Two weeks ago, the Coral Gables City Commission gave final approval to Crystal Residences — a new mixed-use residential community planned for Coral Gables’ North Ponce neighborhood that will bring new homes, significant open space and pedestrian connections to one of the city’s most walkable corridors. It will also secure a permanent future for a school that has served children with autism and other developmental disabilities for more than 16 years.

Planned for approximately 1.47 acres at 110 Phoenetia Ave., Crystal Residences will include 184 residences, 16 ground-floor live/work townhomes and more than 20,500 SF of open space.

At the center of the project is a commitment to Crystal Academy, the nonprofit school and therapy center located on the property. As part of the redevelopment, Fifield Cos. will provide the academy with a new, purpose-built school and dedicated playground — rent-free for 99 years. The development will also include an approximately 4K SF children’s park and playground available to the public outside school hours.

For Fifield, which became involved with Crystal Residences in 2024, the opportunity was not simply to develop new housing. It was to work with Crystal Academy and the city to shape a project that could meet a broader set of community needs while preserving elements of the property that matter to the neighborhood, said Sarina Sorrentino, vice president of finance and development at Fifield Cos.

The result reflects years of collaboration and refinement through the public review process.

“Crystal Residences shows what can happen when you work together to find a solution that meets multiple needs,” Sorrentino said. “We’re bringing thoughtfully designed new housing to Coral Gables, securing a permanent future for Crystal Academy and creating new open spaces and connections for the neighborhood.”

A Permanent Home For Crystal Academy

For more than 16 years, Crystal Academy has provided children with autism and other developmental disabilities an environment designed around their needs, combining academics with occupational, behavioral, speech and music therapies.

The learning extends beyond the classroom. As students get older, they venture into Coral Gables to practice everyday skills that can help them become more independent: shopping within a budget, preparing meals, riding the city’s trolley and learning to safely navigate their community.

But while Crystal Academy has continued to grow, its building has aged. The school has spent thousands of dollars on repairs in recent years, diverting resources that could otherwise support its students, while finding another affordable, accessible location capable of accommodating its specialized needs presented its own challenges.

Crystal Residences provides a long-term solution, Sorrentino said. Fifield will deliver an approximately 6,700 SF, purpose-built school and dedicated playground entirely rent-free for 99 years, allowing Crystal Academy to remain in Coral Gables for generations and direct more of its resources toward teachers, therapists, scholarships and programming.

“Crystal Academy has been part of this community for years, and giving the school a permanent, rent-free home for the next 99 years is incredibly meaningful to us,” Sorrentino said. “It gives the academy certainty for the future and makes this project about much more than the residences we’re building.”

For Crystal Academy founder Mary Palacio, whose experience as the mother of a child with autism inspired the school, that permanence has particular meaning.

“Crystal Academy has been part of Coral Gables for more than 16 years, and this community has become part of who we are,” Palacio said. “The new space will allow us to grow, expand what we can offer our students and, most importantly, give our families the certainty they have been waiting years for.”

Designed For Coral Gables

That same attention to the surrounding community can be seen in the project’s architecture, open space, landscaping and preservation of meaningful elements of the existing property, Sorrentino said.

Designed by Corwil Architects, the building draws on Coral Gables’ Mediterranean architectural tradition, with a stepped design that rises nine stories along East Ponce de Leon Boulevard and steps down toward Galiano Street.

More than 20,500 SF will be dedicated to open space, including two open courtyards, enhanced landscaping and a public pedestrian connection through the site.

Crystal Residences will offer 301 parking spaces and residences finished to an upscale standard, complemented by an elevated amenity package. Residents will have access to a sun deck with a soaking pool, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a coworking space with private offices and a spa equipped with a cold plunge, sauna and red light therapy.

The development team has also worked to preserve elements of the existing property, including the mature live oak located in Crystal Academy’s playground. Fifield engaged an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist to develop a plan to preserve and relocate the tree on-site, with preparations beginning more than a year before construction.

“This property has features that have been part of the neighborhood for generations, and we know they matter to the people who live here,” Sorrentino said. “Wherever possible, we’ve looked for ways to preserve what makes the site special and incorporate it into what comes next. That same approach has shaped the architecture — creating something new that feels like it belongs in Coral Gables.”

Connected To The City

Crystal Residences sits approximately 200 feet from Ponce de Leon Boulevard and the Coral Gables Trolley, about 10 blocks from the Alhambra office buildings and 14 blocks from Miracle Mile — placing future residents within walking distance of offices, restaurants, shops and other destinations.

For Fifield, the opportunity reflects the company’s focus on communities where opportunities for new development are limited and the character of the surrounding neighborhood matters.

About Fifield Cos.

Fifield Cos. is a boutique real estate developer with more than four decades of experience and over $7B in development, representing 21M SF of residential and office projects and more than 13,000 residential units.

Fifield became involved with Crystal Residences in summer 2024 and is advancing the project alongside partner Pennsbury Capital. Sorrentino, responsible for driving new investments across South Florida and Dallas, leads the project for Fifield.

The project builds on Fifield’s recent South Florida developments, including Avida Aventura, a 277-unit residential community delivered in late 2024, and Amara Wynwood, a 210-residence mixed-use community delivered in early 2025.

“After more than 40 years of developing communities across the country, we know how rare it is to find an opportunity like this,” Sorrentino said. “We have the chance to create new homes while securing Crystal Academy’s future and creating spaces that will benefit the neighborhood well beyond our property lines. That’s what makes Crystal Residences meaningful to us.”

This article was produced in collaboration between Fifield Cos. and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content. 

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.