North Ponce historic survey arrives as Crystal Residences nears final vote

By Coral Gables Gazette staff

With larger and larger developments being proposed for the North Ponce Neighborhood District and some, like the controversial Crystal Residences, close to getting final approval, the City of Coral Gables is studying the nature of the district and how to protect its low-rise character while accommodating the need for new development.

On Monday, the Coral Gables Gazette received a draft copy of the 400-page North Ponce & Flagler Section Historic Property Survey report, which is scheduled to be presented to the Historic Preservation Board and ultimately the city commission in the fall. Although the Crystal Residences project is located squarely in the area covered by the survey and the report addresses many of the issues surrounding its approval, the study is not expected to have any bearing on the final vote on that development, which could come as early as next week’s commission meeting.

Two neighborhoods, two origin stories

The report examines two areas that form the northeastern entrances to Coral Gables from Miami. The draft describes North Ponce as the city’s original apartment district, envisioned as a walkable, urban multifamily neighborhood built around the Ponce de Leon streetcar line. The Flagler Section, meanwhile, was originally planned as a business district before being transformed into a predominantly single-family residential neighborhood in the 1940s.

Historic Preservation Board pushes for an update

The draft was requested by the city’s Historic Preservation Board, which pressed for an update during its Aug. 13 meeting. Board member Kelly Schild asked whether the North Ponce historic study had been discussed and said she wanted to see it quickly. “I mean, I would really like to see that because North Ponce is, I would say, a fragile, I would say, at risk area,” Schild said. “So I would like to see that as soon as possible.”

Historic Preservation Officer Anna Pernas told the board that the consultant had submitted a final draft to the city for comments at the end of May after beginning the study in December. City staff had been reviewing the consultant’s work and coordinating the timing of a presentation to the board. “She submitted the final drafts for us for comment at the end of May,” Pernas said, describing it as roughly a six-month process. She said the consultant had been unavailable during the summer but that the report would be ready soon for presentation.

Board member Michael Maxwell then made clear that board members would receive the draft before the formal presentation. “Let the record reflect that the draft is going to be shared with the board as soon as possible,” Maxwell said.

A proactive approach instead of case-by-case fights

The draft report makes clear that its purpose is not simply to document old buildings. Its central goal is to help the city identify portions of North Ponce and Flagler that could potentially qualify for local or national historic district designation, as well as individual properties that may have historic significance.

The resulting inventory is extensive: Plusurbia Design, a Miami consulting firm, documented 556 historic architectural resources across the two neighborhoods and prepared individual Florida Master Site File records for each, along with current and historic photographs and GIS maps.

The report says creating that inventory before individual properties become the subject of demolition permits or historical-significance reviews could reduce the research now done on a “case-by-case or fragmentary basis,” while providing greater predictability for property owners and developers and reducing potential legal challenges. Actual eligibility for local historic designation would still be determined property by property by city Historical Resources staff, using the survey as a guide.

The survey also builds on work done more than a quarter-century ago. A 2000 study by Janus Research recommended that the North Ponce Apartment District be designated a Local Conservation District and concluded that buildings more than 50 years old that retained their historic character could qualify for individual local designation. The new report notes that the individual site files prepared in 2000 were never transmitted to the state and were unavailable to the current consultant team. It also substantially expands on the 2000 survey, extending North Ponce’s period of significance from 1951 to 1976 and adding properties too new to have been included then.

That approach could be particularly significant in North Ponce, where the report says zoning changes over the years have encouraged larger multifamily buildings, resulting in the demolition of older, smaller buildings, including single-family homes and low-scale apartments. The city has worked with neighborhood stakeholders for years to determine how to protect the area’s character as redevelopment continues.

The survey also could provide a framework for future recommendations involving architectural design, zoning, land use, site planning, parking, landscaping and public education.

What it means, and doesn’t mean, for Crystal Residences

That distinction is important as the city confronts projects such as Crystal Residences, a proposed nine-story mixed-use development at 110 Phoenetia Ave. The project includes 184 residential units, 16 live-work units and a new facility for Crystal Academy, but has drawn fierce opposition over its scale and the proposed redevelopment of the Garden of Our Lord, a 1951 meditation garden.

The survey draft puts a finer point on what stands on that site today. It identifies St. James Lutheran Church at 110 Phoenetia Ave. as one of just seven “Focal Sites” in North Ponce and one of three churches the report describes as beacons for the neighborhood’s religious community. According to the survey, the congregation formed as a mission in 1945 and moved to the site in 1947; the present sanctuary, designed by architect Robert M. Nordin in the Mediterranean Revival style, was built in 1958 and features a bell tower, arches and coral rock. The survey’s identification of the church does not itself confer historic designation; the report says eligibility decisions ultimately are to be made case by case by city Historical Resources staff.

Commissioners advanced the project on first reading in a 3-2 vote in July, with Mayor Vince Lago, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioner Richard Lara voting in favor and Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez opposed. The project has become a focal point in the broader debate over how much additional density North Ponce can absorb while retaining its historic and low-scale character. Second reading is scheduled for August 25.

The survey won’t undo decisions already made on Crystal Residences, or ones to be made in the near future. Instead, its proposed process could give the city more information before future development applications reach the approval stage, allowing officials to consider individual properties within the context of the larger neighborhood.

What the survey says is worth preserving

The draft describes North Ponce as a diverse collection of apartment buildings spanning roughly a century, from simple Mediterranean Revival walk-ups built in the 1920s to large Neo-Mediterranean buildings constructed as recently as 2025. It says that mixture, combined with the neighborhood’s walkability, landscaping and proximity to transit, schools, parks, shops and restaurants, contributes to its distinctive character.

Author: Coral Gables Gazette News Staff