The City of Miami has signed off on final design plans for a $5 million overhaul of Kirk Munroe Park and Fuller Street in Coconut Grove, pairing refurbished tennis courts and more than 100 new native trees with a complete, curbless redesign of the street running alongside the park. The project blends $3 million in city capital funds with $2 million from developer Allen Morris Co., and organizers are calling it one of the most substantial investments in the park in decades.
According to Florida YIMBY, the City of Miami has committed $3 million through its Capital Improvements Plan, while Allen Morris Co. is contributing $2 million through public benefit contributions. Allen Morris will act as development manager, overseeing design, permitting, and construction in coordination with the city, though Kirk Munroe Park itself will remain publicly owned and operated by Miami, with continued access guaranteed for residents and visitors.
District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo, who leads the city initiative funding the project, framed it as a long-term investment in a neighborhood fixture. “The enhancements to Kirk Munroe Park represent an important investment in one of Coconut Grove’s most treasured public spaces,” Pardo said, adding that they would improve accessibility, recreation, and environmental resilience while preserving the park’s historic character. He also said the combination of district capital funds and private investment would deliver “an even better park that will serve our residents and visitors for generations to come.”
A Park Named for the Man Who Built Miami-Dade's First Tennis Court
Kirk Munroe Park is named for author, adventurer, and conservation advocate Kirk Munroe, who built the first tennis court in Miami-Dade County, and the site has functioned as a recreational and civic gathering space for generations of Coconut Grove residents. The renovated park will keep that tennis heritage intact while modernizing it: plans call for refurbished tennis courts, two new tennis shelters, and a tennis hitting wall, alongside a new playground and an outdoor fitness area, all near the park's existing proximity to Coconut Grove Elementary School.
The design also adds an ornamental pavilion, a large open lawn, limestone seating areas, new pedestrian pathways, and improved circulation throughout the grounds. A flexible outdoor gathering area is planned for cultural performances, educational programming, wellness activities, civic events, and other community functions. Portuondo Perotti Architects is leading the architectural design, incorporating Coconut Grove's tropical landscape and historic character while preserving mature trees and using native oolitic limestone in seating and architectural features.
Rafael Portuondo, president of Portuondo Perotti Architects, said the vision was not to reinvent the park but to reveal and strengthen its qualities, creating spaces connected to nature and the neighborhood’s identity.
More Than 100 New Trees, Guided by an FIU Scientist
Landscape architecture firm Naturalficial is leading the planting strategy, with more than 100 new native trees planned alongside native and adaptive plantings meant to expand the tree canopy and create wildlife habitat. The landscape design also incorporates measures aimed at improving environmental resilience and supporting biodiversity. Naturalficial is developing the planting approach with guidance from Dr. Chris Baraloto, director of the International Center for Tropical Botany and leader of the Land and Biodiversity Division at Florida International University's Institute of Environment, who will also help develop an educational component covering the park's vegetation, ecology, and environmental characteristics.
Andres Arcila, president of Naturalficial, said the landscape design celebrates Coconut Grove’s ecological richness and is intended to build a resilient landscape that supports biodiversity.
Fuller Street Loses Its Curbs
Fuller Street itself is being redesigned as a permanent curbless, pedestrian-oriented shared street, with new paving, landscaping, seating, and lighting replacing the current roadway configuration. A suspended paving system is designed to protect existing mature trees and support root growth beneath the paved surface. The broader infrastructure package includes buried power lines, upgraded pedestrian crossings, enhanced lighting, and accessibility improvements throughout the corridor.
Coordinators say the goal is to strengthen pedestrian connections among the park, Fuller Street, Coconut Grove Elementary School, Coconut Grove Village, and the surrounding residential and commercial blocks, ultimately improving walkability between the park, nearby restaurants and retail, residential neighborhoods, and the Coconut Grove waterfront. The Fuller Street work was coordinated with existing businesses to maintain storefront access, accommodate outdoor seating, and keep daily commercial operations running, a detail Allen Morris worked through with residents, local organizations, business owners, and members of the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District, according to Miami Today. That design process included three public meetings plus a fourth and final presentation on May 21, per the same outlet's reporting.
W.A. Spencer Morris of Allen Morris Co. said successful development means investing beyond the company’s buildings and creating places that strengthen neighborhoods.
Conflicting Timelines and Cost Questions
Coverage of the project has diverged on when construction will actually start. Florida YIMBY's latest report states that construction is scheduled to begin in January 2027, with completion anticipated in the first quarter of 2028. That marks a shift from earlier accounts: Miami New Times reported in December 2025 that construction on Fuller Street was expected to begin in summer 2026, with completion targeted for early 2028. By June 2026, the Coconut Grove Spotlight described the timeline as tentative, noting the company had previously said it expected to break ground the next summer.
Reports also differ on who would be responsible for cost overruns. Miami Today's August report stated that Allen Morris Company would be responsible for costs beyond the $5 million project budget, while an earlier Miami Today report from January said any overruns beyond the $5 million total were to be covered proportionally by the city and developer. The dossier does not resolve which version reflects the final agreement.
Allen Morris has other ties to the neighborhood: the company is separately partnering with the Espinosa family on a planned mixed-use project at Grand and Florida avenues and Matildra Street in Coconut Grove, which The Real Deal reports totals about five acres when combined with the park and Fuller Street improvements.
