609 BRICKELL · RELATED ARTICLE
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If you read our October 25 update, you may have had the same question we did: Where, exactly, are all those trees?
A request to remove 54 trees and relocate seven others deserves more than a number. Neighbors should be able to see which trees are involved, why removal is being proposed, and what could be preserved.
We now have more paperwork to work through. The City has posted the November 3 Historic and Environmental Preservation Board hearing packet for 609 Brickell Avenue, the First Presbyterian Church property. That answers one of our pending questions. The locations of the proposed removals still need to be confirmed.
Open the full November 3 agenda packet (PDF) ↗
The full packet is very large, about 316 MB, so it may load slowly. For smaller downloads, open the individual documents on the City’s meeting page below.
For the property-specific documents, see HEPB Resolutions, Item 3, File 20011 on the City’s meeting page. The full packet covers the entire meeting.
What can we see on the map?
The posted drawings include a boundary and topographic survey showing the church property, educational building, parking area, neighboring Brickell Park, and Biscayne Bay. Tree and palm symbols appear along the parking-area edges and waterfront.
View annotated guide: understand the survey
A closer look at the property layout. The arrows identify features on the survey, not trees proposed for removal.
Survey features shown. Removals not confirmed. This survey does not identify which trees would be removed, relocated, or kept.
BHA orientation labels added to the City-posted survey, sheet 2 of 2. The church continues onto sheet 1 to the left. The original survey is preserved above. Open both survey sheets (PDF) ↗
An older report in the supporting documents also describes trees around the parking-area perimeter, citing a March 27, 2024 arborist report. That gives us context, but it does not tell us which individual trees are part of the current request. See supporting documents, PDF pages 31–32.
What would answer the tree question?
The key document is the current Tree Disposition Plan: a map matching individual trees to a schedule that says which would stay, move, or be removed. Read alongside the tree survey and arborist report, it should let residents connect the proposed work to actual trees on the property.
BHA requested the tree records from City staff on October 24. Here is what we need them to help answer:
- The reasons for the proposed removals and documentation needed to assess preservation alternatives.
- The relocation plan showing where the seven trees would go.
- The mitigation plan explaining replacement planting. We also want to understand maintenance and survival-monitoring requirements.
- Confirmation of whether a replacement construction application has been submitted, and its process number.
As of this October 26 update, we have not located a City response supplying the current tree plans or confirming the replacement application number.
What did the City tell BHA?
Preservation staff advised BHA that the hearing packet would be published and directed the tree-permit questions to Environmental Resources. The packet is now available. We are continuing to seek the separate tree records needed to answer the location, relocation, and replacement questions.
The City’s October 2 review comment directed the applicant to submit construction-related tree work under the building application that includes the construction. The review report downloaded October 24 listed that Environmental Resources comment as unresolved. Read the City’s review comments, page 2, reference 7.
And what about the historic protections?
The November 3 agenda item concerns an amendment to the historic designation report. The attachments include documents from the earlier 2024 proceedings. BHA is reviewing those materials to distinguish the earlier proposals and decisions from the exact action now before the Board.
We still need a clear comparison of the currently effective protections and what the November 3 request would change. The agenda’s publication does not establish approval to remove the 54 trees.
Attend and share your comments in person
Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 3 p.m.
Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive
HEP Board · File 20011 · 609 Brickell Avenue
Neighbors can attend the meeting and provide public comment in person at City Hall, subject to the Board’s procedures. The City’s notice states that public comment is expected to begin at approximately 3 p.m.; the time when File 20011 will be heard may vary.
Comments on this item should address the proposed historic designation amendment. The agenda does not identify this item as a vote on the 54 proposed tree removals.
Unable to attend? The City also provides an online public-comment option. View the City’s public-comment instructions ↗
These are the places we walk past, the trees we notice, and the neighborhood we share. We’ll keep asking for records that help neighbors understand what is proposed before decisions are made.
Based on City agenda materials and BHA correspondence reviewed October 26, 2026. Proposed tree-removal locations remain unconfirmed. This article follows BHA’s October 25 article on proposed tree removals and historic changes.