At the October 15, 2026 meeting of the Coral Gables Historic Preservation Board, an architect presenting plans for 605 Navarre Avenue explained how the project started. He had first been hired by the home's previous owners to design a two-story addition. While researching the original details, he found that the 1926 house had been designated a Coral Gables Cottage. The previous owners then sold. The new owner arrived with a smaller plan: rebuild an undersized detached garage, open the enclosed front porch again and replace a canvas awning. That plan went before the Historic Preservation Board at a public hearing.
The board approved it unanimously, with conditions that included an attempt to salvage the garage's rear and west walls. Since August, Coral Gables has run two permitting tracks for single-family homes, and the gap between them grew when the city sped up the faster one.
The fast lane has an exclusion list, and historic properties top it
The city's Same Day Permit Program is a pilot run by Development Services. It covers smaller residential projects that do not need structural or mechanical review. For single-family homes, that means roofing, doors and windows, exterior painting, asphalt driveways and certain kitchen and bathroom renovations. Applications with their initial fees paid before 8 a.m. get same-day review. Later applications are reviewed by the end of the next business day. There is no extra charge.
The City Commission approved the program unanimously in July, and rollout began in August, the Miami Herald reported. In its first month, the program processed 158 qualifying applications and completed 295 discipline reviews. Of those applications, 65 were approved and 52 permits were issued.
The city lists these projects as ineligible:
- Work on historic properties or on properties within historic districts
- Projects using private providers
- Projects that require structural or mechanical review
- Sub-permits filed under a master permit
- Kitchen and bath renovations involving HVAC work or range hoods that need outside air or ventilation
- Any application a Board of Architects reviewer decides cannot be approved administratively
Eligibility is also decided case by case. The city told the Herald that a roof replacement "may qualify," but each project is checked for structural or mechanical review needs. The Herald's account put the historic exclusion plainly: owners trying to fix or renovate historic properties, "at least for now, should still expect more scrutiny for permit approval."
How many houses fall in the slower lane
That exclusion covers a large share of the city's housing stock. Coral Gables Magazine reported in November 2025 that the city had more than 1,200 historically designated properties and 20 historic districts, including seven architecturally themed villages. The district labels in the city's register include Alhambra, Castile, Obispo, Santa Maria, MacFarlane Homestead, French Country Village, French City Village and Coral Rock.
That list keeps growing. The board designated 314 Cadima Avenue on September 17, 2026, and both 605 Navarre Avenue and 825 Almeria Avenue on October 15. A house can be outside the register when a buyer first sees it and inside it by the time renovation plans are drawn.
The city's Coral Gables Register of Historic Places runs through July 16, 2026, and covers individual landmarks along with addresses inside districts.
Historic Preservation staff meeting hours are Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to noon, and appointments can be requested at [email protected].
What the slower lane involves
The city's guide, Preserving Our Past, describes Certificate of Appropriateness, or COA, reviews. Article 8 of the Coral Gables Zoning Code splits that review into two tracks: Standard and Special COAs.
The city's fee schedule lists no processing charge for Standard or Special COAs.
What two months of board decisions show
The fall 2026 agendas show a board that regularly approves changes to historic houses, usually with conditions, and works on a monthly meeting schedule.
On September 17, the board approved Special COAs for additions and alterations at 410 Minorca Avenue, and for additions, alterations, a gazebo and site work at 1203 Alhambra Circle. On October 15, it approved alterations and variances at 3903 Granada Boulevard, a local landmark. It also approved a garage demolition and replacement at 1305 Alhambra Circle and alterations with variances at 907 Alhambra Circle, both contributing properties in the Alhambra Circle district.
Designation can also help an owner. Because 605 Navarre kept its detached garage, it kept its Cottage status, and that status allows the property to keep its existing setbacks. The owner also received a variance to rebuild in the same spot in case the old walls fail. The 825 Almeria application used an "accelerated" Special COA, which the code allows to be heard at the same meeting as the designation.
At the October 15 meeting, the owners of a contributing one-story house in the Obispo Avenue Historic District asked for a Special COA to demolish the house and build a new residence and garage. During the hearing, the board reviewed the code's demolition criteria, including whether plans for a replacement structure had been presented and fit the district's character. The applicant then asked for a continuance in order to bring further analysis of whether additions could work instead. The item is scheduled to return on November 19.
A tax provision for historic properties
The City of Coral Gables' 2026 ad valorem tax exemption application describes an exemption related to improvements to a historic property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the city working on the rest of the permitting process? A city spokeswoman told the Miami Herald that Coral Gables is developing "Gables Permitting 2.0," and that the project team has met with permit expediters and made changes based on their feedback.
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