Giralda Plaza dining experiment came just in time

For nearly four years, Coral Gables’ Giralda Plaza has been a closed to vehicular traffic since the completion of the Downtown Streetscape Project.

The Giralda Plaza Streetscape has worked brilliantly since the beginning and helped to further mitigate the ravages of Covid-19, said Mark Trowbridge, president & CEO for Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce.

“By allowing greater outdoor seating, sharing of tables and collaborating on promotional activities, this was a lifesaver,” he said. “And thanks to our city’s leadership, our restaurants kept their doors open and provided a venue that was comfortable to returning diners.”

The Giralda and Miracle Mile streetscapes have been a huge success, not only with tenants but with the public as well, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago told Miami Today.

“Giralda is booming with most of the properties leased. It’s also great to see new concepts like Cebada, a rooftop restaurant open on the plaza and others like Talavera remodeling,” he said. “One of Giralda’s great features is that it offers many different dining options for all that visit.”

While the onset of covid was difficult for the restaurant sector, once they were able to open, he said, outdoor dining became important because it gave patrons greater confidence to return.

“We believe that Giralda is bringing our residents and visitors together and works amazingly well as a pedestrian plaza,” the mayor said.
Currently, the change is intended to be permanent and longer-term, and the chamber continues to be a leading advocate for its pedestrian nature, Mr. Trowbridge added.

“We do evaluate this every two years and thus far, the local businesses continue to embrace the pedestrian plaza as a tremendous asset,” he said.
As for the future of the Coral Gables’ downtown retail, the chamber is quite bullish on the short-term and long-term opportunities for the community’s most iconic retail street, Mr. Trowbridge said.

“Having just visited Washington, DC, and done a number of retail visits in Georgetown and other adjacent districts, we know that our retailers have been able to rebound well and are beginning to thrive again,” he said.

With more than 300 businesses operating throughout downtown Coral Gables, there are about 40 business vacancy listings that are available for leasing, according to Downtown Coral Gables Business Improvement District’s website.

Consumers are comfortable being back in-store, while still using online tools to look at available inventory, styles and other trends, Mr. Trowbridge said.

“We also know that more and more stores are also looking for a brick-and-mortar footprint that fits Coral Gables perfectly,” he said, “and we could not be more excited for what the future holds as new restaurants and leading brands find their way to Miracle Mile and our downtown’s surrounding streets.”