What You Should Know

Every sidewalk, crosswalk, and parking space closure is implemented under City-approved Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) plans and required permits, issued in coordination with the City of Miami. No closures happen without formal authorization.

The sidewalk closures exist specifically to protect pedestrian safety. The building's below-grade and basement walls extend to the property line at the back of the sidewalk, which means deep excavation and active structural work are happening immediately adjacent to where people would be walking. Keeping pedestrians separated from that work zone is a safety requirement — not an inconvenience choice. The alternative — leaving the sidewalk open next to an active excavation — would be the genuinely unsafe condition.

The City-approved MOT plans include designated pedestrian detour routes that maintain safe passage around the construction zone. These routes are marked with signage and barriers to separate foot traffic from construction activity and vehicle lanes. The plans are designed to maintain accessible paths of travel throughout the closure period.

The temporary closures are driven by engineering and safety requirements, not contractor convenience. The proximity of the building's foundation work to the property line leaves no buffer between the construction zone and the public right-of-way — the closures are the safety buffer.

Each closure is tied to a specific phase of the construction schedule and remains in place only as long as needed to safely complete below-grade and structural work adjacent to the property line.

Seventeen trees were preserved by relocating them offsite, including eight large specimen trees — five black olive and three mahogany — now planted in Kennedy Park, along with several smaller species including Pink Tabebuia, Silver Buttonwood, and Gumbo Limbo. The project's arborist, Treesources, spent approximately a year preparing these trees for relocation through phased canopy and root pruning and supplemental irrigation.

Kennedy Park was selected after evaluating multiple Coconut Grove locations because the area near the dog park lacked shade and the tree species are salt-tolerant. The timing also aligned with planned City park upgrades, including resodding within the dog park. When performed with proper preparation and aftercare, tree relocation has success rates above 90%, and ongoing maintenance is built into the plan for these trees.

The new planting plan, designed by landscape architect Matthew Lewis of L&ND Studio, features a predominantly native plant palette reflecting species historically found along the site's rock ridge ecosystem. The design is intentionally rooted in the Grove's natural landscape character, not a standard developer template.

Much of the vegetation removed from the site consisted of palms, while the preserved trees were the best-condition, shade-providing native and naturalized species. The new landscape plan is heavily focused on canopy trees and native plantings that will mature to provide meaningful shade coverage — contributing to the Grove's canopy over time, not reducing it.

The team coordinated throughout the process with City of Miami Environmental Resources leadership, the District 2 Commissioner's office, City Parks, the Grove BID, the Commodore Trail group, and other local stakeholders. The developer actively explored multiple Grove locations to keep preserved trees within the neighborhood.

The WELL is not relying on new affordable housing legislation and does not plan to acquire additional units under that law. The project's development rights were obtained through the City of Miami's existing Historic Transfer of Development Density (TDD) Program, documented in previously issued Certificates of Transfer and Certificates of Eligibility.

The WELL has already used its allocated Historic TDD credits and cannot add more density through City TDD programs beyond the applicable 50% threshold. Both the Historic and Affordable TDD programs transfer development rights within the same building envelope — they do not add building height.