By Coral Gables Gazette staff

The Coral Gables Planning and Zoning Board adopted a last-minute change June 18 that could preserve part of the Garden of Our Lord greenspace on a North Ponce District property that has been at the center of a contentious battle between developers and residents for more than five years.

The board got its first detailed look at the controversial development, which has long pitted residents who contend the project is out of character and incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood against developers seeking approval for a nine-story mixed-use project that would secure the future of Crystal Academy, a school serving children with autism.

The issue appeared headed toward a familiar outcome at the board level – developers have already overcome numerous challenges and secured city staff recommendations for approval – before Board Member Robert Behar proposed a change involving an interior green space planned for the project.

Behar asked the development team whether the courtyard area could be reoriented in an effort to preserve more of what opponents describe as the historic Garden of Our Lord.

While both city staff and developers have repeatedly rejected claims that the garden qualifies for historic designation, Behar suggested rotating the planned green space from a north-south orientation to an east-west configuration to save more vegetation and create greater openness next to the adjacent Coral Gables Woman’s Club property.

“If I would have been doing the planning, I probably would have started placing that green space more in an area to try and preserve the trees,” Behar said. “Maybe that park, instead of running north and south, go east and west.”

Board Member Felix Pardo quickly embraced the idea, urging the applicant to find a way to preserve as much of the garden area as possible. What initially appeared to be a recommendation evolved into a condition of approval after Behar indicated the change would be necessary to secure his support.

Attorney Jorge Navarro, representing applicant FRC Realty LLC, ultimately agreed to the condition. “We accept the condition,” Navarro told the board, agreeing to rotate the park and work toward preserving additional green space.

Four approvals, with one board member opposed

The amendment helped clear the way for approval of all four applications before the board. The most contentious vote involved a small-scale Future Land Use Map amendment changing the property’s designation from Religious/Institutional to Commercial Mid-Rise Intensity. That request passed 4-3. A related zoning change from Special Use to Mixed Use 2 passed 5-2. Planned Area Development approval and approval of the mixed-use site plan both passed 6-1.

Board member and Coral Gables Commission candidate Gonzalo Sanabria voted against all four requests. Throughout the hearing, Sanabria argued that supporters were relying too heavily on Crystal Academy’s role in the project while ignoring the overall scale of the proposed development.

“The truth is, the fact is, the reality is, the project we are talking about is 226,000-plus square feet,” Sanabria said. “The promise to Crystal Academy is less than 2 percent of that buildout. Let’s be frank, this is a massive development.”

What the project would build

The proposed Crystal Residences project would redevelop the 1.47-acre block bounded by East Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Galiano Street, Antilla Avenue and Phoenetia Avenue. Plans call for a nine-story, 226,193-square-foot development containing 184 residential units, 16 live-work units, approximately 5,000 square feet for Crystal Academy and 301 parking spaces.

A garden and a five-year fight

The project represents the latest chapter in a years-long battle over one of the city’s most controversial development proposals. Developers have already defeated efforts to designate the Garden of Our Lord and trees on the property as historic resources. Those decisions were upheld by multiple city boards and ultimately survived legal challenges.

Navarro reminded the board that the issue of historic designation had already been extensively reviewed. “The historical significance of this site has been reviewed by the Historic Preservation Board, this board, the department and the commission,” Navarro said. “All concluded that it does not.”

He also argued that the property has always functioned as a transitional site between Ponce de Leon Boulevard and the surrounding residential neighborhood. “This block was a transitional block then, and it’s a transitional block today,” Navarro said.

Several board members echoed that assessment. Board Member Alice Bravo said the proposal was consistent with ongoing redevelopment patterns along the Ponce corridor. “When I look at this, especially with the motel property, it’s only a matter of time before something happens there,” Bravo said. “What you are proposing is not out of context.”

Pardo, however, expressed significant concerns about traffic impacts, arguing that studies often evaluate projects in isolation while ignoring cumulative effects from nearby development. “We have an enormous traffic problem,” Pardo said. “I think it’s wrong for this to be glossed over this way.”

Public comment stretched well beyond an hour and featured passionate arguments from both sides. Opponents described the project as another example of overdevelopment threatening the character of North Ponce and placing additional strain on traffic and parking.

Bonnie Bolton, who has led efforts to preserve the Garden of Our Lord, told the board that more than 160 residents had submitted letters opposing the proposal. “The North Ponce Overlay was created specifically to preserve the character of this neighborhood,” Bolton said.

Carmen Diaz Padron, president of the Villagers, a historic preservation organization called the nine-story project incompatible with nearby homes and argued it would permanently alter a historically sensitive area. Others warned about increased congestion, loss of green space and what they viewed as excessive departures from existing zoning regulations.

Supporters, meanwhile, largely consisted of Crystal Academy parents, staff members and advocates who argued the future of the school depends on the project moving forward. Maria Palacio of Crystal Academy and numerous parents emphasized that the development includes a private covenant guaranteeing the school a new facility and rent-free occupancy for 99 years.

Architect Robert Chisholm framed the school component as a significant public benefit. “This project reflects true Coral Gables values,” Chisholm said. “It preserves and strengthens the only school in Coral Gables serving some of our most vulnerable children.”

Several speakers argued that losing the project could jeopardize Crystal Academy’s long-term future. Even opposition attorney David Winker, who presented concerns on behalf of neighborhood residents and preferred a deferral, ultimately voiced support for Behar’s amendment aimed at preserving additional portions of the garden.

On to the City Commission

With the Planning and Zoning Board’s recommendation now secured, the Crystal Residences proposal advances to the City Commission, where the debate over growth, neighborhood character and the future of Crystal Academy is expected to continue.