The downtown lawn gets an open-air stage, arcades and a Frank Stella sculpture. The city pays up to $8.2 million; the developer pays $3 million and any overruns.
Ponce Circle Park, the open lawn on Ponce de Leon Boulevard, is set to be rebuilt for $11.2 million. The plan adds an open-air stage, shaded arcades and a sculpture by Frank Stella.
The City Commission approved the money in July. The developer of a condo tower next door will design and build the park, and it must pay any cost overruns. The final design still needs a public hearing before the commission.
What the new park would include
The preliminary design is by de la Guardia Victoria Architects & Urbanists, with landscape firm Naturalficial and the Allen Morris Company. The commission approved it 5-0 on May 19. The design packet the city showed residents on June 1 lays out eight parts:
- The Odeon, an open-air performance space
- a sculpture fountain for Stella’s “Puffed and Inverted Star II”
- pavilions, including an entry pavilion facing Ponce de Leon Boulevard
- an arcade along the edges of the park
- an allee, a walk lined with trees
- a curving low wall that doubles as seating
- a promenade around the park
- a green kept open as an event lawn
The city lists the goals as more room for community events, safer and easier access for people on foot, and landscaping. The architects drew on Phineas Paist’s 1924 concept for a Crafts Plaza on the site, according to the packet.
The city had already agreed to buy the Stella work from the artist’s estate. The packet says the commission approved that purchase so the sculpture could be built into the park design.
Who pays
The cost has grown. A 2025 agreement put the park and nearby road work at $8.9 million, according to the city’s May memo. After the design was expanded, the estimate rose to $11.2 million.
On July 7 the commission voted 5-0 for Resolution No. 2026-186, which splits the bill this way:
| Who | Source | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| City | Money set aside in May 2025 | $5.3 million |
| City | Proceeds from a 2020 development agreement with Agave Plaza Trustee | $2.4 million |
| City | Mobility and parks impact fees paid by the Ponce Park condo project | $500,000 |
| Developer | Original pledge, made in 2024 | $2 million |
| Developer | Advance against impact fees on its future projects | $500,000 |
| Developer | Payment for the right to name the new bandshell | $500,000 |
That makes $8.2 million from the city and $3 million from the developer. The city’s share comes from its capital improvements program. Under the amended agreement, the city pays no more than 73% of each bill, up to its $8.2 million cap. The developer “shall cover all cost overruns.” Its contractor must post an $11.2 million payment and performance bond before work starts.
The bandshell can be named for a person. The resolution says that name needs the City Commission’s approval.
Who is building it
The developer is Ponce Park Residences LLC, part of the Allen Morris Company. It is building a condo project of about 57 units with shops on the block bounded by Catalonia Avenue, Ponce de Leon Boulevard, University Drive and Malaga Avenue. The resolution says it plans to build the condos and the park at the same time.
The park improvements were a condition of the city’s 2024 approval of that project. The developer works on the park for no fee under the agreement.
What happens next
The final design must be “substantially consistent” with the plan approved in May. The commission reviews it after a public hearing, under the amended agreement. After that come construction bids and permits, according to the city’s packet. City records reviewed Thursday do not give a construction start date or say how long the park would close.
The park’s formal name is Fred B. Hartnett Ponce Circle Park. It was dedicated in April 1995 for a former mayor and city commissioner, the city says. It hosts the Coral Gables Pumpkin Patch and the Festival of Lights.
What it means for you
- Events go on for now. Art in the Park returns to Ponce Circle Park from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13. More is on our things to do this month page.
- You can speak on the final design. It goes to a public hearing at the City Commission before a final vote. We will post the date when the city sets it.
- Questions or comments go to the city’s parks projects team at ParksProjects@CoralGables.com.
- Our parks and trails guide covers the city’s other parks, and the downtown guide covers the blocks around the park.
Have your say