Coral Gables commissioners voted 3-1 on Tuesday, Aug. 25, to approve a nine-story mixed-use development on the former St. James Lutheran Church site. In a separate 3-1 vote, they appointed Deputy City Manager José "Joe" Gómez as the city's next top executive.

Commissioner Melissa Castro cast the lone dissenting vote on each measure.

Crystal Residences wins final approval

The approval clears the way for Chicago-based Fifield Companies to build Crystal Residences at 110 Phoenetia Ave. The 226,193-square-foot project includes 184 residential units, 16 ground-floor live/work units, 301 parking spaces and about 20,500 square feet of open space, the Coral Gables Gazette reported.

The building will rise nine stories along East Ponce de Leon Boulevard and step down to eight stories toward Galiano Street.

Mayor Vince Lago, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioner Richard Lara voted yes. Commissioner Ariel Fernandez was absent.

The 1.47-acre site had been home to St. James Lutheran Church since 1950. Developer Sergio Pino bought the property in 2021 for just under $10 million. After Pino's death, his widow sold it to Fifield for $16 million, according to Coral Gables Magazine.

A central concession in the project gives Crystal Academy, a school for autistic children that has operated in the church buildings since 2009, rent-free space for 99 years. Lago pushed the school's footprint from 5,000 to 6,700 square feet, and Fifield committed at least $1 million for the interior buildout.

The deal also includes a 4,000-square-foot playground for the school.

The project drew years of opposition from civic activists led by Bonnie Bolton. At the Aug. 25 hearing, attorney David Winker presented video clips and witness statements alleging that multiple project supporters had given false addresses while testifying under oath at earlier hearings.

Commissioners voted 4-0 to refer the allegations for investigation but proceeded with the land-use vote.

"Some votes approve buildings, others define a city," Castro said at the Aug. 25 meeting before casting her no vote. "This is one of those votes."

Fifield said in a statement that it was surprised and deeply disappointed by the alleged conduct and that it did not reflect how the company operates.

Bolton filed a court challenge Sept. 24, asking a circuit judge to quash three of the four approvals. The case is pending. Fifield expects construction to begin in early 2028 and hopes to open the building by early 2030.

Gómez appointed as next city manager

Commissioners voted 3-1 to appoint Gómez as the city's next top executive, effective Jan. 8, at a starting salary of $305,324.86. The package includes a city retirement contribution equal to 25% of his base salary, 20 weeks of severance if terminated without cause and city-paid health coverage for Gómez and his family, the Gazette reported.

Gómez, 70, joined Coral Gables in July 2024 as assistant city manager for operations and infrastructure and was promoted to deputy city manager in February 2025. He previously led a 360-person public works department in Miami Beach with a combined budget of about $600 million, according to the Gazette.

He will replace Peter Iglesias, who was first appointed city manager Sept. 25, 2018, and agreed to stay through the transition.

Castro framed her dissent as a call for a broader hiring process.

"This is not a vote against Joe," she said at the Aug. 25 meeting. "This is a vote for a national search."

The appointment came roughly 10 weeks before the Nov. 3 Coral Gables election, in which both Lago and Castro are on the ballot. Gómez will not take office until more than two months after the election.