Pinecrest's New Parks Are Filling In the Village's Edges
How far do you walk from your front door in Pinecrest to reach a park? The Village Council has put a number on that answer. Its stated commitment is "having a green space within one mile or a 10-to-15-minute walk of every resident," and that phrase appears in the project background for Aleyda Mas Park on the Village's Your Voice site. The goal explains why this year's park work is spread the way it is. New land is going in at the far north and far south ends of the Village. The parks in between are getting denser rather than bigger. The paths along the main roads are being widened to tie the edges together.
A Village that measures parks by walking distance spends its money differently from one that measures by acreage. The gaps sit at the edges, where the closest existing park can be more than a short walk away. Filling them means buying whatever land comes up there, even when the parcel is small or carries a house.
That is the pattern in the two biggest purchases of the past five years. The Council approved buying a 3.76-acre, two-parcel site at Kendall Drive and SW 67 Avenue, known as the Palermo Property, on March 9, 2021. The Village then bought a five-acre estate at 11855 SW 60th Avenue in early 2024. Community Newspapers reported that the property sits at the south end of the Village and would fulfill the one-mile commitment. One site anchors the northern boundary on Kendall Drive. The other anchors the south.
Here is where each 2026 project stands as of mid-October.
| Project | Location | Status, October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Kendall Linear Park | Kendall Drive, Red Road to SW 65th Court | Open; ribbon cut April 8 |
| Coral Pine Park | 6955 SW 104th Street | Renovation complete; ribbon cut April 24 |
| Salty Sisters café | Pinecrest Community Center | Open |
| Veterans Wayside Park | Pinecrest Parkway, SW 110 to SW 112 Street | Beautification completed August 2026 |
| Gary Matzner Park | Kendall Drive, SW 67 Avenue to SW 65 Court | Slated to open this fall |
| Aleyda Mas Park | SW 120 Street and SW 60 Avenue | Construction phase; opening targeted for November 2027 |
Kendall Drive marks the Village's northern boundary, and this year it got a walking route built for people on foot rather than as an afterthought to the traffic. The Village cut the ribbon on Kendall Linear Park on April 8. The project replaced a 5-foot sidewalk with an 8-foot shared-use path running from Red Road to SW 65th Court, according to the June 2026 Pinecrest Sun. The trees went in at full size. The Public Works Director personally selected 73 mature trees, including live oaks and gumbo limbos standing 26 feet tall, with pigeon plums and Simpson's stoppers planted underneath. The Village says it will keep adding gumbo limbos, green buttonwoods and slash pines on both sides of Kendall Drive.
According to the newsletter, the path links to three existing routes:
It stops at SW 65th Court, and that is where the second piece comes in. The Village says that once Gary Matzner Park is complete, Kendall Linear Park will extend to SW 67th Avenue, "completing continuous connectivity from the Village's northern boundary." The last block of the path depends on the park opening.
The park's design calls for open space, natural play areas, a covered playground, a walking path, a restroom shelter, parking, preservation of numerous specimen trees, and all-native landscaping. It also includes a park gateway that the Village's project page describes as welcoming "residents and guests to the northern entrance of the Village." For anyone driving south off Kendall Drive, this corner is the first stretch of Pinecrest they reach.
The name carries the Village's own history. The late Gary C. Matzner was Pinecrest's second mayor and is widely known as the Village's founding father. He was an attorney who chaired the Charter Commission and served as mayor from 2008 to 2012, a career Community Newspapers recounted when the Village Council honored him during its silver anniversary year. The Village's groundbreaking announcement credits him and his wife Veronica, with Evelyn and Bruce Greer, with leading the incorporation effort after Hurricane Andrew. He attended the park's groundbreaking ceremony on July 12, 2024.
The timeline from purchase to opening has run about five and a half years:
The Village's project page gives October 2026 as the expected opening month. As of this week, no ribbon-cutting date has been announced. The target has moved from summer to fall, so the Village's own channels are the place to watch for the date. For now the park's facility page lists only shade areas under its features.
The central parks were already within walking distance of many homes, so the 2026 work there added uses to existing sites instead of land.
Coral Pine Park at 6955 SW 104th Street held its ribbon cutting on April 24. The renovation added a new multipurpose building, a walking path, a fitness station, expanded parking and four new pickleball courts. The June Pinecrest Sun calls them part of the first dedicated courts in the area, "built in response to years of community demand." The new building can be rented for private events through Parks and Recreation. The Village's facility page lists a 90-person multipurpose room on nine acres of parkland.
The Pinecrest Community Center gained a reason to stay after a class. Salty Sisters, a fast-casual café serving coffee, sandwiches, bowls, house-made pastries and ice cream, is now open inside.
Veterans Wayside Park on Pinecrest Parkway, between SW 110 and SW 112 Street, finished its beautification project in August 2026. The September Pinecrest Sun lists an enhanced Veterans Memorial, expanded gathering space and ADA-compliant pathways. It also lists a new playground for ages 2 to 12, a stone wall that doubles as seating, and a bioswale that filters stormwater into the existing pond. On the south side, an ADA-accessible path leads to the waterfront, and loose stone walkways help with stormwater retention.
Aleyda Mas Park mirrors Gary Matzner Park at the opposite end of the Village. The five-acre property at SW 120 Street and SW 60 Avenue has trails, a lagoon, a large house, and a collection of exotic and native trees and plants. It was first owned by the Montgomery family, founders of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, and later by the Mas family. The Village describes its significance as both horticultural and historical.
The purchase terms are unusual for a public park. Community Newspapers reported a $10 million purchase price, $2.5 million below the average of two appraisals. The owner donated the balance in return for naming the park after Aleyda Mas, wife of Jorge Mas. The Village's own cost table records $13.9 million for acquisition, including a $3.9 million seller contribution.
The Council approved the master plan and conceptual design on May 22, 2025, and awarded the construction bid to Waypoint Contracting, Inc. on April 14, 2026. A July 23, 2026 Village notice said construction was set to begin soon. It also asked residents for program ideas in fitness, arts, cooking, learning, youth programs, events and recreation. The September newsletter says the project will break ground this fall and describes a setting for picnics, walks and small-scale programs. The Village's key-dates page targets a November 2027 opening.
New parks at the edges only meet the walking-distance goal if people can reach them on foot. The next round of work is aimed at that.
The Ludlam Road Shared Use Path is planned as an 8-foot asphalt path along SW 67 Avenue from Snapper Creek to SW 136th Street, with drainage grading and landscaping. It is backed by a $1 million FDOT construction grant, and design and permitting are expected to be finished in April 2027. SW 67 Avenue is also where Kendall Linear Park will end once Gary Matzner Park opens, so the two projects meet at the park's corner. On the east side of the Village, the FY2026 transportation list includes designing a shared-use path along SW 60th Avenue from Old Cutler Road to SW 104 Street. SW 60th Avenue is also the street Aleyda Mas Park faces, farther south at SW 120 Street.
For a Kendall Drive household this fall, the change is a tree-lined 8-foot path ending at a new park on the corner of SW 67 Avenue. For a household near SW 120 Street, the comparable change is about a year away.
Fajer International Realty follows Pinecrest's Village projects closely, from Kendall Drive to the parks still under construction near SW 120 Street. If you are weighing what this park and path work means for a home near either end of the Village, Fajer International Realty can walk you through it in English or Spanish. Schedule a Private Consultation.
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