Building Underway for Coconut Grove Mixed-Use Project

Developers have broken ground on a mixed-use development in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami that promises solar power, rain gardens, pedestrian plazas, easy access to bus and rail transportation and close-to-work high-rise homes.

Grove Central, located at the intersection of US-1 and SW 27th Avenue, is being promoted as a “model for smart development in South Florida” by its developers, Miami-based Terra and Grass River Property of Coconut Grove.

“Terra is focused on advancing a sustainable and resilient development model that combines residential density, a balanced mix of commercial uses, and access to multimodal transit options,” Terra CEO David Martin said in a statement Thursday. “Grove Central will bring this vision to life along one of Miami’s most important transit corridors, creating an everyday amenity for nearby residents and filling a void in our housing market.”

The idea is to create a transit-oriented hub that makes walking easy and public transportation handy. The developers have signed a 90-year lease for the land with Dade County to build, manage and rent the property. Infrastructure work has been going on since 2019, but vertical construction starts now, according to the developers.

“Miami-Dade County has been trying to stimulate development on this property dating back to 1998,” Grass River Property President Peter LaPointe said. “Now, twenty years later, we are moving forward with the creation of a true multi-modal destination that can be easily accessed by train, bus, car, foot or bike. Together with our partners at Miami-Dade County, we believe that locating mixed-use amenities at transit hubs will increase ridership on public transportation and help alleviate reliance on cars.”

The focal point of Grove Central will be a tree-lined public plaza connecting the project with an improved Metrorail station and the adjacent Underline, a 13-mile linear park running from South Miami-Dade to Downtown Miami. The project features a 23-story residential tower with 400 apartments, a public parking garage, and a shopping area anchored by Target. The designer is Miami’s Touzet Studio, led by Carlos and Jackie Touzet in collaboration with architecture firm RSP Architects and Walter Meyer of New York’s Local Office Landscape Architecture.

“Grove Central is a model for the future of development and mobility in Miami-Dade County,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in the developers’ statement. “Creating a more sustainable, resilient community means getting people out of their cars, making transit more accessible, and creating new workforce housing opportunities.”