday soundly rejected a proposal to allow multifamily housing development on hundreds of properties citywide controlled by religious, educational or government entities.

Under the plan, backed by Miami District 4 Commissioner Ralph Rosado, more than 660 properties zoned Civic Institution, or CI, would have been eligible for mixed-use residential development “by right,” meaning without a rezoning or a separate land-use policy vote — a process that typically includes public hearings and gives neighbors the ability to formally challenge or appeal decisions.

Letters to the Editor

Reader’s React: After the Spotlight published another story on the never-ending battle over the Playhouse, a reader says: Enough protest. Rebuild the Playhouse.