On October 15, Allen Morris Co. announced that construction on the redesign of Fred B. Hartnett Ponce Circle Park would begin in January 2027, with completion expected in the first quarter of 2028. The same day, Coral Gables Today reported that the city records it reviewed listed no construction start date and did not say how long the park would close.
Both reports are accurate. The January date is the developer's schedule. The city's calendar runs on a different sequence, and several steps in it are still open. So the green at 2810 Ponce de Leon Boulevard is still hosting events this fall, and residents still get a public hearing on the design before anything is built.
Three Dates for One Park
The start of construction has been described three different ways since summer.
| Who said it | What they said | When |
|---|---|---|
| Javier Fernández, developer's lobbyist, to the City Commission | Construction "targeted to begin next summer" | July 7, 2026 |
| Allen Morris Co. announcement | Construction "scheduled to begin in January 2027," completion in Q1 2028 | October 15, 2026 |
| City records, as reported by Coral Gables Today | No start date, no closure duration | October 15, 2026 |
According to the Coral Gables Gazette, Fernández told commissioners in July that the design had already cleared the Development Review Committee and that a Board of Architects hearing was set for later that month. The developer's announcement says a Development Management Agreement has been signed by all parties and that the City Commission approved the project unanimously. That approval covered the preliminary design, which the Commission passed on May 19, 2026, and the July financing. The final design has not been approved.
What Still Comes Before Construction
The amended agreement Coral Gables Today reviewed lays out what has to happen before work can start:
- The final design has to be "substantially consistent" with the plan approved in May.
- The City Commission holds a public hearing on that final design and then votes.
- Construction bids go out and permits are issued, according to the city's packet.
- The developer's contractor posts an $11.2 million payment and performance bond.
None of these steps had a published date as of mid-October. Step two matters most for residents, because it is the last formal point where the design can still change in public view.
The Park and the Condo Are One Project
The park redesign was a condition of the city's 2024 approval of Ponce Park, a roughly 57-unit condominium with shops that Ponce Park Residences LLC, part of the Allen Morris Company, is building on the block bounded by Catalonia Avenue, Ponce de Leon Boulevard, University Drive and Malaga Avenue. The developer manages the park work for no fee, and the resolution says it plans to build the condos and the park at the same time.
That is why the developer has a schedule ready and the city does not. The park is tied to a private construction timeline, and the city's approval steps sit between that timeline and the first day of work.
The budget has grown along the way. The Gazette reported that the estimate rose from $8.9 million to $11.2 million in about a year, and on July 7 commissioners voted 5–0 to close a combined $3.9 million gap. Neither item drew public comment.
| Source | Amount |
|---|---|
| City appropriation set aside in 2025 | $5.3 million |
| Repurposed proceeds from the 2020 Agave Plaza development agreement | $2.4 million |
| Mobility and parks impact fees paid by the Ponce Park condo project | $0.5 million |
| Developer's original 2024 pledge | $2 million |
| Developer advance against impact fees on its future projects | $0.5 million |
| Developer payment for the right to name the new bandshell | $0.5 million |
| Total | $11.2 million |
The city's share comes to $8.2 million, or 73 percent, and the city pays no more than 73 percent of any single bill. The developer's share is $3 million, and it "shall cover all cost overruns." The October announcement calls this a three-way partnership with Agave Holdings, owner of The Plaza Coral Gables. The Gazette's reading of the July amendment shows the $2.4 million tied to The Plaza counted as part of the city's contribution, drawn from a 2020 development agreement.
The naming payment comes with its own approval step. The bandshell can be named for a person, and that name needs City Commission approval.
What Gets Built
The bandshell is the Odeon, an open-air performance structure at the center of the park. It is designed for concerts, theater, civic events, fitness classes and cultural gatherings, and it doubles as public seating when nothing is scheduled. At the north end, Frank Stella's polished aluminum Puffed and Inverted Star II will stand in a reflecting pool. Coral Gables Magazine reported in July 2025 that the Commission voted 5–0 to acquire the piece. The magazine's July/August 2026 Talk of the Town adds that the city bought it for $1 million from developer fees.
The city's June concept packet also shows pavilions, arcades, a tree-lined allée, a promenade, a seating wall and an open event lawn. Outside the park, the project adds raised crosswalks, speed tables, improved pedestrian crossings and a new stormwater drainage system along Ponce de Leon Boulevard and Almeria Avenue to University Drive. Planting is being designed with Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.
The site has a long history. The park dates to George Merrick's development of Coral Gables in the 1920s, and landscape architect William Lyman Phillips designed the original layout. It was dedicated in April 1995 to Fred B. Hartnett, a former mayor and city commissioner.
What the Park Hosts Until Then
The city's own June presentation lists the park's recent events as the Coral Gables Pumpkin Patch, Carnaval de Barranquilla, the Festival of Lights celebration and a National Championship watch party. This summer the city added free soccer watch parties there, ending with the third-place match on July 18 and the final on July 19. The 2026 Pumpkin Patch took place on October 17.
Here is what is scheduled for the rest of the fall:
- Morocco Days, October 23–24, with Moroccan artisans and food. Hours are 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday.
- Day of the Dead, Saturday, October 31, 4 to 9 p.m., presented by Mexico's consulate.
- Art in the Park, Friday, November 13, 7 to 11 p.m., with live music, visual art and food.
WSVN reported that Art in the Park returned this fall after a 14-year break. The Kiwanis Club of Little Havana organizes it and MasTec presents it.
Winter dates are less settled. The city's Festival of Lights Chanukah page still shows the December 14, 2025 celebration, which included a menorah lighting, a fire-truck parade and a gelt drop. The Carnaval de Barranquilla page shows April 25, 2026. If construction starts in January, Carnaval 2027 would fall in the middle of the work. If it starts next summer, as Fernández described in July, Carnaval would come first. No source has said whether the park will close fully or partly during construction, or where events would go.
The Hearing Is Where Residents Weigh In
At the June 1 community meeting at the Coral Gables Adult Activity Center, the Coral Gables Gazette reported that some residents raised concerns about noise and acoustics from a permanent stage. Others questioned whether a modern Stella sculpture fits the park, and several asked for safer pedestrian crossings. Other attendees spoke in support. The plan adds perimeter shade trees, but the Gazette's coverage did not say which existing trees stay or what happens to the current fountain.
Those open questions are what the final-design hearing can still settle. The city's park projects page links the June 1 meeting video and the concept design PDF. Questions go to Coral Gables Community Recreation at 305-460-5620 or [email protected].
Building work around Ponce Circle will shape downtown Coral Gables for the next two years. If you want to know how a project like this affects your block, your street or a sale you're planning nearby, Pine River Realty follows Coral Gables news at that level of detail. Book an appointment and we'll go through the timeline with you.
