By Coral Gables Gazette staff
Until now, the controversy over whether the City of Coral Gables should build a new dog park at 520 University Drive, across the street from the Coral Gables Branch Library, has largely centered on whether the facility belongs in a quiet residential neighborhood where many nearby residents oppose it. Those concerns, however, may ultimately be overshadowed by another familiar city flashpoint: parking.
Residents challenging the proposal say the parcel was specifically designated decades ago to serve as overflow parking for the library and the nearby War Memorial Youth Center. With a lawsuit now filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, opponents argue that losing the space to a fenced dog park could worsen parking conditions at one of the busiest library branches in the county.
In their complaint filed Feb. 12, the University Green Neighbors Association and a co-plaintiff seek to invalidate Resolution No. 2025-452, adopted by the City Commission on Nov. 18, 2025, which authorized development of a stand-alone off-leash dog park on the roughly 40,000-square-foot city-owned parcel. The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the resolution void and to issue an injunction blocking construction while the case proceeds.
Central to their argument is a 1972 zoning ordinance that rezoned the property to a special designation limited exclusively to municipal overflow parking for the library and youth center. According to the complaint, the ordinance requires the parcel to remain unpaved, maintained in a park-like condition, and used only for overflow parking. If no longer needed for that purpose, the property must revert to single-family residential use. The plaintiffs contend the property has never been rezoned to allow a dog park.
The lawsuit further argues the city improperly authorized the project through a resolution instead of an ordinance, which would have required additional public notice, multiple readings, and formal zoning procedures under Florida law. Plaintiffs claim the change fundamentally alters the parcel’s permitted use and therefore required a formal zoning amendment. They also allege the city failed to provide mailed notice to affected property owners and did not follow statutory notice requirements, depriving residents of meaningful participation in the decision-making process.
Will parking at Coral Gables Branch Library get worse?
Beyond the legal arguments, residents say parking demand at the library itself underscores why the overflow space remains essential. According to data provided by the Miami-Dade Public Library System in response to a public records request from association member William Rivenbark, the Coral Gables branch recorded approximately 372,000 visits during fiscal year 2024-2025, making it the second most visited branch of 50 in the county, behind only the main downtown Miami location.
Currently, the branch averages about 26,000 visits per month in fiscal year 2025-2026, following an even higher average of roughly 31,000 monthly visits the previous year. The library employs 18 full- and part-time staff, hosts an additional rotating group of contractors, tutors, and performers, and offers 30 to 40 programs each month, drawing between 1,000 and 1,250 program-related attendees monthly.
Parking demand surges even higher during election periods. Between 16,000 and 25,000 voters have cast ballots at the branch during early voting periods in recent election cycles, consistently placing it among the top early voting sites in Miami-Dade County.
Rivenbark pointed to the branch’s high usage, noting that “most people don’t realize the large number of patrons that regularly use the Coral Gables Branch Library,” and said the figures illustrate “the importance of flexible overflow parking during hyper peak times.”
City says parking at library is adequate and alternatives exist
City officials, however, dispute the notion that converting the parcel would significantly impact parking availability. In response to questions posed to Parking and Mobility Director Monia Beltran, Coral Gables Communications Director Martha Pantin said the parcel is not currently used as a dedicated parking lot on a regular basis.
“The area in question is primarily open space and is not used as a dedicated parking lot on an ongoing basis,” Pantin said. She added that alternative overflow parking exists nearby, including spaces located east of the youth center entrance, and that “there is no significant or regular loss of parking anticipated as a result of the proposed project.”
The city did not respond to questions about whether officials had consulted with library administrators or the Miami-Dade Public Library System or Gables branch employees before approving the dog park location.
When Christopher King, an attorney representing the University Green Neighbors Association, was contacted by the Gazette he said the law, and how the city violated its own laws, was pretty clear and referred most questions back to the 27-page complaint. He explained that the city would have 20 days to respond to the complaint – which was filed February 12 – but had not heard officially or otherwise from the city attorney as of February 23.
As to the city’s assertion that it had enough parking to handle the demand on regular days, much less on election days, King simply encouraged anyone to visit the library on a regular weekday to see for themselves. He also made it clear that he was more than confident of the merits of his client’s case.
