In Brickell, you learn what will happen to the open lot outside your window from its zoning and the legal agreements behind it. The view from a model unit won't tell you. Two parks in the neighborhood are fenced right now, and both show the same thing. Public green space in Brickell is often tied to a private development deal, and the deal sets the timeline.
The most recent example is a notice the City of Miami posted on September 22, 2026. It covers 25 SE 10th Street, the address of Allen Morris Brickell Park. The notice announces the city's intended decision to relocate one live oak within the lot because the tree is "in conflict with the proposed construction." Appeals must be received by October 2, 2026. A tree permit with a ten-day appeal window sounds routine. For anyone who owns or is weighing a unit facing that corner, it is one of the few public records showing that work on the parcel is moving forward.
A Donated Park With a Condition Attached
Allen Morris Brickell Park covers 7,780 square feet, about a quarter acre, at Southeast 10th Street and Brickell Plaza. Its canopy of palm, banyan and black olive trees made it one of the few shaded spots in the financial district. The parcel's current zoning comes from a condition written into the original gift, which followed this sequence:
- 1974. The Real Deal reports that L. Allen Morris Sr. donated the land to the City of Miami on the condition that it remain a public park. If it was used for any other purpose, ownership would revert to the family.
- 1999. The city asked to let the neighboring Perricone's Marketplace use part of the space for seating, and the company agreed. Over time, according to the Miami Herald Editorial Board, the restaurant's use expanded without the company's consent.
- 2014. Allen Morris Companies sued the city for violating the deed restrictions.
- 2023. An appeals court sided with the developer, and the city settled. The City Commission approved the settlement on July 27, 2023, as Resolution R-23-0349. The site was rezoned from civic space to T6-48B-O, high-density urban-core zoning consistent with the surrounding properties. In exchange, the park reopened as a private park for 18 months.
- July 2026. The company fenced the site.
The rezoning matters most for nearby owners. T6-48B-O allows 48 stories by right and up to 32 more in exchange for qualifying public benefits, for a maximum of 80 stories. Brickell Flatiron sits directly across Southeast 10th Street, and the citizenM hotel shares the block. For years, units on that side of Brickell Flatiron looked out over a canopy that the zoning map now treats as a tower site.
The Restaurant Is Permitted on a Clock
The first thing planned for the site is Gavina, a 3,000-square-foot restaurant from chef Stefano Secchi. Secchi opened the Michelin-starred Rezdôra in Manhattan in 2019 and Massara in 2024. Renderings show a wooden building with patios, built around the lot's mature banyan. The developer has said it will plant six new trees to make up for the ones being removed.
The permit behind the restaurant shows how long the developer expects this phase to last. In April 2026 the city approved a temporary use permit for food service. It runs one year and can be renewed annually by the zoning administrator for up to three years. Any extension beyond that needs City Commission approval. The permit caps occupancy at 132 people and allows operation from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Javier Fernández, the developer's attorney, told The Real Deal the restaurant is expected to operate for "the better part of the next five years" before the company decides the property's long-term future. That is two years longer than the zoning administrator alone can grant, so a commission vote is already built into the plan.
"The restaurant is not the final plan. Certainly there is an interest in doing something else with the parcel." — Javier Fernández, to The Real Deal, August 2026
Residents raised questions after a restaurant rendering surfaced labeled "Brickell Park – Future Supertall Sales Center." Fernández said a sales center is "not imminent" but "not off the table." He added that the building could support that use later because developers often spend heavily on sales centers that are later discarded. Renderings of a supertall circulated online in 2025, and the developer's attorney said such a tower had been discussed but faced "challenges." No filed tower application appears in the public reporting. City Commissioner Rolando Escalona, who represents this part of Brickell, told the Herald he does not support a high-rise on the site. Resident Elena Kasparis has gathered close to 2,000 signatures on a petition to keep the park.
The tree record is still unsettled. The Real Deal reported in August that residents had appealed the tree removal permit and that the permit remained in place. A week later, the Herald reported that the Sierra Club planned to appeal permits to remove five trees, including a black olive with a trunk nearly six feet around. The September live oak relocation is a separate decision. No opening date or cuisine for Gavina had been announced in the August coverage.
