The University of Miami asks for a lot more room
A second lawsuit over the University Drive dog park, sushi news, and a jazz night Saturday.
The University of Miami is asking the city for more room to grow, and the first public test of that request just happened. Elsewhere: a dog park fight that keeps growing, and a Saturday worth leaving the house for.
The University of Miami wants more space, and the city has to decide how much to give. UM is asking Coral Gables for greater development capacity, permission for enrollment to rise to 17,500 students, and the ability to put a hospital of up to 100 beds on part of its campus. That last piece would not need a separate conditional-use review. In plain terms, that means one fewer hearing where neighbors get to push back on a project that size. The plan went before the public for the first time last Wednesday. Parcels along Ponce de Leon Boulevard and Levante Avenue are marked for reclassification.
The average Gables homestead is now worth $2.15 million
The average market value of a homesteaded home here has climbed above $2.15 million. That is the highest figure of any Miami-Dade city with at least 5,000 homesteaded parcels. The number comes from the county Property Appraiser's newly released preliminary 2026 figures. Coral Gables has 10,844 homesteaded properties, and that average is the market figure the county calls just value. Keep in mind it is not the number your tax bill is built on. Still, it lands two ways. If you have owned your house for years, it reads as a nice line on paper. If you are trying to buy in, it reads as a wall.
Bondi Sushi is headed to Coral Gables
Add another sushi option to the list. Bondi Sushi is coming to Coral Gables. The restaurant is known for pairing high-quality sushi with an approachable, energetic atmosphere, which is a different pitch than the hushed omakase counters that have opened around town lately. No address and no opening date have surfaced yet, so this is a heads-up rather than a reservation. File it away if you have ever stood in the Gables on a Thursday night wondering where to take four people who cannot agree on anything.
The dog park fight picks up a second lawsuit
A dog park does not usually generate this much paperwork. The legal fight over the proposed park at 520 University Drive has grown into a second court challenge. On Aug. 6, the University Green Neighbors Association and a resident went back to court. This time the target is the zoning change the City Commission adopted last month, which broadened how the property may be used. That is the real argument. The park is the visible part, but the zoning language decides what else could land on that lot later. If you live near University Drive, this is the case to follow.
Jazz standards, live, on Saturday night
Here is your Saturday. Grammy-nominated drummer Nomar Negroni and vocalist Tanya Maria play a program of classic American jazz standards at 8 p.m. on Aug. 22. The show is at Sanctuary of the Arts, 410 Andalusia Ave. They are backed by an ensemble of Miami musicians, which usually means players who know each other well enough to take chances. This is the songbook material everybody half-knows and almost nobody hears played properly in a room. Bring the friend who claims not to like jazz. The standards are the easiest way in, and a good drummer makes the argument for you.
A Lezama Lima film night at the museum on Sept. 9
The Coral Gables Museum has a film screening and discussion built around Lezama Lima on Sept. 9, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The program is titled Soltar la lengua. It is a few weeks out, which is exactly why it belongs on your calendar now rather than in the pile of things you hear about the day after. A screening paired with a discussion is a different night than a screening alone. If you have any interest in Cuban letters, or in the people in this city who carry them, block the date.