Big changes are in store for Coral Gables, sparked by relaxed zoning requirements aimed at bringing condos, hotels, office buildings, and retail development to the neighborhood, per The Real Deal.

The 11.4 square-mile area, home to the Shops at Merrick Park, the University of Miami, and the high-end Riviera neighborhood, is currently comprised mainly of single-family homes, single-story shopping centers, mid-rise office buildings, and industrial warehouses.

Merrick Manor / Courtesy of Merrick Manor

Among new developments are Merrick Manor, a 227-unit, 10-story Mediterranean-style condo building at 301 Altara Ave., which broke ground recently. It is the first new condo development in Coral Gables in years. Other projects include plans to convert the former Holiday Inn site at 1350 South Dixie Highway into Paseo de la Riviera, a $172 million development consisting of a 10-story hotel with 252 rooms, an eight-story residential tower with 224 apartments, 20,000 square feet of commercial space, and 838 parking spaces.

Just a few blocks north, near the Shops of Merrick Park, a developer has plans for another mixed-use project on a 4.3-acre site called Gables Station. The developer is proposing three towers with a maximum height of 155 feet with about 168 hotel units, 554 luxury condominium residences, and 87,900 square feet of retail space.

On a seven-acre site adjacent to the Douglas Road Metrorail Station, a partnership between the Adler Group and 13th Floor Investments won a 30-year lease from Miami-Dade County to develop Link at Douglas, with 970 residences, a 150-key hotel, 70,000 square feet of retail space, and a public plaza. Across the street from the Shops of Merrick Park, BF Group is planning a 10-story mixed-use office building at 4311 Ponce de Leon Blvd.

And Roger Development Group recently broke ground on Laguna House, a condominium tower at the Shops of Merrick Park. The 10-story boutique project at 4220 Laguna St. features 12 condo units that range from 3,000 square feet to 6,250 square feet.