West of Brickell Avenue, the Same Pattern Runs in Reverse
Southside Park shows what happens to a public park when the private project it is tied to stalls. The City of Miami's park directory lists Southside Park as closed until further notice.
In February 2020, JDS Development Group bought city-owned land along Southwest Second Avenue for $23 million to build One Southside Park. The plan included a redevelopment of Southside Park into a modernized two-acre public green space. In early 2024 the project took on Mercedes-Benz branding for 791 condominium units. Miami Today reports that in exchange for its development rights, the developer agreed to build a replacement Fire Station No. 4, estimated at $8 million. Fire-rescue personnel moved to a temporary station inside Southside Park during construction. The Real Deal has reported that the approval also required $5 million in public benefits, including a redesign of the adjacent Southside Park. Miami Today describes the package as $2.2 million for fire trucks and other public benefits.
| Milestone | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fire station completion deadline | March 15, 2026 | Miami Today |
| City notice of default | April 3, 2026 | Miami Today |
| Commission authorizes legal action | April 23, 2026 | Miami Today |
| $1.11 billion financing, term sheets signed but not closed | As of September 30, 2026 | Commercial Observer |
The fire station deadline passed without a finished station. A lender affiliated with the Cottonwood Group filed a foreclosure suit over an $86 million bridge loan that had grown to roughly $100 million with interest. Fontainebleau Development, led by Jeffrey Soffer, joined JDS as a partner earlier this year. As of September 30, 2026, Commercial Observer reported a $1.11 billion financing package led by J.P. Morgan, made up of an $860 million construction loan and about $250 million in C-PACE financing from Nuveen Green Capital. The term sheets are signed, the deal has not closed, and sources expect it to close by year-end. Until that capital arrives, the park's reopening depends on the tower's financing.
What Both Sites Teach a Brickell Buyer
The two parks were tied up in different ways. At Allen Morris, a deed condition and a settlement turned parkland into a development parcel, and a temporary permit now governs what happens there. At Southside, the city traded development rights for public benefits, so the park's future depends on the developer's performance and financing. In both cases, how long the green space stays as it is gets decided in documents a buyer can read before signing.
Before you write an offer on a resale unit or commit a deposit to a Brickell pre-construction tower, find out the following about every open or low-rise parcel within view:
- The zoning designation and bonus height. On T6-48B-O, a green lot can legally rise to 80 stories once public-benefit bonuses are used.
- Any temporary use permit and its renewal ceiling. At 25 SE 10th Street, the zoning administrator can renew for up to three years, and any extension after that needs a City Commission vote.
- Posted tree permitting decisions for the address. The September 22 notice at 25 SE 10th Street was one of the earliest public signs of construction.
- Whether a public-benefit agreement ties a park to a neighboring project. If it does, check that project's financing and litigation status the same way you would check the deposit schedule on your own unit.
Readers who followed our coverage of Coconut Grove's tree permit appeals will recognize the appeal mechanism. In Brickell, the same process tells you what is coming to the lot next door, on top of what you might do to your own property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Allen Morris Brickell Park still a public park? No. The parcel went back to Allen Morris Companies under the 2023 settlement and was rezoned to T6-48B-O. It has been fenced since July 2026.
When will Gavina open? No opening date had been announced in the August 2026 coverage, and the developer's attorney had not identified the cuisine.
Has a tower been filed for 25 SE 10th Street? Public reporting through August 2026 does not document a filed tower application. The developer's attorney has said a future high-rise is not ruled out.
When does Southside Park reopen? The city lists it as closed until further notice. Commercial Observer reported on September 30, 2026 that the Mercedes-Benz Places financing is expected to close by year-end.
To find out what the parcels around a Brickell tower you're considering are zoned for, which permits and agreements cover them, and how that affects a long-term hold, JJABREU Group can walk you through the public record before you commit. Schedule a Private Consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
