At the corner of Old Cutler Road and SW 120th Street, 29 columns of bronze, Corten steel and textured glass now stand in a small neighborhood pocket park. The artist is Michael Szabo, the piece is called Traversal, and the Village installed it in September 2026. The Council approved it in 2024. According to South Dade Spotlight's October Pinecrest news roundup, the Council unveiled it this fall and dedicated the space to Village residents.
In its September 2026 Pinecrest Sun, the Village describes a Council commitment to give every resident a green space within one mile of home, which it puts at about a 10 to 15 minute walk. The projects finished or underway this year are spread across the map, from Kendall Drive at the Village's northern entrance down to SW 120th Street, and the Village frames the newest of them as part of that goal.
Four green spaces, four different stages
Here is where each project stands heading into November.
| Green space | Where | Status heading into November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Veterans Wayside Park | Pinecrest Parkway between SW 110 and SW 112 Streets | Beautification finished in August 2026 |
| Traversal pocket park | Old Cutler Road and SW 120th Street | Installed September 2026 and unveiled by the Council |
| Gary Matzner Park | Kendall Drive between SW 67 Avenue and SW 65 Court | Village target was October 2026. The parks directory still lists it as a future park site |
| Aleyda Mas Park | SW 120 Street and SW 60 Avenue | Construction contract awarded April 2026. Opening expected November 2027 |
Two of the four are open now, one is close, and one is a year off. Even the Village's own pages give slightly different park counts while the new ones come online. Its parks FAQ lists eight parks. The Parks and Facilities directory shows nine entries, and that total includes Pawcrest Park plus Matzner as a future site.
Veterans Wayside is finished
At Veterans Wayside Park, the Village rebuilt an existing park on its current footprint along Pinecrest Parkway. The work, finished in August 2026, added an enhanced Veterans Memorial, more gathering space for events, ADA-compliant pathways, a new playground for children ages 2 to 12, and a stone wall that works as both seating and a decorative barrier.
One of the less visible upgrades is a bioswale that filters stormwater naturally before it reaches the existing pond. Native landscaping helps handle runoff and marks off the park's separate areas.
The renovated park hosts a public event soon. The Village's Veterans Day Ceremony takes place at Veterans Wayside Park on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 9 a.m. It includes an Honor Guard presentation, a pinning ceremony and music, followed by a free breakfast. Veterans and Gold Star Families are invited guests.
Gary Matzner Park is the Village's new northern gateway
Gary Matzner Park sits at the Village's northern edge on the southeast corner of Kendall Drive, between SW 67 Avenue and SW 65 Court. The Council approved buying the two parcels, 3.76 acres in all, in 2021 and approved the conceptual design in May 2023. The groundbreaking ceremony was July 12, 2024. According to the Village's capital projects page, construction started in August 2025 and the park was expected to open in October 2026.
The design adopted by the Council includes:
- Large open lawns and natural play areas
- A covered playground
- A walking path
- A restroom shelter and parking
- Preserved specimen trees and all-native landscaping
- A park gateway welcoming people at the Village's northern entrance
The park is named for Gary C. Matzner, Pinecrest's second mayor, whom the Village calls the founding father of Pinecrest. In late October the parks directory still listed it as a "Future Park Site," so check the Village's site for a ribbon-cutting date before you head over.
The streets around it have changed too. In August 2026 the posted speed limit on SW 67 Avenue, Ludlam Road, from Kendall Drive south to SW 136 Street, dropped from 35 to 30 mph. That was part of a Village-wide update that also covered SW 72 Avenue, SW 77 Avenue, SW 104 Street, SW 120 Street, SW 124 Street/Chapman Field Drive and Killian Drive. The Village links the change to safer, more consistent travel for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
SW 120th Street is getting two of the four
SW 120 Street, also known as Montgomery Drive, carries two of this year's projects. Traversal is at its intersection with Old Cutler Road. At SW 60 Avenue is the site of Aleyda Mas Park. And since August, the stretch of SW 120 Street from Red Road to US 1 has carried the new 30 mph limit.
Aleyda Mas Park is the largest of these projects. The 5-acre property has trails, a lagoon, a resort-style home, and a collection of exotic and native trees and plants that the Village describes as having horticultural and historical value. The Montgomery family, who founded Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, owned it first. The Mas family owned it later, and the Village bought it in 2024.
The figures on the Village's Aleyda Mas Park project page show what a project like this costs:
- Property acquisition: $13,900,000, which includes a $3,900,000 charitable contribution from the seller
- Master planning: $250,000
- Roof replacement: $493,000
- Construction plans and documents: $793,100
- Construction administration: $169,350
- Construction: $13,687,824.50
The key dates published on that page are a construction bid awarded to Waypoint Contracting, Inc. on April 14, 2026, and an expected opening in November 2027. Earlier Village and local coverage said fall 2027, which matches. The September newsletter said the project would break ground this fall.
The Village describes it as a place for picnics, walks and time with friends in nature. It is also planned as a setting for small-scale, high-end programs for adults 18 and older. When the Village asked for program ideas this summer, the Pinecrest Tribune reported that the categories included fitness, arts, cooking, lifelong learning, youth programs and special events.
A Saturday route that ends at the newest corner
The Village's September newsletter lays out a self-guided art stroll that finishes at Traversal.
- Peace, at SW 72nd Avenue and 98th Street. The newsletter suggests watching how it reflects the changing light through the day.
- Our Colores, at Suniland Park.
- Flower Pot, at the Pinecrest Community Center.
- Xavier Cortada's mangrove mural at Pinecrest Gardens. The nearly 200-foot piece was created during Art Basel 2019 as part of his effort to encourage planting mangroves.
- Traversal, at Old Cutler Road and SW 120th Street.
The outdoor works around the Village are free to visit. Seeing the collection inside Pinecrest Gardens requires paid admission.
The Community Center stop is a good place for a break. Salty Sisters Café & Bakery operates inside the Pinecrest Community Center at 5855 Killian Drive and serves coffee, matcha, baked goods, breakfast, lunch and soft-serve. The Village lists its hours as weekdays and Saturdays. The Village tags photos from the stroll with #Pinecresting.
If you finish by bike along Old Cutler Road, the path is due for work. At its October 13, 2026 meeting, the Council approved a contract for pavement repairs on the Old Cutler Road shared-use path, along with a contract for landscape improvements in the US 1 median.
Sundays and December nights at the Gardens
Pinecrest Gardens has its fall calendar running. The Farmers Market runs Sundays in November in the Gardens' South Parking Lot at 11000 Red Road. Dates are November 1, 8, 15 and 22. The page lists the hours as 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in one spot and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in another, so arriving a little after 9 covers both. In December, Nights of Lights runs on select nights from December 4 to 27, 6:30 to 10 p.m., with holiday performances, vendors and family activities.
The new projects add green space in other parts of the Village. Matzner covers the north end along Kendall Drive. Veterans Wayside serves Pinecrest Parkway. Traversal and, by late 2027, Aleyda Mas cover SW 120th Street.
If one of these parks is opening down the street from you and you've wondered how that fits into your own plans, the Azua Nardon Team is glad to talk it through, starting with a free home valuation based on what's changing around your block.