This Post Has 14 Comments
Do you know the phrase ” they make my blood boil “. Well that is what happens every time I hear something Lago, Anderson and Lara does. In my life I have never seen such autocratic clowns as these 3 horrible leaders. They are deaf and blind, do not care in the least what the people have to say, and do what they want, even if it is against most of the city residents requests. I can not believe no one has started a recall on these 3. I do not live near the proposed dog park, but I will tell you if I did, I would do everything legal to stop this project and your leadership. I am totally sick and tired of you 3 telling us what we need after we tell you what we do not need. If you think this is taking awareness from your unacceptable vote on the Garden of the Lord, you are dead wrong. That is another example on how you 3 do not belong in politics or in our City. I have lived here 36 years and I have never seen such a horrible group of elected officials act like you do. I am so mad and you have lost my total respect for you and your position.
Perfect!
spot on.
totally agreed
Would love to know how much of our $$$ are wasted on external legal counsel because of our incompetent City Attorney’s office. She should have made the commission aware of the parcel’s zoning from the get-go, but, noooooo, … and here we are …… neighbors at each others’ throats and tens of thousands of dollars spent on legal fees.
For 2024/25 and 2025/26, the City pays $1.3 million per year to law firms for legal fees – a 31% increase from the year before Lago became Mayor! In Mayor Lago’s August 1, 2025 memo attacking Commissioner Castro asking why Lago-Anderson-Lara (LAL) directed the City to pay legal fees to support their illegal ordinance No. 2025-08 trying to change our election date without any resident vote, Lago stated “[i]n reference to the Wawa lawsuit, which accounts for the bulk of the [$556,069] litigation costs, the City of Coral Gables was sued, and we were compelled to respond.” The Court stated in a Wawa hearing that the actions by the City Attorney were blatantly illegal. The only reason residents had to sue the City was because the City acted improperly and ignored residents. The University Green Neighbors Association lawsuit is the same thing – the City acting improperly and ignoring residents. Any litigation filed against the Coral Gables War Memorial Youth Center Association, Inc. seeking documents from a private not-for-profit entity would be another frivolous improper action by the City. The decorum and debate during Commission meetings is so awful because some elected officials violate City Code Sections 2-77 (meetings run per Robert’s Rules of Order) and 2-247 (follow the rule of law). You expect elected officials follow the law – particularly considering how much the City pays for legal advice. Mayor Lago claims he spends City money carefully and as a fiduciary to residents – but his actions do not support it.
1. Parking at the library has been taken over by the construction workers from Gables village.
2. The proposed dog park is also used by UBC for their overflow parking on Sundays and holidays.
3. The Youth Center is sadly deficient in parking accommodations.
I live around the corner. We don’t need a dog park. We need adequate parking for the neighborhoods amenities.
Agreed!!!
My home is very close to the site and I love dogs but a dog park is the last thing we need! There are more people than dogs in the area and the site’s highest and best use is far from a dog park. We need a people and children park or a place for overflow parking, a place where people and children can play and enjoy. A dog park is a waste of our tax dollars. Please reconsider.
Dogs are getting way too much airtime
There is a children’s park right across the street at the youth center, and more parks for children than for dogs in our city. Hard to believe we live in a city where someone would want another paved, ugly parking lot over a beautiful green space for people and the dogs. This is exactly what I want my tax dollars used for, for the people who live here. Not for people who need to drive here and park their car on the grass to ruin it. If you live near this park, you would be walking to the library or the youth center. I have lived here for decades and have never seen this land used for overflow parking. Fully support the dog park, with many of my neighbors.
What is your address? We will see if you can have a park next to you. Better yet, we would love to see your backyard turned into a dog park. You need to respect the wishes of those directly affected by this loud, traffic producing, bacteria filled space. So easy for you to say.
Lauren, you’ve misunderstood the issue! There is an ordinance dating back to 1972 prohibiting the open green space from being paved over. No one wants it to be paved over. It has to be maintained in a park-like manner…but creating a bark park would destroy the open green space that exists there today. When it is used for overflow parking, the vehicles park on the grass. When no one is using it for parking, children, teenagers, adults, seniors and dogs all enjoy the area. Putting a dog park there would necessitate having it fenced in and it would abut the homes on Cadima and Riviera…sharing the property line with their backyards. Would you want a bark park in your backyard?
The need for MORE library parking is obvious. Twice during the past few months I could not find a parking space anywhere near the library. Libraries offer ALL the opportunity to a full range of educational opportunities. Kids are offered – free – fun and educational experiences that open worlds to them, as well as inspire the search for knowledge. Students of all ages have the opportunity to investigate – the world – as well as have a quiet place to study. People who lack the resources have access to the wonders of a free library. Need I go on?…Now, more than ever, we must grant easy access to EDUCATION.