A new dog park anchored by a corporate partnership with pet retailer Chewy Inc. has opened inside the evolving Underline linear park in Coral Gables, marking one of the more concrete early milestones for the project's third phase.
Chewy Bark Park officially welcomed visitors in January 2026, the result of a collaboration between the City of Coral Gables and Chewy Inc., whose North American headquarters is located in the Miami area. The facility sits within the Underline corridor — the ambitious multi-mile linear park and shared-use trail being developed beneath the Miami-Dade Metrorail guideway — and represents the first major public amenity to open in the Coral Gables segment of the project's Phase 3 build-out.
The park includes separate enclosed areas for large and small dogs, cooling artificial turf designed to reduce heat stress on paws, and hydration stations for both animals and their owners. Those features reflect a deliberate effort to make the space functional year-round in South Florida's demanding climate, where summer heat can make traditional asphalt or concrete surfaces dangerous for dogs during midday hours.
The opening comes while construction along the broader Phase 3 corridor remains active. Work on that stretch of The Underline is expected to continue through at least summer 2026, meaning Chewy Bark Park is currently an island of finished parkland within a larger construction zone. City officials and project organizers have positioned the park's early opening as a signal of progress and a way to begin delivering community benefits before the full phase is complete.
The Underline project, spearheaded by the nonprofit Friends of The Underline in partnership with Miami-Dade County and individual municipalities, ultimately aims to transform roughly 10 miles of underutilized land beneath the Metrorail into connected green space, bicycle infrastructure, and neighborhood amenities stretching from Brickell to Dadeland. Coral Gables is one of several municipalities through which the trail passes, and the city has been an active partner in shaping the local segment's programming and design.
For Coral Gables residents, the bark park fills a gap in off-leash dog facilities in a neighborhood where green space is prized but not always abundant. The Chewy branding also points to a broader trend of corporate sponsorships helping to fund and name public park amenities — a model that has gained traction in urban park projects across the country as municipalities look to stretch public infrastructure dollars.
With Phase 3 construction ongoing and additional amenities expected to come online as work wraps up later this year, the Coral Gables segment of The Underline is positioned to become one of the more active stretches of the corridor once complete.
Original reporting on the Chewy Bark Park opening was first published by Coral Gables Magazine.