Coral Gables has replaced Kaufman Lynn Construction with Suffolk Construction on its Mobility Hub project, a change that could delay demolition of Parking Garage 1 on Andalusia Avenue until April. The city has not confirmed a new demolition date, the Coral Gables Gazette reported.

The contractor change and its ripple effects surfaced at the Coral Gables Parking Advisory Board's Oct. 21 meeting, the Coral Gables Gazette first reported. Demolition had been tentatively set for October. No confirmed start date has been set.

"Now we might be pushed further, closer to April, because they changed the contractor," Monica Beltran, the city's director of Parking and Mobility Services, told board members.

City Communications Director Martha Pantin said April should not be considered a confirmed date. The city chose to defer demolition until after the holidays once it became clear work could not begin in October, she said, to avoid disrupting downtown businesses during the shopping and dining season.

Why the city cut Kaufman Lynn

Pantin said Kaufman Lynn was not meeting expectations related to contractual and project requirements, according to the Gazette's report. The city ended its agreement with the firm and turned to Suffolk, which had finished second among five bidders in the original procurement evaluation.

Unexpected underground utility issues discovered during work in the alley and vault behind the existing garage also contributed to the delay, Pantin said. Suffolk is now developing detailed cost estimates and a construction schedule, but no timeline for those figures has been provided.

Budget questions unanswered

Board members asked whether the delays and contractor change could increase the project's cost. Pantin said the approved budget had not increased, but she did not say when Suffolk's estimates would be ready. The effect of the switch on the eventual construction cost remains unclear.

Garage condition worries board members

The delay also raised questions about the condition of Parking Garage 1 while it remains open. Beltran said she was confident other municipal garages could absorb displaced motorists, pointing to ample available spaces she had observed at the facility.

Board members Lisa De Tournay and Blanca Famadas pushed back. The garage's elevators are out of service, forcing motorists who park on upper levels to use the stairs. Unfinished facade repairs give the structure a neglected appearance.

De Tournay questioned whether the city should reconsider leaving the exterior in its current state as the demolition timeline keeps slipping. Famadas raised concerns that the garage could appear unsafe to motorists, even though it remains open.

Beltran acknowledged the garage's appearance could discourage some users. She said the city had completed safety-related repairs but did not consider it worthwhile to invest heavily in a building slated for demolition.

No specific occupancy data for Garage 1 was presented at the Oct. 21 meeting. The board received no figures showing how much usage has declined or how many spaces elsewhere could absorb displaced drivers.

The city has not released a revised demolition schedule, and the timing of Suffolk's updated cost estimates remains unknown.